Hello Mr.James, I have purchased a victoria black eagle gravimetric machine with two group heads for my coffee shop. However, I found it hard to find a full guide video on youtube on all that concerns the machine, starting from calibration to maintenance, and so on. I've been watching many of your videos, and you were a huge role in me deciding to buy this machine rather than other brands. However, vendors here where I stay don't seem to care much about teaching you all about the machine and expect the buyer to learn all the details themselves and they leave us with a brief explanation. I would like to suggest a video if possible by you on all we need to know about the victoria black eagle. This will be a huge help to the coffee industry and the clients who are buying the machine, especially if taught by you whom I think is an example of an excellent coffee teacher for me and the main youtuber that I watch to learn about specialty coffee while running my business. Thanks for being a great teacher for the specialty coffee community.
I totally agree @Hassan Al-Hammadi. Where in Brazil the vendors just want to sell the machine, but without any kind of support or teaching the hole thing. And it goes with any brand, just "buy my product and Google it to learn something." Unfortunately. And yes we love to hear James talking about anything. I am in love with eagle one's project and waiting news from eagle one prima.
Interesting. In the old world one might say well why would James Hoffmann provide such specialized instruction for free. But in today's world those who don't need such instruction will watch it anyways at 3am so it pays for itself.
Same thoughts exactly. We bought a Victoria Arduino Venus Bar and you'd expect better explanation on maintenance, calibration etc. I've looked at other brands, and they have step by step videos from installation to maintenance of the machine.
To add to that, some companies have their own youtube channel with said videos. I think given how good your (james hoffman) videos are, some features videos, and instructional videos would be really cool and helpful
As an engineer I really enjoyed all of the details of this, especially the waste heat recovery (straight out of a thermodynamics problem set). Also a huge fan of the focus towards sustainability, thanks for this.
Just started working on a new Black Eagle in London. After seeing how a BE works now, it's really interesting seeing how the Eagle One builds on this. I love the sustainable idea and how it's looking at saving cash for businesses as part of the design. One thing I would have maybe liked to see normalised in new espresso machines are front loaded portafilters, like we see in the KB90. Maybe that's probably beyond the scope of the Eagle One though (also could price it up? I really don't know.) While we've seen the PUQpress and other new types of kit behind the bar look to limit the physical damage that day-to-day coffee work does, I'd love to see more of it. Also, since you asked, sustainability has invariably become less of a concern during the pandemic in the cafes I've seen. Most (almost 100%) coffee has been served in takeaway cups and customers often feel less scared by takeaway disposable packaging. This has only just started to change since being able to seat guests again. That combined with the amount of gloves getting used, single use masks, blue roll, takeaway cutlery etc etc. waste seems to be way up. I hope it's able to go back to where we were before. I don't mean this as any fault towards any business owners, literally the main focus and priority right now is to survive and it's so incredibly stressful. Anyway, the new look Prufrock is great. Great looking machine, can't wait to see it in action.
I like how this channel talks about things beyond coffee -- a little bit of physics, engineering and sustainable industry that we all coffee-lovers should concern about!
That all we coffee lovers should be concerned about* Not trying to be an asshole, so sorry if this comes off that way, im just trying to help the commenter out.
Some serious thought has gone into this machine. It also looks incredibly industrial and minimalist in design, and that gives it a form of elegance (that I can't believe I've said about a coffee machine). If only I had a coffee shop and needed something like this...
well, if you have the funds to spare... How about becoming the bestest of best friends for the coffee obsessed people in your life? This thing looks as big as a slightly elongated microwave. I'm seriously considering to get this for me and my five flatmates, if it's as affordable as I hope. Splitting the price by six of course. I'm not that generous
James, your audience is begging you; a video sharing all you know on Aeropress technique (perhaps even sharing some thoughts comparing the Aeropress to the V60) - we're crying out for it!!
Benjamin Arbez I don't like Tim Wendelboe's recipe and many others agree with me, I'd much rather have a concentrate more in line with the original Aeropress recipe
@@ramedina Just as many others would disagree with you and prefer the lower concentration brew similar to most modern filter coffee. It's all personal preference
Oble Absolutely, but I'm tired of that recipe being pushed by some as an ultimate recipe, my advice would be try everything including competition recipes (although they can get expensive)
I'm Mexican and I loved that you put Mexico City in the topic... Because of economy, a cheap espresso machine in the UK is expensive to us. Nevertheles we have a huge coffee culture! Love the way you try to innovate! Love your contet!
I'm not surprised, most of the expenses involved in coffee seem to be relatively fixed. When I was living in China, the cost of coffee was barely any less than what I had been paying in the US. Some aspects do get cheaper, labor and real estate, but the machines and the beans don't really change that much in price just because you're not in a rich part of the world.
Jaja justo pensé lo mismo, la gran mayoría de los dueños se van por maquinas restauradas de 5-10 años o hasta más, ni siquiera las barras de café de mi ciudad pueden alcanzar a comprarse las mejores :(
I really feel like Nescafe are sensing the uptick in online specialty coffee interest here in Aus and pushing the buck as hard as they can. I'm getting ads on all my socials for it, nice targeting but pretty hilarious considering viewers of this channel are among the least likely to give them any money (I'd hope). Support independent roasters! Especially in Australia where we've got such a wonderful selection available
It surprises me a bit that there's enough heat in the drip tray to offset the electricity used on the motor needed to circulate the water through there. But, then again, this is clearly intended for use in a coffee shop, so there's probably more hot water there than you'd expect. OTOH, this savings is double if you've got AC on and a net loss if you're having to heat the shop in the winter. Obviously, on a ship or something of that scale, there's tremendous savings to get like that.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade It looks like a passive device, with the waste water driven by gravity and the cool water passing through a coil under its incoming water pressure. Even if it does use power it's still a net gain even when your heating is on. The amount of heat put into the room by the machine will be about the same either way, the heat exchanger just replaces some electric heat with heat recovered from water that would have gone down the drain and been lost from both the machine and the room entirely.
Window AC units sometimes also have an extra coil/heatsink on the bottom of their condensation trays to help with managing the state of the refrigerant using the dripped water and thus increasing the efficiency.
What a beast! I have checked most videos in your channel, but really miss one topic: decaf beans. Would it be possible to make a video on this, what the production process looks like and especially if there is a decaf bean somewhere in the world which kind of tastes oke? Would be amazing!!
Love it! As a coffee enthusiast and exclusive decaf drinker - would be great to dive further into decaf processes (water vs. CO2) as well as roasts, bean degradation, flavor, etc.
100% this! Also for fellow Decaf lovers, I'd recommended Horsham Roaster's Peruvian decaf and Dear Green's Colombian decaf. Both are beautiful and fruity and I drink them as filter.
This is incredible! I really appreciate a machine that is efficient, stylish, and ecofriendly. Can’t wait to see this machine at coffee shops all over!
This is the machine I use every day at work and it’s honestly a joy to use, opening the cafe with this machine makes my life so easy and it makes some very nice espresso
One topic I would be interested to know is repairability. I feel this this should go hand in hand with sustainability. How easy is it to repair and maintain and what are the estimated costs in the long run? I feel like the more electronics we introduce, the faster it will become outdated and unsupported.
