$2,329.00
Introductory Price! New dual boiler from Magister with PID controls, rotary pump, & flow control capable E61 grouphead (kit sold separately).
The company Magister is relatively new to the espresso industry, starting back in 1997. We started business with them in 2012, bringing in the Stilo line. These were HX machines serviceable in both the home and commercial environments. As our customers became more familiar with the Magister line, the interest in a dual boiler espresso machine started to grow. After years of R&D, they released the Stella line.
Their decision to use copper boilers is one we like. The overall performance in thermal conductivity and temperature stability is superior to stainless steel. Having a rotary vane pump instead of a vibration pump is always a plus, whether hooking your machine up to a water line or not. The less rattling, the more enjoyable pulling a shot is.
| Brand | Magister |
|---|---|
| Height (inches) | 15.25, approximate |
| Width (inches) | 11.75, approximate |
| Depth (inches) | 18.75, approximate |
| Weight (pounds) | 51 |
| Wattage (watts) | 20 amp required, 2020 watts stated on machine |
| Voltage (volts) | 110 – 120 |
| Coffee boiler capacity (liters) | 0.5 |
| Steam boiler capacity (liters) | 1.2 |
| Tank capacity (liters) | 3 |
| Approvals | CE |
General Espresso Machine Notes/Warnings:
Espresso Equipment Technical Support
Over the lifetime of your espresso machine, you may encounter a situation where the machine powers on and the grouphead operates normally, but no steam or hot water is produced. [...]
Espresso Equipment Technical Support
If you own a Magister Stella, occasional maintenance and servicing are part of keeping it running at its best. Some components—like the grouphead and steam/hot water wands—are easily accessible from [...]
Espresso Articles
Magister is a relatively new entrant to the espresso industry, starting back in July 1997 in Casorezzo (Milan), Italy. We started business with them in 2012, by bringing in the [...]
How to backflush:
For more detailed instructions, see Backflushing Instructions for Rotary Pump Espresso Machines.
Daily cleaning should be done at the end of each day of use.
Periodic cleaning/backflushing depends on usage. Weekly is a good practical recommendation.
Daily maintenance means cleaning the machine body, portafilters, filters, drip tray, group shower, group gasket, and steam wand.
Periodic maintenance means washing the tank, cleaning the tank compartment, and performing a backflush with the blind filter.
Use cold potable water, maximum pressure 6 bar, with a shut-off valve. The connection is G 3/8" female.
Water-source selects the water supply type:
When it is set to Mains / Rete water, the tank-level sensor is disabled.
The factory password is 14241. Or, if no password is set, 00000.
Starting from Idle-Off, press and hold ENTER for more than 10 seconds. If password protection is enabled, the password screen will appear. If password protection is disabled, the technical menu opens directly.
Yes, the firmware shown in the video includes a language selection screen. The video shows English, Italian, and German.
The menu navigation is mainly forward using ENTER. There is no dedicated "back" function described. To exit, hold ONOFF for about 2 seconds to return to the normal Idle-On screen. To revisit a previous item, enter the menu again and advance to the desired point.
The machine does not require one specific brand only. The correct filter or softener depends on the market, water hardness, and installation type. The important point is that the programmed liter threshold must match the real capacity of the filter or softening system being used. The easiest solution is to use a in tank water softener, such as the Bilt In Tank Rechargeable Water Softener / Particle Filter. This type of filter is recharged weekly and prior to first use, and replaced at a minimum every 6 months. Depending on water hardness, you many need to recharge and replace it more frequently.
The filter should be replaced when the programmed liter threshold is reached, or earlier if the filter's supplier's instructions require it due to water hardness. For example, if the installed filter is rated for 3,000 liters under the local water conditions, the threshold can be set around 3,000 liters. If the water is very hard, the effective capacity may be lower.
No, it is only a counter. It does not measure water hardness or the actual remaining efficiency of the filter. The filter replacement interval must be set according to the filter capacity, the water hardness, and the user's consumption.
