I've been looking to add espresso to my farmer's market offerings for some time now.

I want a lever and I think I want a Profitec 800...it's in my cart at WLL. I think this machine ticks most of the boxes.

Portable enough
Self contained water & drainage.
Huge 3.5L boiler
Big, temp stable group
Easily plumbable
PID
120V, <15A can be used anywhere.
Oh yeah, lever!

It has a nice blend of old and new tech. And from what I'm reading can likely do 45 drinks an hour, which is more than I'd need. If I did 30 I'd be ecstatic. I would definitely have to brush up on my (learn new) barista skills. A 2 group machine would be ideal, but too heavy to carry. So my thoughts are the get the biggest boiler I can on a 1 group machine.

It's a big expense for me, but since I'm using it for business (and I'm not married) I can justify it. It would also replace my ECM Giotto in the house, which I would sell to offset the cost.

Anything else I should be considering in the $2500 range?


...split from Profitec 800 review in the works by moderator...

Almico wrote:Anything else I should be considering in the $2500 range?

Mike Zhu, owner of New World Cafe in Raleigh, swears by the La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi for catering. It's price conscious, steams fast, and is reasonably luggable. It's also NSF certified. Obviously, it doesn't have the charm of a lever.

This probably belongs over on the Buying Advice board, but if I were to amputate the lever, the Decent Espresso machines are pretty intriguing. But I think I "need" the lever . I'm an old school kinda guy...key word: old.

As far as luggability, the 800 is about 18# heavier than the La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi, likely because of that group! How much of a schlep was the 800? I would be carrying it with all 3.5L in the boiler!

Almico wrote:So I think I want one...it's in my cart at WLL.

I've been looking to add espresso to my farmer's Market offerings for some time now. I think this machine ticks most of the boxes.

Portable enough
Self contained water & drainage.
Huge boiler
Big, temp stable group
Easily plumbable
PID
120V, <15A can be used anywhere.
Oh yeah, lever!

It has a nice blend of old and new tech. And from what I'm reading can likely do 45 drinks an hour, which is more than I'd need. I would definitely have to brush up on my (learn new) barista skills.

It's a big expense for me, but since I'm using it for business (and I'm not married) I can justify it. It would also replace my ECM Giotto in the house, which I would sell to offset the cost.

Anything else I should be considering in the $2500 range?

I'd consider the new Londinium R - I find it to be a touch classier and love the fact you can control preinfusion with the (much quieter) rotary pump!

I looked at the "R", but the boiler is much smaller and might not keep up with a rush as well. And I think I want a cup warmer.

Also, on the 800 the pump only fills the boiler. Preinfusion is by boiler pressure only. I'm fine, if not prefer that. Preinfusion can be controlled with the lever. After the boiler pressure wets the puck I can alway release the lever a little to induce more preinfusion pressure if desired before letting it go completely. Can't get much quieter than that . If I ever plumb it in I can play more with preinfusion profiles.

One question: can I increase pressure by pushing up on the lever on this machine?

Devil's advocate:
I met a local roaster who used a dual Bosco lever machine at a farmers market--I had a "god shot." I was so stoked.
Next week I went to the market, no lever machine, just 8 pour overs. Asked the owner what happened and he said the lever was too complicated to show other helpers how to use properly.
People lined up like crazy for the multiple pour over rig, big propane boiler for the hot water. Mega volume.
Don't want to rain on your parade, Just throwing this out, not sure how big your farmer's market is. Will you be tending every shot? How long do you plan to spend perfecting your lever technique?

If a lever machine is too complicated to show the helpers how to run properly then it seems like any espresso machine would be too complicated for those helpers.

Almico wrote:I looked at the "R", but the boiler is much smaller and might not keep up with a rush as well. And I think I want a cup warmer.

Isn't the Pro 800 a dipper? Dippers can overheat at high volumes. It's really not a commercial machine either way.

I have a feeling the L-R would handle things better despite the smaller boiler. Although you could always figure out how to get the L1-P (now called L1) plumbed and powered - it could certainly handle the volume since that's what it's designed for. Or a Lambro

If a two-group seems right, why not get a really good cart? Your workflow would be much better if a line forms, and I hope it does. You may find something in your price range used and very workable. I've seen two group Contis, for instance.

James Mulryan wrote:Devil's advocate:
I met a local roaster who used a dual Bosco lever machine at a farmers market--I had a "god shot." I was so stoked.
Next week I went to the market, no lever machine, just 8 pour overs. Asked the owner what happened and he said the lever was too complicated to show other helpers how to use properly.
People lined up like crazy for the multiple pour over rig, big propane boiler for the hot water. Mega volume.
Don't want to rain on your parade, Just throwing this out, not sure how big your farmer's market is. Will you be tending every shot? How long do you plan to spend perfecting your lever technique?

A 2 group Bosco would be my dream machine, but at this point I can't justify the expense, nor do I think I would be comfortable dragging it to farmers markets. That said, if business became that busy that I needed a machine like that and a helper, I think I could buy 2 Profitec 800s for less than one Bosco 2 group machine.

The two markets where I participate are not that busy. I do about 50 pour overs a day in a 4 hour period. I'm more there to sell beans. It is likely that even if I added espresso, the pourers would still outsell espresso. That said, my name and reputation as "The Coffee Guy" is getting out there and market managers are beginning to vie for my services. It's possible that in the near future I will have my choice of larger markets. When and if that happens, I could always buy another machine(s) and dedicate the 800 for home use.

As far as my lever technique, I would just learn as I went. I could make great espresso on my old La Pavoni, how hard could a spring lever machine be? I would use the machine at home for a couple of weeks and then it's just a matter of getting my process down. I'm fairly adept at finding the easiest, most efficient way to do something!