Upgrade time to a serious espresso machine, advice needed - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Milligan (original poster)
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#11: Post by Milligan (original poster) »

drgary wrote:What kind of throughput would you need if people show up at peak periods at your cafe or if you're catering an event? You would want something sturdy, probably plumbed in, temperature-stable and able to continually steam milk drinks. You could save a lot of money buying something used, in good shape, maybe an Elektra 60s series or a La Cimbali or similar one-group machine. Something like the La Cimbali is a lot less expensive than a GS3, even new. They're under $4K.
Thank you for suggesting the La Cimbali. I added the Junior to the list. It is a very interesting machine that likes to be run hard. Unfortunately, I currently do not know throughput. I am in the negotiating stage on a property that has plenty of room for my main business which is the roastery in the back of the building and room left in the front for a store front and small cafe. My town only has one other non-chain cafe which can get quite busy during peak hours. My location would be right next to a large county court house, federal court house, law offices, tax prep, banks, and other professional services so I could eventually expect quite a bit of flow through the shop. The La Cimbali is rated at 80 drinks per hour which I would think would be a great start. My main source of revenue isn't targeting the cafe, it is more of a bonus at this point.

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baldheadracing
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#12: Post by baldheadracing »

Not that I would want either one at home, but commercially:
-Simonelli Appia Life one group (volumetric and auto-steam available)
-Marzocco Linea Classic S 1-group (volumetric available)
I would definitely want volumetrics/gravimetrics (or multiple lever groups) in a commercial environment.
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada

Milligan (original poster)
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#13: Post by Milligan (original poster) replying to baldheadracing »

I have noticed the Appia Life. I need to look into that one more. I'd definitely have to get the Linea Classic S used due to price.

ShotPull
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#14: Post by ShotPull »

I nearly bought the Lelit Bianca but ended up going with the ECM Synchronika. It has large SS boilers that heat up very fast. It works great and I'm happy with it and would recommend it. My only complaint, and it's more my water's fault than anything, is the spring loaded valves aren't strong enough to fight off the mineral buildup and I'm always dealing with leakage from the water wand. I'm sure the steam wand side would do it too but I don't use that nearly as much as the hot water side as I make primarily Americanos with it and only steam milks occasionally.

The machine I had before this was an Expobar Brutus III. That was a great machine too but had smaller boilers and heated up in about twice the time it takes for the ECM to heat up fully. The one thing it did have was conventional turn valves so I never noticed the mineral build up because I was always able to turn it until it stopped dripping thereby masking the issue!

beans+crumble
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#15: Post by beans+crumble »

Milligan wrote:LMLM: It is like a 80-90's Ferrari. Fully manual, beautiful, and plenty of power. I could get into this price range especially for the workhorse aspect of this machine. I personally love the manual aspects but wonder if I should go for a volumetric machine to get easily repeatable results for sample roasting tasting and soft opening purposes. I don't think this would be a prime choice for pushing out consistent, fast drinks without me being on my toes. This is good and bad. I love the idea of the machine getting out of the way and making the barista the star, but at the same time I'd have to personally run the machine all the time to get good results. It definitely isn't one that I could set up and then have another person use easily. Absolutely love the look.
I'm sorry I can't be more helpful in this response as I don't have experience with any of the machines except for the Linea Mini. As a Mini owner I 100% agree and can confirm your assessment/conclusions about this machine. It is a workhorse and very capable but does completely "get out of the way" and lets the barista shine. You would need to be attentive to get consistent drinks. Would be great for your kitchen though!

Milligan (original poster)
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#16: Post by Milligan (original poster) replying to beans+crumble »

Thanks for the feedback. It is great to hear an owner confirm my suspicions. If this was 100% a personal choice for my kitchen, the Linea Mini would already be ordered.

Milligan (original poster)
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#17: Post by Milligan (original poster) »

I found a Rancilio Classe 5 USB single group brand new never used for well under half of the retail value. Person is having a fire sale due to a change of plans. It puts it in the price range of the La Spaziale machines but I'm torn on the commercial HX machines. I'm not sure they will give me the control I'd want for tasting roast samples. Maybe I need to move away from trying to get a machine that will do everything and focus on getting two different machines. One for the cafe and one for sampling. Mostly thinking out loud here. Any input would be appreciated.

Would a La Spaziale Dream be a rather capable machine for testing a wide variety of coffees or should I move up the ladder? Then perhaps a used HX commercial for the cafe when needed.... Oh decisions...

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drgary
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#18: Post by drgary »

I attended a cupping in 2010 by Malachi and Fullsack, two experts. One of the machines they used for tasting afterwards was an Elektra Sixties. The other was a La Marzocco GS/3. The Elektra is a small, commercial HX. They could control that Elektra well.
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

Milligan (original poster)
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#19: Post by Milligan (original poster) »

I made a purchase. I decided to not dance around and regret a choice in the future so I went with the GS3. I've got a few hours on it so far and it is everything I thought it would be. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.



My dog doesn't quite know what to think yet :)

beans+crumble
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#20: Post by beans+crumble »

Congratulations! Enjoy!