Not sure about electronics. But 8% gain heat exchangers sitting in a place as unkind as a drip tray..... Somewhat related (although surprisingly rarely appreciated in this Age of Fashionable Hysterics): Waste heat minimization, only make any sense at all, in rooms which are already too hot. Otherwise, "waste" heat, whether from old-school lightbulbs or "inefficient" espresso equipment, simply offsets heat you would otherwise have to get from a separate heating appliance. Even less related: My pie-in-the-sky coffee preparation industry waste reduction end goal, would be to wrap an Aeropress in just enough supporting structure, to enable it to handle a hydraulic ram (or manual lever) netting 8 bars of pressure. And, also to fine tune filters allowing it to be used successfully for pour over without clogging.... It's already very forgiving, as far as thermal insulation goes. Just seems like it could be standardized into a really cheap, well understood and available-everywhere "universal" extraction vessel. Emphasis pie-in-the-sky :)
@@paulnorman8274 well your point about "waste heat" offsetting some room heating consumption only makes sense with certain kinds of heating systems. if you're using heat pumps for heating then it's actually less efficient to offset it as it's more efficient than the "waste" energy. Also you'd have to consider that not all cities need heating. NY in summer, Los Angeles, etc... Will actually need more A/C as waste heat increases.
@@paulnorman8274your waste heat point is interesting but wrong. Because heat travels from high to low it is more energy efficient to heat a room from the bottom than it is from the ceiling. If those lightbulbs where attached to the ground then yes the waste heat is heat that you'd have to generate anyways, but because they're ceiling mounted its less efficient
I love the heat recovery from the waste water! That's actually similar to what some large buildings do with the ventilation system where a percentage of air is always brought in for fresh air and it goes through a heat recovery system with the warmer (or colder) inside air. Saves a lot of energy instead of dumping a whole bunch of conditioned air without reclaiming some of the energy.
Honestly, to hear you talk about the way a product like this is conceived, is super exciting. It also comes with instant disappointment, because as a home espresso enthusiast, I know I will never be able to use a machine like this! I've been thinking for a while now that you're probably the only one who could successfully lead a crowdfunded, co-created, ultimate home espresso machine project. You, the Simonelli group and coffee lovers from around the world working together. So many of the technologies you discuss here, like power usage but certainly also customization, would be awesome to have in a home machine. One can dream, right?
@@deathbyastonishment7930 he needs to go buy a freshly roasted and ground on demand coffee from a local roaster. Smell the local coffee, then smell the supermarket coffee. -> Suddenly you find yourself, at night on the couch, googling grinder reviews and trying to justify a 500 dollar purchase to yourself, and then, as you mash the order button before you've found said justification, you feel so very barista. Try it. Sorry for your wallet. ... as I sip my Nespresso with sugar.
You can get a hand grinder for $20usd on Amazon and even that will get you a better cup than pre-ground supermarket coffee. Just please get yourself any burr grinder.
A lot of learnings from this video - hits all three lenses of innovation (Viability, Desirability, Feasibility). I also love zooming in into 'sustainability' and how we normally just ignore the small things but accumulates into staggering amount of waste. Something that we don't see or notice but ultimately destroying the planet. Great content James!
I've owned the Black eagle for a good 3 years now and except from having a few issues the first year around with malfunctioning parts, it's been a fun companion. However, for being a machine for coffee nerds who like full tweakability I found it staggering that Victoria Arduino decided to cap several settings without good reason. My biggest concern is the pre-wetting. It is capped at 5 seconds with a pause of 5. I personally would have loved it to be able to pre-wet until the first drop of coffee hits the cup and proceed with full pressure from there. We often experiment with super fine grind (close to turkish) and off the charts ratios like 1:0,4. To get that working at its best you really need a good 10-15 seconds of prewetting at the least. How come they lock down the firmware?!?!!
I really appreciate the sustainability features that have been incorporated into this machine; not only are they innovative, but they're necessary. It's important for businesses to be market-driven, but a business can also be value-driven, especially if those values are protecting the environment, which is beneficial for everyone. Thank you, James, for bringing attention to sustainability. I hope you keep it up and keep sharing it with everyone here!
As an engineer I wanted to hear more technical aspects and specially how they change or improve coffee quality This had to be a very fulfilling project for anyone involved I think you should take this further and as far as the team and company are willing to go on future machines Sustainability thru efficiency can definitely be a great marketing point and selling point as well Thank you for sharing
Hi James, hello from Beijing here. I just started watching your channel after I bought the Breville Barista Pro and decide to make espresso making a hobby. Thank you for the great videos. And today I just realized you are the author of world atlas of coffee, which was published by Citic press in China, where my wife works. Great book! I will wait for the next video.
This was my fav video in a while. I don’t work in the industry, in fact I only own a v60. But it was great to hear the thinking and the innovation that went into this machine. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a few more pictures of the machine itself.
Being a hardware guy I loved this video! The analysis of coffee and its needs is spectacular and how you vocabularies it. I just keep learning more and more....
I’m loving these ideas to be more efficient and sustainable. As a barista and roaster with an International Development degree I’m always looking at ways to optimize efficiency without feeling completely robotic, and I’m constantly thinking about sustainability from bean to cup. I care so much about the environment and I really appreciate the efforts to reduce thermal energy loss as well as water waste. And the attention to keeping the price point as low as possible without sacrificing quality is just *chefs kiss.* Honestly thank you guy’s so much for your hard work and I hope more and more companies will have a mindset like yours in the future.
I think it's so important that people with sway in the industry like you are doing things like this. Even just making this video addressing the issues with sustainability in the industry is so important. You are setting an example with this machine, showing that these issues can be and should be addressed. Wonderful work you are doing
Hi James I love your passion for the greater good and coffee. In Australia we need someone who cares about innovation, the environment and sustainability, please come to Australia and be our Prime Minister.
I have said it before I love listening to you. Your tone and delivery is impeccable. Your story telling is perfect and your content ethical, responsible, intelegent and humble. Fyi I don't work in the industry I just like coffee.
Interesting thought I hear in architecture and green building tech: "the most sustainable building is the one that's already built." The basis being that it is more environmentally costly to tear down and old building and build a brand new high efficiency one than it is to modify and improve an existing one. I think this could be an interesting way to think about in advancing coffee tech. Innovating in a way that uses existing infrastructure as the basis for advancement. In other words "the most sustainable espresso machine is the one that's already built" Thoughts?
Yes and no. Sometimes, it's possible to innovate off existing solutions but, sometimes there are the happy accidents that fork away, or even start another evolutionary trend. One should always start where you are with what you have and solve the immediate problems at hand before indulging in Blue Sky Musings. New products shouldn't be produced just for generating a new fashion and more profit. They should solve real problems, instead of just turning consumers into magpies.
What they mean is that when you tear down a building and build a new one, there's a huge amount of resources involved. Repurposing materials from the old building and including more sustainable ones in the new one will reduce it, but it will likely take many years, if not decades, to overcome that initial use of resources. At this point, anything made in the last couple decades is probably not something that can be replaced with something more sustainable at all as things have gotten pretty efficient. At least when architects are focused on that.
Completely agree... BUT coffee shops don't stop buying coffee machines, so if they are to buy something new, it might as well be sustainable. Like cars. I'm completely happy with my old VW kombi, but most people insist on buying new or newish, despite the fact that the production of a new hybrid car is disastrous in terms of environmental resources.
Someone should tell Tesla....... Or all modern car builders for that matter.... In practice, keeping a leaky old lumber cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska comfortable in winter by application of massive amounts of wood fired heat for another century, will in no way be more efficient than replacing it with a similarly sized factory built and QA's reefer box with 4 pane windows and a proper HRV. Even in most places outside Alaska, reefer boxes with HRVs would massively improve energy efficiency of almost all existing dwellings.
