Any high-end Italian Espresso Machine Users?

Thanks for the tip!

Cheers!

“I see a line of Supercars and they’re all painted red… Visions of Prancing Horses dance in my head. I hear the screaming thunder of the four-point-five… A 9,000 redline makes you feel alive.”

 

Not yet, we’re still finishing the major full-gut kitchen remodel… Supply chain issues and shipping/back orders are a bummer! Here’s a small sample of our journey thus far…

The German appliances took nine months to get. Three month wait for the tile guy, weeks on the plumber and electrician. Several months wait on the Italian blast chiller/shock freezer, as well as the supplemental commercial fridge.

I even had to wait three months for a set of espresso burrs (151B), as the Italian Mazzer ZM grinder came with 151 filter burrs. Backsplash has been changed several times due to out of stock/back order issues. Not to mention trying to get the Kerdiboard to mount the backsplash onto.

It’s been a faff for sure, but we’re making progress… My guess is a month or so before the DCM and the Mazzer ZM even get out of their shipping crates. ☹️ Fingers crossed its sooner!

Cheers!

 

I understand completely! There is a beautiful simplicity and elegance in hand pulling shots… As a professional artist, I did many operations manually that I could just as easily do with semi, or fully automated equipment.

I still prefer the old school way many times, but I really wanted to explore flow profiling and the Dalla Corte Mina offered me the best opportunity to drop down the “flow profiling“ rabbit hole and have fun with it.

Pulling manually is awesome as well and I will no doubt add a manual machine in the near future. I still need to add a second Mazzer ZM grinder dedicated for filter coffee only for my beloved 100% Hawaiian Kona beans. I also will be adding a large conical grinder in the near future. Once those are up and running, I will add the manual and my espresso bar will be complete…

I became fascinated with espresso a few years ago when I was travelling about 60 - 80,000 air miles every year all over the U.S. doing artistic demonstrations. I always wanted to pull my own shots, but I was too busy to learn how to do it. Luckily, I’m retired now and I can enjoy the experience of searching for the perfect “God Shot.”

Cheers!

 

So, what’s everyone using for a water filter for their espresso machine? We are in the process of looking for a whole house RO/DI system, but until that is sorted, we’re using a Bestmax Premium (German) water filter with the flow meter and the swing out mounting. All in, it was about $600.00.

We have a separate system on our Gaggenau Steam Oven as well, that is very similar to the Bestmax unit. Steam ovens, like espresso machines do NOT tolerate scale in the boilers!

Cheers!

 

Hello Phil,

Technically, my Dalla Corte Mina is a commercial unit… Having said that, it is also sold to residential users who want a unit that is equivalent to the commercial quality espresso machines used in their favourite coffee shop.

Style and state of the art features are important to dedicated espresso drinkers… Consumer models may lack the features and boiler capacities of a commercial espresso machine.

State of the art features like the ability to alter the flow of water being delivered to the puck, extra powerful steam wands that produce higher quality milk foam and larger group heads that maintain consistent temperature are only a few of the reasons that a residential user may prefer a commercial machine over a consumer model.

Take care and best wishes to you and yours!

Cheers!

 

What is your current workflow with the DeLonghi? Is it a full manual, semi-auto, full-auto? If you let me know what your routine is from the whole bean to the cup, I will be happy to provide some additional information that will shed some light on your question.

Cheers!

 

Hello Sunshine1,

So, yes there would be a significant difference in the “in the cup” taste, aroma and mouthfeel of espresso when using a high-end commercial machine like the Dalla Corte Mina, versus an automatic, or semi-auto machine.

I know that some may think that anyone who spends ~$15k for equipment to make an espresso has been standing in the sun too long… But to those of us who are really into espresso, it’s very logical.

Think about it like this… A 458 Italia is an epic supercar! A 458 Speciale is all that and more, with extra emphasis on certain aspects of the car that make it more focused for tracking and everything is just that much better than the base Italia. All that extra Speciale awesomeness comes at a higher price…

It’s the same with espresso machines. The more control you want in the extraction process, the more the machine will cost. It’s all about controlling the extraction process, *every single step* in the process… so your “in cup experience” is the most satisfying it can be for the type of bean/roast you are using.

There is nothing wrong with the unit you are using, I’m sure it produces a great cup of espresso and makes equally delicious milk based drinks as well. Those types of machines do allow user control of some functions, but it is limited. It produces a reliable, repeatable cup of espresso day in and day out at an affordable price.

Higher end machines like the Dalla Corte Mina allow extensive user control of the extraction process and are built with more expensive electronic components and component materials. They have larger boilers and massive group heads that maintain stable temperature during the extraction (even when pulling repeated shots - back to back).

The milk steamers are more efficient and produce ***extremely*** high quality, velvety milk foam in record time, without any denaturing of the milk flavours. My Mina has a manual milk steamer and a secondary automatic steamer as well.

If you’re into light roasts, or really dark roasts it can be difficult to get a cup that reveals all of the flavours that are listed in the tasting notes of the roast - without a machine that gives you more extensive control of the extraction process.

The Dalla Corte Mina can split a single drop of water (that is being delivered to the puck through the shower screen), into four parts! So, you have extensive control of the water flow… It has a wireless app that allows you to control many of the extraction parameters, through its flow profiling features.

Pre-infusion is a critical time in the extraction process… The Mina can allow for long pre-infusion times if desired. The extraction process can be adjusted throughout the extraction in stages that can be adjusted for the individual roast you are using.

It can also quickly reduce the water flow if necessary to reduce the last stages of the extraction where unpleasant flavours may be extracted. There is also a manual lever where you can control the extraction flow in manual mode…

All of that means that a cup of espresso from the Mina will be like the Speciale, more awesome in every way - aroma, taste and mouthfeel with more clearly defined flavours discernible. For me, it’s worth the price and I enjoy the minutiae of the extraction process. Since I’m retired, I can devote the extra time needed to fully explore each bean and it’s flavours. That’s the fun of it for me.

I tried to keep this short and concise, but if you have any questions, just let me know. The Mina has many more features and functions, but I don’t want this to sound like a sales pitch. I have no affiliation with Dalla Corte other than as a truly satisfied customer.

P.S. Another critical component of the process is the grinder… I did not mention that aspect, but it is a critical part of the process that has a significant impact on the quality of the in cup experience. My Mazzer ZM is a next-level espresso grinder that delivers stunning high quality, fluffy grinds!

Cheers!

 

Too bad it does not have the Ferrari carbon fibre panels for accents… It’s cool though and if I didn’t have my Mina I would jump on it.

I’m having carbon fibre accent panels made for the two sides on my Dalla Corte Mina. It will match the Ferrari carbon fibre weave and size.

The two panels are black now, so the carbon fibre colour will look awesome!

Cheers!