If there’s a logo that enjoys “cult” standing (and I imply that during the most productive imaginable manner) inside the international of coffee, moderately perhaps few corporations can best Olympia Categorical.
This Swiss corporate has been making coffee machines for over 8 many years now, and has a storied historical past within the business coffee international. That stated many of the upper-geek tier of house baristas know the logo for one very particular device: the Cremina.
Olympia Categorical has been making the Cremina for fifty+ years now, with the newest replace being designed in 2008. I personal a Cremina 67 fashion (manufactured in 1982) that used to be refurbished solely (together with the removing of an asbestos wrap across the boiler for insulation) in 2007. This device is 42 years outdated, however nonetheless works nice, handiest wanting the occasional gasket replacements. Even the portafilter itself is authentic (although I did get an o.e.m chopped portafilter made for it).
The Cremina may be an excessively arms on coffee enjoy. 49mm portafilters, direct lever, rudimentary temperature regulate at the device, no visual drive gauge for the lever drive, and completely no promises instead of your barista instinct that you simply’ll get a excellent shot.
Because of this an excessively area of interest section of the coffee making public adores the device and logo: only a few machines come up with this type of intimate connection to generating a really perfect shot of coffee. L. a. Pavoni is there too with the Europiccola and Skilled lever machines, however L. a. Pavoni’s massive; Olympia Categorical is “boutique” small and really hand crafted (and in addition 4x the cost of a L. a. Pavoni Europiccola). Take a look on the portions breakdown of a Cremina device (photograph from Olympia Categorical).
On account of Olympia Categorical’ stature and place out there, they don’t steadily pop out with new merchandise, however the previous two years have noticed some new and thrilling issues from the corporate. Ultimate yr, they presented the Moca SD unmarried dose grinder. This yr, they’re introducing a device that lots of the corporate’s maximum ardent lovers and insiders had been having a look ahead to. It’s the Olympia Mina, and we now have one on mortgage to do our complete First Glance and Snapshot Overview procedure on. Many because of each Olympia Categorical and Canada’s High quality Espresso Techniques for facilitating this.
The Olympia Mina
Take the core bits of the Olympia Cremina and distill it right down to a 2.5kg package deal which may be carried in a small elevate case. That’s necessarily what the Olympia Mina is. It’s based totally across the Cremina’s lever device design, the usage of the similar portafilter dimension and lever arm, all becoming into an aluminum housed reservoir and plunger device.
Unpacked and its case, the Mina is made up of the central anodized aluminum wrapped metal reservoir, plunger, and drive gauge meeting, two steel legs with rubberized ft, the unscrewed lever arm, 4 thumbscrew bolts, a chopped 49mm portafilter, a double wall clear out basket, a customized (and really tiny, but additionally very heavy) tamper, and a replicate end metal drip tray.
Meeting may be very fast: the first actual time I put it in combination, it took me below 2 mins, and it is extremely intuitive. Clutch a leg, mate it to at least one facet of the reservoir, and screw at the two thumbscrews. Repeat for the opposite facet. Screw at the lever arm. Insert the portafilter. Carried out.
The gasket and dispersion display at the Olympia Mina
The 2 thumbscrews used to glue the legs to the frame of the lever device.
The outer anodized aluminum jacket of the Olympia Mina
Relying for your working attitude, the mirror-finish drip tray can be utilized as a shot replicate as neatly.
Taking a look over the device, the entirety is de facto best tier within the have compatibility, end and glance. The device is available in just one color: hunter-green anodized aluminum and metal, with black accents. Many of the steel portions are stainless-steel, although the portafilter is chromed brass, and the dispersion plate and display within could be brass: I will be able to have to substantiate in a while. Olympia did jacket the principle reservoir in an outer clad of anodized aluminum, which provides the device an additional distinctive glance.
The Mina has one thing the Cremina does no longer: a drive gauge designed into the lever meeting.
Taking a look into the reservoir house. This plunger, when raised, permits water to go with the flow down in opposition to the dispersion display, underneath the piston.
The portafilter is a chopped fashion, additionally a primary for Olympia.
The replicate end of the round drip tray for the Mina
The have compatibility of the legs into the edges of the reservoir is… highest. The portafilter slots completely into the device, and when new, the gasket connection as you tighten it is extremely tight (however must transform more uncomplicated with use). Not anything creaks in this device. The whole lot feels tight, safe and functional. Olympia, so far as construct high quality is going, hit an absolute house run of “Swiss engineering” with the Mina.
Workflow at the Olympia Mina
Make no bones about it, the Mina is a device that wishes a good quantity of heat up time. The central reservoir and plunger house is thick metal, perhaps with a brass dispersion plate within (will verify that), and an outer jacket of aluminum. It additionally holds handiest about 50-60ml of water. Even 50ml of flash boiling water gained’t warmth up all that steel.
So that you can in reality coax a really perfect shot out of the Mina, get in a position to in reality preheat that grouphead and reservoir. Determine on a minimum of 3 or 4 complete fills and flushes ahead of it begins to stand up to temperature. The excellent news is, whenever you do get it absolutely preheated, it must retain warmth really well.