Just going to say it. Your transparency is one of the best parts of your content. I trust your opinion on coffee and the related products more because you let us know every time you could be biased on a product. I love it
I got excited at first when I thought "well this will be something decent and I will be able to have expresso at home for a price I can live with". Ooops.
@@mikeyoung9810 ya, 20k USD is just not for the average home coffee Enthusiast. It's still an amazing machine and would be something I happily would like to buy one day, but for now I'll stick with my simple DeLonghi 702 and french press.
@@AJ-ox8xy Setting aside the price, the fact that there isn't a single grouphead unit alone is likely sufficient to prevent these from being popular at home. Most people at home just don't need more than one grouphead. Perhaps you might be having parties, but even then you're probably not going to need more than that. If you do, you're probably better off hiring somebody to bring a cart and make the coffee for you anyways.
How do you touch on so many relevant issues in one 12 and a half minute video?! The environment, coffee industry sustainability, the latest innovation, the need for such innovation and all the frustrations surrounding those pesky tiny cola cans. Bravo to you sir.
I've been enjoying and learning through your videos since I began my coffee journey. I feel an incredible joy watching that through every video your subscriber count is constantly growing. Thank you for making coffee special for many, many people (including myself)
This may be my favorite of all James Hoffmann videos. The latest technology in coffee brewing, proudly on display, and the man doesn’t own an iron to press his shirt. Brilliant!
James, your passion is absolutely infectious and I love it. Coffee is just coffee to most people, but to people like us, it's a passion. An ideal. And I must thank you for being so inspiring.
I’m interested in how “workable” the Eagle One is for shop owners. As parts inevitably meet their service life limits, how accessible is the replacement of those parts for a reasonably technical shop owner? I would shudder to sit down and tally all the hours and dollars we have spent working on our shop espresso machines over the last 20 years. This certainly should be counted into the fiscal sustainability of a coffee shop.
James "I'm Making The World A Better Place One Shot At A Time" Hoffmann. Thank you for putting so much effort into this project. The magnitude of improvement shows how much opportunity is out there! It is an excellent opportunity to foster larger conversations.
As a person working in the energy efficiency industry, this is exciting to see. The technology is proven and accepted as viable in numerous commercial and industrial applications, to an extent where some utilities provide energy efficiency incentives or rebates to help offset the added capital cost. Hoping to see more of these types of innovations resolve our global fiscal and sustainability challenges!
Hey, we’re an early Black Eagle adopter and the first Café in the US to get the Eagle One! Been following you for a long time- maybe we can do a coffee swap?? 👋🏻☕️
Andrew Webb ugh.. traveled through in February for work just before the world shut down. Fingers crossed I’ll be back, loved Gold/yellow glassware and the drink in it!
I love the passion and desire to innovate that comes out in this. It's awesome that you've demonstrated that reducing waste doesn't have to make things more expensive, it can go hand in hand with reducing financial waste and becomes a win/win and a no brainer.
You've broached something vital, b/c some corporations started using the term "sustainable" duplicitously, when what they meant was lasting in the marketplace and even marketplace *domination.* So, it's essential that consumers understand both - the necessity for financial sustainability, while prioritizing environmental sustainability. We can drive environmental sustainability by prioritizing growers who make an effort to care for the land. Since I live solo and only drink coffee once a week, I realized that I didn't need to replace my broken multi-cup coffee maker with the same. Instead, I bravely went for the alien product the Bialetti Moka Espresso Maker, which I don't use for espresso, just regular coffee.
Talking about processes and approaches like this is super interesting and valuable. It is unusual for brands and businesses to talk about products like this because they are focused on marketing them, they have a vested interest in doing so and aim to create mystique etc so you'll buy it. When I hear about these processes it helps me to believe that I can do that too, rather than looking at a product and being baffled by it. Thanks James!
I have had a Flair Classic for a couple of years and love it! I got a package with two brew chambers and make an Americano with coconut milk for my partner and myself every morning. We have taken it tent camping, to AirBnBs, in our travel trailer, etc. I roast my own coffee beans, which makes it extra fresh and delicious. I just upgraded to an Eureka Mignon espresso grinder which definitely improved the espresso. And now, I've watched this video and I guess I'll have to get the bottomless portafilter (when they're back in stock) because you say it will bring my espresso experience to an even higher level. I've yet resisted the pressure gauge to date. Thanks James - love your videos!
I like mechanical, the electronics have their applications, and can be awesome in the right places. But for a steam valve I love a good analogue thing. Heck, I'd like an E61 brew group with solenoid (so it can be backflushed easily) but with the analogue abilities to vary pressure with your hand via whatever trickery is needed. But skip putting it all on a touchscreen, there's a satisfaction with a button that goes click, and a lever.
I don't mind the solenoids for the steam wands, personally, but the fancy little screen is when it starts to bug me for sure. I can see the value, but it starts to make it feel more like a toy than a professional espresso machine to my brain, for some reason
I guess it almost feels like the same kind of menu characteristic of cheaper home espresso machines, actually, whereas most of the nicer ones tend to be a bit more analog feeling and polished in a really functional sort of way.
This is a highly intellectual discourse, not only introducing the innovation! Just wow. Talk about design brief of an innovation, speciality coffee market expansion, and sustainability.
Videos about your life's work (like this one) is very much welcome! Great to know the decisions behind features of coffee products/machines like this. 👍
I work in 2 cafes (same owners) and both have eagle ones in (2 group and a 3 group) and I have to say I love working on them. It’s low profile and compact design makes it very easy to pull great coffee and engage with customers simultaneously. It’s durable, dependable and most of all fun. I’ve worked on other machines where the character is lost after becoming familiar with it and it can just get a little dull. But the eagle one has always been a highly enjoyable, unique and stylish machine and continue to enjoy them.
My hope with these sorts of projects is that they can open the floodgates both in terms of technology as well as people's priorities in terms of pushing sustainability forward.
Sustainability is an interesting topic in this context. The machine uses a bit less water when operating it (which is great), but it is also a luxury good that improves only marginally over existing functional machines. All of the raw materials we harvest from the earth, all the energy we burn in processing recyclables, contribute to ultimate waste and (while this may sound dramatic) entropy. Almost everyone using slightly less water with this machine will either let their old machine (and all of the materials and energy used to produce it) go to waste, or sell it to someone else (who is now using a nasty less-sustainable option than the new shiny Eagle One). The more novel sustainable solutions we produce, the more we ultimately mine and melt and burn for diminishing returns.
I really liked how they have focused on markets outside of prime US and European cities. I often see almost every single company from clothing and tech to coffee would make stuff with just those markets in mind which is very ignorant... nailed it with this one!
Well done James. You can tell you’re proud of what you’ve helped achieve here and rightly so. Really enjoyed this video and seeing the geeking out process. Beautiful machine as well!
James, as many of us are home brewers, can you tell us what technology from your Eagle One made it onto the Prima One? Is this a machine you'd recommend to the advanced home users?
