Prototype La Marzocco GS3 - A Pro's Perspective - Page 4

Behind the scenes of the site's projects and equipment reviews.
User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#31: Post by malachi (original poster) »

AndyS wrote:Sit back and enjoy the coffee....
I am...
Oh, I am!


Image

Image
What's in the cup is what matters.

User avatar
AndyS
Posts: 1053
Joined: 19 years ago

#32: Post by AndyS »

malachi wrote:
I am...
Oh, I am!
Judging from the number of shots you've pulled today, you'll probably be enjoying it for several more sleepless nights.! :-)
Image
Great photo! Wow, the PF to cup clearance is really large.
-AndyS
VST refractometer/filter basket beta tester, no financial interest in the company

Advertisement
User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#33: Post by malachi (original poster) »

AndyS wrote:Judging from the number of shots you've pulled today, you'll probably be enjoying it for several more sleepless nights.! :-)
Actually, I'm one of those annoying people who can go to sleep 30 minutes after drinking an espresso.
AndyS wrote:Great photo! Wow, the PF to cup clearance is really large.
Thanks.

The clearance is pretty large - though of course it is magnified in this case by the combination of the angle of the shot, the naked portafilter and the squat little Marzocco demi.
What's in the cup is what matters.

Abe Carmeli
Team HB
Posts: 845
Joined: 19 years ago

#34: Post by Abe Carmeli »

Chris,

So far you've focused on the coffee and milk quality. As you are concluding your technical measurements here are some items to think about

1) The intra-shot temp performance - A 25 second shot graph, and how it changes when the machine is busy/idle
2) Can you outrun the machine when entertaining a party?
3) Does the machine behave differently on 10 back to back shots - if so how would you cope with it?
4) Flush routine - Does your 0.25oz regardless of idle time still hold true?
5) Does steaming affect brew temp if done simultaneously
6) After pulling a shot, how long does it take the machine to come back to temperature?
7) Your high watermark in your past reviews was the Mistral to which you have given a perfect 10. How would you rate the GS3 in comparison?
Abe Carmeli

User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#35: Post by malachi (original poster) »

Abe Carmeli wrote:Chris,

So far you've focused on the coffee and milk quality. As you are concluding your technical measurements here are some items to think about

1) The intra-shot temp performance - A 25 second shot graph, and how it changes when the machine is busy/idle
2) Can you outrun the machine when entertaining a party?
3) Does the machine behave differently on 10 back to back shots - if so how would you cope with it?
4) Flush routine - Does your 0.25 regardless of idle time still holds true?
5) Does steaming affect brew temp if done simultaneously
6) After pulling a shot, how long does it take the machine to come back to temperature?
7) Your high watermark in your past reviews was the Mistral to which you have given a perfect 10. How would you rate the GS3 in comparison?
1 - yeah. I'm doing the legwork now. Sigh.

2 - no. *

3 - no. *

4 - see #1.

5 - good idea. will add to plan.

6 - the machine stays at temp.

7 - I've probably got at least another week or two before I can speak to that, sorry.

* - Of course, as this is not plumbed in, you'll have to empty the drain tray and fill the reservoir when under high volume conditions.
What's in the cup is what matters.

User avatar
cannonfodder
Team HB
Posts: 10497
Joined: 19 years ago

#36: Post by cannonfodder »

How about one hi resolution beauty shot I can use for wallpaper (max out the megapixels and email it to me).

I really, really want one of these machines. For Pro use at home it sounds wonderful, or as you suggested a small business but I still have a hard time swallowing $4.5K for a machine that would be relegated to pulling 2-3 shots a day (although with this machine my consumption may skyrocket). Unfortunately, I think that price is a bit out of most all home enthusiasts budget, now if they had hit the $2k range, that would be another story. But I still lust after one.

It will be very interesting to see what the rest of the market responds with. Competition tends to breed ingenuity and innovation. Maybe next year(07) we will see a new crop of truly prosumer class machines.
Dave Stephens

User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#37: Post by malachi (original poster) »

Personal favorites are as follows. If you want one of these - just ask. Otherwise, more will be forthcoming over time.

Image

Image

Image
What's in the cup is what matters.

Advertisement
User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#38: Post by malachi (original poster) »

Abe Carmeli wrote:So far you've focused on the coffee and milk quality.
And, to be honest, that is what I will continue to do. 'Cause that is what it's all about.
I'm doing the WBC style Scace measurements purely because people asked for them.
Honestly, it seem rather silly to me. Once I get it all out of the way I'll be happy.

If there is a machine out there which produces beautiful tasting coffee but tests incredibly poorly when it comes to various technical measurements I'd call it a good machine. This isn't some sort of "spec beauty contest."

It's all about the coffee.
What's in the cup is what matters.

User avatar
barry
Posts: 637
Joined: 19 years ago

#39: Post by barry »

malachi wrote:With this machine I'm having to do a TON of measurements.
datalogger, i hope.


--barry "manual recording sucks"

User avatar
malachi (original poster)
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#40: Post by malachi (original poster) »

Abe Carmeli wrote:Temp measurements are not really for the numbers sake. The purpose here is to try to investigate what it is in the machine that induces great shots. Look at it as an opportunity to unveil the mystery. A detailed look at the temperature profile allows us to speculate with a little more confidence, since we already have a lot of temp data from other machines to compare it to. It does not give a definitive answer, other things go into it from the machine's performance, but it is a start.
You're going to see nearly the same brew temp profile that you see from a GB5 or a Synesso - the variance is going to be not only incredibly minor but very hard to correlate to any differences in the cup. There are just too many other variables (brew pressure profile and stability, coffee, barista technique and skill and personal desired flavour profiles).

I can tell you the differences in the cup I've noticed so far from a GB5 or a Synesso or a temp-stabilized Mistral (assuming that each is isolated from changes in water line pressure).

1 - the shots seem slightly "denser" on the palate.
2 - there is a "concentration" in the low end of the shots that results in heavier flavoured shots.

These are very small differences.


In summary, if you like the flavour profile from a stable brew-temp machine, you're going to like this machine.


Beyond that - it really does seem like dyno-chart posting.
What's in the cup is what matters.