The Synesso Cyncra might be the holy grail of espresso machines, a coffee
nerd’s shining wet dream. Designed by former La Marzocco engineer Mark Barnett,
the Synesso raises the bar on espresso machine design by an order of
magnitude.
The Synesso is a response to frustration by espresso fanatics (particularly
Espresso Vivace’s David Schomer) with the hit-or-miss thermal stability and poor
ergonomics of most machines. Upon reviewing the first prototype he wrote:
For me, the creation of this machine marks the beginning of caffe espresso
as a culinary art… Espresso is out of its prison of engineered mediocrity.
At the urging of Schomer, Victrola pre-ordered the first 3-group model last
year when it was still in its prototype phase (briefly known as the Treuh). It
has been in our cupping room for several months for testing and staff training
and is now out on the floor, kicking ass and take names. Read on for our
in-depth, photo-laden rundown…
The first thing you’ll notice is its austere stainless steel body. Stainless
steel extends throughout, replacing parts that have traditionally been brass or
copper such as the boiler and group heads. Brass is better at holding heat, but
the Synesso employs powerful heating elements, some nifty design tricks and PID
temperature control to achieve a thermal stability other machines fail to match.
Each group head has its own boiler for brewing shots which can be digitally
adjusted to a 1/2 degree. The PID controller succeeds in maintaining precise
brew water temperature from the start of the shot to the finish, and allows you
to granularly calibrate the temperature to optimize a particular espresso blend.
PID stands for
proportional, integral, derivative - jargon for a feedback system that can
provide stability under varied conditions.
The Synesso’s group heads extend out from the body with top mounted actuators
that engage a brief pre-infusion cycle as they are clicked on which helps the
tamped coffee to expand more neatly resisting the fissures which cause
overextraction as the coffee rushes through the path of least resistance in the
puck. We’ve noticed it takes a few seconds longer for a shot to first appear
compared to the Marzocco, which seems to be due to different flow rates and
perhaps is related to the preinfusion.
These outward extending groupheads also make the developing espresso shot
much more visible to the barista than the boxy La Marzoccos, a critical element
of achieving higher quality. There is a click-clacking sound with the activation
that takes some getting used to and, as Daniel points out, it is easy to
accidentally brush against one of the unused groups turning it on.
The steam boiler is heated by two independent elements for improved
consistency, though the pressure does ebb and flow under heavy use -
particularly when hot water is pulled from the boiler for americanos. The
powerful steam wands are a neat engineering feat. Insulated, they remain cool to
the touch while steaming and resist milk scalding onto the surface, making them
easier to keep clean. One drawback is the build up of water in the cooling wand,
forcing the barista to purge the wand before and after each use, but this is
arguably a proper practice to maintain anyway. The wands’ range of motion is an
improvement over many other machines and the side-mounted control levers provide
smooth operation and granular adjustment. Some trickiness does occur however,
depending on whether you are right or left-handed. A right-handed person trying
to steam on the left side of the machine (or vice versa) finds themselves in an
awkward situation. Since the lever to actuate the valve is on the side of the
machine you either learn to manipulate the lever with your non-dominant hand or
reach over/across the high bend of the steam wand. Its the sort of thing you
adapt to after some trial and error, but feels like a big departure from years
of working the Marzocco. The “acorn” style steam tip texturizes milk extremely
well, though small (macchiato-sized) quantities of milk can become challenging
given so much steam power.
But engineering aside, the proof has been in the cup. Shot after shot of
perfect consistency that would previously have been impossible as normal
temperature fluctuation and inconsistent pressure resulted in wildly varying
extractions.
Overall, the Victrola crew has been very impressed. Some modifications were
made in the months before we put it on the floor that are worth noting. The
original drip tray seemed too shallow and was replaced by a new, deeper one. The
available real estate for cups was decent, but not quite up to the amount of
ceramic we go through on a busy morning so we raised the top grill and had
Synesso build an additional rack. The steam wands originally moved too easily,
but now hold position well as Synesso has switched to an improved o-ring. The
handful of in-the-field modifications that had to be made to our machine were
painless. The Synesso was designed to allow easy access to parts that wear or
need adjusting and uses less esoteric components than Italian made machines.
Another remarkable thing about the Synesso Cyncra is that its built here in
Seattle.
Mark Barnett has picked up where the European engineers seem to have left off
and moved true artisan espresso into the 21st century. Now if somebody would
just build a better burr grinder…
Check out Synesso’s website
for more pictures and specs.
Links to some other Synesso items on the web:
David Schomer’s review of the first prototype.
Murky Coffee in D.C. has riced-out their Synesso
with blue lights. Very cool.
This entry was posted by
tonx on Friday, April 8th, 2005 at 9:30 pm and is filed under General,
Coffee.
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Synesso Cyncra Machines are now NSF/ANSI 4, ANSI/UL 197 and CSA C22.2 No. 109
Certified for Sanitation & Electrical Safety
Fax: 206-764-0601
