# Espresso Machine for a roastary!



## Mynameisatlas (Apr 27, 2019)

Hey all!

So...Finally making the jump and we receive our 5kg roaster mid September, In the meantime I'm getting all surrounding equipment in place and I've hit a wall with something.

The plan is to open a coffee Shop separately in 12-18 months time, but we want an espresso machine to keep at the Roastery for our own drinks, letting clients taste our coffee at the roastery etc, Can't have a roastary without an espresso machine!

So here's the thing, we have in our Budget enough to purchase a La Marzocco Linea mini - but before I pull the trigger on that, I wanted to get some other opinions on single group machines which would suit our scale of setup, baring in mind this machine will be making between 4 and 6 drinks a day at a push.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Hi and welcome fellow roastie!

Maybe let's start off with the more important questions: what grinder do you have in mind to pair it with?
Will you also have budget for a separate one or should it be capable of bag grinding and cupping as well?
Do you want to single dose or fill a hopper?

I can vouch for the Mazzer ZM with 151B espresso burrs. It simply does it all.

As for the machine, also consider what your customers use. Not everybody will have your budget. Telling from experience, folk will tell you stuff like 'well, that coffee tastes fantastic! ...but I'm most definitely not going to replicate that on my home kit'. We're 'only' running an ACS Minima for that matter.

While it might not apply to you, here's what we did: we've acquired a nice yet affordable dual boiler, a manual lever machine, a decent kettle, an Aeropress, a V60, a Chemex, a Bialetti and lots of filters, baskets and other accessories for less than your budget. Now being able to let customers taste coffees with their available brewing method 

All the best with your new venture and keep on posting! Pretty sure I'm not the only one who'd love getting to know a bit more about your journey.


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## Mynameisatlas (Apr 27, 2019)

Hi @Hasi!

Thank you for the reply! You've given me lots to think about, I'll be honest, my decision to go for the Linea Mini was based on previous use and plan to put a Marcozzo Strada EP in the Cafe, so when designing the Roastery it went for the single group alternative, albeit a VERY different beast, I wanted to stick to LM for continuity.

So for Grinders, we have a specific use Grinder just for Bagged orders, to grind 250g at a time.

For our espresso we're looking at a K30 - I do already have v60's, Aeropress's etc which I use a Wilfa grinder (Personal use) so can offer a wide range of brewing options for Lighter roasts, but its the espresso setup I'm specifically looking at right now!

Any advise would be great, what duel boiler did you go for?

Thanks!


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Mynameisatlas said:


> Any advise would be great, what duel boiler did you go for?





Hasi said:


> We're 'only' running an ACS Minima for that matter.


 And that's enough for us atm, although I'd prefer a plumbed-in machine.

With a similar cafe plan in mind I'm looking into Londiniums. Up-scaling from a single group would just come naturally, even in a busy environment where a 2- or 3-group becomes a justifiable necessity. And they're relatively cheap compared to some of Italy's big names. In the end of the day, last thing you want is adapting to new machinery on the fly while maintaining business.

Later down the line, it'll be equally important to know who will operate the kit. As discussed in another thread just recently (https://coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/47493-how-often-are-you-disappointed-with-espresso-at-good-cafes/?tab=comments#comment-686494) many coffee shops struggle with fluctuating cup quality from different baristas. The more manual labour you add to your prep and presentation (such as single dosing, weighing in/out, WDT, paddle/lever control and other fancypants techniques) the better it is just you pulling shots. Because employees do not necessarily care if customers return. After all, you need proper presentation to sell your beans, which is the main goal. However, depending on planned opening hours and roasting schedule, will you even be in position to pull shots for hours?

Back on topic... for a short-term roastery solution there's nothing wrong with a Linea Mini as it ticks all possible boxes. Just dunno whether that money could be saved up or be spent more effectively? Thinking of reserve funds to bridge postage and packaging costs, discounts, advertising, merchandising, uniform clothing, a neon sign, refigerator or what not


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## Mynameisatlas (Apr 27, 2019)

So i THINK, after a little research, I've decided to stray from the Linea Mini, and go for the Bezzera Duo DE, I'm pretty happy with all the features and with it being a more modern design of machine, I think it will be more user friendly and less intimidating for customers who come to the Roastary to taste and try coffee with us.


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