Epoca S vs. Appia V FIgghhttttTT !!!!!!

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Epoca S vs. Appia V FIgghhttttTT !!!!!!

Postby akema » Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:57 pm

Hi all !

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Akmal from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia :D This is my first posting here and hope to get advise from experienced forumers here

My partners and I managed to get a good location for our first cafe which is due for opening middle next year. Our main menu is coffee drinks and will offer two sizes only (8 oz for hot and 12 oz for cold drinks - I am thinking 10 oz for hot instead of 8, what do you think?). At the moment we already started to choose beans supplier, designs etc. etc.

My knowledge in coffee is hmmm.... basic compared to hardcore forumers here :) i enjoy milk based coffee and currently own an oscar simonelli and wega grinder

Currently I have 2 machines to choose from. Both are 2 groups, Epoca S (semi auto) and Appia V (auto). Please bear in mind we dont have much choices here in Malaysia :) So far these 2 machines have met my basic criteria which are :

1) Service available for these brands in Malaysia

2) Both models are within our budget, the prices for both models are not far off (for other brands or models, either they are much more expensive or even if within our budget, they are not available in Malaysia) - if our business do well, we can buy better machine in the future and the old machine can become our back up machine

3) Could handle high volume (I hope to produce about 100 - 200 cups per day , could be higher during weekends)

4) Coffee drinkers in Malaysia mostly enjoy milk based coffees and iced drinks (because of hot weather here), I assume these two machines should consistently do a good job (I assume, could be wrong here)

5) Easy to maintain (I assume, could be wrong here)

I did some research from the website and there are a fair number of reviews on Epoca S. The reviews are mixed from being a sturdy machine, good entry level commercial machine with ugly plastic design. I like Epoca S because it is semi auto and hence offer better control for espresso shots.

As for Appia V, there are no reviews from the website. I wonder whether automatic dosage in Appia V could be turned off and used manually instead ?

I've seen both machines and i feel Appia V is much better looking (but not sure about performance though) . But I like Epoca S because it is semi auto and perhaps because of that, cheaper repair & maintenance. But if I can use Appia V in manual mode, perhaps auto function breakdown is not much of a concern ?

Anyway, I am seeking your expert opinions, which one do you think is better and why ?

extra information : they are also throwing in free grinders ! options available are anfim caimano titanium, K6 or Mazzer Super Jolly. Which one you think is the best to pair up with the espresso machine ? (i didnt own any of these but from the websites, reviews on Super Jolly seems very favorable)

Many many thanks in advance ! :o
akema
 
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RE: Epoca S vs. Appia V FIgghhttttTT !!!!!!

Postby lukas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:08 am

Hi Akmal & welcome to the madhouse! I can't really help you with the choice though, other than that the machines you're mentioning should all very well suit your needs - so it will come down to the details and specifics to decide between them, which I really don't know :)

best regards,
Lukas
Lukas

This week I like my coffee luke-warm.
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RE: Epoca S vs. Appia V FIgghhttttTT !!!!!!

Postby bruceb » Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:31 pm

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Sorry, I can't help either, but perhaps someone will come along soon who can. I will add, however, that it is said that the three most important things for a café are 1) Location, 2) Location and 3) Location, so you should be off to a good start! :D
Three Francesconi (CMA) espresso machines - Rossi, San Marco, LaCimbali, Faema and 2 Mazzer Major grinders- CoffeeTech Maggionlino, Hottop, Alpenröst and HW Precision roasters.
I decided I needed a bit of a change so I roasted some Monsooned Malabar. That was a change!
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