Nuova Simonelli’s hot discovery

As one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of espresso making equipment, Italian brand Nuova Simonelli is known to be relentless in its pursuit of perfection when it comes to its machines. That is why, when it turned its attention to that other integral piece of espresso equipment – the grinder – Nuova Simonelli formed the intention of lifting the standard of their offering another level. According to Nuova Simonelli’s Marketing Director, Maurizio Giuli, while espresso machine technology has continued to advance throughout the years, innovations in grinding were lacking. And so the Nuova Simonelli team determined that there was a need to innovate, knowing that great coffee depends not just on brewing equipment, but on a coffee grinder of equally high quality. “It’s already an established norm to grind espresso on demand to help retain its freshness and flavour, and to prevent oxidation that leads to rancidity, and of course the Mythos One has on-demand functionality,” says Giuli. “But dosing coffee with an on-demand system isn’t always consistent – the dose tends to vary depending mainly on how heavily the grinder is used.” Because the ability to get a consistent dose weight and volume directly affects the quality of coffee extraction, the Nuova Simonelli team was determined to solve the problem. A thorough investigation into the different factors affecting the machine’s ability to control the weight and volume of its doses revealed that the temperature of the grinding burrs themselves was having a significant impact on dosing consistency. “So, air temperature in the coffee bar and the heat created by the coffee equipment itself was once again the culprit,” Giuli says. “We had seen this before in our work on espresso machines, which led us to the development of the revolutionary T3 technology that knocked down the seemingly insurmountable barrier of thermal stability in espresso brewing.” Nuova Simonelli had previously made history with the development of the T3 technology for its espresso machines. Using an in-built PID (proportional-integrative-derivative) controller to regulate the temperature in the boiler, the new technology has reset the standards for temperature stability and performance in espresso machines.  The T3 technology is now the foundation for the Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino machines that are the official equipment for the World Barista Championship. With this depth of knowledge driving them, the company was well equipped to deal with the persistent problem that was getting in the way of achieving a consistent grind quality. Research by Nuova Simonelli and Nuova Distribution engineers in conjunction with scientists from the University of Ancona led to the Clima Pro project, whereby advances in temperature stabilisation within the grinder itself were tested and perfected over two years in collaboration with world-champion baristas such as James Hoffmann, Colin Harmon, Fritz Storm, and Gwilym Davies. As a result of these tests, researchers found the optimum temperature in the grinding process to be between 35 and 45 degrees Celsius. Once this parameter was set, Nuova Simonelli went to work on maintaining it with what would become Clima Pro technology. First, a heating element connected to a sensor was added to the Mythos One’s collar, which would maintain the collar’s temperature when “off” (not in use) at 35 degrees Celsius. At the same time, to ensure the temperature would not rise above 45 degrees Celsius, a cooling system was added that would kick in as needed. Finally, the Clima Pro system’s aluminium heat sink was added to absorb and dissipate excess heat produced in the grinding process. The heat sink is out in the open, combining design and functionality – improving the fan’s effectiveness in an eye-pleasing way. “Before the Mythos One, it seemed impossible for coffee dosing to be consistent without adjusting the grinder, but Clima Pro keeps the Mythos One within its ideal temperature range of 35° C and 45° C,” Giuli says. “Yet while these additions to coffee grinding technology have elevated coffee quality, innovation doesn’t stop there with the Mythos One.” The list of features for the Mythos One is indeed a long one. The machine features a built-in clump crusher system, which utilises a total elimination of static cling from the ground particles. The dose is dropped into the centre of the portafilter with less than a gram of grounds retained between doses, reducing the need to purge between dose and waste beans. In addition to this, the grinder features micrometric grind adjustments, which allows for infinite and stepless control of grind coarseness, giving the barista even greater command over the end quality of their extraction according to the individual properties of each coffee. There is also a stop and go function, which allows the barista to pause the dose and resume grinding, as desired, giving them greater flexibility in the busy café environment. The machine’s high quality titanium burrs also guarantee more efficient and long lasting grinding, with a lifespan of up to 1200 kilograms of coffee. Another striking feature of the Mythos One is its almost total silence. “The quietness of the machine is a mark of its superb technology, which is the combined result of using the highest quality materials along with excellent construction precision,” Giuli says. For the more experienced operator, the Mythos One also features a Barista Mode, which allows for dose adjustments of all free individual dose buttons, without having to enter the programming mode. On top of all of this is the machine’s efficiency, with a grind capacity of more than 18 kilograms per hour and a portafilter hook to enable hands-free grinding and increase efficiency behind the bar. The team at Nuova Simonelli have also worked to develop a machine that is ergonomically designed for greater ease of use, with open lines of sight to the grounds dispensing and grind adjustment knob, along with an LED illuminated work space. All of these features have combined to make Nuova Simonelli’s Mythos One a true piece of high performance equipment for the modern barista, whether in a busy café setting or in the more experimental specialty coffee workshop environment. GCR