I've just bought a cheap secondhand machine and grinder to use at work and now that I have got it dialled in and producing some great results I've been mentally comparing it with the dual boiler I have at home.
The home machine is a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II that I bought new about 2 years ago as an upgrade from an Ascaso Dream. The Vivaldi is a great machine and very happy with it. I'm very glad I went with a DB rather than HX mainly because I went vegan a few months after buying it so I switched from flat whites to ristrettos. Being a DB I can switch off the steam boiler for most of the time and if I need to steam milk when entertaining then the option is there. This machine steams like a train and it refills the boiler automatically, so it's very easy to make lots of drinks very quickly.
For work I picked up a used Gaggia Classic from a fellow CS-er. The machine is in great condition and the previous owner's a pretty handy guy so he adjusted the OPV back to 9 bar. I wasn't expecting anything fabulous from it given the $140 price tag but I've been pulling some very impressive and consistent shots from it - both from the Kyocera hand grinder and also the cheap used Ascaso I-1 grinder I picked up the other day for $100.
So this got me thinking - one of the main reasons people cite for upgrading to a HX or DB is the ability to pull shots and steam milk at the same time. If I had 2 Gaggias, one set to brew and the other to steam, I've effectively got a dual boiler setup with a footprint that is only slightly larger than a DB machine, for over $2,000 less than a DB machine.
There is a big difference in the components and the build quality, plus the Vivaldi has some great features that make it much easier to make lots of drinks quickly - it's volumetric, adjustable temperature and auto-refills the boiler when the water level gets too low plus it automatically stops when the water level gets too low in the tank.
The difference in the cup is not that big though - the Gaggia has been producing some great shots and I'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.
So if you're thinking of upgrading to a better machine so you can brew and steam at the same time, it may work out cheaper for you to get a second SB machine for steaming. If you want all the convenience features and better build quality, well that will still cost you!
Just a thought!
The home machine is a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II that I bought new about 2 years ago as an upgrade from an Ascaso Dream. The Vivaldi is a great machine and very happy with it. I'm very glad I went with a DB rather than HX mainly because I went vegan a few months after buying it so I switched from flat whites to ristrettos. Being a DB I can switch off the steam boiler for most of the time and if I need to steam milk when entertaining then the option is there. This machine steams like a train and it refills the boiler automatically, so it's very easy to make lots of drinks very quickly.
For work I picked up a used Gaggia Classic from a fellow CS-er. The machine is in great condition and the previous owner's a pretty handy guy so he adjusted the OPV back to 9 bar. I wasn't expecting anything fabulous from it given the $140 price tag but I've been pulling some very impressive and consistent shots from it - both from the Kyocera hand grinder and also the cheap used Ascaso I-1 grinder I picked up the other day for $100.
So this got me thinking - one of the main reasons people cite for upgrading to a HX or DB is the ability to pull shots and steam milk at the same time. If I had 2 Gaggias, one set to brew and the other to steam, I've effectively got a dual boiler setup with a footprint that is only slightly larger than a DB machine, for over $2,000 less than a DB machine.
There is a big difference in the components and the build quality, plus the Vivaldi has some great features that make it much easier to make lots of drinks quickly - it's volumetric, adjustable temperature and auto-refills the boiler when the water level gets too low plus it automatically stops when the water level gets too low in the tank.
The difference in the cup is not that big though - the Gaggia has been producing some great shots and I'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.
So if you're thinking of upgrading to a better machine so you can brew and steam at the same time, it may work out cheaper for you to get a second SB machine for steaming. If you want all the convenience features and better build quality, well that will still cost you!
Just a thought!

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