Hey guys,

I'm looking to spend around £700 on an office set up for brewing both Espresso and potentially French press.

So far I've looked at getting the Baratza Vario and the Gaggia Classic (all nicely under budget), but I'm not sure how well it'll hold up in the office - it'll be used by about 6-8 people. I was looking at the Silvia, but they seems hard to get hold of in the UK. It doesn't have to be the best Espresso, just good enough for office use.

Also I have concerns over the Vario switching between Espresso to French Press, and wonder if I'd actually need two grinders (Maybe the Encore?).

Any advice would be great!

Cheers,
Mark

Trying to use one grinder for both will inevitably involve a compromise on one or the other preparation. Of all of the grinders I have used, the Knock Hausgrind comes the closest; it is a bit behind the Vario in terms of espresso grind quality, but not by much, and it is almost as good as the Lido2, and maybe equal to the Baratza Virtuoso, for press pot grinding. Either the virtuoso, the Lido2, or the Hausgrind will give significantly better results than the Vario for press pot or filter brewing purposes.

The vario makes very good espresso, and acceptable pour-over coffee, but I always found it to be a let down when I tried to use it for press. Also, the settings tend to wander over time, even more so when you make large grind adjustments, so you will find yourself needing to carefully dial it back in (and probably waste a shot or two if you are picky) every time you switch from press to espresso.

If your budget constrains you from picking up two grinders right now, maybe you should pick either espresso or press brewing in the short term, and add in the other setup when funds become available?

If this setup is going to be used by 6-8 people, that could amount to some serious usage depending on how much they like their coffee. I honestly think you should be looking at more commercial level gear to get the job done. I also agree that you should probably be looking at separate grinders for espresso vs press.

I didn't see the info on 6-8 people. If one person is making shots for everyone, the smaller hand grinders would become annoying for sure. In that case, I'd probably look for a used Mazzer Super Jolly, and pick up a Virtuoso to use for the press pot.

That was what I was worried about. I would estimate anywhere between 5-15 shots. Obviously it'd change on a day to day basis. I'd be looking at something that could last years and cope with some more people in the future.

Is there anything that I should be looking at for this use? Perhaps I could stretch to £1000 for both grinder and machine. I did think about a filter machine like a Technovorm too.

As for the grinders, I think if we go for an espresso machine, it'll be purely be for espresso so that'll solve that one. Though I have been wanting a Knock Hausgrind since early this year, hopefully the batch I'm on will start shipping soon!

For what you want it might be worth it to look into a coffee service to provide machines and coffee. That way you don't have to worry about reliability or upkeep. A vario and gaggia is great for a home but an office is a stretch.

Nate42 wrote:If this setup is going to be used by 6-8 people, that could amount to some serious usage depending on how much they like their coffee. I honestly think you should be looking at more commercial level gear to get the job done.

+1

I would buy an SJ class grinder and a bulk grinder (used price ~$500 for both). With some looking a small commercial machine like an NS Oscar is not unreasonable for another $500. That would get you a bulletproof kit, possibly even one you could plumb in later.

Now to the other (obligatory) warning:

Who will be using this equipment? Without proper training espresso is messy and tastes dishearteningly terrible. Will you be offering training on the usage of the machine? Every few months theres someone who plans to put an espresso rig in the office, but (innocently) does not realize the level of knowledge it requires to properly operate the equipment. Generally its recommended that one stays with brewed coffee unless there will be some level of competency among the users. Untrained operators often become disheartened by their fruitless efforts and give up as well.

That said, I don't want to steer you away from espresso simply because its not a plug and play concept. Its an incredibly rewarding journey if taken on properly

Thanks for the advice. I've ended up with the Classic as it's cheap enough to trial espresso at work. If it works we can go for a higher end one when the budget allows, or get a filter machine to sit alongside.

The people using it are happy to learn how to use it properly and I'll train them-not that I know what I'm doing, yet! Results so far have been decent.

Again, thanks for the advice.