Hey James! Thank you for the video. I am a home brewer and I think currently coffee is inaccessible to the people who wanna brew at home as it is not approachable (price-wise). From decent grinders to espresso machines, it is a very expensive hobby for a person to have as I see myself shelling a lot of money on that. I think coffee products and brewing equipments need innovation in a way that it brews great coffee with it not being as expensive for home brewers and cafés alike
My local coffee shop/bar/roastery, Cirque in Tulsa, OK, tired to just do pickup and delivery to keep from shutting down, but they couldn't make ends meet. So they came up with a great idea. They ramped up the roastery side of their business and launched a new coffee called "Death to Good Coffee." They developed the cheapest roast they could make consistently that still lived up to their quality standards and only sell it wholesale . Now almost every grocery store in Tulsa sells it and it is about $5 cheaper per bag than any other local/specialty coffee, but beats many of them on quality. It became my go to bean after getting laid off and deciding to go into teaching and take a lower salary to get though this massive economic downturn. I would love it if you did a video on Cirque's "Death to Good Coffee." If you click "about" on their website it tells about this particular product. Let me know if you would like me to ship you a bag, as I don't believe it is sold online.
On the subject of sustainability, I think something that often gets overlooked is repair-ability. Let's say I buy a machine to do a particular job for me. I have initial options where, usually, I can pay more to get something that works better, is more efficient, maybe even is more durable and takes longer to break. However, everything breaks. It's a rule of existence. When the machine does break, will the company provide me the resources to repair it? Trouble shooting guides, instructions, replacement parts, etc. Besides you know, the things that need to be changed frequently like gaskets - I'm talking about the real things. A lot of companies now are against that. The sustainability of their business model is to sell the product, and it's not always in their best interest to sell a product that only needs to be purchased once. They may lure you in with warranties, a promise to repair it for you after a few years - which often involves ship a massive piece of equipment, sometimes halfway around the world - or have an incentive to encourage you to buy a new one, or a newer version. If an object weighs 50 kilos or so, how much the cost of sending it on a round trip several thousand miles diminish the energy savings that the engineers struggled to eke out? If we're talking about certain evil corporations, they make a concerted effort to make parts hard or impossible to find, as well as schemes for planned obsolescence. I doubt you're involved in the latter, but I see a lot of electronics on that machine. A lot of electronics on a thing that's going to be surrounded by hot humidity all the time. If I were in the market to buy an espresso machine (I am, actually, though only a home use one and not a business one), a problem I would foresee that would make me hesitant is "What kind of support will I have for this? Will they be willing to help me fix it? Would I even be qualified to or capable of fixing it even with help?" A lot of times now-a-days, when seeing two options, one a mechanical version that is slightly less and an electronic version that is slightly better, I will go for the mechanical simply because I can understand it better. Efficiency isn't always efficient, especially there are normal wear and tear uses that diminish that efficiency and it takes more work than is saved in order to maintain the optimal performance.
Yeah, and right to repair laws aren't in just yet. Companies like Apple and John Deere are trying to force people to buy new or replacements rather than crack them open or go 3rd party repair shop.
It's beautiful to hear you talk about a project close to your heart. I got an impression that you're proud and happy with everything that was achieved and if you're happy with a coffee related machine... I've got nothing to add because I never used an espresso machine before so I can't relate to it, but I did watch a lot of videos and I can say that this one was, subjectively, too short. This is a fun topic, the machine and the intentions which lead to it. A deep dive sometime later maybe?
Very exciting journey you took! If you get regular consumers interested into a pro barista machine, you did great. So good job, James! Wishing you all the success in the world.
Just purchased an Eagle One today. Started with an Olympia Cremina, then an ECM Synchronica. Look forward to the peri fusion and volumetric shot control.
"I'm not interested in arguing this" "1/3 less energy consumption" "8% efficiency gains" Are you SURE you're not an engineer? Because this should be tagged Engineer porn.
I love the 8% gain in efficiency from the water inlet heat exchanger, it goes back to my time working with steam turbines in power stations. Every pressure stage of the turbine had bled steam heat exchangers to get as much thermal return of the spent steam cycle.
Hello Mr.James,
I have purchased a victoria black eagle gravimetric machine with two group heads for my coffee shop. However, I found it hard to find a full guide video on youtube on all that concerns the machine, starting from calibration to maintenance, and so on. I've been watching many of your videos, and you were a huge role in me deciding to buy this machine rather than other brands. However, vendors here where I stay don't seem to care much about teaching you all about the machine and expect the buyer to learn all the details themselves and they leave us with a brief explanation. I would like to suggest a video if possible by you on all we need to know about the victoria black eagle. This will be a huge help to the coffee industry and the clients who are buying the machine, especially if taught by you whom I think is an example of an excellent coffee teacher for me and the main youtuber that I watch to learn about specialty coffee while running my business.
Thanks for being a great teacher for the specialty coffee community.
I totally agree @Hassan Al-Hammadi. Where in Brazil the vendors just want to sell the machine, but without any kind of support or teaching the hole thing. And it goes with any brand, just "buy my product and Google it to learn something." Unfortunately. And yes we love to hear James talking about anything. I am in love with eagle one's project and waiting news from eagle one prima.
Interesting. In the old world one might say well why would James Hoffmann provide such specialized instruction for free. But in today's world those who don't need such instruction will watch it anyways at 3am so it pays for itself.
Same thoughts exactly. We bought a Victoria Arduino Venus Bar and you'd expect better explanation on maintenance, calibration etc. I've looked at other brands, and they have step by step videos from installation to maintenance of the machine.
To add to that, some companies have their own youtube channel with said videos. I think given how good your (james hoffman) videos are, some features videos, and instructional videos would be really cool and helpful
I think this kind of info is the best Mr Hoffmann can get! Fast actions required!
Do I need to know this much about such high end machines? No. Will I watch the whole video yes? :D
around 10k US$ / 7750 GBP
@@ai5506 /oo\
That’s his super power definitely.
it's not that high for a commercial machine with all these features and 3 group heads
It's really not bad compared to any la marzocco or slayer machines even the one group slayer is £9,000!!
As an engineer I really enjoyed all of the details of this, especially the waste heat recovery (straight out of a thermodynamics problem set). Also a huge fan of the focus towards sustainability, thanks for this.
I really want him to go into the details of the design thought processes and what his complaints along the way.
Not opening a coffee shop would be great for sustainability.
Rankine reheat cycle 💀
Just started working on a new Black Eagle in London. After seeing how a BE works now, it's really interesting seeing how the Eagle One builds on this. I love the sustainable idea and how it's looking at saving cash for businesses as part of the design. One thing I would have maybe liked to see normalised in new espresso machines are front loaded portafilters, like we see in the KB90. Maybe that's probably beyond the scope of the Eagle One though (also could price it up? I really don't know.) While we've seen the PUQpress and other new types of kit behind the bar look to limit the physical damage that day-to-day coffee work does, I'd love to see more of it.
Also, since you asked, sustainability has invariably become less of a concern during the pandemic in the cafes I've seen. Most (almost 100%) coffee has been served in takeaway cups and customers often feel less scared by takeaway disposable packaging. This has only just started to change since being able to seat guests again. That combined with the amount of gloves getting used, single use masks, blue roll, takeaway cutlery etc etc. waste seems to be way up. I hope it's able to go back to where we were before. I don't mean this as any fault towards any business owners, literally the main focus and priority right now is to survive and it's so incredibly stressful.
Anyway, the new look Prufrock is great. Great looking machine, can't wait to see it in action.
Now do a single group head, domestic machine and call it “The Chicken One”!!
Not "The Turkey One"? 🤣
Call it “The eagle Three” and watch everyone get confused about which model has the most groupheads
Chicken Zero
Headless chicken
Being a sidekick it would be "Robin"
I like how this channel talks about things beyond coffee -- a little bit of physics, engineering and sustainable industry that we all coffee-lovers should concern about!
I agree, I was able to get my engineer husband sucked into watching with me because of that!
He knows his audience really well, and the fact that he apologizes tht he has to tell u facts or theories, i absorb so much more knowledge
That all we coffee lovers should be concerned about*
Not trying to be an asshole, so sorry if this comes off that way, im just trying to help the commenter out.
Some serious thought has gone into this machine. It also looks incredibly industrial and minimalist in design, and that gives it a form of elegance (that I can't believe I've said about a coffee machine). If only I had a coffee shop and needed something like this...
well, if you have the funds to spare... How about becoming the bestest of best friends for the coffee obsessed people in your life? This thing looks as big as a slightly elongated microwave.
I'm seriously considering to get this for me and my five flatmates, if it's as affordable as I hope. Splitting the price by six of course. I'm not that generous
@@MrFreshBanana is quite, super expensive
@@guille_snapshooter not compared to other commercial machines, but for an individual (or even a flat of people) it is probably too expensive.
James, your audience is begging you; a video sharing all you know on Aeropress technique (perhaps even sharing some thoughts comparing the Aeropress to the V60) - we're crying out for it!!
Just watch/do Tim Wendelboe recipe and stay away from competition recipe, you'll be fine :)
Benjamin Arbez I don't like Tim Wendelboe's recipe and many others agree with me, I'd much rather have a concentrate more in line with the original Aeropress recipe
@@ramedina Just as many others would disagree with you and prefer the lower concentration brew similar to most modern filter coffee. It's all personal preference
Oble Absolutely, but I'm tired of that recipe being pushed by some as an ultimate recipe, my advice would be try everything including competition recipes (although they can get expensive)
@@ramedina Oh yeah, that I definitely agree. I like to try various recipes for each brewing method too 👍
I'm Mexican and I loved that you put Mexico City in the topic... Because of economy, a cheap espresso machine in the UK is expensive to us. Nevertheles we have a huge coffee culture!
Love the way you try to innovate! Love your contet!
I'm not surprised, most of the expenses involved in coffee seem to be relatively fixed. When I was living in China, the cost of coffee was barely any less than what I had been paying in the US. Some aspects do get cheaper, labor and real estate, but the machines and the beans don't really change that much in price just because you're not in a rich part of the world.
Preparr ca 8TUSD for the machine
Jaja justo pensé lo mismo, la gran mayoría de los dueños se van por maquinas restauradas de 5-10 años o hasta más, ni siquiera las barras de café de mi ciudad pueden alcanzar a comprarse las mejores :(
James, in Australia, there's Nescafe Blend 43 instant coffee ads before your videos. Peak irony.
What you mean, instant coffees are great. I can't be bothered to grind and brew 5 cups a day XD :P
Happened to me in the UK too, ironically before his supermarket instant coffee roundup, which Nescafe did so terribly in :D
I really feel like Nescafe are sensing the uptick in online specialty coffee interest here in Aus and pushing the buck as hard as they can. I'm getting ads on all my socials for it, nice targeting but pretty hilarious considering viewers of this channel are among the least likely to give them any money (I'd hope).
Support independent roasters! Especially in Australia where we've got such a wonderful selection available
Yeah, but Blend 43 is kind of a big deal in Australia... XD
@@Lliamhd Even if that _were_ true, Nescafe Blend 43 is the worst of the instants aside from Woolies macro blend.
Capturing energy out of the waste water? As someone who worked with steam power plants for six years(U.S. Navy), this is what I like to hear.
It surprises me a bit that there's enough heat in the drip tray to offset the electricity used on the motor needed to circulate the water through there. But, then again, this is clearly intended for use in a coffee shop, so there's probably more hot water there than you'd expect. OTOH, this savings is double if you've got AC on and a net loss if you're having to heat the shop in the winter.
Obviously, on a ship or something of that scale, there's tremendous savings to get like that.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Luckily here, they don't have to deal with superheated steam!! That was always a little scary.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade It looks like a passive device, with the waste water driven by gravity and the cool water passing through a coil under its incoming water pressure.
Even if it does use power it's still a net gain even when your heating is on. The amount of heat put into the room by the machine will be about the same either way, the heat exchanger just replaces some electric heat with heat recovered from water that would have gone down the drain and been lost from both the machine and the room entirely.
Window AC units sometimes also have an extra coil/heatsink on the bottom of their condensation trays to help with managing the state of the refrigerant using the dripped water and thus increasing the efficiency.
@@davidthedj I like it.
What a beast! I have checked most videos in your channel, but really miss one topic: decaf beans.
Would it be possible to make a video on this, what the production process looks like and especially if there is a decaf bean somewhere in the world which kind of tastes oke? Would be amazing!!
He hinted at one point that that was a subject he wanted to talk about decaf. Hopefully that's on it's way!
Love it! As a coffee enthusiast and exclusive decaf drinker - would be great to dive further into decaf processes (water vs. CO2) as well as roasts, bean degradation, flavor, etc.
I really enjoyed Hasbean's decaff, definitely worth a try
Joel Ravier hey mate, the decaf beans I tend to see are darker roasts, are there lighter roasts as well?
100% this! Also for fellow Decaf lovers, I'd recommended Horsham Roaster's Peruvian decaf and Dear Green's Colombian decaf. Both are beautiful and fruity and I drink them as filter.
James has the perfect voice for reading Audiobooks. Are you listening Audible?
Does he have time thou?
Doesn't matter what he reads. I would listen to it.
I want James to teach me to speak Spanish in 30 days. Haha
I don't even drink coffee, I just enjoy listening and learning about the craft.
You missed the perfect chance to say - Am I audible?
This is incredible! I really appreciate a machine that is efficient, stylish, and ecofriendly. Can’t wait to see this machine at coffee shops all over!
I love seeing and hearing the excitement James has over design, function, sustainability, and more. This brightened my day.
This is the machine I use every day at work and it’s honestly a joy to use, opening the cafe with this machine makes my life so easy and it makes some very nice espresso
One topic I would be interested to know is repairability. I feel this this should go hand in hand with sustainability. How easy is it to repair and maintain and what are the estimated costs in the long run?
I feel like the more electronics we introduce, the faster it will become outdated and unsupported.
Not sure about electronics. But 8% gain heat exchangers sitting in a place as unkind as a drip tray.....
Somewhat related (although surprisingly rarely appreciated in this Age of Fashionable Hysterics): Waste heat minimization, only make any sense at all, in rooms which are already too hot. Otherwise, "waste" heat, whether from old-school lightbulbs or "inefficient" espresso equipment, simply offsets heat you would otherwise have to get from a separate heating appliance.
Even less related: My pie-in-the-sky coffee preparation industry waste reduction end goal, would be to wrap an Aeropress in just enough supporting structure, to enable it to handle a hydraulic ram (or manual lever) netting 8 bars of pressure. And, also to fine tune filters allowing it to be used successfully for pour over without clogging.... It's already very forgiving, as far as thermal insulation goes. Just seems like it could be standardized into a really cheap, well understood and available-everywhere "universal" extraction vessel. Emphasis pie-in-the-sky :)
@@paulnorman8274 well your point about "waste heat" offsetting some room heating consumption only makes sense with certain kinds of heating systems. if you're using heat pumps for heating then it's actually less efficient to offset it as it's more efficient than the "waste" energy. Also you'd have to consider that not all cities need heating. NY in summer, Los Angeles, etc... Will actually need more A/C as waste heat increases.
@@paulnorman8274your waste heat point is interesting but wrong. Because heat travels from high to low it is more energy efficient to heat a room from the bottom than it is from the ceiling. If those lightbulbs where attached to the ground then yes the waste heat is heat that you'd have to generate anyways, but because they're ceiling mounted its less efficient
Robotic water volume control? Heat exchangers?