The filter counter is the counter for the filter replacement. It count liters of water delivered since the last filter replacement/reset. On the dosed ES version, this is calculated through the volumetric counter. On the manual lever version, if this function is enabled in the firmware, it is calculated by time because there is no volumetric counter.
After maintenance is completed, the maintenance counter can be reset by holding the + and - buttons for approximately 5 seconds, until the value returns to 0.
If the maintenance alarm is enabled and a maintenance-cycle value is programmed, the alarm appears when the programmed number of coffees/cycles has been reached. Setting the value to 0 disables the maintenance warning.
It is counted in coffee/cycles, not liters. On the dosed version, the system can count single and double coffees/shots according to the programmed dose buttons. On the manual lever version, where the function is enabled, the cycle is based on the coffee activation, not on measured liters. On both, it will also count flashes to the system. Simply put - any time the 3/2 group valve is activated (manual or electric).
Service Cycle refers to the maintenance cycle counter. It is not a liter counter. It is used to generate the maintenance reminder after a programmed number of coffees/cycles.
No. These parameters are factory-tuned according to the boiler, heating element, dimensions, and heat dispersion. We do not recommend changing them unless Magister or Gicar provides specific instructions. The Factory presets shown in the Gicar specifications are:
Coffee boiler:
Steam/service boiler:
In the Gicar specification this parameter is identified as "Banda", meaning PID control band.
It defines the operating band around the set temperature in which the PID regulation acts. In practical terms, it affects how the heating is modulated near the target temperature and therefore affects stability, overshoot, and recovery behavior. It is set for 5 degrees Celsius. A boiler set to 93, when starting from room temp will run at full power until 88 and then the PID modulation. The B /Kb anti-windup parameter for this controller, the correct identification from the Gicar specification is "Banda." Therefore we should explain it as PID control band, not anti-windup.
This is simply the order chosen in the firmware display menu. It does not change the meaning of the PID parameters. The main reason Ki appears last is because it's set to 0. Ki is mostly aimed at fixing an error over time and in a small and fast reacting boiler, it will create an overshoot. It's more useful for a big steam boiler with heat exchangers and even there, it is very mildly used.
Together they control the boiler heating response and temperature stability.
According to the Stella Dual Technical Data:
If the machine and grinder operate on the same circuit and the combined load exceeds the circuit capacity, the breaker may trip. For best results, especially in commercial or heavy-use environments, a dedicated circuit is preferable.
As stated in the power value shown in the manual, the 115 V version as a maximum total power of 1320 W, which is approximately 11.5 A. Therefore, from a power consumption point of view, it is within a 15 A circuit. However, the installation must still respect the local electrical code, the plug type, the cable rating, grounding, and the rating plate.
No. 15 A is enough for the machine itself, but since normal kitchens also serve a grinder, oven, refrigerator, etc. A full kitchen setup of 20 A is best, or a dedicated outlet of 15 A to the machine.
For example, according to the Stella Dual Technical Table:
So "20 A" should not be stated as a universal requirement. The correct requirement must always follow the machine rating plate and the local electrical code.
Steam boiler priority can be used for a user who steams a lot of milk and wants faster steam recovery. However for espresso quality and temperature stability, coffee priority is generally preferable.
We recommend Coffee boiler priority for best espresso temperature stability. This is also the factory preset. For 110V machines, the only options are coffee first or steam first. Both together surpass the amp limitation of most kitchens.
There are 2 different priority menus because they control two different things.
The second priority menu is for heating priority between the coffee boiler and the steam/service boiler. The available options are:
We recommend Coffee Priority. This is also the factory preset. It gives priority to espresso extraction and avoids disturbing the coffee pressure/flow during steam boiler refill.
The first priority menu concerns the relationship between coffee extraction and steam/service boiler filling. The available options are:
No. There is no daily or weekly automatic on/off timer described for this function. Crono refers to the coffee extraction timer.
Crono mode is the shot timer / extraction timer display. It is not an automatic on/off timer for the machine. When Crono is enabled, the display shows the extraction time during coffee delivery and keeps it visible for a few seconds after the extraction ends. On the dosed ES version only (which is NOT this version of the machine), the display can also show the delivered volume. Here are images with and without Crono:
