Sanremo—the international Italian espresso machine manufacturer based in Treviso, Italy—held court in an impressive booth at the recent 2015 HOST coffee tech trade show in Milan. It was a far cry from their last exhibition at HOST 2013, during which they launched their impressive Opera espresso machine in a somewhat darkened corner of the show. This year Sanremo’s HOST presence was a large, well-lit, star-studded super booth, with machines operated seemingly at all times by award-winning baristas, treating HOST to hands-on classes in latte artistry and espresso craftsmanship.
John Gordon of Framework Coffee and his Captain Planet-esque team of international coffee professionals were on deck to explain new Sanremo tech. Dubbed the S.W.A.T. (Sanremo World Academy Team), their rank included: Sasa Sestic of Australia, Giacomo Vannelli of Italy, Ben Stephens of Australia, Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood and Sang Ho Park from the UK, and Eden-Marie Abramowicz and Patrick O’Malley from the United States.
“The team is based around their unique skill set and are all heavily involved in the product design, development, and testing, essentially an extended family of Sanremo’s R&D department,” explains Gordon. For Sanremo, Gordon says that the S.W.A.T. “creates a family and community of education in all aspects of the coffee industry. A great team of the greatest minds in coffee.”
But what of the gear? Sanremo had the newest iteration of their highly geeky Opera espresso machine on display, plus a sexy line of mid-range espresso machines, and a grinder capable of grinding three coffees…at once! No, not really at once, but three coffees, fed from three individual hoppers.
Here’s more on the Sanremo’s captivating grand display at HOST.
Cafe Racer
The Cafe Racer is Sanremo’s highly customizable mid-range espresso machine, set to launch in the North American market next year. The Racer is a sight to behold, with exposed groups, sexy lines, and a slight footprint.
Under the hood on the three-group machine (pictured above) you’ll find seven energy efficient insulated boilers, a steam boiler, and individual pre-heat boilers for the group heads. Racer’s also got a smart computer capable of programming the things a barista expects to program in 2015: volumetrics, individual group temperature, and cuss words.
“The new volumetrics are ten times more accurate than industry standard volumetrics,” according to Gordon. Also, the machine has an adjustable drip tray, which, haaay. Customers are capable of customizing the “panels, branding, and colors,” Gordon tells us. Check out the custom job below:
Pricing details are not yet available, but we’re making the safe assumption that it’ll cost a bit less than the Opera V2.
Opera V2
“V2 is an improvement on the controlled delivery system,” explains Gordon, “integrating the Acaia scale with the flowmeter and also flow rate control for greater output accuracy.” Opera V2 has obtained UL certification, making the machine bar legal in the US. The Opera will now be available to own in cafes worldwide.
Expect all the heady tech from the original Opera (see the details in our previous write-up) with custom-made Acaia scales that are compatible with the Opera’s powerful computer system, allowing the two gadgets to interact via Bluetooth. At the show, the team also showed off a more refined user interface for the machine’s tablet app, giving the barista almost immediate access to the machine’s adjustable variables.
Also, check out these scales, man. On the drip tray. That’s pretty sweet.
Revolution Grinder
A brainchild of John Gordon, the Revolution has been grinding in his head for three years. Inspired by spaces that have a small footprint, he wanted to replace a cafe’s need for multiple large grinders for espresso and filter service. The Revolution takes on the footprint of a single large Mazzer Robur grinder, but with the capability of three individual units.
He took the idea to Sanremo last year, and together they built a concept grinder capable of grinding three coffees from three hoppers, and weighing a dose before the dose drops into a basket/filter. The machine is outfitted with technology that creates an electric vibration to prevent static.
The grinder is capable of operating from 700RPMs to 1800 RPMs, features dual grind adjustments, and is programmable to easily switch between say a coffee ground for espresso versus a coffee ground for a batch filter brew. Gordon explains that the grinder will be capable of providing the user an on-the-fly blending option, “for use of creating blends with an accurate percentage of blend components.”
Also, the burr sets come shipped with a “special hardening treatment” and are pre-seasoned, ready to use out of the box.
Like the Racer, Sanremo Revolution does not yet have announced pricing, but this three-headed hydra of a grinder drew “oohs” on the HOST show floor, and should be hotly sought after when it comes to market.
Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge.com. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge.