Eagle One: the Fremen stillsuit of espresso machines. There's your SEO done.
Eagle One mk2 will probably require a nose plug
I get it, algorithm, the new Dune trailer is out. MAY THY BLADE CHIP AND SHATTER! ;)))
"I should've suspected trouble when the coffee failed to arrive." - Liet-Kynes
Would be great if people were in any way likely to search that.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of this crossover: imgur.com/a/HMSV7Jo
(I was the first though ;p )
I love the heat recovery from the waste water! That's actually similar to what some large buildings do with the ventilation system where a percentage of air is always brought in for fresh air and it goes through a heat recovery system with the warmer (or colder) inside air. Saves a lot of energy instead of dumping a whole bunch of conditioned air without reclaiming some of the energy.
Honestly, to hear you talk about the way a product like this is conceived, is super exciting. It also comes with instant disappointment, because as a home espresso enthusiast, I know I will never be able to use a machine like this! I've been thinking for a while now that you're probably the only one who could successfully lead a crowdfunded, co-created, ultimate home espresso machine project. You, the Simonelli group and coffee lovers from around the world working together. So many of the technologies you discuss here, like power usage but certainly also customization, would be awesome to have in a home machine. One can dream, right?
What a beautiful machine I say as I sip from my pre-ground supermarket French press brew.
There’s nothing wrong with a French press, but god damn you need to grind your own coffee ☕️
@@deathbyastonishment7930 he needs to go buy a freshly roasted and ground on demand coffee from a local roaster.
Smell the local coffee, then smell the supermarket coffee. ->
Suddenly you find yourself, at night on the couch, googling grinder reviews and trying to justify a 500 dollar purchase to yourself, and then, as you mash the order button before you've found said justification, you feel so very barista.
Try it. Sorry for your wallet.
... as I sip my Nespresso with sugar.
And here I am watching another guy extol the virtues of coffee instant type 2
You can get a hand grinder for $20usd on Amazon and even that will get you a better cup than pre-ground supermarket coffee. Just please get yourself any burr grinder.
I'm watching this at the gym and I burst out laughing, thank you ❤️
A lot of learnings from this video - hits all three lenses of innovation (Viability, Desirability, Feasibility). I also love zooming in into 'sustainability' and how we normally just ignore the small things but accumulates into staggering amount of waste. Something that we don't see or notice but ultimately destroying the planet. Great content James!
I've owned the Black eagle for a good 3 years now and except from having a few issues the first year around with malfunctioning parts, it's been a fun companion. However, for being a machine for coffee nerds who like full tweakability I found it staggering that Victoria Arduino decided to cap several settings without good reason. My biggest concern is the pre-wetting. It is capped at 5 seconds with a pause of 5. I personally would have loved it to be able to pre-wet until the first drop of coffee hits the cup and proceed with full pressure from there. We often experiment with super fine grind (close to turkish) and off the charts ratios like 1:0,4. To get that working at its best you really need a good 10-15 seconds of prewetting at the least. How come they lock down the firmware?!?!!
It's a shame he never answered this question it's an educated real interesting question
I really appreciate the sustainability features that have been incorporated into this machine; not only are they innovative, but they're necessary. It's important for businesses to be market-driven, but a business can also be value-driven, especially if those values are protecting the environment, which is beneficial for everyone. Thank you, James, for bringing attention to sustainability. I hope you keep it up and keep sharing it with everyone here!
As an engineer I wanted to hear more technical aspects and specially how they change or improve coffee quality
This had to be a very fulfilling project for anyone involved
I think you should take this further and as far as the team and company are willing to go on future machines
Sustainability thru efficiency can definitely be a great marketing point and selling point as well
Thank you for sharing
Hi James, hello from Beijing here. I just started watching your channel after I bought the Breville Barista Pro and decide to make espresso making a hobby. Thank you for the great videos. And today I just realized you are the author of world atlas of coffee, which was published by Citic press in China, where my wife works. Great book! I will wait for the next video.
This was my fav video in a while. I don’t work in the industry, in fact I only own a v60. But it was great to hear the thinking and the innovation that went into this machine. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a few more pictures of the machine itself.
You literally mastered hand gesturing - they moved the entire time. Well done 👍
I hope this is successful. I would love to one day see an amateur / consumer version with this emphasis on efficiency and group head temp.
I never thought I would find a person talking, with hardly any visual drama, so fascinating.
Being a hardware guy I loved this video! The analysis of coffee and its needs is spectacular and how you vocabularies it. I just keep learning more and more....
I’m loving these ideas to be more efficient and sustainable. As a barista and roaster with an International Development degree I’m always looking at ways to optimize efficiency without feeling completely robotic, and I’m constantly thinking about sustainability from bean to cup. I care so much about the environment and I really appreciate the efforts to reduce thermal energy loss as well as water waste. And the attention to keeping the price point as low as possible without sacrificing quality is just *chefs kiss.* Honestly thank you guy’s so much for your hard work and I hope more and more companies will have a mindset like yours in the future.
I legitimately giddily laughed out loud when he explained the efficiency gained from heat exchanging the drip tray. This is the perfect nerd machine!
I think it's so important that people with sway in the industry like you are doing things like this. Even just making this video addressing the issues with sustainability in the industry is so important. You are setting an example with this machine, showing that these issues can be and should be addressed.
Wonderful work you are doing
As a coffee nerd and a thermofluid design engineer by trade this video was such a pleasure to see!
He really got me with the heat exchanger in the drip tray! The engineer in me loved that!
Thank you for your Videos, Mr. Hoffmann!
Hi James
I love your passion for the greater good and coffee. In Australia we need someone who cares about innovation, the environment and sustainability, please come to Australia and be our Prime Minister.
Sorry mate, we need him here, with fewer distractions than he would have running a country...
I have said it before I love listening to you. Your tone and delivery is impeccable. Your story telling is perfect and your content ethical, responsible, intelegent and humble. Fyi I don't work in the industry I just like coffee.
Interesting thought I hear in architecture and green building tech: "the most sustainable building is the one that's already built." The basis being that it is more environmentally costly to tear down and old building and build a brand new high efficiency one than it is to modify and improve an existing one. I think this could be an interesting way to think about in advancing coffee tech. Innovating in a way that uses existing infrastructure as the basis for advancement. In other words "the most sustainable espresso machine is the one that's already built" Thoughts?
Yes and no. Sometimes, it's possible to innovate off existing solutions but, sometimes there are the happy accidents that fork away, or even start another evolutionary trend. One should always start where you are with what you have and solve the immediate problems at hand before indulging in Blue Sky Musings. New products shouldn't be produced just for generating a new fashion and more profit. They should solve real problems, instead of just turning consumers into magpies.
What they mean is that when you tear down a building and build a new one, there's a huge amount of resources involved. Repurposing materials from the old building and including more sustainable ones in the new one will reduce it, but it will likely take many years, if not decades, to overcome that initial use of resources.
At this point, anything made in the last couple decades is probably not something that can be replaced with something more sustainable at all as things have gotten pretty efficient. At least when architects are focused on that.
Completely agree... BUT coffee shops don't stop buying coffee machines, so if they are to buy something new, it might as well be sustainable. Like cars. I'm completely happy with my old VW kombi, but most people insist on buying new or newish, despite the fact that the production of a new hybrid car is disastrous in terms of environmental resources.
