Finding the perfect automatic machine

Dropbox Coffee and Onigiri Kitchen on finding the ideal automatic machine for a new venue in the heart of Melbourne’s coffee quarter.

When the team behind popular Japanese café Onigiri Kitchen were planning their third site in Melbourne’s CBD, they had a precise list of requirements for the espresso machine that would sit on its bar.

Located in Degraves Street, one of the city’s famed laneways known for its great food and drink, their number one priority was ensuring the quality of the coffee served at the new café matched the other venues in the area. With a serving window for takeaway customers, service had to be quick so an automatic machine that could handle most of the manual tasks was essential. Finally, they wanted a machine that looked traditional and fit in with the sleek interiors of the Onigiri group’s venues.

Working with their coffee supplier Dropbox, they soon found the ideal solution: Franke’s Mytico Due professional automatic machine.

“I’d had my eye on the Mytico line for over a year since I first saw it in action at Melbourne International Coffee Expo,” says Niall Corrigan, Owner of Dropbox Coffee.

“The team at Onigiri Kitchen got in touch and said they wanted an automatic machine for the new project, but that it had to look traditional. They didn’t want it to look like the kind of automatic machines you find in service stations – it had to match the quality of the coffee they were serving.”

Niall knew the Mytico was the machine for the job and worked with David Downing, Franke’s Business Development Director Oceania, to get it installed in time for Onigiri’s soft launch in July 2024. In the six weeks the machine has been in action, Phoebe Greenfield, Manager of Onigiri Kitchen, says it has been a dream to work on.

“We are so happy with the Mytico. All the staff love working on it and we’ve had lots of great feedback from our customers on the taste of the coffee and the look of the machine,” she says.

Being a busy venue in the heart of the city, having an espresso machine that is simple to operate and train new staff on is vital for Phoebe and the Onigiri team. In just an hour with a Franke service technician, she was fully trained on the machine and skilled up to show the rest of the baristas how to use it.

“The machine is incredibly easy to operate. The team didn’t need any formal training, I just showed them which buttons to press and when – it took less than 15 minutes,” she says.

With varying levels of barista experience among the Onigiri staff, one of the Mytico’s features they like best is the ability to choose between automated and manual milk steaming.

“During rush hour we use the automatic milk steaming functionalities, but if it’s not so busy a lot of the team enjoy steaming the milk manually so they can get it exactly right for their latte art preference,” says Phoebe.

“The automatic milk steaming works well with both dairy and alternative milks, and customers have commented on how great the milk complements the Dropbox beans.”

Phoebe says cleaning the machine is as easy as operating it, with the automated process taking 15 minutes each day.

“It’s really functional. The machine tells you what to do and the user just has to press the button and follow the steps – it couldn’t be any easier,” she says.

Both Phoebe and Niall have been impressed with the quality of the coffee produced by the machine, noting the espresso is on par with that crafted on traditional espresso machines.

“For automatic machines, I usually recommend blends with a touch of Robusta in them, but given this new venue’s location in the heart of Melbourne’s coffee quarter we went for a 100 per cent Arabica blend,” says Niall.

“It’s tasting fantastic through the automatic system: the flavours aren’t overpowering and the milk is a great match.” 

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