johnca wrote:Hi Hugh,
Thanks for your comments, I found out about the Wega after talking to Pennine who were very helpful. I didn't envisage plumbing in and have so far only considered hand fill machines, I haven't seen any hand-fills with rotary pumps. The Wega Mini Nova Inox is rotary pump on all models except the hand fill ... what are the costs/benefits of rotary pumps? Do you think I would benefit from selecting a machine with a bigger heater to reduce warm up times? I couldn't find the Lyra so dont know how it varies from the Nova. Again, your further comments are most welcome.
Regars ..... John
Glad you found that helpful. Pennine said that the rotary models could be run off a (plastic) water tank OK and (I think) could supply suitable ones. Rotary pumps are MUCH quieter, (possibly more reliable?) deliver pressure more smoothly and usually arrive set to correct brewing pressure (8 - 9 Bar) - but do check this with your dealer; this pressure setting means that an excessively fine grind (or a ristretto grind) won't generate the excessive 14 Bar pressures (and consequent poor tasting shots) that most vibratory pumps will.
Vibratory pumps CAN be regulated down to the correct pressures by an OPV (over pressure valve?) but even where these are fitted and adjustable they are often set to open at c. 14 Bar merely as a safety measure. (If you do buy a "vibe" pump machine, look into adjusting the OPV using a pressure-measuring portafilter if at all possible.)
I get MUCH better results with excessively long shots using the 8.5(?) Bar set rotary pump in the S1 than I used to with my Gaggia Carezza and I put it down to this. They aren't as good as a correctly-timed shot but they are still very drinkable - with the Carezza they were undrinkable.
My personal preference would be to go for a rotary pump HX machine rather than a dual-boiler vibratory pump machine, assuming you're not lucky or obsessive enough to get both rotary pump and dual-boiler features...
I've said similar things elsewhere so apologies to anyone reading this twice!
Cheers,
Hugh
Grinders : Macap MXK conical for espresso, Mahlkoenig Vario for Chemex, Macap MC6 (spare when our office was closed) for cafetiere, Zassenhaus Knee Mill for cafetiere when working away from home.
La Spaziale Vivaldi S1 espresso machine. HotTop KN8828P roaster. Chemex manual drip for most brewed coffee plus cafetieres and eSantos.