The method I’ve used thus far in pulling photographs at the device is that this (retaining in thoughts, I’ve handiest made about 20 photographs at the Mina as of this writing):
- warmth up your kettle to boiling
- put the portafilter in position within the grouphead
- With the lever decreased, fill the reservoir. Let take a seat for 10 seconds
- slowly raise the lever to interact the inlet valve and V-ring which permits water to go with the flow previous the plunger piston to the chamber above the device’s dispersion display
- press down at the lever to flush the new water via
- repeat 3 extra instances
- decrease the lever, fill the reservoir, and take away the portafilter
- grind, dose, tamp your espresso (I’ve settled on 15g within the 49mm basket)
- ahead of placing the portafilter, lift the lever to permit the water within the reservoir to flush out
- decrease the lever, insert the portafilter loaded with espresso
- fill the reservoir to about 1cm from the highest
- lift the lever, to permit the new water to transport down into the plunger / dispersion display house of the reservoir
- press down at the lever on your “preinfusion” consultation. Let relaxation for five seconds
- lift the lever, and press down, staring at the gauge and go with the flow, aiming for 7-8bar of preliminary drive
- brew more or less 30ml of coffee
- as soon as brewed, lift the lever, put a unique cup below the portafilter, and press down once more to push out any ultimate liquid and dry the puck
- raise the lever, and take away the portafilter, unload the puck and blank the portafilter with some water out of your kettle
- experience your coffee.
Take into account, that is all in response to very early use, with out a exact temperature checking out achieved. Simply tasting the effects, and enhancing the regimen to get well effects.
Who’s the Mina For?
Let’s get one thing out of the way in which, straight away. This isn’t the device to shop for if you wish to have a phenomenal coffee enjoy with little or no fuss and muss. That’s no longer the Mina’s target audience, in any respect. Actually, this isn’t the device to shop for if you wish to have a moderately simple guide lever coffee enjoy that may ship outstanding photographs many times. For that, you must imagine the Aptitude 58 or the Superkop.
The Mina is for 2 forms of other people in coffee international: the one that already owns an Olympia Cremina and desires a sister device that may close up for trip, and the one that needs to get very shut and intimate with the coffee making procedure. The kind of one that realises the adventure is a lot more stress-free than the vacation spot.
There’s already a large number of hypothesis and dialogue about this device in some standard channels (through other people who haven’t noticed the Mina in particular person but, or used it). It’s regularly in comparison to Cafelat’s Robotic, to the Aptitude 58, and the Strietman CT2 device.
One of the vital “truthful” comparability when it comes to use and skill is to the Cafelat Robotic. A device that prices about ⅓ the cost of the Olympia Mina. I personal one, and if I’m fair, the simpler shot enjoy goes to return from the Robotic. It’s more uncomplicated to make use of, can grasp extra espresso, is more uncomplicated to warmth up, and may be constructed exceptionally neatly. Just like the Mina, the Robotic is slightly of a murals on your counter.
However there’s something very particular in regards to the Mina. It too is a murals, and has much more portions to it than the Robotic does, which slightly justifies the associated fee. Additionally have in mind, the Cafelat Robotic is manufactured in China, with ultimate meeting in the United Kingdom (Paul Pratt, the landlord of Cafelat, nonetheless does one of the meeting himself!). The Olympia Mina is manufactured and assembled in Switzerland, the usage of some portions sourced from Italy.
I wouldn’t spend an excessive amount of time evaluating this device to the Aptitude 58 (part the cost of the Mina) or the Strietman CT2 (2.5x the cost of the Mina) as a result of those two machines are electric-assist for water temperatures. I’ve a large number of enjoy with the Aptitude 58 (and adore it), and none with the Strietman.
There’s every other device I’d examine the Mina to, that for some reason why, the web discussion board other people aren’t bringing up a lot: the Superkop. They’re in a similar fashion priced and are each complete guide machines, however the Superkop’s ratchet device and 58mm portafilter device for complete 3:1 ratio photographs if you wish to have put it in a unique league, each in shot output talent and in exact use. I will be able to say, attaining an implausible shot at the Superkop will at all times be more uncomplicated than it’s with the Mina, basically on account of how a lot preheating the Mina calls for, and the decrease water volumes it could use.
Wrapup, for Now
We’re going to do a right kind First Glance article for the Mina, with preliminary unboxing, first use, and preliminary comparative use, hanging it up towards the Cafelat Robotic and the Superkop. This may increasingly are available a few month. We’ll proceed the method for our complete overview, which can perhaps be our Snapshot Overview procedure. That can come with longer term checking out, guidelines and methods we’ve realized alongside the way in which, and a few comments from our focal point teams.
You’ll be able to purchase an Olympia Categorical Mina nowadays should you like: in Canada, it’s to be had from High quality Espresso Techniques (unlisted on their web page, however touch them, they’ve inventory as of July 30, 2024), or you’ll attempt to pre-order (unlisted lately) from Olympia Categorical’ US distributor, Cerini Espresso. For those who are living out of doors of North The usa, discuss with Olympia’s supplier web page to discover a supplier for your nation. The device retails for $995USD, or round $1,450 CAD.
NB: not one of the hyperlinks above are fee or associate hyperlinks for the Mina.
