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Permalink Reply by Richard Penney on March 2, 2009 at 7:01pm

I would suggest Lever action commercial quality machines. They are simple and have little to go wrong with them. The heater is controlled by a pressure switch and that is the only electrics in most of them.They are still being made by:
"CONTI," CLASSICA PM"
" LaPavoni." Bar series and Pub series with "L" designator"
"Rancilio" Classe 6 LE 1 Mechanical Commercial
There may be others.
Some are listed only on the Factory web sites. Some may be purchased with cooking gas heaters backed up by electric.
May you succeed in your search and shop!
-Richard

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Permalink Reply by Brandy Smyth on March 10, 2009 at 3:05pm

CS2, built of all metal components, fairly new on the market but they last a long time, www.coffeestuff.com

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Permalink Reply by Denise Smith on March 14, 2009 at 9:50pm

The CS2 that I just received isn't even functioning properly and the CS1 spewed water all over the deck because the boiler isn't even welded. I don't see how it could have even been bench tested as we were told it had been when it wasn't even manufactered properly.
I will be calling you on Monday morning you time!

What is the status of the four grinders I bought and paid for?

Brandy Smyth said:

CS2, built of all metal components, fairly new on the market but they last a long time, www.coffeestuff.com

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Billings on March 17, 2009 at 1:18pm

I would go with something old and European like a UG model Probat. We love ours because most of the parts can be machined at your local machine shop. What size are you thinking?

I wish I was opening a coffee shop in Quito... I lived outside of Quito in Tambillo for a while... Good times. Surely you need a roast master to go with that roaster... :-)

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Permalink Reply by kito on March 18, 2009 at 2:39pm

thanks for the advice. to start, im first learning about coffee, and im just starting to roast and grind at home to practice. we are planning to be there by late this year or early next year to scout locations. im going to bring the equipment from here. from an opportunity standpoint, the good news is that quality coffee shops in ecuador are far and few between. the bad news is that im not certain many ecuadorians will appreciate fresh coffee/espresso outside of the mariscal sucre area (gringolandia). im also concerned about how im going to maintain a marzocco (or whatever i buy) machine. i havent run into any espresso machine repairmen yet!!! i will certainly look into the probat. where would i find the models you are talking about? i was thinking ambex, but again, who would repair it.
Jackie Billings said:

I would go with something old and European like a UG model Probat. We love ours because most of the parts can be machined at your local machine shop. What size are you thinking?

I wish I was opening a coffee shop in Quito... I lived outside of Quito in Tambillo for a while... Good times. Surely you need a roast master to go with that roaster... :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Billings on March 18, 2009 at 9:33pm

I would not go with an Ambex if you are looking for a durable, quality machine that will last you for years to come in a country that has no specialty market, and no service people. Where are you currently located? You may be able to get a quality refurb machine and still meet your price point. If that's the way you'd like to go, feel free to email me-- I've got a guy. If you'd like to check out our refurb, here is the link: http://www.mochajoes.com/news/14/52/Photos-of-new-roaster-are-final... . It's a 22 kilo.

I think that you might also have some success if you did a small, tastefull espresso bar in the area around the Plaza de Independencia. Real estate is probably expensive, but there are several really cute, successful cafes in that area. Have you been to the Heladeria de San Francisco? They do gellato and espresso and itallian pastries, and they have been there quite a long time. Also the plaza outside the national theater would probably be prime as well. It depends on who you want to cater to-- gringos or wealthy Quitenos? Also, I haven't spent much time there, but the University area is a nice, middle class area with lots of foot traffic, and tons of undercaffineated students!

kito said:

thanks for the advice. to start, im first learning about coffee, and im just starting to roast and grind at home to practice. we are planning to be there by late this year or early next year to scout locations. im going to bring the equipment from here. from an opportunity standpoint, the good news is that quality coffee shops in ecuador are far and few between. the bad news is that im not certain many ecuadorians will appreciate fresh coffee/espresso outside of the mariscal sucre area (gringolandia). im also concerned about how im going to maintain a marzocco (or whatever i buy) machine. i havent run into any espresso machine repairmen yet!!! i will certainly look into the probat. where would i find the models you are talking about? i was thinking ambex, but again, who would repair it.
Jackie Billings said:

I would go with something old and European like a UG model Probat. We love ours because most of the parts can be machined at your local machine shop. What size are you thinking?

I wish I was opening a coffee shop in Quito... I lived outside of Quito in Tambillo for a while... Good times. Surely you need a roast master to go with that roaster... :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Billings on March 18, 2009 at 9:51pm

Also, in terms of finding a location, and advice on real estate, there is an Ecuador Expat yahoo group, which I think is called ecuador_expats. I have found them to be very helpful on a number of fronts.

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Permalink Reply by kito on March 20, 2009 at 3:01pm

thanks jackie, i sent you a post on your board with an inquiry about the probats. Jackie Billings said:

Also, in terms of finding a location, and advice on real estate, there is an Ecuador Expat yahoo group, which I think is called ecuador_expats. I have found them to be very helpful on a number of fronts.

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