qualin Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2012 Posts: 463 Location: Calgary, AB Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto 3 Grinder: Mazzer Mini Elect. Type A Vac Pot: Looking to buy Drip: Manual Roaster: Considering?
Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 12:26am Subject: Re: Pressure Bars: What is the minimum acceptable level to get thick CREMA?
cremagourmand,
Consider buying a super-automatic for the office, but get it from a coffee equipment supplier and get it on lease or finance with a support contract. A decent office-grade machine that is "Push the button, Get the Coffee" will be a few grand, but it will put up with abuse. Since it isn't your money, don't worry about "Scrimping" on the machine because realistically, it isn't yours.. it is the companies. Don't worry, if your boss knows what they're doing, they can write the whole thing off and its one less thing you have to worry about.
Where you will end up looking like an idiot is if you "save" the company money on a $500-$1000 machine which isn't really designed for office use and when it keeps breaking down and needs to be disposed of a few months down the road, your name will be in the bosses mind. Do not scrimp here!
It is my own personal experience that nobody really gives a damn about looking after the machine, they only want coffee out of it, so someone else has to maintain it, clean it and repair it if it breaks down... It is better that a coffee equipment company does this instead of you.
What crema is, basically speaking, is carbonated coffee.. kinda sorta. It's what happens when the coffee oils get infused with carbon dioxide and create a kind of a foam. In order to get thick crema, the only way to do it is to get fresh, fresh, fresh coffee and get a machine which properly brews the coffee. You can't do that with a super-auto, you need a semi-auto or an auto (Not Superauto) machine to do that. It doesn't sound like a semi-auto or auto machine is appropriate for your office setting.
Consider just buying a semi-auto machine for yourself. A machine you can buy your own coffee for. A machine you can look after yourself. Enjoy that thick crema for yourself and let your co-workers suffer with their "Fake" crema. :-)
I know this probably isn't the answer you are looking for, but good luck anyway!
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,671 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 7:10am Subject: Re: Pressure Bars: What is the minimum acceptable level to get thick CREMA?
Rental machines often come with coffee agreements too, (they have to make money someplace) and it will be old stale coffee, pretty much a gar-on-tee. This is just something to keep in mind.
Even Super Auto machines in the $10K range will not equal the quality of espresso from a $1K setup that includes a stand along quality grinder, fresh coffee and the hand of someone who knows what they are doing and care about the result. We prove this EVERY DAY here.
Like everything,
High quality product, Ease of use, Low cost,
Pick two, you can't have all 3.
YMMV!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
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