I
love
stuff
Stuff Sam Loves
Bartavelle's two-group La Marzocco FB/80, custom-painted carmine red
Sam Sobolewski
Coffee Director
Bartavelle Coffee & Wine Bar
Berkeley, California
What do the other baristas at Bartavelle think about it?
We all love it! We are lucky to have a very experienced group of
baristas at Bartavelle, and most of us agree that it's the nicest
machine we've ever worked on. We have yet to name it, however.
I'm giving us until October 23rd, our first anniversary, to do so.
Why do you love it?
I love our FB/80 for its superb temperature stability,
its highly ergonomic buttons and knobs, and its
curvaceousness. It reminds me of a ripe tomato.
Why is it particularly well suited to work at
Bartavelle?
Bartavelle is a busy little shop, and I wanted something
that could produce reliably excellent espresso during
the rush and throughout the day. The FB/80 fits that
description, plus it's easy to maintain and to keep clean.
Why is it special to you personally?
I had our machine custom painted to match the color
of my favorite vintage road bike, a mid-'80s Trek. That
bike has since been stolen, so the color sort of haunts
me, but it's hard to think of a more beautiful thing to be
haunted by.
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