Yes it is true and there are pictures to prove it... I was amazed to see that Da Nag has been busted in his own home.... Look in his photo album, picture 30 of 32..... and just in case you do not want to go there and check this out.....it is/was a Latte Lab....that is truly portable..
C-Dory Owner Charged with Operations of a Garage Lab
- Thread starter Byrdman
- Start date
wailedcentipede
New member
it's scary happening in the best of neigbourhoods .. :lol:
catdogcat":26v8oux1 said:
It's an Isomac Zaffiro - an awesome machine.
Here's a review at coffeegeek.com - check out the rest of the site for anything you want to know about espresso machines and/or grinders.
If you don't want to spend that much, our travel/boat machine is a Solis SL70 - a great machine for the price. Here's coffeegeek's review of that one. We used this machine at home for years before moving up to the Zaffiro...pulls a great shot as well, but we would wear them out after about 3 years of use (2-4 drinks a day.)
Chris's Coffee is a great dealer for the Isomac...good prices, and excellent support/service. For the Solis, just use Google to find the best deal.
Does that mean you want to sell your current Solis? That Isomac Zaffiro looks really nice. Does it pull nice shots? Do the shots come out about the consistency of golden Crude oil? How long does it take to heat up? I had to buy coffee from the local Esspresso shack this morning. Man, I hate waiting in line. $3.00 for coffee gets really expensive on a daily basis.
catdogcat":2ttp71po said:
Nah...the Isomac is too bulky to carry on trips, and draws too much power for the generator. We use the Solis on pretty much all of our road/boat trips.
As good as any commercial machine, with the right grind and a little practice. The grinder pictured above is a Mazzer Mini...you can easily grind fine enough to choke the Isomac, which is pretty fine considering the pressure it can build. I get the best shots with a very fine grind, and a very light tamp...and yes, the shots comes out thick with tons of crema.
That's a drawback with any decent machine...things don't get up to the right temps for at least 30 minutes, probably 45. However, that's easily addressed with a heavy-duty appliance timer. You can pick a nice digital multi-day unit for around $30. The Isomac comes on around 5:00AM, shuts off at 7:00 on workdays - stays on until noon on weekends.
The Solis heats up much more quickly...it can be ready to go in 10 minutes or so.
Pat Anderson
New member
Yes, just about every good tasting substance is "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects and apoplexy. Not known to other states, mind you, just to California...a pretty good reason to move north for sure.
DaveS":39qqot1i said:
I recently aquired an Expobar Office Control machine from Whole Latte Love , and I am very happy with its performance . Used to have Solis SL 90 which did not make it to a boat ,donated to 21 year old son . I hope I dont have to use it with a Honda generator this year [unless on a boat] as that usually means storm activity and we dont want that ...............
Marc
Marc
catdogcat":mf5510z1 said:
Good deal - sorry for not getting back sooner.
Both of the machines you were considering look nice - the E61 group is common to all of them, which is top notch. Also, it looks like the Amica has the same huge boiler as the Zaffiro...another plus.
One thing I forgot to mention...hope you have counter space. If the Amica is modeled after the Zaffiro, it's tall - won't even fit under my upper cabinets. It needs counter space with nothing above it. Which might be an issue for some, as I like to keep the machine next to the sink for easy grounds disposal.
Speaking of which - disposing of espresso grounds down the sink is no big deal, in my experience. I've been doing it for the last 10+ years, and have never had a problem...unlike regualr coffee grounds, the grind is so fine the stuff virtually disinegrates when mixed with water.
However, if you are on septic, you'll want a knock box. I've read it's a no-no to dump the grinds into a septic system.
Oh - and here's the digital timer I mentioned earlier. It's available just about everywhere...I've seen it at the local hardware store, as well as the big home improvement stores.
My shelves next to the sink are 18" high off the counter tops. It should fit underneath them with a couple inches to spare. Is there any reason why I shouldn't keep it under the cabinets? Does it get really hot or something? I was thinking about a knock box. I might cut a hole in my counter tops and flush mount one. In the past I have been hitting the PF against the inside of the trash can. Also, I have been reading all the reviews and tech forums but have not seen how you get this thing to give you hot water for tea and such. I've read that it has this capability but I don't see any buttons or knobs for this. What do you do to make hot water come through the steam wand? Thanks for all the help Da Nag. I know this is getting a little off topic :lol: :lol:
catdogcat":1dtiuot0 said:
Well...I just measured mine, and they sound like they are the same size. My cabinets are only about 16" off the counter, so it was too tight for that to be an option.
Even though it will fit under yours, there are two problems you'll notice - assuming it's designed the same as the Zaffiro.
First, you won't be able to use the cup warmer. We keep our mugs on top of the machine, and they are nice and toasty when we get ready to make a drink.
Second...it's going to be a pain to fill the water if the machine is under a cabinet. I only looked at pictures, but the design appears the same as mine - you need to lift the top off the machine to have access to the water reservoir. The reservoir lifts out, but you won't have room - you'll need to slide that 50 lb. machine out every time you need to fill it up.
With nothing above, we simply remove the lid, and dump water in from a large plastic jug - we don't pull the reservoir out.
The above being said...many folks plumb these straight into a water supply. Not sure if there is a factory option for the Amica, or if you would need to do something custom.
Just flip the pump switch on, with the valve open and the steam switch off. Water will shoot out the wand, straight from the boiler. This is also how you purge after steaming.
Purging takes a while...you need to let the built up steam out before pumping the water through. So, if you are making multuple drinks that require steaming, pull all the shots first. There's plenty of steaming capacity to for two, maybe three drinks.