The Grimac La Valentina: a Classic Beauty
The La Valentina is a well built machine that should be considered for any small commercial application. In many people’s opinions it is a classic beauty. Its beauty is only enhanced by its performance. It has a compact design and looks impressive from any angle, is all stainless steel and has an easy to see pressure gauge. It also comes with taller legs than most of our home machines so it makes it easier to clean. The drip tray is large and stainless as well. This means less time emptying and the stainless helps keep it from becoming rusted or unsightly.
Powerfully Designed Boiler
The Grimac is a very efficient steamer. It has a 1.3 Liter boiler powered by a 1200 watt heating element. The boiler design, the size and shape of the heating element as well as the position of the auto fill probe have all been engineered for performance. It has worked very well for many of our customers that don’t have high volume but would like to serve quality drinks.
The boiler is copper and is coated with nickel. This helps with heat retention as well as preventing boiler damage from scale. It is amazing when you look inside the machine how easy it is to notice how well made it is.
Commercial Pressure Stat
The machine has a Sirai pressure stat. This is used typically on high end machines because of its ability to last a long time as well as its ability to precisely control the boiler temperature. Again, a high quality component in this reasonably priced machine.
Temperature Stability
In tests performed by different reviewers the Grimac La Valentina has shown very stable temperatures when it has had testing performed on the machine. The machine is still a heat exchange machine but the engineering has been done in such a way that a great shot is easy to brew and replicate by a semi skilled operator.
Copper and Nickel Tubing Inside the Grimac
All the copper boilers, copper heat exchangers, copper tubing and water carrying components used in making drinks are nickel plated in order to maintain temperature and water quality. The same can be said for the steam valves: they are made of high grade commercial components are non-corrosive and will last for years.
Meets All Commercial Codes
The La Valentina has been designed using commercial components typically found on much larger and more expensive machines. This machine will meet all health departments and permit office codes. It has UL and NSF approval. It will be hard to find many machines in this price range that meet all the requirements that many permit offices and inspectors are looking for.The Grimac La Valentina is really a well engineered machine that was made for the person that does not want to sacrifice quality. It definitely gives you the ability to make an improvement to your espresso program.