First I acknowledge I'm a shiny newb, so am in need of some good advice that would serve us in the long term.

I understand that producing a good shot is subjective, requiring patience, experience and good equipment, and a good shot to me may not be for someone else.

We are small CPA firm in Western, NY with a love of great espresso. We have a couple of local horrible coffee bars, with awful espresso and coffee.

We are opening a new office, and as a way to get foot traffic into our new building, we are eventually (within a month) going to place a sandwich board outside announcing free espresso. We want to offer a premium experience, and with time perhaps offer truly exceptional espresso to our employees and clients. Likely we might produce 1-5 cups in succession, so advice based on that is greatly appreciated.

Have purchased both a refurbed Super Jolly Doser and a New Baratza Vario. We have ordered a few different single origin and blends from various respected roasters, we have plumbed in a water softener, and carbon filter for use in connecting a machine via direct connect should we go that route, or the ability to have a dedicated water source for use in filling a reservoir.

I have been looking at several options, and have a budget of 1200-1300 for espresso machine alone. Rotary Vane pump machines and levers are appealing from sound perspective, and in the case of the Cremina, love the purist look and feel, and from the reviews hear it is VERY reliable, and can produce a very good espresso. Vibratory pumps are also ok, but would want one known for being more quiet.

These are a few of the machines I'm focusing on, but am open to other suggestions.

Olympia Cremina 67
Bezzera BZ02 (Direct connect)
La Nuova Era Cuadra

Reliability, temp stability, and reproducibility are important to me. The Cremina 67 is available locally from a "friend" for about 1200. It is an early 80's model.

You will need more of a commercial style machine, so strike the Cremina off the list. It's not going to keep up. You will also want to put your direct water connection to use to avoid refilling all the time, so I'd avoid tank machines like the Cuadra. What you really need is a single group commercial machine, but those are out of budget new. A used one requires more work but will meet your needs better. You could also find one that's already been refurbished.

edit - Since this is going in a place of business you might also need to ensure the machine has ETL or other certifications which many home machines do not have.

I agree with compliance's comments. Plumb in would be ideal, and a home lever machine like a Cremina is not temp stable enough to bang out multiple shots. ETL certification is also a good idea. Something like a Quickmill Vetrano or La Spaziale Vivaldi would be perfect, but a bit out of your range. The BZO7 with the plumb in and automatic dosing is a good choice, but may not be commercially certified. Maybe a used Rancilio Epoca or S7 would work, if you can find one in good condition.

How about the ROCKET GIOTTO EVOLUZIONE, or Vetrano Rotary.

There is one of the Rockets on Ebay right now for 1300 but will likely climb towards the end.

There is also a fully rebuilt, La San Marco Espresso Machine 85-16-1 Practical for 1300 that looks enticing....thoughts?

Does not have to be ETL, as it is zoned multi-use versus commercial.

Dan's right. The first thing you have to do is figure out who's going to operate the machine; how much time (s)he can spare from other duties in order to do cleaning and maintenance; in order to determine whether a "quality experience" is practical or even possible for your situation.

Even though you can't get "exceptional espresso" from a super-automatic, one might be the best option under the circumstances. I'm not saying get one, I'm saying be honest in evaluating what is and what isn't practical. This is bidness, not hobby.

Assuming you've got a couple of people who can competently perform all of the necessary barista duties -- unclench your wallet and buy the best machine you can afford. You're talking about a fairly serious duty cycle, and I'd stick to very high end prosumers or true professional machines. The initial investment will amortize pretty quickly.

The La Spaz was an excellent suggestion. If you can plumb in, I'd spend the extra several hundred and get something like my La Cimbali or one of the Elektra's currently on sale at 1st Line.

Speaking of duty cycles, what I'd do first is call a really good dealer and tell him what you're trying to do and solicit recommendations which can handle your anticipated volume.

BDL

onyunn wrote:We are opening a new office, and as a way to get foot traffic into our new building, we are eventually (within a month) going to place a sandwich board outside announcing free espresso. We want to offer a premium experience, and with time perhaps offer truly exceptional espresso to our employees and clients. Likely we might produce 1-5 cups in succession, so advice based on that is greatly appreciated.

I don't know how many people work at your firm, nor how many are willing to take classes and/or undergo training as a barista, but unless Jean Deaux is willing to stop work and operate the espresso machine every time someone wants a tall skinny caramel latte, this seems to me to be one of those ideas that's far better on paper than in reality.

onyunn wrote:Have purchased both a refurbed Super Jolly Doser and a New Baratza Vario. We have ordered a few different single origin and blends from various respected roasters, we have plumbed in a water softener, and carbon filter for use in connecting a machine via direct connect should we go that route, or the ability to have a dedicated water source for use in filling a reservoir.

IF you are serious about getting an espressos machine, it will be significantly easier if you can plumb the machine in . . . and out. Why you've already bought coffee is another question. Undoubtedly it shall be stale prior to getting your machine installed.

FWIW, just because you are giving the espresso away for free does not necessarily mean the machine won't need to be NSF/ETL certified, etc., etc. And a mixed zoning permit is irrelevant.

onyunn wrote:I have been looking at several options, and have a budget of 1200-1300 for espresso machine alone. Rotary Vane pump machines and levers are appealing from sound perspective, and in the case of the Cremina, love the purist look and feel, and from the reviews hear it is VERY reliable, and can produce a very good espresso. Vibratory pumps are also ok, but would want one known for being more quiet.

You are, in your own words, "a shiny newb." Avoid complicated machines. Avoid levers. You are attempting to run before you can crawl, let alone walk.

What you are describing is a setup begging for a 2-group DB volumetric, on a budget of a 1-group HX pourover.

I would suggest a super auto (and lower your expectations), then wait and see if an employee wants to take on the challenge of becoming a barista rather than a CPA.

Cheers,
Jason