Updates To Our Coffee Service
The events world is a funny old game. Our work seems to come in batches, so one year everyone wants to book waffles. The next year they all want doughnuts. It seems as if there is a sort of Borg level of shared consciousness that sucks everyone into booking the same things.
Espresso Coffee Service
This year we have had coffee bounce back in a big way. Which is good, cos coffee happens to be the favourite service of a number of our staff.
We have had good service from a range of Fracino machines. Lately however we have had a number of issues with pumps failing so decide to look at what was available.
Our Little La Cimbali Lever Machine
We acquired a vintage La Cimbali lever pull machine that works on either gas or electric. This was specifically for our little red coffee van, but was so good we used it regularly on other jobs. The only drawback was the fact that it lacked an autofill. The experienced baristas were fine, they got into the rhythm of squirting a quick shot of water into the boiler after every extraction.
Unfortunately the less experienced tended to wait until the boiler was empty and the pressure relief valve was screaming, before they refilled. This meant the machine was basically starting from scratch and took about 10 minutes before you could serve another coffee.
Our vintage coffee restoration man came to the rescue. He managed to shoehorn an autofill sensor, solenoid and pipework into the little machine, meaning it is now fine for everyone to use.
Izzo, Our New High Capacity Lever Machine
We really liked the lever pull system. This harks back to the first espresso machines, when instead of a pump pressurising the shot, the lever compressed a piston and created the pressure. Some purists claim that this is still the best way to make espresso. It’s the origin of the term ‘To pull a shot!’
We looked at a number of lever machines and settled on some two group Izzo machines. These are heavy duty lever machines. They have an autofill system, but also a manual button to fill on the front. So if the solenoid or level probe fails you can still operate.
Oh, And A New Grinder
We also decided that we liked our Mahlkoenig grinder so much we wanted another one. We happed upon a twin version, deciding this would come in handy for a particular client who has a top boss who only drinks decaf. Like our single example, this grinder is built like a German WW2 tank. It is nearly as heavy as the bloody coffee machine.
So if you fancy a top quality lever pulled espresso, then look at our coffee service.