Someone should tell Tesla....... Or all modern car builders for that matter....
In practice, keeping a leaky old lumber cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska comfortable in winter by application of massive amounts of wood fired heat for another century, will in no way be more efficient than replacing it with a similarly sized factory built and QA's reefer box with 4 pane windows and a proper HRV.
Even in most places outside Alaska, reefer boxes with HRVs would massively improve energy efficiency of almost all existing dwellings.
Just going to say it. Your transparency is one of the best parts of your content. I trust your opinion on coffee and the related products more because you let us know every time you could be biased on a product. I love it
Hey look another coffee thing I can trade my house for
Maybe not your house, but your truck or car? Yes.
I got excited at first when I thought "well this will be something decent and I will be able to have expresso at home for a price I can live with". Ooops.
@@mikeyoung9810 ya, 20k USD is just not for the average home coffee Enthusiast. It's still an amazing machine and would be something I happily would like to buy one day, but for now I'll stick with my simple DeLonghi 702 and french press.
Mike Young diD yOU sERioUsLy JuSt sPeLL iT “eXpReSSo” REEEEEEEEE *screams in elitist hipster*
@@AJ-ox8xy Setting aside the price, the fact that there isn't a single grouphead unit alone is likely sufficient to prevent these from being popular at home. Most people at home just don't need more than one grouphead. Perhaps you might be having parties, but even then you're probably not going to need more than that. If you do, you're probably better off hiring somebody to bring a cart and make the coffee for you anyways.
How do you touch on so many relevant issues in one 12 and a half minute video?! The environment, coffee industry sustainability, the latest innovation, the need for such innovation and all the frustrations surrounding those pesky tiny cola cans. Bravo to you sir.
Home version would be cool. Especially a lot of people not leaving their homes
there is a single group head version
Specialty coffee lover and UX designer here... you spoke some very UXy words, congrats. I didn’t know these skills of yours 🎩👋 chapeau
Ohhhhh I just want to curl up in that fiberglass sock with a good book and a cup of coffee
I've been enjoying and learning through your videos since I began my coffee journey. I feel an incredible joy watching that through every video your subscriber count is constantly growing. Thank you for making coffee special for many, many people (including myself)
Is a consumer level, single group head on the roadmap?
That would be telling...
@@jameshoffmann just take my money already 😍
😍😍😍 If only my bank account could "sustain" a machine like that.
@@jameshoffmann, please give it a US option with a sub-$200 price...
@@jameshoffmann Who would you be telling?
This may be my favorite of all James Hoffmann videos. The latest technology in coffee brewing, proudly on display, and the man doesn’t own an iron to press his shirt. Brilliant!
30 seconds in and I want one... Man its beautiful.
James, your passion is absolutely infectious and I love it. Coffee is just coffee to most people, but to people like us, it's a passion. An ideal. And I must thank you for being so inspiring.
I’m interested in how “workable” the Eagle One is for shop owners. As parts inevitably meet their service life limits, how accessible is the replacement of those parts for a reasonably technical shop owner? I would shudder to sit down and tally all the hours and dollars we have spent working on our shop espresso machines over the last 20 years. This certainly should be counted into the fiscal sustainability of a coffee shop.
Wishing you and Victoria the very best.
James "I'm Making The World A Better Place One Shot At A Time" Hoffmann. Thank you for putting so much effort into this project. The magnitude of improvement shows how much opportunity is out there! It is an excellent opportunity to foster larger conversations.
Thank you Mr. Hoffmann!
As a person working in the energy efficiency industry, this is exciting to see. The technology is proven and accepted as viable in numerous commercial and industrial applications, to an extent where some utilities provide energy efficiency incentives or rebates to help offset the added capital cost. Hoping to see more of these types of innovations resolve our global fiscal and sustainability challenges!
Congrats on an intelligently-built and beautiful solution. I hope it continues to bring you and many others joy.
Hey, we’re an early Black Eagle adopter and the first Café in the US to get the Eagle One! Been following you for a long time- maybe we can do a coffee swap?? 👋🏻☕️
Where at?
Bindle Coffee ~ Fort Collins, CO - we got ours back in April!
Andrew Webb ugh.. traveled through in February for work just before the world shut down. Fingers crossed I’ll be back, loved Gold/yellow glassware and the drink in it!
ewiken5529 oh nice! Yeah, we opened up our Roastery space and got a 2 group E1!
I love the passion and desire to innovate that comes out in this. It's awesome that you've demonstrated that reducing waste doesn't have to make things more expensive, it can go hand in hand with reducing financial waste and becomes a win/win and a no brainer.
I want James to narrate my life from now on
I want either him or Morgan Freeman.
just as long as it's not a stranger than fiction situation (the narrator was narrating to his death) I'd be down. James does have a good voice.
Wouldn't quite be the full James effect without his hand gestures and bouncing eyebrows.
I love this, such important issues, forward thinking and great design. Good work!!
You've broached something vital, b/c some corporations started using the term "sustainable" duplicitously, when what they meant was lasting in the marketplace and even marketplace *domination.* So, it's essential that consumers understand both - the necessity for financial sustainability, while prioritizing environmental sustainability. We can drive environmental sustainability by prioritizing growers who make an effort to care for the land.
Since I live solo and only drink coffee once a week, I realized that I didn't need to replace my broken multi-cup coffee maker with the same. Instead, I bravely went for the alien product the Bialetti Moka Espresso Maker, which I don't use for espresso, just regular coffee.
Talking about processes and approaches like this is super interesting and valuable. It is unusual for brands and businesses to talk about products like this because they are focused on marketing them, they have a vested interest in doing so and aim to create mystique etc so you'll buy it. When I hear about these processes it helps me to believe that I can do that too, rather than looking at a product and being baffled by it. Thanks James!
I love how you keep saying Melbourne and not Sydney 😋
Accurate coffee geography based on history.
Pellegrini's, molto bene. Claimed to be the first in Melbourne to use an espresso machine 1954.
Well, duh
Brisbane anyone? LOL!
My Mom had a VA Adonis at her Café. I worked there during my summer holidays every year. God I loved that Machine...
Watching this knowing i would never afford it nor need it anyways . Still love the video. Wish I could pull a shot with this beauty 😍
I have had a Flair Classic for a couple of years and love it! I got a package with two brew chambers and make an Americano with coconut milk for my partner and myself every morning. We have taken it tent camping, to AirBnBs, in our travel trailer, etc. I roast my own coffee beans, which makes it extra fresh and delicious. I just upgraded to an Eureka Mignon espresso grinder which definitely improved the espresso. And now, I've watched this video and I guess I'll have to get the bottomless portafilter (when they're back in stock) because you say it will bring my espresso experience to an even higher level. I've yet resisted the pressure gauge to date. Thanks James - love your videos!
I like mechanical, the electronics have their applications, and can be awesome in the right places. But for a steam valve I love a good analogue thing. Heck, I'd like an E61 brew group with solenoid (so it can be backflushed easily) but with the analogue abilities to vary pressure with your hand via whatever trickery is needed. But skip putting it all on a touchscreen, there's a satisfaction with a button that goes click, and a lever.
I don't mind the solenoids for the steam wands, personally, but the fancy little screen is when it starts to bug me for sure. I can see the value, but it starts to make it feel more like a toy than a professional espresso machine to my brain, for some reason
I guess it almost feels like the same kind of menu characteristic of cheaper home espresso machines, actually, whereas most of the nicer ones tend to be a bit more analog feeling and polished in a really functional sort of way.
