Autor: MarkComp

The Vienna Coffee Festival is an annual tradition for the Espressolutions team, and a great opportunity to discover new treasures in the generous universe of coffee. Here you can find specialty coffee from all around the world, the craftsmanship of local and international coffee roasters, uprising baristi, and our personal favorite: the tools and accessories that transform the act of coffee preparation into an expression of art and precision.

For its 5th edition, the Vienna Coffee Festival will renew its invitation for the welcoming community of coffee passionates to get informed about the latest trends in the world of coffee by attending masterclasses and workshops featuring leading baristi, and taste specialty coffee, exquisite drinks and food, all with live music in the background. Inspiration seekers can watch the uprising professional baristi showcasing their skills during the Barista, Latte Art, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasting and Coffee in Good Spirits competitions that will ensure the winners places in the SCA World Championships 2020 in Warsaw and Melbourne. 

You can watch this video to get a glimpse of last year’s edition of the Vienna Coffee Festival:

Event Highlights for 2020

Last year we enjoyed together exquisite blends of coffee and vodka, and the company of our roaster friends during the True Artisan Cafe program, and collected insights from our fellow coffee makers about their coffee preferences, summarized in an interactive infographic. 

This year we are going to expand our event activity with the aim of delivering our guests and visitors a superior coffee experience under the La Marzocco-inspired theme called Straight into Vienna.

Besides the already popular La Marzocco KB90 and Linea Mini, we are showcasing two new, highly awaited products in the La Marzocco family: Modbar Espresso AV and the Swift Mini grinder.  

Curious minds can watch the tools set into motion by specialty coffee roasters at the traditional True Artisan Cafè sessions for the entire weekend. Together with our partners at Andraschko, we are setting up the Ultimate Workflow for our 8 guests roasters who will introduce you to their finest notes: 

• Fürth Kaffee
• Kaffeefabrik
• Röstraum
• 220Grad
• Süssmund
• Röstwerkstatt
• Trevo Coffee Roastery
• 22Beans.

Additionally to the La Marzocco tools, our Ultimate Workflow setup will include professional accessories and tools from Artemis, Etzinger, Milkit, Perfect Moose, Puqpress and more. You can test and taste their precision and efficiency at our La Marzocco-Espressolutions booth no. 21, located on the 4th floor.

One of the most awaited moments of the event is the Village of Specialty Coffee, which will unfold during the entire weekend, on the 5th floor. This is a dedicated place for coffee roasters to present unique flavors, as well as their practices of sustainability and the colorful range of quality specific to different coffee farmers. The action is supported by La Marzocco and curated by Werner Savernik from Coffee Pirates Vienna, featuring some of the best roasters in Austria:

• 25 Grams
• Die Rösterin
• Felix Kaffee
• Gota Coffee
• Himmel’s Kaffee
• Röstwerkstatt
• Röstraum
• Süssmund Kaffee
• Valentini Kaffee
• Zalvera Estate Coffee.

Time, Place and Tickets

Visitors can join the Vienna Coffee Festival at Ottakringer Brauerei, Ottakringer Platz 1, A-1160 Wien, from Friday, Jan 10, during 2-8 PM, on Saturday, Jan 11, from 10 AM to 8 PM, and on Sunday, from 10 AM to 6 PM. 

You can meet our Espressolutions team on the 4th floor, at booth no. 21.
The detailed schedule, event map and tickets can be found on the official website of Vienna Coffee Festival 2020.

Today we announce our support to Bojan Pasic who is preparing for the SCA Latte Art Championship (VCF 2020). Espressolutions is the official distributor of La Marzocco handcrafted espresso machines since 2008 for the Austrian market. We are supporting Bojan Pasic, KaffeeFabrik, with a Black Linea Mini espresso machine and a Eureka Atom grinder. Two professional machines for home use and ambitious home barista. Bojan’s journey started not just yesterday, but some years back. Gastronomy runs through his veins as his parents have a restaurant where little Bojan grew up with hospitality, “Mit Leib und Seele in der Gastronomie”. Bojan will introduce himself on his own Instagram channel.  

We like to emphasize the need for learning, education, and dedication. This is how our machines are improving every single year and so is how the Baristi together with the equipment suppliers can improve coffee for the world. 

Dear Bojan, please put the La Marzocco Linea Mini and Eureka Atom grinder on fire and we wish you all the best. May the best win! We #followlinea and you.

