220v Equpment

[jber19]

I realize this might be a stretch, though you guys have your people and connections, but I am trying to set up a budget for what I would need to set up a cafe along with a roasting area inside it when I return to our friends in the East:) Anyhow, I'm trying to find commercial equipment that runs on 220v. Usually Google is good to me, but I'm having a hard time finding an espresso grinder as well as espresso machine and regular commercial grinder.

Any ideas, sites, connections or people you guys know who could help? You guys are swell
jb

[Warrior372]

Do you want to buy them used or new? How many groups are you looking for? Most 2 plus group commercial espresso machines run on 220v. In regards to grinders, I have seen a few that run on 220v, but not nearly as many as the 110v's that I have seen.

[jber19]

New would be nice, at least from a budget perspective, but I'l take used ones in good condition. I'm thinking of a two group machine. And in terms of grinders, they all need to be 220v. But I'm coming up with a dead end when I start looking. The only espresso grinder I have found is a Mazzer (never heard of it before) that runs $3300 new...a little high for me. Any thoughts?

[Warrior372]

That was probably a Mazzer Robur? Mazzer is one of the biggest names in commercial grinders, and the Robur is their top of the line conical burr grinder.  It is one of the nicest, if not the nicest, grinder with a doser on the market. The other huge name is Mahlkonig. I will peruse the net for some 220v 2 groups and grinders and get back to you.

What kind of budget are you dealing with? Buying all of this stuff new is going to be a pretty big hit monetarily.

[milowebailey]

You may also want to contact a place like this.... or buy one from Europe

[milowebailey]

Here is one... I don't know what your price point is
http://www.cooksdirect.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=10006552&prodid=5560A9-240V

I have a 115 volt Santos... it is a great quiet grinder.

[Warrior372]

Mazzer makes the Robur in 220v, and it sells for $3,300. That is a top of the line grinder from one of the best known companies. It is expensive, but the good news is that they last forever. A lot of companies make similar grinders. I emailed a few to get price quotes. Almost any of the grinder manufacturers grinders should be able to be setup with 220v plug. I will get back to you on this one when they respond with pricing.

If you want a grinder for grinding drip I would go with a Mahlkonig. I know from experience that if you call / email them they will give you great deals on demo equipment that they use at shows. You will normally get several hundred dollars off of a barely used grinder. The Kenya and Guatemala are two that would cover you pretty well. They retail for $1,700 and $2,500 respectively.

On the espresso machine side of things, I am totally partial to spring loaded lever machines. They have a steeper learning curve, but once you get the hang of them you can pull better shots, IMO. Another plus is that internally they are very simple, so if you need to fix something or tinker with the machine they are very easy to understand and service. I would go with a 2-Group La San Marco Lever espresso machine. They are the oldest espresso machine company still in business today, and their levers have always been rock solid.

[mp]

You may also want to contact a place like this.... or buy one from Europe

Great price on the Simonelli grinder.

 

[Warrior372]

Almost all of Nuova Simonelli's grinders are made for them by an Italian company named Eureka. Eureka makes very solid grinders, but you will rarely ever see a Eureka brand grinder in the US. They are much more prevalent in Europe, Asia, and Australia. I would definitely contact them directly if you are interested in an Nuova Simonelli grinder. They make them all and with the brand name Eureka on it you will most likely save money versus having the Nuova brand name on it.

[jber19]

Holy cow you guys just threw a bunch of terminology at me....I am taking, hopefully, a barista seminar/class in October to learn what in the world I'm doing, so please have patience with me, but I have some questions...I'm assuming a lever espresso machine is a manual machine, not automatic, hence the steeper learning curve? If that's the case, it's intimidating, however,  the easier to fix the better since in Russia, parts will be expensive and hard to come by and warranties mean nothing..meaning, I'll have to fix it myself and get all the parts from outside Russia....so that would be great.

Second, the prices on the grinders that Milo sent me looked good. At the moment I don't have a budget. I am researching to find out how much everything will cost, so I know what target to shoot for for fundraising and what not. So anything helps.

All that to say that this cafe may not get a lot of business at first, but it should pick up within a couple months. We already have a lcoation and are looking at about 1000 square feet for the kitchen, roasting area and seating area...so, nothing huge. so, here are a couple more questions: I am assuming I need two grinders-one for espresso and one for drip coffee? If that is the case, would a 1 pound grinder, like the Santos or Simonelli be able to keep up with a small cafe like that?

Sorry for all the questions, but man you guys have experience and you know what you're talking about...thanks for teaching!

[Warrior372]

I assume the Santos and Simonelli / Eureka grinders would be able to keep up. The only thought is if your client base expands will it be able to keep up. Mazzers are standard issue in almost every well known cafe in America. They make a grinder called the Super Jolly that retails for about $700.00. It has 64mm burrs, the larger the burrs the faster it will grind. The next step up from that is a Mazzer Major, and it has 83mm burrs and they retail for around $1,400.

Most cafes would have 2 espresso grinders, one for normal and one for decaf, as well as a grinder for drip coffee.

That Santos could be a great grinder. I just do not know anything about it, so I can not vouch for it. I have had a Mazzer Mini in the past, and currently have a Mazzer Major. I can tell you that I have never had a problem with wither, and they are very capable machine. They are absolutely overkill for home use, but still fun to play with .

Yes, when I say lever I mean a 'manual' machine. All commercial levers will be spring operated and not fully manual. Meaning you pull a lever down, which in turn raises a piston in the espresso machines grouphead and allows the grouphead to fill with water, at the first sign of a drip of espresso out of the portafilter you release the lever and a spring will bring the lever up and push the piston down moving the water though the 'puck' of coffee, giving you a very smooth extraction.

The only electronic parts on most commercial lever is the pressure stat and the heating element. Outside of that you will just have to descale every now and again (which you have to do with any espresso machine), replace the gaskets and o-rings every few years, and replace the spring every 10,15,20 years. The only machine I have had to worry about spring replacement on while refurbishing is the 1952 2-Group Conti Empress I rebuilt. So although you will have to do it at some point, it is not something you will most likely have to worry about.

[jber19]

I'll say this, those prices aren't bad at all...we'll see. This info is really helpful thanks guys. I am looking into a three day seminar at the American Barista and Coffee schoolhttp://coffeeschool.org/l....probably in October but it's pricey $900.....any ideas where a better (or more bang for the buck one) might be? just would like to be able to actually run a cafe after th e training...who knows.

what do you guys think...keep the info coming!