Mark Prince reports in yet again from the show floor at the SCAA show in Boston, this time with a comprehensive report from the trade show floor and a few seminars he dipped his head into.
Posted Fri May 2, 2003, 3:49am Subject: Another great article..
I so regret that work kept me out of my "backyard" and I was not able to attend this year.Your articles helped fill the void I was experiencing as a result.Thanks Folks!
Neku Senior Member Joined: 23 Oct 2002 Posts: 131 Location: Brussels Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vibiemme Domobar Grinder: Mazzer Mini "E", Rancilio... Vac Pot: Bialetti, Hellem Drip: DRIP? are you crazy? Roaster: IMEX Caffe Rosto
Posted Fri May 2, 2003, 9:25am Subject: Rancilio, Mazzer
Recent reports on alt.coffee indicate that Rancilio is also dropping the ball when it comes to producing Rockies (or at least the quality control). I wonder if anyone at the SCAA had a chance to bring this up to Rancilio people? My e-mail to them went unanswered.
About the Mazzer. Strange that you would say that the Mini is too cheap at 400 $. That is still a serious sum for many of us. Are you with the geeks or the "industry" here, Mark ;) ?
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 5,462 Location: Vancouver, BC Expertise: Professional
Espresso: KvdW Speedster Grinder: Compak K10 WBC Vac Pot: A bit too many Drip: Clive Coffee Drip Stand Roaster: Hario Glass Retro Roaster
Posted Fri May 2, 2003, 11:07am Subject: Rancilio, Mazzer, and Coffee Culture
Hi folks. Thanks for the feedback - with 0 feedback on my Day one, I was getting worried :)
With regards to Peter from Counter Culture - yes he was there, and I got a chance to talk to him again (I first saw him last year at Anaheim). I also met two other Counter Culture crew, they are awesome.
Rancilio - I didn't bring up the Rocky issues because it wasn't on my brain at the time... but I do have to say I've had some frank dialog with Glenn Surlet at Rancilio NA since I put this up, and I'm happy with what's been said confidentially.
Mazzer. The reason why I think $400 is "too low" is because of a comparison with what else is out there. For example - the Rancilio MD40, which is an awesome grinder as well, but not quite as good as the Mini (in my opinion) is $450 or more retail. The mini is an undeniable bargain, but did you know that thing is sold close to cost to us consumers at its current price point? Some importers buy it for less, but most can't. There's also a lack of them in supply channels, and Mazzer is worried that it is selling for close to cost - vendors may not want to support it because they made no money off the sale. Vendors like Chris Coffee etc can and will because they may view it as a 'loss leader' but others won't.
I'm very cognitant of the fact that $400 is a LOT of money, don't get me wrong. But in the complex world of espresso machine importation and sales, the cheap price of the Mazzer is like shooting the product in its own foot.
Neku Senior Member Joined: 23 Oct 2002 Posts: 131 Location: Brussels Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vibiemme Domobar Grinder: Mazzer Mini "E", Rancilio... Vac Pot: Bialetti, Hellem Drip: DRIP? are you crazy? Roaster: IMEX Caffe Rosto
Posted Fri May 2, 2003, 12:16pm Subject: Rancilio
Well, I hope Rancilio's happy with what's being very much openly discussed at alt.coffee, and with what I will write in my soon to appear review here on CG, epinions and just about any other online forum where I can speak my mind about this Rocky business. I think it's gotten to the point where, if you do a search for "Rocky" on alt.coffee, it's all about problems and people saying how they "wouldn't recommend the Rocky to anyone". Sorry if I sound pissed, but I *am* a bit pissed that they would talk to you "confidentially" and not even bother to reply to Opother or my e-mail.
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 5,462 Location: Vancouver, BC Expertise: Professional
Espresso: KvdW Speedster Grinder: Compak K10 WBC Vac Pot: A bit too many Drip: Clive Coffee Drip Stand Roaster: Hario Glass Retro Roaster
Posted Fri May 2, 2003, 7:03pm Subject: Rancilio and email.
I will talk to the folks at Rancilio about the importance of answering email promptly.
i also stressed that during my seminar on the Internet and web commerce. "answer your email within 48 hours, preferably within a day or less". It makes a huge difference.
Tell me via email who you sent an email to. Give me the email address you used, and the one you sent from.
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