Semi-automatic and prosumer machines

What Makes an Espresso Machine Commercial, and Would One Work at Home?

Published · By the Espresso Shortlist editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

The difference shows up first in the electrical supply. La Marzocco's two-group Linea Classic S, a café machine, lists 208 to 240 volts and a 30-amp service in its Canadian specs, weighs 130 lb and is about 27 inches wide. The company's home Linea Mini draws 14 amps, weighs 66 lb and runs from a 2.5-liter reservoir. Nuova Simonelli's lineup shows the same gap between the Oscar Mood, which it sells for homes and small businesses, and the Appia Life café machine.

La Marzocco's home and café machines

The Linea Classic S comes in one to four groups. Even the single-group version lists a 20-amp service, a 2,500-watt element and 90 lb, with a 1.8-liter coffee boiler and a 3.5-liter steam boiler. The two-group model doubles the steam boiler to 7 liters, has a 3.4-liter coffee boiler and a 3,350-watt element, and La Marzocco's Canadian page gives its supply as 208 to 240 volts, single phase. Both run dual PIDs on separate coffee and steam boilers.

The Linea Mini is listed at 14 amps and 1,620 watts, with a 3-liter steam boiler and a water reservoir, plus a "hybrid mode" for owners who plumb it in. The home machine keeps separate boilers and runs at 14 amps where the café version asks for a 208 to 240-volt supply.

Nuova Simonelli's small and large machines

Nuova Simonelli lists the Oscar Mood among its home machines and calls it "perfect for small businesses." It is a single-group machine with PID control, 300 mm wide, 13 kg and 1,200 watts. The Appia Life, which the company's Italian page pitches at large businesses and coffee-shop chains, comes in one, two and three groups. The two-group compact version has a 7.5-liter boiler, a width of 554 mm, a weight of 42.5 to 52.5 kg and 2,900 watts. The three-group Appia Life is just over a meter wide and draws 5,400 watts.

Put side by side, the Oscar Mood is a little over half as wide as the compact Appia Life, less than a third of its weight, and runs on well under half its power.

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Sources

  1. La Marzocco — Linea Classic S (Canada)
  2. La Marzocco — Linea Classic S
  3. La Marzocco Home USA — Linea Mini
  4. Nuova Simonelli — Oscar Mood
  5. Nuova Simonelli — Appia Life

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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