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In this Discussion
After the old forum software breaking in a way that we were unable to fix, we've migrated the site to a new platform.
Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.
Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.
La Marzocco Linea rebuild
Ok I admit I'm not the one doing most of the work on this machine - my roaster is - but I'm very much an integral part of the equation in determining the nature of the works to be done, and how that will impact upon my immediate environment
So we've got our hands on a (gasp!) four group La Marzocco Linea (covers my ears to block out the screams of "not a four group - nobody uses four groups any more!") - of indeterminate age but it's clean and tidy under the hood with no obvious signs of deterioration - its been in storage for a couple of years (with the boiler drained) and I'm guessing it was probably in use for about two years previously - but the mother board is fried - so we're replacing that, and new PIDs which are responsive to changes in temperature in the range of a tenth of a degree (unlike the old ones which only responded to changes in boiler temperature of a whole degree)
And I may not be familiar with the correct terminology here - but we're removing the old EE style groups and replacing them with the new EV type - which means, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, that the water flow in and around the group head is continuous as opposed to 'on demand' through a restricted flow meter?
The idea here is to maintain the aesthetics of the machine (which I love and which fit in well with our retro-themed environment) to provide if not a cutting edge, then at least a technologically innovate - and yet still essentially mechanical - machine, to produce the best coffee that we can possibly make on the equipment that we're using
We'll aslo be changing the steam dials for multi-directional levers, and inserting anti-vac valves to prevent backwash into the boiler - but also to produced controlled steam 'on-demand'
I'm also keen on barista lights at the back of the group to illuminate the shots - and at least one mechanical paddle for dedicated espresso extraction, as well as chronos touch pads and shot clocks - but these are all optional extras that add additional cost, so we'll hold off on those for now and focus getting the machine up and running and in the store
And the benefit of a four group machine? Well... three separate boilers for starters - one for steam production and one for each two group setting. Which means in theory at least that you can shut down one side of the machine to service it - and still keep the other up and running. You can also have two groups running at one temperature, and the other two at another (although for the life of me why you would want to do this is beyond me) -- but the main benefit is that it makes it much more viable to have two baristas working the one machine. In addition to which we gain much more storage space on top of the machine (which can only be a good thing in any commercial setting)
Also I'd be lying if I said i wasnt drawn to the aesthetics of the machine, and I need the challenge of 'new' equipment to keep me motivated. I've also got a great new manager, and a new head barista, both of whom have excellent coffee pedigree and who's preferred machine of choice is the Linea (my manager even has a Linea tattooed on his bicep) - and lets face it: if you want to lure the industry's finest then you need to be able to offer them coffee equipment and a work environment compatible with their experience, and commensurate with their expectations
And in Melbourne at least one could be forgiven for thinking that mainstream media has a love affair with the Synesso, and micro-roasters located on-site, specifically for roasting the single origin coffee of the moment
To a certain extent if you want the world to take notice of what you're doing - then you need to state the bloody obvious by poking their collective eye out - sad but true
Still, I'm excited by the challenge - less so by the six grand I have to come up with seemingly from thin air to pay for the new equipment that we're dropping into the machine - but I'm looking forward to having it on my bench and up and running all the same
Pat
So we've got our hands on a (gasp!) four group La Marzocco Linea (covers my ears to block out the screams of "not a four group - nobody uses four groups any more!") - of indeterminate age but it's clean and tidy under the hood with no obvious signs of deterioration - its been in storage for a couple of years (with the boiler drained) and I'm guessing it was probably in use for about two years previously - but the mother board is fried - so we're replacing that, and new PIDs which are responsive to changes in temperature in the range of a tenth of a degree (unlike the old ones which only responded to changes in boiler temperature of a whole degree)
And I may not be familiar with the correct terminology here - but we're removing the old EE style groups and replacing them with the new EV type - which means, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, that the water flow in and around the group head is continuous as opposed to 'on demand' through a restricted flow meter?
The idea here is to maintain the aesthetics of the machine (which I love and which fit in well with our retro-themed environment) to provide if not a cutting edge, then at least a technologically innovate - and yet still essentially mechanical - machine, to produce the best coffee that we can possibly make on the equipment that we're using
We'll aslo be changing the steam dials for multi-directional levers, and inserting anti-vac valves to prevent backwash into the boiler - but also to produced controlled steam 'on-demand'
I'm also keen on barista lights at the back of the group to illuminate the shots - and at least one mechanical paddle for dedicated espresso extraction, as well as chronos touch pads and shot clocks - but these are all optional extras that add additional cost, so we'll hold off on those for now and focus getting the machine up and running and in the store
And the benefit of a four group machine? Well... three separate boilers for starters - one for steam production and one for each two group setting. Which means in theory at least that you can shut down one side of the machine to service it - and still keep the other up and running. You can also have two groups running at one temperature, and the other two at another (although for the life of me why you would want to do this is beyond me) -- but the main benefit is that it makes it much more viable to have two baristas working the one machine. In addition to which we gain much more storage space on top of the machine (which can only be a good thing in any commercial setting)
Also I'd be lying if I said i wasnt drawn to the aesthetics of the machine, and I need the challenge of 'new' equipment to keep me motivated. I've also got a great new manager, and a new head barista, both of whom have excellent coffee pedigree and who's preferred machine of choice is the Linea (my manager even has a Linea tattooed on his bicep) - and lets face it: if you want to lure the industry's finest then you need to be able to offer them coffee equipment and a work environment compatible with their experience, and commensurate with their expectations
And in Melbourne at least one could be forgiven for thinking that mainstream media has a love affair with the Synesso, and micro-roasters located on-site, specifically for roasting the single origin coffee of the moment
To a certain extent if you want the world to take notice of what you're doing - then you need to state the bloody obvious by poking their collective eye out - sad but true
Still, I'm excited by the challenge - less so by the six grand I have to come up with seemingly from thin air to pay for the new equipment that we're dropping into the machine - but I'm looking forward to having it on my bench and up and running all the same
Pat
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