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Thread: Crazy-person espresso machine station

  1. #1

    Crazy-person espresso machine station

    I've had a few super-automatic espresso machines - the kind that grind the bean, tamp it, make the espresso, eject the puck, etc - but they've been the ~$800 ones that are sold at Starbucks or Williams and Sonoma. I think those machines are designed to make 2 cups of espresso per day for about 6 months before dying.

    So I found this monster on craigslist. A Franke Flair commercial espresso station. Rated capacity is 20,000 cups/year I don't think LOML and I will drink quite that many (), but it's designed to be substantially more robust than the "consumer" models. Plus, it was only $700.

    Unfortunately, at 22" tall, it doesn't fit on the kitchen counter. So I built this cabinet to hold it. Legs are welded steel (painted), cabinet is white limba, and the top is quartz.

    The machine has water supply and drain lines plumbed to it, so it should never need to be moved or touched.
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  2. #2
    You sir, a very serious espresso drinker! That thing ought to outlast your grandchildren!

    I like the cabinet. It's clean, modern and functional. I've never seen white limba - I love the grain.

    Did you weld up the legs yourself?
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  3. #3
    Thanks! Yes, I welded the legs. Then I sanded them, body putty'd all the holes I managed to blast into them when welding, then painted

  4. #4
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    Seriously commercial styled platform for a beast of a machine. Excellent! The white limba and quartz work together wonderfully. To help you use the machine enough so that it even notices, we will all have to drop by for a cup
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


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  5. #5
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    The best thing I ever did was buy a semi-pro machine years ago rather than continued to dry and make the sub-$1000 "toys" last for more than a year or two. The first good machine (all manual unfortunately) lasted 10 years before I decided I wanted at least more automation of the dosing and the machine I purchased at that point has been serving me very, very well since. I do wish I could plumb it in like yours; however, it would be difficult to make that happen due to location, etc.

    Your espresso station looks good and is very functional. It's good that you did make it stand-alone, even though normally it will stay put, since that makes potential maintenance to the water supply, etc. easier to effect in the future.
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    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    Very nice. Wouldn’t mind having a machine setup like that myself. When we make coffee at home we are all manual at the moment with a rancilio rocky grinder and Behmor brewer. More automation would be a nice thing though.

  7. #7
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    Greg, I've avoided "total auto" because I like to keep my beans in an air-tight container and I only grind for one dose at a time. That's the challenge in the home with full auto because you don't have the "throughput" that a commercial place has with the beans in the hopper. Personal preference, however. (I use a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II and a lower end Baratza grinder which sets next to the machine)

    I often wish I could do a separate station like the OP, but our kitchen just cannot support it.
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    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    Wow, that's some machine. And some stand. Good job.

    Is that machine 120V or 240V. Seems that 240V would allow it to heat water faster.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  9. #9
    Mike, it's 120V. From what I've read, it's the largest machine generally available that runs on 120V, and is intentionally designed as such to support use in places like conference rooms, etc, where 240V may not be readily available. You're right in thinking that 240V would be better. I think the trade-off is that it won't simultaneously steam milk while brewing espresso, the rate that it will heat water is limited, etc.

  10. #10
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    My machine will steam and brew simultaneously...separate boilers. I bet that's asking a bit for my 120v circuit, however!
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    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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