Most common machines?

Dano

Any idea which brands/types/styles of professional espresso machines are the most commonly used in Aus? Worldwide too????

askthecoffeeguy

why? what does it matter? the needs of each environment are unique and should be taken into consideration when purchasing a machine also, because a certain machine is used by a lot of cafes, doesn't necessarily make it better or worse than other similar machines in the market place I think the question to ask is: what is my budget for a new / second hand machine, what type of audience am I trying to capture, and what does my machine say about my work environment, dedication to quality espresso? Cheers, Pat

Dano

The reason for my query topic is that I'm working on a design reserch project where I trying to put together general info on: > Most common brands (in Aus, UK & US) > Common types / tech (E61 or bean-to-cup?) I'm finding it hard to get reliable info so thought I'd try your forum for industry views. Any info or advice would be most appreciated. Cheers Dan

askthecoffeeguy

you just need to look to the big manufactures from italy to get the low-down: gaggia, la chimbali, la marzocco, faema - these in no particular order would probably represent the majority of machines in the country as a general rule, look at who supplies what: vittoria coffee and coffex would have a good sized portion of the market place between them, so look to what machines they supply and you could be close to finding your answer... hope this helps, pat

lars

Hi there - as Pat said, common brands are often brought in by the coffee roaster and supplied direct to their clients, so it's hard to get a reading on numbers. San Marino's a very common brand [used to be loaned out by Lavazza], as are Gaggia [i think it used to be Grinders], la Cimbali [Coffex], Faema [Vittoria] and La San Marco [Segafredo]. Then there are some more specialist and more expensive ones, like ECM and la Marzocco, which Pat mentioned. I don't think they're as common, because they're not usually supplied to a cafe on loan, and you often have to pay around $12-15K for one. However, as I said, no one really has a handle on market penetration or numbers. L

Dano

It appears that there are around 25 to 30 different brands of espresso machine in Aussie cafes & of that the most common are (in no specific order): > Faema (Vittoria Coffee) > Gaggia > Expobar > La Cimbali (Coffex Coffee) > Marzocco > Wega > San Marino (Lavazza & Piazza D

melbournecoffeeguy

[quote]It appears that there are around 25 to 30 different brands of espresso machine in Aussie cafes & of that the most common are (in no specific order): > Faema (Vittoria Coffee) > Gaggia > Expobar > La Cimbali (Coffex Coffee) > Marzocco > Wega > San Marino (Lavazza & Piazza D

FreshCoffee2

I feel that the "naming of names" doesnt give a true or complete picture to the person asking the question. It is difficult to know the answer. This is because each market is different.....it very much depends on the relative "strength" of the individual coffee suppliers in the individual markets, and the equipment brands they have aligned themselves with and /or import. A relatively strong brand in the Oz market is San Marino. Another over the years has been Rancilio, and another has been Faema. In my own market our own Diadema machines are strong..... In the past, Bo-Ema has been incredibly strong due to Harris and Timms brands handling them..... So to reiterate in another way.............the brand is usually dependant on the coffee supplier. A brand handled by the largest player in any given market, has the largest presence in that market. As an aside, it is therefore interesting to note that machine brand names with the biggest presence do not necessarily make the best coffee, they are simply the commonest brands around due to their alignment with the market "leader"

psaigh

For business people, good support in their chosen brand, whatever it is, is the key.

While i do agree that after-sales support is important, IMHO, thermal stability and base reliability are two factors that i would value far more highly

FreshCoffee2

Thankyou for your input. The "thermal stability" gig has been done to death in these forums by people who apparently spend all day lounging around the coffee machine weilding a thermocouple...... instead of serving their clients

melbournecoffeeguy

. Also, dont forget the barista is in charge. Most so called "baristas" in our market CANT adjust their grinder properly and therefore will never be in charge of their espresso brewing system or what they brew..... therefore....I think the "thermal stability" discussion per se is grossly overated in the scheme of things and realistically, can be overcome in situ by real baristas.

Well said Most "baristas" are more worried about how pretty the pictures in the top of their latte looks than how a grinder is adjusted

donnas650

In Adelaide, I would say Wega and San Marino are the most popular. Faema are probably close behind in third. 2 of the less common are ECM(have only seen 2 and apparently Cibo have removed theres leaving Viva as the only one...maybe) and Synesso(only one in Adelaide right now). A number of Cibo's use La Marzocco's, but I am seeing an increase in Wega's.

DoubleRistretto

Hi FC - have noticed the guys using an ECM at one of my local cafes burn the coffee, and had heard that La San Marco was similar - are there any other brands that you were thinking of? -dR

psaigh

Also, dont forget the barista is in charge. Most so called "baristas" in our market CANT adjust their grinder properly and therefore will never be in charge of their espresso brewing system or what they brew..... therefore....I think the "thermal stability" discussion per se is grossly overated in the scheme of things and realistically, can be overcome in situ by real baristas.

So therefor, as you stated (and to which i totally agree), as most "baristas" in this market cannot compatently change the grind let alone reliably temperature surf, wouldn't that make temp stability all the more important. The ammount of burnt coffee's i've had that have come out of well respected machinery simply because the 'barista' didn't flush out enough water before extracting the shot is imbaresing (and so's my spelling 😉 )

FreshCoffee2

Hi there. dR I cant /wont comment on individual brand names as you saw from my previous posts. Yes some models do have a pre disposition to burn coffee however many EMO's (espresso machine operators...not baristas)

psaigh

[quote] Psaigh....yes all true, but what is the definition of "well respected"

lars

FC - welcome back but sorry to say, isn't your answer to dR a bit of a cop out? Especially if you're complaining about mis-information on the internet, isn't this the place to provide the knowledge you actually have? If you have expert opinion, I'm sure a lot of people would really benefit in knowing which brands in your opinion, can be a problem. -L

FreshCoffee2

Hi Lars, thanks for the "welcome back"......now I feel like kotter??????? I am an importer and vendor of my own brand espresso machines And I also run an equipment service / repair workshop where over a great many years we have serviced anything that our clients have wanted us to, The experience is there, but it would be a gross conflict of interest for me to comment publicly on others imports just as it would be impertinenet of other importers to comment publicly on mine. By the way I wasnt aware I was "complaining" or, that wasnt what I intended.....I thought I was posing some interesting realistic questions for others to ponder. Coffee machines are no more than taxis....vehicles through which people derive an income by selling cups of coffee...for the rest of it read between the lines of my posts above! Regards, Attilio.