Nuova Simonelli Pour over tank with 3 years warranty against manufacturer's material defects $ 1,497
Rancilio Rocky on demand grinder, used in perfect work order $ 220
Oscar II is the second generation of the "Oscar Professional" launched in the late nineties, which has conquered coffee lovers around the world. Oscar II is the professional espresso coffee machine which fits in all demands: from the domestic use for tasting good coffee or cappuccino till light commercial use. Available in black and red, the plumbed version in black.
Oscar comes with free shipping and is based on a commercial 2 in 1 boiler system, Oscar was designed to assure unmatched semi-professional performance. Nuova Simonelli downsized the Oscar from commercial espresso coffee machines to a size which matches the private and small office demands by still using commercial technology (e.g. vertical 2 in 1 boiler, commercial pressurestat and 3-way solenoids, etc.). Oscar is easy and quick to handle. The two extremely smooth and heavy porta filters (19 ounces each) assure hot temperature and right pressure for your espresso shot.
Steam/Froth your milk and have the espresso shot ready to go
From our standpoint, semiprofessional espresso machines should have enough hot water as well as extremely hot steam to extract the espresso AND to steam the milk. Most of the semiprofessional espresso machines use too small boilers, in addition the boilers are mounted upright hence the amount of hot steam available as well as the pressure of the steam is extremely insufficient: The weak steam is out of power in a flash. Alternatives in this price range built by Pasquini and Electra use aluminum thermo blocks instead of hot water boiler. Practically, the results are much less beautiful than Oscar's proof in the cup.
Since the engineers of Nuova Simonelli downsized Oscar from professional espresso machines, the boiler with a capacity for more than half gallon water is mounted vertically. From the prospect of the water circulation it is a Two in One Boiler System since the boiler comprises two completely independent water flows: The vertical mounted boiler is half full with water and half full with extremely hot pressurized steam. The processor of Oscar monitors and controls in the boiler temperature, water level, refill from the water tank and pressure. The second boiler in the boiler is a water pipe system with inbound and outbound through the boiler building a completely separated hot water circulation through the boiler to the brewing group and back from the brewing group to the boiler; this hot water circulation is independent from the steam water in the boiler and refilled directly from the fresh water tank.
Oscar's advantage is the huge amount of steam produced in the upper part of the boiler and extremely stabilized water temperature in the circulation circuit for the brewing group. Furthermore, the boiler is big enough for the SoHo usage, but small enough to bring the complete machine into the right temperature zone very fast.
The Professional Brewing Group
During the extraction process when the water gets pressed through the brewing group with the espresso ground, you need to keep the hot water as much as possible to the perfect 193 Fahrenheit. That is why Nuova Simonelli installed in the Oscar Professional one of their commercial brewing groups. Including the heavy portafilter, it is made out of marine grade brass which provides the best heat conduction. Just take the porta filter in your hand and you can experience the 19 ounces weight of the porta filter which is finished in polished chrome to keep the cleaning easy. As the matter of materials, as more as you can store heat in the brewing group as less the water temperature will decrease during the extraction process in the brewing group.
What happens if you do not have such a professional brewing group in your semi-professional espresso machine? During the extraction process, your hot water temperature in the brewing group feeds the brewing group which is colder and as a result the water temperature goes down: The espresso shot tastes imperfect and probably does not look like a professional shot neither.
Besides of the heavy brass construction and to assure a constant temperature in the brewing group, Simonelli's engineers designed a passive water circulation system between the boiler and the brewing group. Furthermore, the brewing group comprises a 3-way solenoid valve which releases the pressure in the brewing group after the extraction is completed and helps to open the porta filter easily as well as to dry the espresso ground puck for easy disposal.
Part of the brewing group is the porta filter which should be mounted during heat up times to assure that the porta filter gets the same temperature as the brewing group. Again, if the porta filter is not really hot, your espresso will be imperfect. Oscar Professional comes with 2 porta filters, one porta filter for the 1 shoot espresso, and one portafilter for 2 shots espresso. Very important is the provided basket for back flushing the brewing group. Through the back flushing the brewing group gets cleaned from espresso ground. In addition, on a weekly basis you should back flush with our Simonelli cleaning tablets to avoid scaling. If you are not in the barista like extraction of espresso for a while, we recommend that you start with the porta filter for 2 shots since the right amount of espresso ground is easier to evaluate then in the 1 shot porta filter.
Programming length of extraction
Like the Musica, the Oscar II you can program the length of extraction, based on a timer function. You can set up the length for two different shots, with two buttons, one for 1-shot and one for 2 shots. This timer based programming is not comparable and accurate than the volumetric programming (see Bezzera BZ07 automatic), but to say it blunt, better than nothing: With a volumetric function, the machine measure the amount of water passing by until the machine stops. The timer based Oscar II uses the parameter "time", which can result in different extractions, caused in pump pressure, valve functions, fineness of the grind, humidity in the coffee grind, density of tampering, etc.. But again, it's ok and better than not having it.
Durability , Construction and Warranty
Nuova Simonelli is well known for long lasting espresso machines. Even for discontinued espresso machines, Nuova Simonelli keeps spare parts available for many years. Nuova Simonelli's trust in their own machines are expressed by a 2-year part warranty and 1-year labor warranty. Not covered under the warranty is lack of maintenance (Don't forget to descale please!), misuse, abuse, neglect, catastrophe, failure to install proper and replaceable parts by the user like brewing group gaskets. Please call us for installation requirements, technical questions and any kind of barista support you might need.
In fact, the Oscar II does not require a lot of space. If you look for a fancy machine propped with professional technique, watch out for Nuova Simonelli's Musica
Dimensions
Width 11 13/16"
Height 15 3/4"
Depth 16 1/1"
Weight 29 lobs
Power 110 - 230 Volt
Power consumption 1,200 Watt
Warranty 2 years parts and labor Nuova Simonelli dealer warranty restricted to manufacturer's defects.
What comes in the boxes?
1 x Oscar II
1 x Grinder Rancilio Rocky used
1 x Portafilter with baskets for 1-shot, 2-shot, and blind
1 x Tamper
1 x Handbook with additional documentation
Please contact us for all upcoming questions Phone 800 746 6174 or text 615 419 0900
