BellaJava Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 416 Location: Jacksonville, FL Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Livia 90 Auto Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: Silex, Cory, Hellem, Cona,... Drip: Chemex Roaster: Alp, FR+, HWG
Posted Tue Nov 11, 2003, 10:20pm Subject: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
...such as the Saeco Royal Pro or something along those lines. Price needs to be at or under $1,500.
My wife's workplace has decided to chip in and purchase one (15 workers @ $100 each, hence the limit) to cut back on the *$'s visits and high prices. The workplace environment is mostly women, hectic and fast paced. They have no desire to learn how to pull shots but want something better than a Nepresso pod system. They will rarely, if ever drink a shot "as is", most of them prefer capucinos or lattes. They don't have facilities to plumb the unit so this isn't a requirement and they don't have access to 220v.
Any input would be appreciated, especially from Automatic users. I would like to present a list of pros/cons for several machines so they can make an informed decision. If someone thinks that a unit at a higher price is the way to go, please list the reasons to justify the additional amount.
Let's see, I kind of steered them away from pod machines because I've had espresso from both types of machines and found that they were very close in quality (or lack thereof) and the primary reason for suggesting the Superauto to my wife (and workmates) is simplicity and "tidiness". They don't want to have to deal with "locking and loading" and disposing of spent pods each time... having to dump once or twice a day and if possible, plumbing the system is a major attractor to them.
Posted Mon Nov 17, 2003, 1:13am Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
Well.. if it's mess that you're concerned about.. i have to say that even my superautomatic is messy. There are always some grounds to wipe up...and drips of water here and there..
Then again my superautomatica is older, maybe some people with more recent superautomatics can chime in here and tell us if there is much mess to clean up?
The other issue is calibration... the biggest issue i have with my superautomatic is the amount of beans I waste trying to find the right grind... that's part of the reason why I never use it.. ( along with the mess.. etc)..
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it's the disposal of the waste tray water from flushing the group and heating up cups that's the biggest pain in the butt... you might want to look at plumbing in the drain for sure, whether you get a pod or superautomatic machine..
Dodge1 Senior Member Joined: 21 Dec 2002 Posts: 29 Location: Omaha Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Nov 17, 2003, 4:24am Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
Good luck on your quest because I don’t believe there’s a super auto currently on the market that will fit the criteria you’ve outlined.
Of course you could offer them an alternative “outside the box” and suggest they purchase something along the lines of the new Solis Palazzo, or a Solis Master 5000 Digital, for onsite testing purposes. Then if they like the resulting product they could always look into purchasing another super auto. Two machines would certainly be a huge bonus, especially with 15 people trying to get their morning cuppa.
I’ve included a link to Mark’s detailed review on the 5000 digital:
Posted Wed Nov 19, 2003, 8:50pm Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
hey Bella, i think i met you at a SDHR meeting this summer...you have the killer collection of vac pots and the hottop, right? anyway, although i don't have a lot of experience with a superauto, i have used one with pretty good results. i used to travel to germany pretty often for work. the germans are obsessed with superautos. they have a lot of cash and have a very impressive system of using union money to finance cool break areas/kitchens. besides the foosball table in the main break area, they had a saeco comfort plus. actually, they had about 3 or 4 supers scattered around for a 300-person company. i used the saeco several times a day and nearly constantly on the 14-hour weekend marathon workdays with snow blowing in the windows. they had an appointed person to manage bean supply, and i don't know what they were using. but the espresso was really tasty with a little sugar. they paid the equivalent of 50 cents a shot, single or double. the shot volumes were set pretty close to ideal, and the shot is ground/brewed in maybe 30-40 seconds, start to finish. most people drank straight shots laced with huge doses of sugar. the beans were left out and the machine was next to a sink. when the water was low, they filled it themselves, and dumped the pucks when necessary. same with filling the bean hopper. they also paid every time...try that in america! anyway, my point is that it worked, and it worked sweet, and it served many, many shots a day. the key is to source beans, of course, and i bet most superautos don't get fed the good stuff. max the brew temp, stick to the cleaning schedule, teach everyone how to use and clean it, and it can be a major benefit at work. i tried getting one at my work, but they're so cheap they were offended i didn't like the heinous boyds-repackaged folgers 'gourmet' coffee everyone seems to chug as if it's good. i think supers are a lot more appropriate in a work enviroment, being more self-contained and if the beans are fresh, the coffee should be better. the saeco was good enough that i've wished MANY times for one on the super busy/cranky baby/got-up-late days. your wife is lucky she gets the chance! i'm curious to know what happens. dan
BellaJava Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 416 Location: Jacksonville, FL Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Livia 90 Auto Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: Silex, Cory, Hellem, Cona,... Drip: Chemex Roaster: Alp, FR+, HWG
Posted Fri Nov 21, 2003, 9:16pm Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
doppiodan Said:
hey Bella, i think i met you at a SDHR meeting this summer...you have the killer collection of vac pots and the hottop, right? anyway, although i don't have a lot of experience with a superauto, i have used one with pretty good results. i used to travel to germany pretty often for work. the germans are obsessed with superautos. they have a lot of cash and have a very impressive system of using union money to finance cool break areas/kitchens. besides the foosball table in the main break area, they had a saeco comfort plus. actually, they had about 3 or 4 supers scattered around for a 300-person company. i used the saeco several times a day and nearly constantly on the 14-hour weekend marathon workdays with snow blowing in the windows. they had an appointed person to manage bean supply, and i don't know what they were using. but the espresso was really tasty with a little sugar. they paid the equivalent of 50 cents a shot, single or double. the shot volumes were set pretty close to ideal, and the shot is ground/brewed in maybe 30-40 seconds, start to finish. most people drank straight shots laced with huge doses of sugar. the beans were left out and the machine was next to a sink. when the water was low, they filled it themselves, and dumped the pucks when necessary. same with filling the bean hopper. they also paid every time...try that in america! anyway, my point is that it worked, and it worked sweet, and it served many, many shots a day. the key is to source beans, of course, and i bet most superautos don't get fed the good stuff. max the brew temp, stick to the cleaning schedule, teach everyone how to use and clean it, and it can be a major benefit at work. i tried getting one at my work, but they're so cheap they were offended i didn't like the heinous boyds-repackaged folgers 'gourmet' coffee everyone seems to chug as if it's good. i think supers are a lot more appropriate in a work enviroment, being more self-contained and if the beans are fresh, the coffee should be better. the saeco was good enough that i've wished MANY times for one on the super busy/cranky baby/got-up-late days. your wife is lucky she gets the chance! i'm curious to know what happens. dan
Yep, it's me! Haven't been back to one of the meetings as they seemed to be dying a slow death and as busy as I've been lately with my new squadron and the recent fires I've not had much time off.
I feel the same regarding the superauto when it comes to my wife's espresso consumtion. She really only likes milk based drinks as do her coworkers... most of whom have never had REAL espresso to compare to what they would be getting with a superauto. They have a small kitchen/break area and I found that they have enough room to set the unit near a sink so the water/waste issue would be a simple step. As for the previous comments on "dialing" the grind in... I don't think that they would notice if the grind was a little off. They only need simple and reliable.
wijoder Senior Member Joined: 7 Feb 2003 Posts: 27 Location: People's Republic of California Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Isomac Tea Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Hario Nouveau Drip: Moccamaster CD, Chemex Roaster: Hearthware i-Roast
Posted Wed Nov 26, 2003, 3:14pm Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
The office I work in spent $600 for the new Gaggia Compact. The folks in our office love it. Dump in fresh roasted beans. Dump in water into the tank. Push a button, once or twice, and out comes very good espresso. Espresso that is far better than many coffee houses I've been to and certainly better than Starbux.
I bought them a $20 Maxim Cappuccino Crazy Plus for their caps and lattes from Salton. Once you get past the snob factor of the more traditional automatics, the latest crop of superautomatics make very good coffee. I love my Miss Silvia but I got to tell you, heading out the door at 6 am makes me wonder if a superautomatic couldn't fit into my morning routine a little better than the Rancillo.
Regards
Bill
BellaJava Said:
Hi Dan,
Yep, it's me! Haven't been back to one of the meetings as they seemed to be dying a slow death and as busy as I've been lately with my new squadron and the recent fires I've not had much time off.
I feel the same regarding the superauto when it comes to my wife's espresso consumtion. She really only likes milk based drinks as do her coworkers... most of whom have never had REAL espresso to compare to what they would be getting with a superauto. They have a small kitchen/break area and I found that they have enough room to set the unit near a sink so the water/waste issue would be a simple step. As for the previous comments on "dialing" the grind in... I don't think that they would notice if the grind was a little off. They only need simple and reliable.
E61 Senior Member Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 63 Location: Copenhagen Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Faema E61 Grinder: Rossi RR45, Innova Drip: Just french press Roaster: HotTop/HWP
Posted Thu Nov 27, 2003, 1:05pm Subject: Re: Suggestions for a full Automatic...
Well coming from a coffee drinking country a coffee maschine is considered standard office equipment. This is actually true - I don't know o any office where you don't have free access to coffee.
Normally this will be drip maschines, but more and more often you will see superautos and a lot of the coffee suppliers also do service on these so all you have to do is to add water, beans and empty the drawer.
At my office, where we are about 10 coffee drinkers we have opted for a Jura Impressa X7. We got it from new for around 1500 $ and it is actually a real great maschine.
It got pretty good steaming (and a capputinere that doesn't work), two bean containersa extremely ease of use.
Everybody can make decent espresso on it and importantly do daily maintenance. I take care of the cleaning and "general nursing" of the maschine - not a lot of work.
Of the about 10 different superautos we have in the house (1200 employes - no central buying unit :-) ), the Jura is by far the best.
We have had for around 2 years now and ad it to the tech 2 times. Not much considering we are going through 1 kilo of coffee each day
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 