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Heute möchten wir bekanntgeben, dass wir Bojan Pasic bei seiner Vorbereitung auf die SCA Latte Art Meisterschaft (VCF 2020) unterstützen werden. Da Espressolutions seit 2008 offizieller Distributor von handgefertigten Espressomaschinen der Marke “La Marzocco” für den österreichischen Markt ist, unterstützen wir Bojan Pasic, KaffeeFabrik, mit einer mattschwarzen Linea Mini Espressomaschine und einer Eureka Atom Mühle. Beides sind professionelle Maschinen für den Heimgebrauch, welche häufig von Röstern und ambitionierten Profis zum Trainieren und für die Vorbereitung für Meisterschaften verwendet werden. Bojans Reise in und durch die Kaffeewelt begann nicht erst gestern, sondern schon vor Jahren. Aufgrund seiner Elter, Besitzer eines Restaurants in Vorarlberg, fließt gastronomisches Blut schon seit der Kindheit durch seine Adern. Dort hat der kleine Bojan gelernt was Gastfreundschaft bedeutet und ist seit dem: Mit Leib und Seele in der Gastronomie. Bojan wird sich noch persönlich auf seinem Instagram-Kanal vorstellen.

Wir wissen wie wichtig Lernen, Bildung und Engagement in diesem Beruf sind. So verbessern sich Jahr für Jahr unsere Maschinen und das Equipment,  um gemeinsam mit den Baristi den Kaffee für die Welt zu verbessern.

Lieber Bojan, nun lass den Kaffee mit deiner neuen La Marzocco Linea Mini und Eureka Atom fließen und schäume Milch, was das Zeug hält. Wir jedenfalls wünschen dir alles Gute bei deiner Vorbereitung. Möge der Beste gewinnen! Wir #followlinea und dir.

To keep a eye on our campaign, follow Espressolutions on Facebook & Instagram.

Etzinger has a strong background in designing and engineering coffee grinders with conical, high-precision burrs. Their highly specialized skills, combined with a strong passion for coffee, recommend them as professionals in this industry. They provide innovative, customized solutions for burrs and grinders and we are here to tell you more about this topic.

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Etzinger and ensure you that with their help we can deliver the best package for professional coffee roasters: exquisite machines accompanied by the best grinders. 

The Brand New eztMAX Product Line

Diving further into showcasing Etzinger’s capabilities, we want to present the etzMAX product line which is solely focused on simplifying grinding while ensuring the maximum quality at the same time.

“Pulling great shots without wasting neither time nor beans shouldn`t be a science.”

The products of etzMAX are easier to use, enabling everyone to replace all the components or upgrade to higher capacity without the help of a specialized team.

Etzinger stands out through its models which present incorporated scales. The well-known Acaia scales visibly streamline the process due to their integration with the grinders. The model is a real game-changer: it works from grind-by-time to grind-by-weight. The integrated Acaia scale, guided by an algorithm adjusts the time automatically so that the result is always the right output, no matter the grind size.

All the etzMAX grinders come in 4 dimensions:

1. etz-MAX Light

The light model is recommended for restaurants or other spots with lighter consumption. It supports around 50-60 shots/day.

Features:

• 3.0-3.4g / sec (when grinding for Espresso)
• upgradeable to MEDIUM-version
• easy to adjust and clean (without tools)
• 2 versions: Grind-by-Time / Grind-by-Time or Weight: Intuitive weighing system (tares in less than 2 seconds)
• height: 52.5cm/21in (1000g Hopper), 42.5cm/17in (200g Hopper)
• suitable as Single Dosing Grinder (minimum retention) by replacing Hopper with Single-Dose Device

2. etz-MAX Medium

Recommended for coffee houses and restaurants with consumption of 3-5kg/ day or as a single-origin coffee grinder for larger shops.

Features:

• 3.8 – 5.5g / s (standard cone, espresso) 
  Lifetime grinder: 1500-2000kg (depending on setting & roasting) 
• NEW 2019: Solid control panel with round START knob made of aluminum 
• easy to adjust and clean (without tools) – M upgradeable to plus version 
• 2 models: time-controlled / weight- and time-controlled with an intuitive weighing system (“tara” in less than 2 seconds, approx. 5.5 seconds incl. Taren for 18g) 
• height: 52.5cm (bean hopper 1000g), 42.5cm (Bohnentrichter200g) 
• very good for single dosing suitable (single dosing essay available, recommended with LIGHT cone) 
• Minimal dead space (0.8g) 
• Standard cone for medium-dark roasting optimized (higher speed)
• Supplied with LIGHT cone: due to the slower bean feed (different geometry) for a wider range of different (especially light) roasts, finer grind and optimal for single dosing suitable

3. etz-MAX Plus

The Plus model is recommended as the main on-demand-grinder for smaller coffee-shops or restaurants with medium use (up to 4kg/day) or as additional “specialty” grinder for a busy cafe.

