A clear winner for the espresso enthusiasts and for all low-volume
coffee shops (up to 200 cups per day)! This Bricoletta has a rotary
vane pump, direct water connection, and electronic, programmable
dosage of the water through the coffee grinds for a very competitive
price! The Bricoletta sports a very solid, thick gauge stainless
steel frame which is overshadowed by its one-of-a-kind polished,
stainless steel body.
When we say 'heavy duty', you will see we mean heavy duty.
It is also the most powerful machine in its class with 1900 watts
of power. We certainly recommend a 20-amp circuit and appropriate
wiring to supply electrical power to this machine. Why the high
wattage? With the highest wattage in its class, it offers the
quickest recovery time in the boiler for the most demanding applications.
In addition, we have found that this is the ONLY machine in its
class where you can actually make espresso and steam milk at the
same time without a complete degradation of boiler pressure. In
other words, we have found all 15 amp models in this class to
not maintain boiler pressure while extracting espresso and steaming
milk at the same time. the reason is that 15 amps in the elctrical
outlet is NOT enough power to do this.
The frame of this machine is constructed of two parts - the front
and rear are held togetehr with four locknuts. Initially, we has
some problems with the front frame buck during shipping. Fiorenzato
in Italy has palced reinforced stainles steel in the front portion
of the frame to remove the potential for damage during shipping.
What we 'can' and 'can not' figure out
We have been carrying the Fiorenzato line for over 2 years with
very minimal defects. Mostly, for the Bricoletta line, the defects
were the heating elements that stopped functioning due to the
customers' lack of surge supression. This is common problem on
many espresso machines as the filament inside the heating element
is very susceptible - even to the smallest surges. therefore,
we always recommend aquiring a surge suppressor, and even more
so when placing a timer on the espresso machine. This one we have
been able to figure out.
Like many other machines in this category, the Fiorenzato Bricoletta
utilizes a MATER pressurstat to regulate the boiler pressure for
steam performance and temperature for the espresso coffee extraction.
A common problem with MATER, CEME, and JAEGER pressurstats is
that they malfunction. The simple reason is that the diaphragms
and microswitches on these pressurstats are too small. The smal
diaphragms are VERY susceptible to limescale, and the microswitches
are VERY susceptible to carbon build-up - this typically happens
with about 100,000 on/off cycles. In both cases, the pressurstat
is usually replaced by the customer. Although the process is simple,
it is a hassle. And, in most cases, manufacturers will not cover
this under warranty because it is not considered a manufacturer's
defect.
Since we started carrying the Fiorenzato Bricolettas over two
years ago, we have yet to replace a MATER pressurstat for any
customers who purchased their Fiorenzato Bricolettas from us.
We actually purchased 80 pressurstats from Fiorenzato-USA, and
just to move inventory, we have placed them on other makes and
models of espresso machines that utilize MATERs, CEMEs, and JAEGERs.
In 2006, we even asked the president of Fiorenzato Italy why his
pressurstats do not fail. Unfortunately, for competitive reasons,
he would not share their competitive technical advantage. This
one we have not been able to figure out, and this is one main
reason why we do not recommend to customers to upgrade to a better
pressurstat - the simple reason is that you do not need to at
this time.
Easy repairs lowers your TCO (total cost of ownership)!
When this machine needs repair (as every espresso machine will
someday need repair), it is very easy to work on. There are three
philips screws to remove the top cover, and then only 2 allen
key bolts and one flat screw on the wrap-around side body panel.
All parts can be replaced while the machine is standing up. There
is no need to turn the machine upside down to get to a bottom
access panel for access to a heating element underneath. Even
the machine reset switch can be accessed with the machine in the
upright position. The bottomline is that most customers can repair
this machine with the 1st rate guidance of 1st-line's technical
support. If not, the machine can be shipped in for repair, as
well. 1st-line also stocks replacement parts for the Bricoletta.
Did we mention safety features?
Did you know that many machines in this class (except Fiorenzato,
Vibiemme, Pasquini, and Bezzera) have a missing feature to their
safety designs? Most espresso machines in this class utilize a
single boiler probe to monitor the maximum water level in the
boiler. This is to make sure that the inetrnal heating element
has enough water to submerge the heating element fully in water.
A heating element not submerged in water in the espresso machine's
boiler can become damaged.
The problem is these same espresso machines still send power
to the heating element even before the maximum water level has
been reached. The bad news is that the heating element could get
damaged from lack of enough water upon initial startup, or from
the boiler refill valve, pump, or water tank cut-off mechanism
failing. The other place we see this heating element failure is
when a user removes too much water from the water wand. The water
level will drop faster than the internal pump can refill the boiler.
Hence, the heating element can become damaged.
The beauty about the Fiorenzato Bricoletta is that no power will
be sent to the heating element UNLESS it has the maxmium water
level in the boiler. This is a great feature, and one of the main
reasons we have never seen a damaged heating element strictly
from lack of water in the boiler. Yes, our technicians can tell
if a heating element became damaged from a alck of water. The
bottomline is that if you do not get an espresso machine with
a feature such as this, the user must be cognizant of thefact
that the heating element could be damaged.
And, to boot, this machine has an ETL rating for NSF 4 and UL
197 - the highest electrical and safety standards which allows
it to be used inside restaurants and cafes. In fact, most local
health departments not only request it, but require NSF approval.
ETL Approval assures you the factory and machine production is
inspected every three months for providing high quality and high
safety standards.
Mid-section exemplifies nickel plated boiler. Lower section contains
rotary vane pump and motor for quiet operation and precise pump
pressure.
Please note that if you change the grind setting to a finer grind,
it is possible that the beverage dosage dispensed could lessen,
especially if the finer grind causes the internal over pressure
valve to open sooner.
