A surprise company perk!

by **nixter** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:41 pm

I'm a freelancer who tends to move from studio to studio for typically 2-3 months at a time. I'd been at my current gig for about a week when I decided to check out the kitchen on the second floor. What do i find in there but a La Scala Butterfly! Plumbed in and everything! Unfortunately their grinder has not arrived yet so I'm grinding at home in the morning and then bringing that to work in a ziplock. Gave it the first test this morning and was quite impressed. I'll be curious to see if this e61 gives me upgraditis over my Oscar. It seems there's not a ton of these machines in NA. Do any of you have experience?

by **Gus** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:02 pm

What a nice discovery.

Is it too extreme for me to suggest instead of bringing pre ground coffee, that you bring your grinder? I would think this would give you a more honest feel for what the machine is capable of.

by **Cathi** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:34 pm

Would you be willing to obtain a hand grinder for the interim?

by **nixter** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:39 pm

Yes, that would be too extreme. Mainly I wouldn't want the whole company messing with my grinder though. Nor would I want to be that weird guy who brought in his own coffee grinder and wouldn't let others use it. I'm told the grinder has actually arrived and just needs to be picked up. I might bring in my bottomless NS pf and see if it works with the La Scala though.

by **Gus** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:07 pm

yeah, nobody want's to be that guy. You can probably sneak the NPF in without tipping anyone off.

by **nixter** on Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:16 pm

Ok bringing in my own pf is one thing but my own grinder? I walk to work!

by **nixter** on Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:49 pm

So they went with a $50 Krupps burr grinder. Awesome. I'm far too new at this company to make any kind of comments about this.

by HB on Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:58 pm

Ouch.

by **JmanEspresso** on Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:27 pm

BURNED! Oh man that is rough. IIRC, Krups grinders have a tendency to fall right off the counter onto a pile of bricks and then be stepped on multiple times before anything is realized. Might want to watch out for that phenomenon.

by **Psyd** on Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:28 pm

nixter wrote:I'm far too new at this company to make any kind of comments about this.

'Performance art' is your only option. You must act like the espresso machine is a shrine, and ignore the grinder altogether. If you do acknowledge it, do so as you would a malformed puppy. It isn't pretty, it probably won't survive, but it really isn't it's fault, and it's kinda sad.

Perhaps you could find pages on this site, or other coffee sites, that discuss this machine, and hope that they run across any number of the 'no, it's the grinder, silly' threads?

by **zffej** on Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:19 pm

I bring my own hand grinder into work, and its not that bad. The reaction is usually that people are curious, but they think it is a lot of work, and no one has asked to use it. They seem to be happy with using our old worn out grinder, that can't be adjusted anymore, and the espresso coming out of the machine gushes out! An added perk with the hand grinder is that I can pre-weigh good quality fresh beans at home, and have a very precise dose in the portafilter. Work never has good quality fresh beans.

by **nixter** on Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:34 pm

Ok, what do you guys suggest for a hand grinder? Where should I order it from?

Funny about the beans, I noticed a 5lb bag was just delivered to the studio today of the blackest looking roast I've ever seen. It came in a transparent bag and the amount of oil coming off these beans is nasty.

by **nixter** on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:21 pm

JmanEspresso wrote:BURNED! Oh man that is rough. IIRC, Krups grinders have a tendency to fall right off the counter onto a pile of bricks and then be stepped on multiple times before anything is realized. Might want to watch out for that phenomenon.

Not far off. I trying this device this morning and it stalled twice mid grind. The amount of static produced was awesome from a scientific standpoint. Literally more coffee on the walls of the grind catcher than on the bottom. Using fresh 49th P beans from home I set the unit one click off the finest setting and the La Scala flowed water through the puck like it wasn't there. (flowed wasn't my first choice of verbs)

by **kahvedelisi** on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:43 pm

nixter wrote:The amount of static produced was awesome from a scientific standpoint. Literally more coffee on the walls of the grind catcher than on the bottom.

like this? :lol:

(yes it's the coarsest setting :!:

)

by **cannonfodder** on Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:48 am

nixter wrote:So they went with a $50 Krupps burr grinder. Awesome. I'm far too new at this company to make any kind of comments about this.

Oops, looks like there was a rock in those beans. So much for that grinder. Might I suggest that you get a XXXX as a replacement.

by **zffej** on Sat Jun 27, 2009 2:05 am

For a hand grinder, check out:

http://orphanespresso.com/

They restore hand grinders and I have been very happy with them. They are more than one off ebay, but they restore them, and they have grinders that they have OK'ed for espresso.

by **Philg** on Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:35 am

How about letting someone see / taste your coffee (once you get it long distance dialed in) and explain the magic. Maybe the idea that they could resell their new grinder if it wasn't worth it, would get them interested - and they could include their beans in that sale as a bonus, for themselves.

Good luck, I hope you get to enjoy the machine.

by **nixter** on Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:40 pm

cannonfodder wrote:Oops, looks like there was a rock in those beans. So much for that grinder. Might I suggest that you get a XXXX as a replacement.

Sadly, I don't think a rock in that grinder would make any appreciable difference.

by **shadowfax** on Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:30 pm

nixter wrote:Sadly, I don't think a rock in that grinder would make any appreciable difference.

True. Maybe some slices of garlic instead?

by **MrMonkey** on Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:56 pm

What I want to know is: How do you maintain/clean an espresso machine in an office environment with multiple users? I can't imagine just walking up to the machine and finding it 'clean enough' to produce good espresso. Suspect other office users would not be as concerned with cleanliness as your average HB member.

Where I work they have an espresso machine and address the cleanliness/maintenance issue by only having the machine use 'pods'. The pods take care of the 'coffee grounds' mess, but the portafilter and group head are disgustingly dirty. That is why I have a grinder and french press on my desk.


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