Lelit bianca
This is a highly intellectual discourse, not only introducing the innovation! Just wow. Talk about design brief of an innovation, speciality coffee market expansion, and sustainability.
Sounds like a very exciting piece of equipment, I really hope it does what it was intended to do. Another interesting video 😁
Videos about your life's work (like this one) is very much welcome! Great to know the decisions behind features of coffee products/machines like this. 👍
Houston, the Eagle has landed...
I work in 2 cafes (same owners) and both have eagle ones in (2 group and a 3 group) and I have to say I love working on them. It’s low profile and compact design makes it very easy to pull great coffee and engage with customers simultaneously. It’s durable, dependable and most of all fun.
I’ve worked on other machines where the character is lost after becoming familiar with it and it can just get a little dull. But the eagle one has always been a highly enjoyable, unique and stylish machine and continue to enjoy them.
My hope with these sorts of projects is that they can open the floodgates both in terms of technology as well as people's priorities in terms of pushing sustainability forward.
Sustainability is an interesting topic in this context. The machine uses a bit less water when operating it (which is great), but it is also a luxury good that improves only marginally over existing functional machines. All of the raw materials we harvest from the earth, all the energy we burn in processing recyclables, contribute to ultimate waste and (while this may sound dramatic) entropy. Almost everyone using slightly less water with this machine will either let their old machine (and all of the materials and energy used to produce it) go to waste, or sell it to someone else (who is now using a nasty less-sustainable option than the new shiny Eagle One). The more novel sustainable solutions we produce, the more we ultimately mine and melt and burn for diminishing returns.
im a simple man. I see james hoffamnn post, i like.
I really liked how they have focused on markets outside of prime US and European cities. I often see almost every single company from clothing and tech to coffee would make stuff with just those markets in mind which is very ignorant... nailed it with this one!
You are my Steve Jobs of Coffee..
Not...yet or we dont have enough info about James pocket volume :)
This video was an excellent look at design goals, outcomes, and the process of iteration. Excellent work, well done on the video and the machine.
Fair but disproportionate. I like that statement.
Well done James. You can tell you’re proud of what you’ve helped achieve here and rightly so. Really enjoyed this video and seeing the geeking out process. Beautiful machine as well!
James, as many of us are home brewers, can you tell us what technology from your Eagle One made it onto the Prima One? Is this a machine you'd recommend to the advanced home users?
"I am a recreational home user as well", sounds weird if we are talking about coffee :D
Hey James! Thank you for the video. I am a home brewer and I think currently coffee is inaccessible to the people who wanna brew at home as it is not approachable (price-wise). From decent grinders to espresso machines, it is a very expensive hobby for a person to have as I see myself shelling a lot of money on that. I think coffee products and brewing equipments need innovation in a way that it brews great coffee with it not being as expensive for home brewers and cafés alike
My local coffee shop/bar/roastery, Cirque in Tulsa, OK, tired to just do pickup and delivery to keep from shutting down, but they couldn't make ends meet. So they came up with a great idea. They ramped up the roastery side of their business and launched a new coffee called "Death to Good Coffee." They developed the cheapest roast they could make consistently that still lived up to their quality standards and only sell it wholesale . Now almost every grocery store in Tulsa sells it and it is about $5 cheaper per bag than any other local/specialty coffee, but beats many of them on quality. It became my go to bean after getting laid off and deciding to go into teaching and take a lower salary to get though this massive economic downturn. I would love it if you did a video on Cirque's "Death to Good Coffee." If you click "about" on their website it tells about this particular product. Let me know if you would like me to ship you a bag, as I don't believe it is sold online.
I don't understand most of what makes this machine as special as it is. What I do know is that the sock sleeve thing is adorable.
On the subject of sustainability, I think something that often gets overlooked is repair-ability. Let's say I buy a machine to do a particular job for me. I have initial options where, usually, I can pay more to get something that works better, is more efficient, maybe even is more durable and takes longer to break. However, everything breaks. It's a rule of existence. When the machine does break, will the company provide me the resources to repair it? Trouble shooting guides, instructions, replacement parts, etc. Besides you know, the things that need to be changed frequently like gaskets - I'm talking about the real things.
A lot of companies now are against that. The sustainability of their business model is to sell the product, and it's not always in their best interest to sell a product that only needs to be purchased once. They may lure you in with warranties, a promise to repair it for you after a few years - which often involves ship a massive piece of equipment, sometimes halfway around the world - or have an incentive to encourage you to buy a new one, or a newer version. If an object weighs 50 kilos or so, how much the cost of sending it on a round trip several thousand miles diminish the energy savings that the engineers struggled to eke out? If we're talking about certain evil corporations, they make a concerted effort to make parts hard or impossible to find, as well as schemes for planned obsolescence.
I doubt you're involved in the latter, but I see a lot of electronics on that machine. A lot of electronics on a thing that's going to be surrounded by hot humidity all the time. If I were in the market to buy an espresso machine (I am, actually, though only a home use one and not a business one), a problem I would foresee that would make me hesitant is "What kind of support will I have for this? Will they be willing to help me fix it? Would I even be qualified to or capable of fixing it even with help?" A lot of times now-a-days, when seeing two options, one a mechanical version that is slightly less and an electronic version that is slightly better, I will go for the mechanical simply because I can understand it better. Efficiency isn't always efficient, especially there are normal wear and tear uses that diminish that efficiency and it takes more work than is saved in order to maintain the optimal performance.
Yeah, and right to repair laws aren't in just yet. Companies like Apple and John Deere are trying to force people to buy new or replacements rather than crack them open or go 3rd party repair shop.
It's beautiful to hear you talk about a project close to your heart. I got an impression that you're proud and happy with everything that was achieved and if you're happy with a coffee related machine...
I've got nothing to add because I never used an espresso machine before so I can't relate to it, but I did watch a lot of videos and I can say that this one was, subjectively, too short. This is a fun topic, the machine and the intentions which lead to it. A deep dive sometime later maybe?
The next time someone asks me why I'm so into coffee my response will be, "It's a strange journey, but I'm very pleased with the result".
life it'self....
Very exciting journey you took!
If you get regular consumers interested into a pro barista machine, you did great.
So good job, James! Wishing you all the success in the world.
I feel like I need to slow the speed down on this video to get back to the regular James Hoffman pace
His passion is uncontainable, isn't it?!
Better things, not more things. I appreciate attempts to craft heirloom quality products that bring color to our lives.
"And I'm not interested in arguing that."
Californians thank you.
Love to see the finished article! Sustainability is ever more important, of course it is.
Very disappointed the runaway top comment isn’t It’s landed
What
@@mtksbctk , "The Eagle has landed" is a pop culture quote that originated from the film the Eagle Has Landed, a famous British war film.
Just purchased an Eagle One today. Started with an Olympia Cremina, then an ECM Synchronica. Look forward to the peri fusion and volumetric shot control.
Wow how are there comments already after 58 seconds 😂😂
Your Videos are quite the delight! Thankyou James.
"I'm not interested in arguing this"
"1/3 less energy consumption"
"8% efficiency gains"
Are you SURE you're not an engineer? Because this should be tagged Engineer porn.
Just need a white board.
I love the 8% gain in efficiency from the water inlet heat exchanger, it goes back to my time working with steam turbines in power stations.
Every pressure stage of the turbine had bled steam heat exchangers to get as much thermal return of the spent steam cycle.
Never been this early before!
Here so early the coffee is still hot 👍😄
Really great to see you speak so passionately about another one of your projects. Love your work!