Seattle Coffee Gear: Blog

Comparing One-Touch Superautomatic Espresso Machines

You can't beat the convenience of a one-touch superautomatic espresso machine -- but how do the different models compare against each other? Watch Gail as she makes a cappuccino on the Jura Z5, DeLonghi Gran Dama and Saeco Primea one touch superautomatics, including her assessment of the pros/cons of each machine.

Using the Jura Cool Control

As we wrote about in February, the Jura Cool Control stays on top of your counter and keeps your milk nice and icy for those one-touch cappuccinos. Watch as Gail shows us how the Cool Control works and makes us a cappuccino to test it out.

The Grind - May 2009

The May issue of our monthly newsletter, The Grind, has hit the bricks! Including the Turkish Dee-Lite recipe, our process for making excellent french press coffee, tips on how to brew a strong shot in a superautomatic espresso machine and a directory of all the recent YouTube videos we've done over the last month, May's news is a sweet little compendium of a lot of the content we've shared with you here.

But what you won't find here is The Grind Special -- this month: $10 off the Hourglass Cold Brew Coffee Maker! Get this special and all future specials by signing up.

New! Saeco Incanto Certified Refurbished Espresso Machines

One of the historical wonders of the Saeco superautomatic espresso machine line, the Incanto is a great little machine for a great little price. We purchased a lot of used machines from the manufacturer and are putting them through the wringer to refurbish and certify them for resale.

Our techs are going through them from top to bottom, replacing parts as needed, thoroughly testing and then cleaning them. An original design defect in the steam manifold is being fixed with upgraded parts, so these machines are actually better than brand new!

Watch Gail discuss this machine -- how we refurbish them, their features and perfomance and how they compare to other machines on the market today.

Tech Tip: Superautomatics and Oily Beans

We have written before about the no love lost between superautomatic espresso machines and oily, dark roasted coffee beans, but when we got a machine in the repair center last week that was caked to the gills with coffee cement, we just had to film it and show you what we're talking about.

Watch Gail take apart the grinder of a Saeco Vienna superautomatic espresso machine and show what happens over time to the internal grinders on these machines if someone is using super-dark and oily beans. We definitely recommend sticking with a lighter, drier roast for the long term health of your machine -- and now you'll see why!

New! Seattle Coffee Gear's Commercial Espresso Equipment

We have a deep love for and commitment to the home espresso enthusiast, but as our passion for making excellent espresso at home has grown, we have been exploring commercial-grade equipment, too. Obviously, comparatively few of us can afford to drop $15k on an espresso machine for our homes, but if you're looking to either upgrade your business' existing setup or thinking about launching a new espresso-based business, we have a wide selection of machines that is going to continue to grow.

Currently featuring primarily Faema and Rancilio commercial-class espresso machines & grinders, we've also included a few of the prosumer class of machines that could work well in a smaller-scale business that has espresso as a complementary service -- such as a bookstore or an art gallery. We also have tons of quantity discounts on accessories and wholesale pricing on coffee and syrups, so just ask.

We're excited to venture into a new realm within the coffee world and look forward to talking with you more about it! This blog will also expand as a resource and start offering up information that may be of interest to cafes and other small coffee businesses, so stay tuned.

Comparing Espresso Machines

With so many different kinds of espresso machines on the market, researching which is the best for you can sometimes feel like popping open a big ol' can of worms. Superautomatic or semi-automatic? Single boiler, heat exchange or double boiler? Is the E61 brew group really that great?

Our goal here at Seattle Coffee Gear is to provide as complete of a picture as we can about as many machines as possible. We read through user reviews to develop general pros and cons, have our techs test out the machines, experiment with different grinders to see how they perform with different machines and, ultimately, drink way more coffee than we should. All of this informs our YouTube videos, the writing we do here, our product descriptions and -- one of the best resources we have -- our Side by Side Compare tool.

If you're just learning about espresso machines and aren't sure what will meet your needs and budget, this tool is a great place to start. We've organized the different machine classes by price range and compared their performance against each other, so you can see technical facts like how hot they brew or which type of pump they have and more subjective assessments such as the ease of use or quality of shot.

We're constantly updating and adding machines to these pages, so definitely check them out if you're in the market for a machine.

Green Machine

We're all more conscientious these days about our environmental footprint -- what we do every day and how that impacts the world around us -- and our pocketbook. What started as a random inquiry every now and again eventually developed into a dull roar...people wanted to trade in their machines on new ones, and they wanted to find a way to keep their fully intact machine out of a landfill.

So we developed our Trade-in and Recycling Program to fill this need: Basically, we'll take a look at your current espresso machine or grinder and determine if has any resale value. If it does, we'll give you a store credit, then we'll clean up your old machine and find a new home for it. If the machine isn't worth refurbishing, however, we will break it down into all of its components, reuse any parts that are still good and then recycle most of the rest.

If you're interested in the program, just contact us and let us know the make, model, age and condition of your machine. We'll get back to you with a rough estimate and tell you how to deliver your machine to us. From there, we'll give it a final assessment and let you know the exact amount of your credit -- then you can choose a new, upgraded model!

Crew Review: Lavazze Blue Superautomatic Capsule Espresso Machine

If that stained Mr. Coffee from 1987 is spending more time baking coffee than brewing it and you find that visitors to your business are less than impressed by the caffeinated offerings from your office kitchen, it might be time to upgrade. We vote for eschewing the world of drip coffee for the exceptional flavor, performance and per-cup customization that is the Lavazza Blue superautomatic capsule espresso machine.

Featuring several styles of espresso, tea and even chicken soup, this machine is a perfect fit for a small business' kitchen, and can even be configured for coin operation to help balance the cost of the capsules. Watch Gail as she talks about the features of this machine and brews up some delicious espresso.

Selecting a Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

One of the things that sets the crew here at Seattle Coffee Gear apart from the rest is that we have a storefront that features over 60 machines on display for anyone to come in and check out during their selection process. The experience of coming into the store, asking questions, working with Gail and understanding which machine meets your needs and your budget is fairly unique in this space, so we thought we'd make a movie in an attempt to replicate that experience for folks that don't live in the Seattle area.

If you're in the market for a semi-automatic espresso machine and aren't sure where to start, this video is a great primer for what we think are the best in class machines that will fit in anyone's budget.

Part 1: Gail talks about the different types of machines and then discusses the Saeco Aroma and the Rancilio Silvia semi-automatic espresso machines.

Part 2: Gail continues up the semi-automatic espresso machine line with an introduction to the Quick Mill Alexia and Rocket Giotto Premium Plus.