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Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on May 20, 2011 at 9:53pm

God I think I love you... err. I mean hate you... :) Ive only played on stradas  before, so I dont really have any helpful advice. But they are definably fun and beautiful. Are you getting the EP or the MP? Cause I think they are very different machines.

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Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on June 10, 2011 at 10:14am

Gosh you know I'm just not sure. I wish I knew more about that beautiful beast. I've never seen anything like it. It's definitely a learning process. But hey I'm all about it!!

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Taves on June 10, 2011 at 11:56am

I have never worked on one before but I have observed some places that use either them or the slayer having trouble with consistency among baristas. For a hypothetical example, One barista might preinfuse at a paddle setting that correlates to apporximately 20 volts going to the motor, while another barista might move the paddle to what they believe is the same preinfusion setting, but what might actually correlate to 35 volts, providing a different preinfusion pressure.Something to consider.

 

Again I have never worked with one of these so this might not be true at all. But I do envy you your new toy!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Gomez on June 11, 2011 at 5:55pm

First off, congrats! Thats so awesome, getting a new "anything" is cool but a whole new espresso machine is sweet! I do agree with Joshua that when using a manual machine I have noticed that the inconsistencies when it comes to the barista, It does allow for "individuality" amongst baristas but there are more components to pulling a shot this time around. But im 100% all your baristas will be able to pull great shots on your awesome machine. Congrats again :)

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Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on June 11, 2011 at 11:19pm

So the company I work for got a Strada 3 days ago(lucky me!) so im in the same boat as you now. Also the way to tell the difference is the MP has circle pressure gauges above the groups, and the EP doesn't.

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Permalink Reply by Ron Ingber on June 12, 2011 at 5:49am

and this belongs in "Barista Exchanges & Travel" ...???????

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Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on June 12, 2011 at 9:23am

Congrats Dustin! It must be an MP we have. Yeah I am a little concerned about consistency but I'm also excited about individuality. I have faith in all of our Baristas to pull great shots, and it'll be exciting to experience all the different qualities brought out of the same beans!

 

Ron- so sorry to inconvenience you. but calm down.

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Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on June 12, 2011 at 12:56pm

We have the MP as well(the EP is even cooler) but im excited non the less. I dont think consistency should be any more of an issue among baristas than dosing, tamping, grooming etc. is.

And Ron seriously stop with the "wrong category" posts!

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Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on June 14, 2011 at 9:16am

Yeah because of how manual our machine is now, we have a brand new fancy grinder that automatically doses out the espresso. At first I was not a fan, but really, for me at least, I can't have one without the other.

 

Happy tamping :)

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Permalink Reply by Mike Sabol on June 14, 2011 at 10:26am

All I can say is that I've used a La Marzocco "Shot Brewer" that is set up similar to the Strada MP.  And consistency IS an issue.  A big one.  Pressure profiling is a fantastic way to turn good coffee into garbage.  It can also create a universe transcendent "God Shot" that freezes space and time for a moment.  Let me tell you, it's easier to make the garbage.  I would not put a MP Strada in a production environment unless all my baristas were clones of David Schomer.  Short of cloning Mr. Schomer, the only way to get consistency on an MP is to open the paddle all the way right off the bat.  And at that point you might as well have bought a Linea or any other non pressure profiling machine.  The EP is a different story since you only need one clone of Schomer to program the machine.

 

There is no doubt that the Strada is new and sexy.  But that is not a guarantee of good coffee.  I think that the Strada is pushing the science of extraction forward but it is a tool at the bleeding edge of the industry.  It's like robotic assisted surgery.  The robots are great tools for the surgeons but it doesn't mean just anybody gets to be a surgeon.  And my experience says that few baristas ACTUALLY know enough about the science of espresso to make good use of the Strada.  In most cases it seems like an expensive way to screw up good coffee.

 

My $0.02.

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Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on June 14, 2011 at 10:30am

I agree with you mike. But we've been lucky enough to all be extensively (and I mean EXTENSIVELY) trained. We found a standard that works for us so you start it at 3 bars to kind of pre-infuse it i guess, then when it starts pouring amp it to 6, and finish off the shot with a spurt of 9 bars. With that basic outline I feel it will really increase our consistency. I mean, I love the idea of going more manual, but I would not EVER give starbucks baristas such power. As we all know, with great power comes great responsibility ;P

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Permalink Reply by Marty Lopes on June 14, 2011 at 10:55am

We have a strada MP in our shop. Had it for about a month now, and I am loving the shot quality. Best espresso I have ever tasted. Personally, I am not one for pre-infusion this and that, as I think that a soft pre-infusion up to 9 bars is all you need. You dont want to stall out the extraction process. It's like roasters who drop coffee out at first crack because it smells the best at that point. Nonsense. The cons to the machine include shot inconsistencies due to unlevel settling of grounds, which are amplified by the manual opening and closing of the water jet. Engaging the group too quickly caused channeling. This would explain why pre-infusion only to 6 bars for almost the entire length of the extraction increased consistency. But, we began leveling off the espresso, not settling, before the tamp, and consistency improved 10 fold.

Also not to be overlooked are the new baskets that come with the machine. I noticed immediately that a finer grind was needed. The finer the grind, the more dense and compact the puck becomes, increasing inconsistencies like channeling. 

Regardless, it is completely up to the barista to understand and control the variables, as it has always been. Good Luck!

 

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