The etzMAX has an efficient cooling system maintaining low temperatures even during rush hours.

Features:

• 3.8 – 5.5g / sec (Standard-Cone, when grinding for Espresso)
• Burr life-span: 1500-2000kg (depending on roast & setting)
• Solid panel with round red/black START-button made of Aluminum
• Easy to adjust and clean (without tools)
• Grind-by-Time or Weight: Intuitive weighing system (tares in less than 2 seconds, around 5.5sec – taring included – for grinding 18g)
• Height: 52.5cm/21in (Hopper 1000g), 42.5cm/17in (Hopper 200g)
• May be operated as Single Dosing Grinder (w/ Single Dose Device, LIGHT-cone recommended)
• Minimum retention (0.8g)
• Standard cone optimized for medium-dark roasts (higher speed)
• Included: LIGHT-cone for an even wider variety of (light) roasts and more fineness (different geometry, reduced intake of beans, lower speed), also recommended when used as Single-Dosing grinder

4. etzMAX-filter

On-demand pour-over-grinder optimized to generate a minimum of fines.

Features:

• 5.0-7.0g / sec (FILTER-Cone)
• Delivery Contents: Filter platform and Dosing Cup (instead of Portafilter Holder)
• Upgradeable to Espresso-Grinder (ESPRESSOKIT)

How to Use the etzMAX Products

Etzinger provides several excellent tutorials and we are happy to show you around in our showroom. You can check their tutorials here, on the following topics:

• Grindsize adjustment, marco and micro-adjustments
• Burr change (there are three different burrs for dark roast, light medium and filter)
• Cleaning your grinder
• Changing mode (from weight to time-based operating)
• Adjusting Portafilter Holder.

As with every product, the better you take care of it, the better and longer it will serve you. 

Special discounts for Etzinger early adopters

To formally introduce the Etzmax grinders in Austria we offer an additional 5% discount on all Etzinger products delivered and paid in the month of October. Use the code ETZMAX5 in the webshop or give us a call and we’ll be there to assist you.

We’re inviting you to join us on the 16-19th of September at FAFGA 2019, one of the biggest industry events for Gastronomy, Hotel Industry & Design in Europe. 400+ exhibitors will be joining the FAFGA ‘10 Alpine Superior to present the latest trends in Gastronomy. On the Coffee Island, you will find the latest developments and trends from the Coffee Industry. Join us and see what there is to offer to enhance your coffee quality, workflow improvements and overall sustainability and consistency of your business. 

Espressolutions is proud to announce that we’re sponsoring the Internationale & Tiroler Kaffee Meisterschaften 2019 at FAFGA with what we know best—top-notch solutions! The best baristas in Austria and abroad will showcase their skills on a La Marzocco Linea PBX provided by Espressolutions. May the best win!

You can also find us in the exhibition area, we display our products in the Coffee Island, A153, and we will be around to answer all your questions. We brought for you:

• La Marzocco linea PBX (professional espresso machine)
• La Marzocco KB90 (professional espresso machine)
• La Marzocco Linea Mini and GS3 (home models)
• Etzmax Plus W (grinders)
• Perfect Moose (automatic milk foaming)
• Bunn (filter coffee and hot water dispenser equipment)
• Puqpress (automatic tamping)

You can see all the equipment in action in the Coffee Village and at the Competition stage. Bonus: there’s a lucky one to enter the best online training course available at this moment: a 1-year Barista Hussle online training fully funded by Espressolutions! Will you be the one? Just leave us your business card or your details and you will automatically join our competition. We draw a winner 2 weeks after the event.
Find out more about FAFGA 2019: https://www.fafga.at/en/

We are glad to announce that one of our brand new customers—Café Kandl is attending a festival dedicated to all the enthusiasts of elevated drinking culture in Austria. On this occasion, we’ll make the best use of our KB90 in delivering a combination of different coffees, in different cocktails.

We’re talking about Liquid Market 2019, a cocktail festival that has reached its 4th edition after vivid events dedicated to drinks connoisseurs, events which engage the Vienna community in a tasting carousel that certainly remains on our minds and taste buds.

