description and pic below. Can anyone identify this unit for me? Pro's/Con's? I would be using it for home espresso duties each morning and night, plus milk drinks for my wife and for our guests/parties. unit comes with a bunch of extras. Can't really tell what model it is...anyone know?

Deal is all the below for around $3K

"Italian made RIO brand espresso machine with dual espresso heads. This machine is about 5 years old in excellent condition. Has been completely maintained to manufacturer specs by a professional that is very familiar with espresso machines. All maintenance info available upon request as well as original purchase information. There is a dual filtration for the water that enters the machine to prevent buildup. This also includes a mazzer bean grinder and everything needed to make espresso including baskets, stainless milk steamer containers, thermometers, tamper, and spoons. We are also including the pumps (10) for syrup and for the Ghiradelli sauces (3), a rack that holds 11 syrup bottles, and several unopened bottles of syrup and sauce. This is pretty much everything that you would need to open an espresso business."

Thanks for the advice/help!
please email me directly at harleykids@aol.com or reply on the forum, thanks!

I'm totally shooting from the hip.....in the dark etc.

I have a couple of machines that are very similar to this one. It's made by CMA (http://www.cmaspa.com/), a big maker of machines in Italy with a lot of brands. I think that they make good coffee and are reliable. That's also a very usable, durable grinder.

It's massive for a home machine and has 20-30 times the capacity you would need to do what you describe. Anyway, assuming that you have the room, the plumbing and the 220v outlet to make it work, from a Seattle used market perspective, the price is on the high side. (If it's not 220v, it will be slow and need a big circuit.) If you and the others in the house like massive, industrial equipment, rock on, as it will certainly start conversations when guests say "your coffee maker is bigger than my dishwasher".

My math would be $250 for the grinder, $50 for the accessories (I'm not a syrup guy but maybe someone you know is) and a maximum of $1500 for the machine if it were scrupulously clean and I could validate the low wear. CAVEAT: There are lots of used machines here, you need to make the call for your area but you can do a lot for $3k in new, techy, blingy, easy to move with one person, comes with a warranty consumer equipment.

I'd bet it was $5000 or so new. These are similar and 5 years newer. http://www.wholelattelove.com/commercial/rio.cfm

Thanks for the advice! I think I will stick to trying for find a nice used Anita (or bite the bullet and buy new from Chris coffee) since I will only be making espresso for myself and milk drinks for the wife twice a day.

We have parties every few weeks, but even then I would only be making a dozen or so drinks (milk drinks, espresso, etc) each evening.

Just can't decide whether to get the over pour Anita, or spend the extra dough on the plumbed version Andreja. It also looks like the Vetrano is only $100 more than the Andreja and you get the rotary pump.

But for $1795 are there better machines out there than the Quick Mill offering (better equals than the Anita/Andreja/Vetrano? What about older Elektra T1's, etc?

thanks!
Jason

Also, I see that the model below the Anita is the Alexia. And I see a common upgrade for the Alexia is the PID kit.

Does the Anita/Andreja/Vetrano not need a PID? I never see a PID kit for these more expensive models?

Thanks....I am an espresso newbie so bear with uneducated questions!

thanks!

I'd skip the RIO for home unless you have a TON of space, it also seems over priced. In the San Francisco Bay area the dual group systems go for less than this used. However, see if they will sell just the mazzer grinder, clean it up, put in new burrs and leave it to your children in your will.

PID is allows you to go with a warming flush followed by making espresso. A non PID would more be a cooling flush followed by pulling your shot of espresso. A PID is certainly nicer, but your $$ would be better spent in the grinder, then the espresso machine.

Mark

You may want to consider double boiler machines
Vibiemme Double Domobar
Izzo Alex Duetto
Expobar Brewtus III
Dalla Corte Mini
LaSpaziale Vivaldi

Thought I'd post my $.02 since I'm also a noob and bought an Anita a little over a year ago.


Do you KNOW you'll like espresso? Are you already a 'regular' espesso drinker? I had all of one or two shots of espresso(they were horrible)in my life before I bought Anita. I got interested in espresso over the years thru other means. First I wanted to make a better cup of coffee, which led to the internet(I hate the internet by the way. It has cost me much money!!). This led to learning how to roast my own coffee. This led to buying all kinds of ways to brew coffee. This eventually led to this site and Anita.

I chose Anita as it was my first machine, not the bottom of the barrell but not the top either. The price was right and the learning curve didn't seem difficult from reading on this site. At the time I also didn't have the option of plumbing in. Anita has been great this past year buuuuut....

I am ready to upgrade. I have moved since and now can plumb in. I love espresso and now that I know it will be a part of my life want a machine that has a few more conveniences such as plumbed in, 20amp, drain, volumetric dosing and ease of changing brew pressure.(not that changing brew pressure on Anita is difficult).

So my suggestion. If you are a regular espresso drinker and already know you will be 'into' it, get a better machine than the Anita. I was not sure if I was going to even like espresso so I figured Anita was the perfect fit. Quality machine, not hard to learn on(like Silvia/gaggia etc). Re-sale if pretty good on any machine too if you decide it's not for you.

If on the other hand you are not sure if you'll be into the whole 'espresso' thing then Anita is a perfect choice, along with a few of the other quickmill machines. Even if you know you like espesso you may not like making it. If you are unsure of any of these things one of the quickmill machines would be a perfect fit.

Just my two pennies....

Ron

Thought I'd post my $.02 since I'm also a noob and bought an Anita a little over a year ago.


Do you KNOW you'll like espresso? Are you already a 'regular' espesso drinker? I had all of one or two shots of espresso(they were horrible)in my life before I bought Anita. I got interested in espresso over the years thru other means. First I wanted to make a better cup of coffee, which led to the internet(I hate the internet by the way. It has cost me much money!!). This led to learning how to roast my own coffee. This led to buying all kinds of ways to brew coffee. This eventually led to this site and Anita.

I chose Anita as it was my first machine, not the bottom of the barrell but not the top either. The price was right and the learning curve didn't seem difficult from reading on this site. At the time I also didn't have the option of plumbing in. Anita has been great this past year buuuuut....

I am ready to upgrade. I have moved since and now can plumb in. I love espresso and now that I know it will be a part of my life want a machine that has a few more conveniences such as plumbed in, 20amp, drain, volumetric dosing and ease of changing brew pressure.(not that changing brew pressure on Anita is difficult).

So my suggestion. If you are a regular espresso drinker and already know you will be 'into' it, get a better machine than the Anita. I was not sure if I was going to even like espresso so I figured Anita was the perfect fit. Quality machine, not hard to learn on(like Silvia/gaggia etc). Re-sale if pretty good on any machine too if you decide it's not for you.

If on the other hand you are not sure if you'll be into the whole 'espresso' thing then Anita is a perfect choice, along with a few of the other quickmill machines. Even if you know you like espesso you may not like making it. If you are unsure of any of these things one of the quickmill machines would be a perfect fit.

Just my two pennies....

Ron

General thought.

harleykids wrote:I would be using it for home espresso duties each morning and night, plus milk drinks for my wife and for our guests/parties. unit comes with a bunch of extras. Can't really tell what model it is...anyone know?

Do you really entertain that many people that you need a two-group machine?