Building a Home Espresso Bar

[stevendouglas]

With an Elektra A3 from Chris' Coffee on the shipping van and a kitchen remodel in the planning stages, I've gotten the green light to build an espresso bar (yes, my wife loves me). I don't know exactly what I need for a good espresso bar, so I'd appreciate any ideas you have. As a first step, I was trying to make a list of elements that I'd like and then in the second step, I'll try to figure out the best way to put them together.

Dan helped get me started with the following:

1. Elektra A3

2. Grinder (Macap)

3. Built-in knockbox (I can't believe it, but my wife actually encouraged me to cut a hole in the counter for the knockbox. She doesn't even drink coffee! She's the perfect wife!)

4. I wanted a small sink to wash everything. (How about those sinks that always have water running through them? I have seen them at coffee shops. What do they do? Where do you get them?)

5. Undercounter refrig. What would I use this for? Milk?

6. Drawers deep enough for pitchers, parts, and such.

7. Lighting.

Any ideas would be very helpful. We don't close on the new house until mid-December, so I don't have pictures. However, if you have an espresso bar and have pictures, I would greatly appreciate seeing them. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

[roadman]

7. Lighting.

Howdy neighbor. Sounds like you have an interesting project ahead of you as well as a very understanding partner. Lucky guy. Just curious, have you ever attempted a kitchen remodel before?

Have you considered halogen lighting? It's energy efficient and gives you a number of options. One way to go is to install flexible track lighting that hangs from the ceiling. There are a lot of good looking glass covers for these lights, they're highly adjustable and they can give your bar a snazzy modern look.

If you're not planning to place a cabinet directly over the work area of your bar and you're wanting a cleaner look you may want to think about installing couple of recessed halogen task lights in the ceiling. They work well when they are set up directly above the area you want to illuminate.

Halogen lighting can be a bit glary at full intensity so it helps to add a dimmer switch to the circuit. This way when you're trying something new or cleaning up you can crank the lights on full. Then when you have your setup down and want to entertain that special someone you can dim the lights, slip on some sultry tunes and end up with a setup that'll put Austin Powers to shame.

Jonathan, part time Grass Valley resident

[Balthazar_B]

Consider putting in the plumbing required for a direct-attached espresso machine (with drainage, too). No, don't consider, just do it. There's no way you'll tolerate a pour-over machine if you're going to all this trouble to enjoy coffee.

[barry]

4. I wanted a small sink to wash everything. (How about those sinks that always have water running through them? I have seen them at coffee shops. What do they do? Where do you get them?)

restaurant supply houses. the constant running ones are called "dipping wells", and are useful for milk items like measuring cups and spoons... i think they originated at ice cream joints (for the scoops). i don't think i'd want a dipping well at home... think about the sound of a constant trickle of water.

try http://www.superprod.com for supplies. also http://www.foodservicedirect.com and http://www.servu-online.com .


and don't forget an espresso-specific water filtration system.

and enough electricity.

[cannonfodder]

I would reemphasize Barry's electrical comment. Most homes are underpowered, I would suggest a dedicated 30 amp circuit, or two provided you are in the US/Canada.

As far as lighting, I have always been partial to track lighting, however, halogen bulbs really crank out the heat. It may get quite warm standing under them while you work in front of a hot machine. I have gotten partial to florescent lighting with full spectrum bulbs (grow lights), but everyone has a personal preference.

[Woofy]

Congrats on the new bar! Gotta say I love mine. It looks like you're going through the double-barrelled plumbing option since you're getting the A3. You're gonna wonder how you ever lived without it.

One item you might want to consider is adding an empty 10" water filter housing with a clear bottom section between your machines drip tray and the drain line. I have mine under the sink and mounted toward the front of the cabinet where it's easy to get at it. Instead of having the grounds from wiggle rinses getting in and clogging my drain lines, they settle in the bottom of the housing and periodically I dump the collected grounds in the compost or garbage. Since drain lines aren't under pressure, hand tightening the housing is all that's usually necessary. It's a little trick I got from a plumber buddy of mine who says that coffee grounds settling in domestic drain lines keeps Roto-Rooter in business more than just about any other drain problem.

And you're gonna REALLY love to in-counter knock box. Having it sunk just those few inches is amazingly effective for minimizing the unavoidable overspray from knocking out the pucks.

If you don't have your sink installed yet, you may want to consider one of those dark gray granite composite sinks from Franke. The second coffee grounds/mess hits a stainless or enamel sink, it's gonna look like crud until you wash it out. With the Franke Granite sink (I have the round one mounted under a quartz composite countertop) the mess is invisible which adds immeasurably to the bar's aesthetics while in use. I just make sure to wash it out when I'm finished. My first bar had a stainless sink. Yeeesh! That was a BIG mistake. Commercial bars may have them, but there's a good reason those sinks are behind a counter and not in plain view. From the first instant coffee mess hits it, stainless looks really nasty.