Who said coffee & cocktails don’t go together?

Café Kandl and Espressolutions believe in bringing together different disciplines and harmoniously blending them into the perfect taste.

Thus, we are supporting Café Kandl— an upcoming gastronomy hotspot in Vienna—to bring you a great tasting experience during this festival. Coming from the art of bartending, but mixing their skills and pleasures with coffee, the skilled team behind Café Kandl is a great fit for this year’s edition of Liquid Market.

Espressolutions will be by their side with the brand new La Marzocco KB90 and the newly launched Etzinger grinders to support Café Kandl in creating the cocktails to be remembered. It will be just a sneak preview of the ambitions of Café Kandl and what they will actually offer after officially opening their doors.

Besides the great taste that will welcome you at our Liquid Market booth, you can check out the functionalities, workflow improvements and the easy-to-use particularity of the La Marzocco KB90 and Etzinger equipment. If these solutions appeal to you, we are happy to consult you in choosing your best-fit services and tools.

You can find out more about the event and purchase your ticket on the official Liquid Market website.

The latest model of La Marzocco- KB90 has arrived in Austria at the beginning of March and the Espressolutions team has initiated a series of events with the aim of showcasing its features.

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The machine is a true discovery in term of ergonomics in this industry and it makes a barista’s life much easier due to its attributes. The straight-in portafilter function acts as an extension of the barista’s arm and its new and redistributed weight gives a more natural feel.

The KB90 includes all the innovations the La Marzocco team has been working on the past 10 years- all in one machine. The goal was to create a working environment that delivers like no other machine: consistent quality and allows you to focus on what truly matters- customer service.

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“This unique synergy between human and machine has been brought together thanks to extensive research on ergonomics. We have improved efficiency 12 times and reduced the hazardous of daily work with the combined features of the KB90. Each brew head has an independent boiler, it comes with our very special cool steam wands and the brand new easy rebuild steam valve.”

La Marzocco

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Austria’s rich coffee culture is a true inspiration for the Espressolutions team, and that’s why they’re extending their series of events for showcasing the KB90 to Salzburg. Baristas, professional roasters, coffee shop entrepreneurs and anybody who gets enthusiastic when the topic is coffee is more than welcome to join the event.

If you recognize yourself among the people we’ve described above, you’re probably familiar with one of the best coffee shops in town— 220 Grad. The 220 Grad staff will team up with Espressolutions for hosting this community-dedicated event. Or in other words, exquisite coffee will match high-quality machines.

If you’re interested in testing or just tasting, just show up between 14:00 – 19:00 hours and we will be there for you.

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📅 When: the 2nd of May, 14:00-19:00

📍 Where: 220 Grad

📧 Contact: Floor (floor@espressolutions.at / +436611020259 )

Espressolutions, the official La Marzocco machines distributor in Vienna, is organizing an invitation-only event, with the aim of showcasing the latest product which is a game-changer in the industry.

The La Marzocco machines are known for their natural movements and motions that increase the enjoyment and speed of use for the barista, and the KB90 model can be the exact definition for this.

As well as the straight-in portafilter mechanism, the KB90 also boats group steam flush and drip prediction. The group steam flush automatically purges the group with water and steam, and increases cleanliness over the course of service—in turn, providing for the optimum tasting espresso. Meanwhile, drip prediction technology stops espresso extraction at a precise moment to guarantee target beverage mass without the worry of off-set.

Espressolutions is focused on creating & maintaining a professional community around coffee culture and the finest habits of creating it. With this in mind, the team will start a series of exclusive events, giving the community the opportunity to test high-quality machines, try the finest types of coffee and network in a dedicated environment.

The first event of this series will be The KB90 Launch. The particularities of this machine are considered to be a big improvement in a barista’s life so the guests will be invited to test it to see if the assumptions are true. This launch will be projected in two parts: one will be dedicated to professional roasters and the other to baristas. More details soon.

Looking forward to discover the machine’s complexion together!

January was an interesting month for the Viennese and foreign coffee loving community, bursting into the year with an irresistible smell of freshly ground coffee. One of the most well-known events for the coffee aficionados took place between 11-13 January, showcasing various brands of high-quality coffee, gourmet food, world-class baristas and many other activities focusing on the star of the event: coffee. Approximative 8.500 participants marked a really successful 2019 edition of the Vienna Coffee Festival.

