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Permalink Reply by barista Dan on September 13, 2011 at 2:26am

i met him in san diego and they just came to visit me in august in new york.  great guy.

Danny Bresciani said:

no...my cousin

barista Dan said:

is roberto your brother?

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Permalink Reply by barista Dan on September 13, 2011 at 2:45am

situation reads, i am helping to open a new market located under goldmann sacchs building in fidi nyc.  we are expecting to do 1000 cups a day.  we were going to showcase a new roaster, who wanted to supply us with a faema e61s.  nothing against that machine, but i dont think it is a strong enough machine to take the job.  plus i can see the burns on hands from the heat generated behind the turn knobs for steam wands, and forearms from those long, not moveable wands. 

i have tried the ns at the nerbc, cf sd latte art comp, counter culture nyc throwdown, something about tacky blue lights, that cool touch steam wand, and light switch pull lever steam wand got me excited.  the ease of extracting shots was also a decision motivator.

i spoke with roberto at ns, the scaa member, debbie dolan about obtaining one. they both came in well under 10,000 for the competizione.  debbie even threw in other bells and whistles to make even ns' roberto and don say, "w0w, buy from her".

the fallout with the new roaster forced us to solidify our ties to Stumptown.  They are planning to provide us equipment, Fetco2052, Bunn 1lb burrs, Filtron Pro, and want to sell us the LM GB5.

i have final say on this decision, but my main question is if the NS AC is the WBC machine til 2011, what will be used in 2012 and the next few years after that.

 

Bryan Wray said:

I'd actually go the other way, Mike.  

The NS Comp is PID controlled, and it's a more stable machine than a GB5, IMO.  You can't beat a NS Aurelia group head.  

 

Most GB5 owners I know have all had different, "unique" problems with their machines (things that aren't as common as Lineas).  

 

When I've worked on GB5's I've always felt awkward and slow, it's just not a machine that I feel like I can work quickly on (the pump buttons seem awkward, although aesthetically I dig them).  Take into account the fact that I've spent more time on LM machines than any other manufacturers, yet this machine still "felt" weird.

 

The steam levers on a NS are a speed dream (over the knobs on the LM) and I like the steam wands themselves on the NS over the GB5.  

 

The hot water spout on a NS is a lot more practical than the stubby little thing on the LM machines.

 

I like LM portafilters better though.

 

The NS has barista lights, which is a silly thing to get excited about, but hey... sometimes bells and whistles can be exciting.

 

I'd grab a Strada any day over a Aurelia Comp, but an Aurelia Comp any day over a GB5.

 

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Brady on September 13, 2011 at 8:41am

If I understand correctly, this info won't be released until next month. However I can assure you that there are many more important criteria for machine selection. The only reason I think this would be remotely relevant is if you were planning a training center for WBC competitors, or if your cafe was going to build an image around connection to competition.

 

I'll add that even if Nuova Simonelli keeps the sponsorship, they've qualified their latest version, the Aurelia II. Several changes to the machine. The more recent discussion is here. There were some pics of it on their facebook page (here's one).

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Permalink Reply by Marshall Fuss on September 13, 2011 at 5:19pm

That sounds like an insanely great location. Customers who work endless hours and have essentially unlimited disposable income.

barista Dan said:

situation reads, i am helping to open a new market located under goldmann sacchs building in fidi nyc. 

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on September 13, 2011 at 8:04pm

Dan-

 

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about what the WBC is planning on using and really get down and dirty figuring out which machine will work best for your specific situation.

 

Compared to the "real world", the WBC is Fantasyland where the rules are different than in a real world working environment - and I've been a competitor in the US, machine tech for the WBC, as well as WBC judge.

 

That said, the Aurelia has proven itself to be a solid machine for competition and, from what I hear, a great machine for the working environment.  The NS America team is supportive, responsive and very friendly.

 

The La Marzocco is also an excellent machine.  And while the GB5 has been a solid performer, if you're really expecting to drill out a thousand espresso pulls per day then I would look to their Linea model (or the dressed up FB70), which is a very tough, hardworking and proven design for around 20 years now.  The newest models feature PID controls and you probably can order it with more bells and whistles, like "barista lights".  If volumetric dispensing is your game, then I would go with the Linea 3AV that has manual override switches in case of keypad failure.

 

Whether LM or NS, I would probably buy two machines.  One as the main work machine and the second as a training machine slash immediate replacement.  I would also order a slew of spare parts to go with the machines so that when there is a problem (and no matter the machine, there will always be a problem at some point in time), you will have a backup machine to stand in while you replace the parts you have on-hand.

 

In the kind of environment you're describing, I would also start seriously planning a preventive maintenance program to keep whatever machine you choose at optimal working condition.  With that kind of traffic flow (and lease rents), you really cannot afford to wait for a service call to come and fix your machine.  I would even plan and practice swapping out machines to make sure you're back up and running in the minimum amount of time possible (think car racing pit crews).

 

I would think about all that (and other specific issues) before worrying about what machine the WBC is going to choose - and bear in mind, that a machine meeting the minimum technical specifications of the WBC is the bare minimum. The actual machine sponsor is decided by how much money and support they will give for the next sponsorship period.  Bear that in mind before chasing after the "WBC Sponsored" machine.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on September 14, 2011 at 11:49am

Along the lines of what Jay  posted.  My suggestion would be two Linea 2AVs or 3AVs  (if you have the space) or a 4AV (if you don't) modified as follows.  First, disable the hot water spout/economizer thingy on both machines and get a standalone hot water dispenser,  have the boilers insulated, and plumb a 6 gallon domestic water heater (one of the glass or glass lined units) in line to both machines to stabilize the supply water.  And make sure you have soft water - it takes less energy to heat.

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