FXDXT Senior Member Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 165 Location: Sandy, OR Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Vivaldi II Grinder: Cimbali Max Hybrid Vac Pot: Sunbean Drip: Vac: Royal Balance Brewer Roaster: RK Drum Roaster/Hottop
Posted Tue Aug 5, 2003, 7:38pm Subject: IS there a reason not to buy Wega Mininova
There is al ways a lot of advice given on what machines to buy. What I am looking for is a valid reason not to buy the Mininova. Casa Del Caffe is selling it for 1999.00 Can. (US dollars it is around $1430.00 plus another $100.00 for shipping). That’s the best price I’ve seen on the web. I’ve had my Silvia for 4 plus years now. Most of the mods have been done, PID, pressure adjustment, HD Portafilter. The Mininova just looks to good to pass up. (Yes I have up grade fever)
I drink milk-based drinks most of the time so a Heat Exchange machine will help in the area immensely. The other problem is that I live close enough to Stumptown to use their beans and drink their espresso. The Silvia just can’t compete in this department. Will the Wega Mininova compare any better??? I would think it would.
Posted Tue Aug 5, 2003, 8:13pm Subject: Re: IS there a reason not buy Wega Mininova
The real question: Is there a reason not to buy an HX machine? With the modifications you've made to Silvia, your straight shots are hard to beat. I never PID'd Silvia before upgrading, but Mike Walsh (CupaJoeKid) pulled some shots from his and they were excellent. I have a new appreciation for temperature control.
OTOH, having recently gotten an HX machine, I agree that steam on demand is a big bonus. I'm perhaps not a good person to ask. I upgraded, inline plumbed, and put in a drain. No refilling, no emptying driptrays, just pull and steam. Funny thing is, adding the drainline was probably the biggest "bang for the buck" in terms of improving my enjoyment of preparing my daily espresso / latte. It cost only about $20 in plumbing and a short half day's work. Go figure.
When it comes to milk-based drinks, Silvia already steams a very good microfoam. La Valentina is definitely better in terms of consistency and the steam is a lot drier (no sputter, no huge "hills and valleys" of steaming strength, and no waiting). Nonetheless, I believe it is more about convenience than side-by-side superiority of one result over another. The bottom line: How much are you willing to pay for convenience? For me it was a big splurge and one that I worked a lot of overtime to pay for (if you have trouble sleeping tonight <g>, read the article that helped pay for La Valentina by clicking here).
-- Dan
PS: I considered the Wega Lyra and a few other machines before deciding on La Valentina; I noted why I didn't go with some of them here. Truth be told, I think the differences get almost too subtle at the pricepoint you're considering. In the end, there's a lot of subjectiveness.
According to espressoparts.com, the rotary pump is an additional $690. It looks like an impressive machine. I like that it can be direct plumbed w/o modification. The reviews are very positive.
FXDXT Senior Member Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 165 Location: Sandy, OR Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Vivaldi II Grinder: Cimbali Max Hybrid Vac Pot: Sunbean Drip: Vac: Royal Balance Brewer Roaster: RK Drum Roaster/Hottop
Posted Wed Aug 6, 2003, 9:25am Subject: Re: IS there a reason not buy Wega Mininova
Please check the link below Casa Del Caffe is selling a fully automatic/rotary pump machine for about $1400.00. This is more than 600.00 cheaper than Espresso parts NW. The Mininova at Casa Del Caffe looks more like a Lyra http://www.casadelcaffe.com/cesp.htm
alanmushnick Senior Member Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 269 Location: Haddonfield Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vetrano, gaggia espresso Grinder: Mini Mazzer Vac Pot: none Drip: Krups aroma control Roaster: I still don't do this.
Posted Wed Aug 6, 2003, 9:37am Subject: Re: IS there a reason not buy Wega Mininova
How does one go about hooking the drain up to plumb out? My plumbed in Isomac is not near a sink. The water comes up from a pipe tap in the basement below.
terryz Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 573 Location: Olympia, WA. Expertise: Professional
Posted Wed Aug 6, 2003, 10:49am Subject: Re: IS there a reason not buy Wega Mininova
Tom,
The Mininova that Casa Del is selling is the Lyra. They are sell it under the name Mininova, when it should be Mininova 2002 or Lyra, no difference. The old style MIninova (black top is no longer available) The price is good, given you are willing to pay duty as well. I guess I would consider shopping the price a little. You might be suprised what kind of deals you get by asking ;-)
Posted Wed Aug 6, 2003, 10:51am Subject: Re: IS there a reason not buy Wega Mininova
alanmushnick Said:
How does one go about hooking the drain up to plumb out? My plumbed in Isomac is not near a sink. The water comes up from a pipe tap in the basement below.
If your machine is in a kitchen, then plumbing can't be too far away. The kitchen sink is across the room in my case, but that's a simple matter of drilling a few holes. I tapped water from the fridge icemaker hookup and ran a drainline down into the existing plumbing below in the crawlspace / basement. It is a little less convenient if you have a finished basement, since you have to open up the ceiling / walls (I've still got a hole to sand and patch in my office ceiling). Since the drain debit is so small, I used 3/4" CPVC so I wouldn't have to drill through the countertop. La Valentina has enough clearance underneath to allow it. I took the easy way out and drilled a hole in the driptray and fit a flat surface mount adapter to it. The weight of the machine and a rubber gasket on the bottom of the driptray makes it watertight.
Each installation is different, and each machine hookup will be different. It isn't hard if you're reasonably handy and like doing that sort of thing. I'm sure you could hire it all out to a plumber, although I wouldn't expect it to be cheap. It's a reasonable half-day's work and they charge by the hour (and many don't charge less than a half-day's work). I like doing this sort of stuff myself and tossed ideas back and forth with a helpful and experienced guy in the plumbing department at Home Depot. We went through a few boneheaded approaches before landing on the one I went with. :-)
The Wega Mininova would simplify things since it was designed for this sort of installation.
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