Overview
We have a complete range of commercial espresso machines that are fully equipped with two group heads. They range in size from the compact Nuova Simonelli or La Spaziale Spazio or S9 compact to full size machines like the Nuova Simonelli Aurelia, Victoria Arduino White or Black Eagle, or the Slayer machines. Most coffee shops use full size two group machines for optimal performance during service. We also have three and four group machines for really busy coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses.
What Are Your Top Selling Brands That Have Two Group Machines As An Option?
Nuova Simonelli and La Spaziale are our most popular brands, but we sell two group Slayers, La Cimbalis, La Pavonis, Faemas, and Victoria Arduinos.
Do Two Group Espresso Machines Always Have Two Boilers?
No, they don’t. There are a lot of two group machines that have a single heat exchanger boiler for steam water. For brew water, there is a tube that goes through the extra hot steam water. On one end of the tube, there is a cold water source. The other end of the tube is connected to the brew group. When a shot is pulled, water is pulled through that tube and as it flows through it, it is flash heated to brew temperature. For this reason, any water that sits in the tube between brewing will eventually increase steam temperature. This makes it necessary to flush the grouphead prior to pulling a shot, and for best results, every time you pull a shot you should flush the group head. This design allows you to brew and steam at the same time in a similar manner to a double boiler machine, but since there are less parts needed, heat exchanger machines are generally less expensive than multi boiler machines.
The most popular two group machines we sell that have heat exchanger design are the La Spaziale S2, Nuova Simonelli Appia, and Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Wave, with the Nuova Simonelli Wave Volumetric 2 group machine being the most popular commercial machine we sell at this time.
Many two group commercial machines do you two boilers, or in some cases three or more. Nuova Simonelli machines with T3 technology, have independent boilers for brewing, steaming and for group head temperature control. Temperature control and stability is the most important aspect of an espresso machine in terms of it’s impact on flavor and double boiler or multi boiler machines provide the best temperature stability when compared to heat exchanger machines. While heat exchanger machines are the most cost effective option, if you want to ensure that your business provides the most optimal flavor possible, we recommend that you consider a multi boiler machine such as a Slayer Espresso or a Nuova Simonell Aurelia Wave T3 or Victoria Arduino White Eagle or Black Eagle.
Do You Need a Two Group Espresso Machine?
The answer to this question will depend on how drinks you want to do per day, and more importantly how many drinks you want to do per hour during your peak hour. If you only do 20 to 30 drinks during your busiest hour, then you probably don’t need an espresso machine with two groupheads. If you plan on making more than this per hour, you might want to consider a compact 2 group machine with a smaller boiler(s) or a full size two group machine with a larger boiler or boilers. For most coffee shops, a full size two group machine with a large boiler for heat exchange machines or large boilers for multi boiler machines is recommended.
220 Volt vs 110 Volt Two Group Espresso Machines
Most espresso machines that have more than one group head are available in 220-240 volt 20 amp, 30 amp, 40 amp, or 50 amp connections. The higher voltage and amperage allow for higher wattage heating elements. The higher the wattage the heating element is, the faster it can heat up a given unit of water. So, if you want a machine that can do a large number of drinks back to back without stopping while maintaining a consistent brew temperature and consistent steam pressure, you would want to get a machine with as high a wattage heating element as possible. There are a few two group machines that are available with 110 volt connections. These machines are generally used in catering businesses, coffee trailers or coffee carts, homes, and other types of businesses where having a 220 volt connection is difficult or requires a large generator, or costs a lot to run the electrical to the machine. The machines we sell that have two groups and are available with 110 volt connections are the La Spaziale Spazio 2 Group, La Spaziale S9 Compact 2 Group, and the Nuova Simonelli Appia 2 Group Compact. All these machines have smaller boilers and are compact in size compared to full size 2 group head machines. All three can also be purchased with a 220 volt configuration as well.
How Many Group Heads Should a Coffee Shop Espresso Machine Have?
According to a poll we did of coffee shop owners that have successfully run a coffee shop for at least a year, 94.6% used an espresso machine with at least two groups. Of the 5.4% that used a single group machine, the majority used a large single group machine with 220 volt connection. Most suggested that they were planning on getting a two group soon or wished they had gotten a two group machine. There was only one coffee shop owner that used a 15 amp single group machine and that was in a small town coffee shop that did about 40 drinks per day and the owner suggested that they wished they had a two group machine. At Espresso Outlet we highly recommend that you start your business the right way and start out the right way with a full size machine with at least 2 group heads and a 220 volt connection.
What Are the Best Espresso Machines for Catering?
With catering, portability becomes a factor as you have to move the machine around a lot. Some people build carts that can making moving them around easier, but a lot of people still have to lift the machines in some way, for this reason, we generally recommend trying to use a light commercial one group machine and if you have higher demand than a one group machine can handle, we recommend getting a second one group machine. One group machines that are popular for catering events are the La Spaziale Vivaldi, La Cimbali Junior Casa DT 1, and the Nuova Simonelli Appia 1 Group Semi Automatic or Volumetric. If you don’t have your own coffee trailer or coffee truck for catering events, it is usually pretty easy to find a 110 volt connection, but can be more difficult to find a 220 volt connection that is available, for this reason for catering businesses we usually recommend 110 volt machines in either 15 amp or 20 amp configurations. If you find that you really need the additional drink capacity that a 2 group machine has to offer, the 110 volt La Spaziale Spazio, La Spaziale s9 Compact, and Nuova Simonelli Appia Compact 2 group are good options to consider.
Are There Two Group Super Automatic Espresso Machines?
Most commercial super automatic machines are available in one group configurations, but if you have a very busy environment a two group super automatic could be good option. We sell the Unic Tango S Duo that is a good two group option.
Do You Recommend Two Group Machines for Coffee Shops with Drive Thrus?
For drive thrus, it is especially important that you are able to deliver finished products to the customers as quickly as possible. If you don’t, you will reduce the likelihood that your customers will return again in the future. Most drive thru coffee shops can be quite busy as many commuters prefer the option of going through a drive thru vs getting out of their cars and going into a building. In order to make drinks as quickly as possible, a large two group machine can work. We recommend something like the Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Wave 2 Group Volumetric or the Digit or T3 version would also work well. We also recommend upgrading one or both steam wands to an auto steam wand so that making milk-based drinks is as easy and quick as possible.
What Is Your Cheapest Two Group Espresso Machine?
At this time, the Casadio Undici is the cheapest two group espresso machine we sell. It’s a good machine for smaller volumes, coffee trailers, restaurants, and things like that. It doesn’t have the temperature stability of higher priced machines and for this reason we don’t recommend for coffee shops.
What Is Your Most Expensive Two Group Machine?
The Slayer Espresso three group or the Victoria Arduino Black Eagle Gravimetric.