Large crowds at the La Marzocco booth at SCAA
The new Stradas were a huge hit at this year’s SCAA in Anaheim! Our booth was packed from hours before the show floor opened to after the floor has closed on all three days. Unfortunately, this also meant that I had no time at all to walk the show floor. Based on what people have been telling me, however, our booth was THE most popular booth at the show! Well, a big thanks to all who took the time and the patience to navigate the crowd and get a chance to play on the Stradas!
Tony showing his sign of love
Not only did we have the Strada, we had TWO!! The red Strada EP (electronic paddle) is the version that uses a proprietary variable speed pump to control pressure 0-14 bar, and has the ability to record and play back pressure profiles. The yellow Strada MP (mechanical paddle) features a modified version of the current mechanical paddle to allow mechanical control of pressure 0-9 bar.
This year’s SCAA was also a new experience for me – pulling thousands of shots on the yellow Strada MP – since I’ve never been a working barista before. Sure, I know all the proper techniques and got the palate to match. But it’s definitely something else to continuously pull shots while so many people are waiting for a drink, all the while I had to give an overview of the machine hundreds of times over. Perhaps the most nerve wrecking moments were when I had to pull shots for James Hoffman, Stephen Morrissey, Gwilym Davies, and Heather Perry’s parents. Good thing, Scott had the other machine (the red Strada EP) covered.
You can view a collection of pictures on our new Flickr site here.