The halogen track lighting on a dimmer is an excellent suggestion. However, if your ceiling's are 8' or less, consider placing a spot on each side of the machine directly above a spot six inches from the edge of the countertop, instead of centered over the counter and machine. I made that mistake on my last bar, and not only was I constantly working in shadow, but heat from the lighting was cooking the top of my head! Putting a light source on each side and moving it toward the edge of the counter will not only provide shadow free lighting but will keep your noggin a lot more comfortable.

Also consider putting your task lighting and the rest of the area's lighting on separate dimmer circuits, you won't regret it. Often I find I need brighter light to work in while my female guests prefer more subdued lighting since it's more flattering (that was loudly suggested for the new bar from a good friend of mine). Brighter task lighting also makes it much easier to see during clean-up.

About those drippy sinks. They only look cool, but are really overkill for home use and are seriously wasteful of water. A sink like that will go through more water than your entire household would normally use in a month, no exaggeration. And cleaning them out is a serious pain in the tailgate. I had to do it for years. Yeeech!

Check out U-Line's undercounter refrigerator with high-capacity ice maker. I put one in my current bar and it rocks! There's room for keeping a couple gallons of milk and other items, like cream for italian sodas. The ice maker makes up a large portion of the unit and it can crank out about 30 lbs of ice a day for iced drinks. Price is a little steep, about $1500, but you should be able to swing a deal with a dealer for a grand and change.

Hopefully there's some food for thought that you'll find useful. Best of luck!

[barry]

The halogen track lighting on a dimmer is an excellent suggestion. However, if your ceiling's are 8' or less, consider placing a spot on each side of the machine directly above a spot six inches from the edge of the countertop, instead of centered over the counter and machine. I made that mistake on my last bar, and not only was I constantly working in shadow, but heat from the lighting was cooking the top of my head!

i had a similar problem with my setup, so i installed underdeck lighting:

bench lights on

bench lights off

[stevendouglas]

- One item you might want to consider is adding an empty 10" water filter housing with a clear bottom section between your machines drip tray and the drain line.

- If you don't have your sink installed yet, you may want to consider one of those dark gray granite composite sinks from Franke.

- The halogen track lighting on a dimmer is an excellent suggestion. However, if your ceiling's are 8' or less, consider placing a spot on each side of the machine directly above a spot six inches from the edge of the countertop, instead of centered over the counter and machine.

These are all great ideas that I'll incorporate. I like the halogen lighting idea but would have never thought to off-set the lights - great idea!

you're gonna REALLY love to in-counter knock box

WRT the knockbox, did you cut the bottom out of yours so that the grounds go directly in a trash can? This seems like a good idea; however, it might be more trouble (or more messy) than just dumping them.

About those drippy sinks. They only look cool, but are really overkill for home use and are seriously wasteful of water.

I've scratched this from the options list. Thanks.

[tsquared]

Recessed halogens are cool, but they are very directional and will give you very distinct pools of light (that's why they're cool). If you need more even lighting, recessed incandescent is a good option.

For counters I think (though I'm not sure) that natural stone should be avoided. Espresso machine cleaner is highly acidic and I'm pretty sure you want to keep that stuff away from something like granite. I'm also setting up a bar (though not a dedicated one like yours -- lucky you), so I would also appreciate advice on counter tops.

[stevendouglas]

For counters I think (though I'm not sure) that natural stone should be avoided. I'm also setting up a bar (though not a dedicated one like yours -- lucky you), so I would also appreciate advice on counter tops.

I planned to use a Corian or some variant thereof. In addition to being easier to clean, it should be easier to cut holes into. My wife, as wonderful and understanding as she is, would never let me cut holes in our granite counter.

[rfc]

I planned to use a Corian or some variant thereof. In addition to being easier to clean, it should be easier to cut holes into. My wife, as wonderful and understanding as she is, would never let me cut holes in our granite counter.

One option would be to build either a "tilt out" or "drawer slide" waste container. Then you can either use that directly for the knock box, or use an "official" stainless steel knock box mounted at the top front. The drawer slide type are standard fare in any kitchen cabinet place.

In addition to the advantage of not cutting a hole in the counter, if you compost, it keeps the coffee grounds separate.

[mls64]

I planned to use a Corian or some variant thereof. In addition to being easier to clean, it should be easier to cut holes into. My wife, as wonderful and understanding as she is, would never let me cut holes in our granite counter.

