Hello,

I'm the manager at a campus coffee shop, and we're starting the fall semester with a broken machine. I've finally been given the go-ahead to buy a new one, but I'm not sure what commercial brands are the most reliable and produce the best products. Our broken machine Nuova Simonelli 2 group machine-- I believe it was the Mac-2000, but I am not sure. We've spent so much trying to fix it in the past year that we're going to give up on it and get a new one.

Here are some hopefully useful details about the cafe and our needs:

-A 2-group machine is best for the space and worked fine with our sales volume.
-Our baristas are not particularly highly trained. They're competent, but they're not knowledgeable enough to need a machine they can adjust.
-Very few people come to this cafe looking for top-quality espresso; as long as the machine produces a good, reliable product, that is enough.
-The cafe is quite busy, especially during class hours. I'd say we need a machine that can do at least 50 cups an hour, but that is just an estimate.
-I don't have a firm budget, but anything under $10k should be acceptable, as long as it is going to last.

I've been looking at the NS Appia, La Pavoni Bar series, and La Marzocco Linea. I think La Marzocco is too good a machine for our baristas, but I'm not really sure. Let me know what you think, and thanks for your help!

Morgan

I would say go with the Linea. You can still have a knowledgeable person set it up once, and let the baristas use it without changing the parameters. That machine has the reputation of being a solid workhorse and you'd have a ton of people knowledgeable enough to give you any type of advice if/when the time will come.

Another thing: It is easier for a barista to be good on a better machine. I would think that it will also excite them and encourage them to became better and prouder at what they do. You'll end up with better baristas and better coffee drinks.

Ask locally to you
about experience working on particular one versus other
a maintenance and repair person that knows what is doing
and has parts in stock
is pricelless

I'm going with the Linea too. While it is certainly capable of pulling some great shots, that isn't why you should buy it. You should buy it because it is a double boiler machine that will consistently pull good shots without any need for adjustment. Especially when PID'd it has great temperature stability and they really are sturdily built. An untrained barista might not get everything out of it that it could do, it will be better on average than any heat exchanger. (That is a controversial statement, for those about to argue, the key phrase was untrained barista.)

If it were me, I would go to some local shops with La Marzoccos and ask who does their service and whether they are satisfied. (The guys at Barismo probably know.) When you know who is the best, call and ask if they can sell you a rebuilt 2 group PID'd Linea. Ask if they will install and give you a year warranty. My guess is that it will be around $6000 for rebuilt used instead of $11,000 for new. Use some of the money you save to put in a water treatment system (if you don't already have one) and extend the life of your machine with softer water. (The espresso will taste better too.) Use a little more money and train the baristas. It is amazing the damage a badly trained barista can do to expensive machinery. Teach them how to use the brew switch instead of volumetric dosing, break a $10 part instead of a $100 part. Regular maintenance will save you too, ever seen a barista pounding a portafilter into place because the portafilter gasket is worn out?

Just some things to think about, but it all comes down to "pay me now or pay me later."

Jim

Who supplies your coffee? They may be willing to make you an attractive deal on your equipment.

First, +1 on what Stefano and Marshall have already said.

Keeping in mind the market and product-quality level you've described, and assuming that availability of reliable, well-stocked, and competent service are equal between the Simonelli and the LM... I'd say the Appia was the appropriate choice. I really like and regularly quote that machine for lower volume operations, like restaurants, snack bars, and church cafes. It is a reliable machine that produces good espresso and is very nearly a direct replacement for your MAC2000. It also lists for considerably lower than the standard Linea.

An Aurelia or Linea is an excellent choice for use on a bar that's staffed by well-trained baristas, equipped with a top-notch grinder, and supplied with excellent coffees. However, if you are not going to hit the rest of those elements, the benefits of going with an Aurelia or Linea will not be seen in the cup. The espresso machine is just one piece of the puzzle... it is only one of the M's.

Assuming your peak volume is not too high, an Appia should be adequate for you.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a commercial espresso machine tech, specializing in Nuova Simonelli, Rancilio, and Astoria. I do support several stores that run Lineas, and they are fine machines as well.

My 2 cents.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to talk to some local coffee shops today and try to find a good retailer.

I'm trying to figure out if I need to install any kind of softener or filtration system when I replace the machine. I'm using this to do so: http://scaa.org/PDF/ST%20-%20WATER%20ST...V2009A.pdf.

Cambridge water quality falls within the acceptable range for everything except sodium, which is too high. Should I try to do anything to the water? Or should I just be careful to descale the machine regularly?

Cambridge water quality report is here, if you care to look: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambri..._20101.pdf

I couldn't get your link to download, but as long as your hardness falls below 80 ppm or roughly 5 grains, you shouldn't have to worry much about scale build up. If your water is already acceptable, then a simple carbon filter should suit your needs.

Yes, you should install at very least a chlorine and sediment filter. Looks like your Calcium hardness is 50 mg/L - which is the maximum hardness that the Simonelli guys recommend. If I were you, I'd install a small cartridge softener system instead.

The SCAA's handbook is a great resource, but if you buy an new machine and would like to have a warranty you should find out the manufacturer's recommendation and follow it. 5 grains of calcium hardness will void most warranties I'm aware of.

The other thing to remember is that, while descaling an espresso machine in a home environment is a pretty common occurrence, descaling a commercial beast in its habitat is a whole different matter and you should do whatever you can to avoid needing to do it.

On filtration, it looks like Cambridge uses Chloramine (like many other places now do) and a Chlorine filter generally won't do anything about that. There are very few filter cartridges certified for Chloramine reduction. Check with your supplier on this. It is not essential, but can improve the taste of your product.