The Vienna Coffee Festival 2019

For the 4th year in a row, VCF brought together the local community built around the specialty coffee culture. Coffee roasting processes, machines, grinders, accessories, producers and retailers gathered in one place, demonstrating the qualities of fine coffee. The visitors could learn about new methods of preparing espressos, filtering coffee or even creative latte art from professional baristas.

The event was also focused on sustainability and social responsibility with new trends, precision and sensory quality awareness for coffee, water, and milk.

Our Campaign at VCF 2019

Among the VCF’s exhibitors was also Espressolutions, known as the La Marzocco Team Austria, the official regional distributing company of handcrafted Espresso machines and grinders. Between events with professional roasters or coffee-based cocktails organized by the company at the booth, the staff invited all the participants who visited them to enroll in a survey based on their buying, brewing and drinking preferences. The invitation also included a chance at winning one of their most popular products: a La Marzocco Linea Mini machine.

The Espressolutions Coffee Preferences Survey

The survey sums up the preferences of over 500 unique respondents, displaying a strong local presence as 74% are Viennese residents, but we have was also noticed a generous multi-cultural participation, welcoming people from Slovakia, Germany, Bratislava, Italy, UK, Romania and other European countries.

It looks like people still stick to classics, having the most preferred coffee drink the Espresso or Ristretto, followed by Cappuccino with the highest percentage. The statistics also revealed that home baristas prefer coffee in its purest form—coffee beans, and most of them purchase it from their local coffee shop or specialists. When it comes to prices, they also take their pleasures seriously, 37.9% of the respondents being willing to spend between €1.000-5.000 on a coffee machine.

If you are curious about the results, you can find the entire survey at: http://bit.ly/Espressolutions-Infographic

Meeting the Lucky La Marzocco Linea Mini Winner

The Espressolutions team was really pleased to meet the campaign’s winner, after a challenging and exciting few weeks of getting in touch with her and bringing the machine to its righteous winner. The winner of our Linea Mini is Theresa, a coffee lover from Vienna. Her story came together really well, as the main reason for arriving at VCF19 was to search for a coffee machine to suit her needs— and a few weeks later, the coffee machine has found her.

The La Marzocco Linea Mini will provide the perfect base with the excellent extraction and dual boiler system in order to make her favorite drink, the cappuccino. The company provided a Barista starter set and a barista skill and machine settings training to start off Theresa’s professional home barista journey.

“Yesterday I unpacked the machine and it fits wonderfully in my kitchen”, says Theresa. She has also sent us a picture with the Linea Mini in the comfort of her home. We will keep in touch with Theresa to see the development of the relationship of an amateur coffee maker and a La Marzocco machine.

Thoughts from Espressolutions-La Marzocco

It’s the second time we join the Vienna Coffee Festival and it’s been such a great experience! The Ottakringer Brewery is a fantastic spot because it creates the artisanal atmosphere coffee lovers deserve. Our warm thanks go to everyone for visiting, supporting us and enjoying a remarkable coffee-driven experience together. We had a blast at this year’s edition of the Vienna Coffee Festival—our La Marzocco Leva espresso machine together with the Martini Espresso cocktails powered by Grey Goose and the “Win a linea Mini” campaign earned us a genuine community of home baristas we call ‘friends’. Also, congratulations to Theresa for winning our Linea Mini!

We are glad to announce our participation in the annual, generously sized and most awaited coffee festival in town—the Vienna Coffee Festival 2019! During the 11-13th of January, we will all meet at the Ottakringer Brauerei, 1160 to celebrate together the beauty of the Viennese coffee culture.

Our La Marzocco team Austria will welcome you with dedicated events and a grand prize:

11-13th of Jan

Win a La Marzocco Linea Mini: coffee aficionados can tell a good tool from a masterpiece. Visit our booth and we reward your curiosity with a chance of winning a Linea Mini to mark a new step in your journey in the coffee world.

Open Doors & Special Discounts: we will present the most wanted coffee machines of the La Marzocco family; all coffee lovers will receive a 5% discount to all the exhibited products.

True Artisan Cafe: no less than 12 specialty coffee roasters will prove the true power of the world-famous La Marzocco machines, names to be announced soon.

Saturday, 12th of Jan

Espresso Martini Sessions: powered by Grey Goose & La Marzocco, fulfilled by the Espressolutions team; we bring you an exquisite blend of the finest coffee with a kick of ice-cool vodka.

For tickets, full schedule and more information about the event, please visit: https://www.viennacoffeefestival.cc/