WEGA Coffee Machines - A Range Comparison

We are distributors for the Wega range of coffee machines in South Africa!

Wega are a well-known and long-established manufacturer of manual espresso coffee machines known worldwide for their blend of reliability and functionality in the design and operation of its coffee machines. Located in Susegana (near Venice) in Italy, Wega has the distinction of operating the largest single coffee machine factory on the planet. These machines can be found in cafes, restaurants and hotels around the world.

The Wega manual espresso coffee machines come in 1, 2 and 3 groups and we stock a wide range that extends from the workhorse Wega Pegaso through to the multi-boiler, touchscreen (and truly beautiful!) Wega Urban.

1. What are the Differences between the Wega Manual Espresso Coffee Machine Models?

We often get asked “what coffee machine should I buy?” and the answer always depends on the intended use of the coffee machine and the budget available. When we look at manual espresso coffee machines, sometimes referred to as traditional coffee machines, there are a multitude of choices with different features and brand names.  We’ll take you through the Wega range here and introduce you to exactly what each model offers. You’ll then be in a better position to decide which machine would suit your purpose, and budget, best.

We’ll look at 9 different Wega models in our review (from least to most expensive):

• Wega Orion
• Wega Lunna
• Wega Pegaso
• Wega IO
• Wega Airy
• Wega Polaris
• Wega W-Bar
• Wega Sphera
• Wega Urban

These range in cost from around R50 000 to R180 000, so what exactly are you getting for your money? We’ll look at some of the key features that you can use to differentiate these coffee machines when buying or renting one. We’ll look at these briefly below in three categories: Scale of Usage; Coffee Quality; and Ease of Use.

a. Scale of Use Considerations

1. Boiler Size

A boiler produces hot water and steam and so you’ll need to look at how many cups of coffee you’ll be serving and decide if the boiler can keep up with supplying both hot water and steam. Will a 9.5 litre boiler cope with the demand in your environment or should you look at a 12 litre boiler?

Modern equipment is remarkably good at heating up water fast, so for a two-group machine, 9.5 litres should be adequate for most situations. Get a separate water boiler for making tea etc if you find your machine cannot cope.

Some machines like the Wega Urban have a multi-boiler assembly that allows dedicated heating for water to each group head, which improves the reliability of hot water supply.

2. Water pump dynamics

Espresso coffee machines come with either a vibratory or rotary pump to develop the pressure needed for making an espresso. The benefits of a vibratory pump are that it is small and relatively cheap but it is more noisy and does not last as long. The rotary pump is long lasting, a lot larger and heavier, and it is very quiet.

Keeping a pump cool is critical for efficient operation and lifespan and there are two options: air cooling and water cooling. Air cooling is not as efficient as using the cold water feeding your espresso machine and so machines that are working hard would benefit from having water cooling.

It is a nice benefit, but for most situations, air cooling is perfectly adequate.

b. Coffee Quality Considerations

1. Type of group heads

In 1961, Faema introduced us to the E61 thermosiphonic group head. The physics behind it may be complex but suffice to say the system uses heat generated in the boiler to heat water passing through it, which then rises to heat the group head and the cooling water flows back to the base of the boiler and a continual heating cycle develops.

Most of the Wega models use the E61 group head which, after 60 years is still the most popular assembly on the market. The Wega Lunna and the Wega Urban use Astoria group heads.

2. Manual brewing ability

Most espresso machines have a manual over-ride to allow a barista to manage the brewing process themselves, without the use if the programmable options that come with the machine. In the Wega models we are looking at, only the Wega Lunna does not come with this manual brew function.

3. Temperature controlled water delivery

The challenge with the E61 group head, as elegant and as popular as it might be after 60 years, is that the temperature of the group head is not controlled and in a busy machine, group head temperatures can fall.

Skilled baristas keen to produce consistent tasting drinks will try to mitigate these effects that unstable brewing temperatures may have, but due to the variability in coffee extraction, no barista can tell exactly what the temperature is within the group head.

The solution to this has been to add temperature sensors into the group heads and to supply them with their own hot water supply. These are known as proportional integrative derivative controllers or PIDs and they maintain a constant head temperature. The Wega W-Bar, Sphera and Urban operate with group head temperature controllers. This allows for better accuracy and consistency in the group head temperature and allows for greater control over the heat related aspects of coffee extraction.

4. Pre-infusion

When water at normal tap pressure is released into the portafilter, the water begins the process of extraction which is called pre-infusion. The advocates of pre-infusion argue that this increases the time coffee is in contact with the water that will extract coffee compounds and that it helps to prevent channelling. It is a feature on the more expensive machines in the Wega range and, like many others in the industry, we prefer to have it on our equipment as we believe it adds to the quality of the extraction process.

5. Steam Control

Every barista has their preferences when it comes to steam control. Some prefer the rotary know that they can turn clockwise or anticlockwise to control their steam flow into the milk frothing jug. Others like the smoother linear feel of the steam lever. Does it make a difference? It really depends on your training, feel and preference.

c. Ease of Use Considerations

1. Programmability of the machine

A busy barista really doesn’t have time to manually process the shot and so programmability is a very critical feature for most espresso machine operators. Having the parameters of shot pulling programmed into the machine ensures accuracy of each shot, and allows the barista to multi-task without worry that an espresso shot has turned into a very dilute black coffee because they forgot about the extraction cycle.

The advantages are therefore consistency per programmed cycle and reduced pressure on the barista themselves. Most of the Wega models offer four programmable cycles per group head but the Wega Sphera offers an extra 2 programming options.

2. Auto cleaning cycles

Being able to automatically run the group head cleaning cycle is a real advantage for machine operation. It reduces the chances for error and also makes the cleaning and maintenance task easier for the barista. Only the Wega Lunna and Wega Pegaso do not come with this option, but even then, this is not as critical on machines designed for more entry level operations where the barista might be under less pressure and will have time to focus on correctly running their cleaning operations.

3. Data recording

The move towards more electronically controlled coffee machines has allowed greater attention to be paid to electronic record keeping. Here, modern equipment can record performance such as extraction parameters like pressure curves, extraction time etc and more basic parameters like the number of shots delivered.

The Wega Airy, Polaris (Tron version), Sphera and Urban are able to record usage parameters which is useful in managing the maintenance of the equipment and of course, the coffee bean usage and coffee delivery statistics.

2. Features of the Different Wega 2 Group Models

So that brings us to the comparison table below. Here we have set out each model and their features. This will help you pick out the characteristics of each Wega manual espresso coffee machine and to find the combination of features that would best suit your situation.

Of course, we realise that this can be quite daunting if you are a first time buyer, or moving to a new brand of coffee machine. Feel free to give us a call, drop us an email or arrange to visit our showroom where we can demonstrate the differences to you in person.(If you want to use/publish this table, feel free to do so if you provide a link back to https://beanonline.co.za )

3. Deciding Which Wega Coffee machine To Buy or Rent

Even with this easy to use comparison table, the decision on what to purchase or rent may still not be clear. We have been roasting coffee and advising our clients about making coffee since 2007. We are here to work with you through the options and to find the Wega coffee machine that best suits your requirements. Our showroom is open for a visit where we’ll demonstrate the equipment to you (or virtually over a video call) and over a decent cup of coffee, run through the options that meet your unique situation. Have a look at our coffee machines here, and contact us to move up in your coffee journey.