We're planning a kitchen, and using Silestone, which is purported to be more stain-resistant and durable than granite and doesn't need frequent treating. http://www.silestoneusa.com/

[barry]

Espresso machine cleaner is highly acidic

incorrect. it is basic.


--barry "unless you're talking about descaling solution"

[miKe mcKoffee]

I'd also include a hotwater on demand unit. Have one by my espresso station. Great for very hot water rinsing and pre-heating cups, PF etc. Also use mine for the hotwater part of Americanos. (it's fed from under the sink water filter)

[Woofy]

Wow, Barry! That underdeck lighting is brilliant! Did you use LEDs for the light source?


I've used both knockbox configurations with my set up, as it sits above a cabinet that has a waste can on an adjustable shelf to keep the distance betweeen the top of the can and the knock box opening as short as possible to avoid any mess down below. What I found though, was that the undercounter can requires daily emptying since coffee pucks start to mold relatively quickly. Since my day-to-day volume isn't all that much, it proved impractical to use it that way most of the time so I generally use a box with a bottom in it. The open bottom box I have is the same size so I can switch them, but I only use it now when I have a lot of guests.

[barry]

Wow, Barry! That underdeck lighting is brilliant! Did you use LEDs for the light source?

yeah. i forget which ones (i have the info at home), but they're pretty bright. the machine makes a nice nightlight for the basement. jay caragay put halogens under his marzocco deck, but i didn't want the added heat and the dazzle of halogens that close to the work would be "too much". i just needed a bit of light to see under the deck. it wasn't cheap, though, as the LEDs were something like $15 each (used four), and i needed a 220v --> 12v transformer. the only think that's not "perfect" is the blue tint to the light; it makes judging shot color tough.

[Woofy]

I know this is just sick, but...

I forgot to mention one thing...if you are doing new electrical work for the new bar, make ABSOLUTELY sure to use separate wall box outlet exclusively for the machine. The reason being that you can bring two separate 20 amp 110 volt lines in, and use a split receptacle so each outlet plug in the wall box your machine is using is on a separate circuit.

While this may sound a little over the top, keep in mind that those two 110 volt lines can be later joined to create a code-compliant 220 volt receptacle, in case you want a full-tilt commercial machine in your bar in the future. To change it, your electrician simply replaces the two 110 volt breakers with a bridged 220 volt breaker and then wire the two lines already in the wallbox into a single 220 volt outlet.

After all, upgrade fever is a vicious thing. Plan ahead. Your significant other will just think you're being fussy and not have the faintest clue that you're plotting the next machine upgrade in advance.

Besides, it makes justifying the eventual 220 volt machine to loved ones a lot easier if the new purchase won't involve re-wiring and is essentially a plug-and-play affair. Then again, maybe they won't even notice the change of machines until it's too late to bring that new 220 volt monster back!

[stevendouglas]

After all, upgrade fever is a viscious thing. Plan ahead. Your significant other will just think you're being fussy and not have the faintest clue that you're plotting the next machine upgrade in advance.

Besides, it makes justifying the eventual 220 volt machine to loved ones a lot easier if the new purchase won't involve re-wiring and is essentially a plug-and-play affair. Then again, maybe they won't even notice the change of machines until it's too late to bring that new 220 volt monster back!

I kept wondering, why would I need two 20A dedicated circuits...and then your brilliance erupted! You're a sick, sick man Mr. Woofy -- MY HERO!!!

[Woofy]

I kept wondering, why would I need two 20A dedicated circuits...and then your brilliance erupted! You're a sick, sick man Mr. Woofy -- MY HERO!!!

I'll take that as the highest of compliments...Thanks!

I'd love to hear how things work out with your new baby.

Unfortunately my hero status may be short lived. Got any ideas on how to sneak a shiny, new Synesso Cyncra 1-group, 220v (including the $7060 receipt) past an observant significant other??? Maybe if I glue a couple Mr. Coffee labels on it???

Then again, I could make an impassioned case for the Synesso, and then get all mopey when it gets summarily vetoed by the other half. If I can put on a show of brooding for a few months, I can work in a little sympathetic guilt against the resistance while patiently waiting for the LM GS3 to come to market...and an estimated price that's $2000 less than the Synesso. In fact, it'll look like a bargain!

Hmmm...the EVIL plot is evolving...AND it just might work!

p.s. Arrrgh! Recent gossip has it that the folks at LM are so elated with the initial reactions of the new GS3 that they're upping the final price a few thousand(!) bucks over the original $4500 estimate.

[skyryders90]

p.s. Arrrgh! Recent gossip has it that the folks at LM are so elated with the initial reactions of the new GS3 that they're upping the final price a few thousand(!) bucks over the original $4500 estimate.

Is this just snarkiness, or have you actually heard this?