The Victoria Arduino Eagle One Has Landed

The new Victoria Arduino Eagle One espresso machine, which is being rolled out across the world this Spring. All images courtesy of Victoria Arduino/Simonelli Group.

Having sunk its formidable talons into the design and development of an espresso machine that reduces environmental impact, Simonelli Group sub-brand Victoria Arduino is launching global sales of the resulting model: the Eagle One.

A more compact machine than its forebears the Black Eagle and the White Eagle — the former soaring to prominence in part due to its appearance for years at the Unites States and World Barista Championships — the Eagle One emphasizes energy efficiency, precise controls and aesthetic versatility, according to its maker.

“In Eagle One, we strongly committed to technology research and innovation, but also to find the right product that balances aesthetic quality and functionality while satisfying the user and the consumer,” Simonelli Group Vice President and Sales Director Marco Feliziani told Daily Coffee News. “From the design to the user-friendliness of the product, we created a sustainable machine that respects the environment in terms of cost and energy efficiency.”

A variety of innovative materials and mechanical design elements contribute to a reduction of the energy consumption and improvement to the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the machine, without any sacrifice to performance or appearance, according to the company.

The Eagle One’s relatively small, independent steam and brew boilers all heat quickly and are well insulated using Zotek N, a long-lasting, high-performance nylon foam based on Polyamide 6. From a cold start, the machine reaches full operational temperature and pressure within 10 minutes, and by effectively keeping its heat internal, the options for its external case material are wide.

“Personality is a key aspect that gives an essential value to the barista and to the shop itself,” Feliziani said. “That is why we made the personalization of the machine easy to do and adaptable to different environments that range from the classical type to the more glamorous and pop variety. The machine’s design adjusts perfectly with various materials that can be natural like wood, or technological like steel, resins, or aluminum.”

The steam system consists of a 7-liter boiler that can be set to as high as 2.5 bars of pressure for strong and dry output. Baristas use electronic paddle switches to open and close solenoid valves controlling the hot water and steam, the respective temperature and pressure of which are adjustable through the machine’s central screen interface.

Users can also adjust each 150-ml “micro” brew boiler temperature individually. The small size and capacity of brew boilers is intentional for them to heat rapidly as well as to minimize the amount and time any water is allowed to idle.

The Eagle One also reduces its overall power consumption by using the heat of water discharged into the drip tray to preheat its incoming fresh water. Victoria Arduino calls this newly patented technology T.E.R.S. (Thermal Energy Recovery System), and claims the result is an 8% reduction in total energy consumed by the machine.

Pricing for the machine is also relatively low, according to the company, in an effort to remain accessible to youthful start-ups that prioritize both the aesthetics and and the eco-friendliness while on a tight budget.

Said Feliziani, “The price is much lower than Black Eagle, because of Eagle One is dedicated to the new generation of coffee shop, [the] young barista who wants to introduce himself/herself to the specialty coffee industry.”

Other controls accessible through the touchscreen include the volumes of water dispensed per push of each button on each group, the duration and delay of auto-purge per group and additional steam wand controls. Users can also monitor pump pressure on the screen in real time, track flow profiles, and store diagnostic/maintenance info for technicians. All of this will also be accessible via a smartphone and tablet app slated for release this May.

Author, YouTuber, 2007 World Barista Champion and co-founder of London’s Square Mile Coffee Roasters James Hoffman was a consultant in the development of the machine and has been a spokesman for the product thus far.

Interested parties can learn more about the Eagle One at various points around the world this spring, as the machine and its entourage make stops in Amsterdam, Auckland, Jakarta, Melbourne, Sidney, and New York, with more stops soon to be announced.