Although we're not yet open, and we're a hybrid shop (retail/cafe) rather than straight-up cafe, we know coffee sales will account for a significant portion of our revenues. Being new to the business of specialty coffee we've put a lot of time and research into making sure we choose the right location, equipment and beans for the coffee drinkers in our community. Initially we decided on a lightly-used 2 group Nuova Simonelli Appia which we installed in our home kitchen so we can familiarize ourselves with it before we open our doors. After a month of trials we feel pretty confident about using this machine in a moderately busy cafe environment such as ours. And then...out of the blue, SHE showed up on our doorstep: an Elektra Belle Epoque.
The retro aesthetic of this machine is a perfect complement to the vintage general-store design of our shop, but it's cost and scarcity excluded it from our selection process. However this used model was in great shape and reasonably priced, so after the local espresso tech tore it down and gave it the thumbs up, it seemed like destiny so we caved and are now familiarizing ourselves with it in our test kitchen. Pulling shots on it feels more like performing with an instrument rather than working a machine - which of course is a large part of it's attraction. The trade-off is ergonomics: it's easy to see why espresso machines evolved into a horizontal form factor, but we're learning to deal with the eccentricities.
While there are many opinions around the Appia, we've found very little discussion regarding the Belle Epoque. Elektra appears to enjoy a loyal following in Europe, and beneath it's chrome and steampunk exterior, the Belle is very well-put together. But the significantly smaller boiler capacity (6 liters versus the Appia's 11 liters), has us concerned about recovery rate and temperature consistency. Yet we do see these machines in use in what appear to be fairly busy shops and presumably high volume venues such as Harrod's department store and Caffè Florian in Venice. We're never going to be high volume in our little community of 16,000 but we will be moderately busy with the morning/lunchtime rush.

There's no denying the Belle is a beautiful work of industrial art and we have no doubt even non-coffee-drinking customers will love watching us put it through it's paces. But what's key is whether we can produce consistently excellent coffee with it. Not yet knowing exactly what our busy time will look like, conventional wisdom would suggest we play it safe and go with the larger capacity Appia, yet the Elektra's appeal as a sales tool is undeniable. And which machine will better attract and the exceptional baristas we hope to employ?

We can't keep both - one has to go. What to do?

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I like the verticals for use in restaurants where two or more wait staff may require use of the machine at the same time.

For orderly work flow I prefer the modern horizontal design. 

But, the vertical machines really are beautiful. 

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