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Permalink Reply by Christopher on July 12, 2008 at 5:49pm

[quote]I'd like to build a one-off with top line guts in a Gehry-esque cube.[/quote]

You mean anything like the Viebiemme Cube? I'm really quite taken with it!


Check it out here: http://www.lavibiemme.it/ Just click on "cube".

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Permalink Reply by Ed Ishida on July 17, 2008 at 4:48am

And what about the Dalla Corte ? Any comments ?

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Permalink Reply by Damian on July 17, 2008 at 5:49am

I have used a lot of different traditional machines and agree with you on the Dalla Corte. Superb temperature control of the coffee water. Have you ever used it when interfaced with the Dalla Corte 2 hopper grinder. Oh man!!!!!



Ed Ishida said:

And what about the Dalla Corte ? Any comments ?

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Permalink Reply by Ed Ishida on July 17, 2008 at 7:06am

I've never used a DC, in fact there's no DC in Brazil yet...

But I'm very curious about it cause I've heard a lot @ the WBC chat. Is it better than the La Marzocco or Synesso ? The Grinder connectivity seems to be really wonderful...

Damiano said:

I have used a lot of different traditional machines and agree with you on the Dalla Corte. Superb temperature control of the coffee water. Have you ever used it when interfaced with the Dalla Corte 2 hopper grinder. Oh man!!!!!



Ed Ishida said:

And what about the Dalla Corte ? Any comments ?

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Permalink Reply by Damian on July 17, 2008 at 12:08pm

Ok my opinion - The DC has very accurate & stable temp control (from the manufacturer +/- 0.4°C from the coffee temp set point). Been able to set the coffee boiler temp in increments of 0.1°C allows you to get the best extraction from your own espresso with ease. It took me about 6 months of testing the DC before I was happy to add it to my companys portfolio.

The DC having small coffee boilers (800ml) and a small wattage heating element (800watts) means that the effects of thermal inertia are minimal.

The operation of the interfaced grinder is very clever as it will adjust the grind automatically to such a small degree that would not be possible by hand. Is this taking away too much from the Barista or adding to the quality of the espresso extraction???

(Also the DC mini, 1 group manual fill domestic machine, will give the same espresso quality and appearance as their 3 group commerical machine)

La Marzocco of course have added the GB5 to their range now and have done some nice things to try achieve temp stability such as: electronic temp control, preheating coffee water before it enters the coffee boiler, group heads welded onto the boiler. The temp stability I feel has improved because of these additions in the GB5. However it still has a very large coffee boiler and will still suffer from thermal interia.

Have you got a DC agent in Brazil. If not I will pass on some contact details. Which machine do I like better - DC or Marz - Both of course.

DM

Ed Ishida said:

I've never used a DC, in fact there's no DC in Brazil yet...

But I'm very curious about it cause I've heard a lot @ the WBC chat. Is it better than the La Marzocco or Synesso ? The Grinder connectivity seems to be really wonderful...

Damiano said:

I have used a lot of different traditional machines and agree with you on the Dalla Corte. Superb temperature control of the coffee water. Have you ever used it when interfaced with the Dalla Corte 2 hopper grinder. Oh man!!!!!



Ed Ishida said:

And what about the Dalla Corte ? Any comments ?

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 17, 2008 at 6:24pm

i'm not afraid to say it: the la marzocco is fine and all, but my favorite machine will always be the Astoria Gloria. I worked on this machine for the majority of my career and i will always have a soft spot for good 'ole gloria.

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Permalink Reply by liz on July 17, 2008 at 6:48pm

YAYAYAYAYAY I work on an Astoria Gloria and I love her... I wouldn't trade her for anything and she is old!
Beth said:

i'm not afraid to say it: the la marzocco is fine and all, but my favorite machine will always be the Astoria Gloria. I worked on this machine for the majority of my career and i will always have a soft spot for good 'ole gloria.

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Permalink Reply by liz on July 17, 2008 at 6:50pm

That is a beautiful machine! that shot in the picture is gorgeous! keep on keepin on my favorite shop uses a leaver machine
Richard Penney said:

I have to say that I am a Home coffee pulling klutz. That said, I do like my spring lever machines.
My main squeeze is an old pro spring lever Conti that will pull shots and steam with many of the best newer machines. She also travels well and has a 1000watt boiler heater so i can cater a party when I want.
I travel to a major city to refine my taste buds when I can and have a very few favorite cafes that I trust to always deliver a great shot. Both have Synessos!

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Permalink Reply by Ed Ishida on July 17, 2008 at 7:44pm

Hi DM,

I have a great friend who is the LM distributor here in Brazil, so I've got a very close access to the LM machines such as GB5, Lineas, FB80s, GS3s, and I've been helping him in my spare time with his maintenance and support because I wanted to learn how the machines work.

I think LMs are the best espresso machines we've got here in Brazil, even though we've got Nuova Simonelli, La Cimbali, La Spaziale, Astoria and other brands. We do not have Synesso and DC distributors yet and these are the ones I'm very curious about, cause I've heard a lot about them, but had no opportunity to (disassemble or) play with it yet...

We always heard that the LMs were the "Ferraris" of the Espresso Machines here in Brazil (and this friend of mine has made a wonderful marketing job, positioning the brand as a top) but I like to hear different opinions plus having my own experiences always so I can be updated with the market (and sometimes breaking the myths)

Thank you for your review, I think it's important to have a feedbacks like yours, with more technical view and less sentimental interference..

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Permalink Reply by For Now on August 13, 2008 at 5:12pm

Has anyone heard of Cafe Stuff Espresso machines? Did you like it, if you have used one or have one and what do you like/dislike about it. I saw one for sale. thx

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Permalink Reply by Lee Wardle on August 14, 2008 at 6:04am

This is quite a difficult subject! I have given it some thought and really, I can't come up with a favourite. Strange really.....Some like the LM's just seem to make the coffee for you! It almosts feels like the milk steams itself. Where as on some machines, (especially those coming out of Spain) You have to work really hard to produce great textured milk and make a lot of adjustments to the pressure and temperature to get good extractions. San Marco machines are great. I have found La Cimbali's to be good work horses. I quite like the new brasilia's. The Opus range is great, they too have a secondary thermo-block to increase the power of the steam. Rancilio machines are quite nice, again, they seem to be just effortless to work with. Nuervo Simonellis are quite cool too. I like the lever arangement of the steam valves!

I hate Gaggias. They just really annoy me. The old D90s are just painfull to work on and get too hot! Grrrr.

In my humble opinion!

Regards

Lee

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Permalink Reply by Ed Ishida on August 14, 2008 at 6:33am

Lee,

I disagree with the Cimbali's been work horses. I've played some time with them and found them to be very unstable specially the all new M39... this happens with the La Spaziales too... the same difficulties to steam happens when brewing...

They are very popular here in Brazil because of their cheaper price, not their quality...

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