Synchro 2 Group Compact

Traditional espresso done properly, in a body that fits a shorter counter, is the pitch for the Synchro 2 Group Compact. Italian engineered and available in a choice of colours, it keeps the presence of a full-size machine while handing back valuable workspace on either side.

Brewing performance

Copper boiler construction transfers heat efficiently and holds it well, which is what keeps brew temperature steady from the first shot of the morning to the last of the afternoon. Controls are physical buttons rather than a touchscreen, a deliberate choice that makes the machine quick to learn, easy to operate with wet hands and simple to service. Stainless handles complete a machine that feels genuinely solid in use, and the polished body is easy to keep presentable when customers can see it from the other side of the counter. A few details define the working layout:

• A compact two-group body for space-conscious counters
• Raised group heads sized to clear tall takeaway cups
• Two stainless steam wands for parallel milk work
• Two years of warranty behind a new machine

A machine that is part of the room

Colour options are not vanity on a machine that sits in the customer’s eyeline. In an open servery it is the largest object on the counter and reads as a statement about how seriously you take the coffee, which is exactly why so many operators put it front of house rather than tucking it behind a screen, and why the finish is offered to match an interior scheme rather than fight it. The compact footprint helps here too: it leaves clear counter either side for pastry displays, a till or simply space for customers to put a bag down while they pay, and a bar that does not look crowded serves more calmly than one that does. Independent coffee shops, restaurants and hotel lounges with a compact servery, and bars adding a proper coffee offer to an existing counter all buy it for that as much as for the brewing.

Two wands, and what they let you sell

The second steam wand is the quiet upgrade on a two-group compact. It means one person can be finishing milk for a cappuccino while another builds a latte, so milk stops being the thing that holds up the queue. That makes a full milk-based menu realistic on a small bar rather than aspirational, and it gives you somewhere to put plant-based milks without cross-contaminating the jug you use for dairy. Raised groups take tall takeaway cups directly, which removes a decanting step from every large order that leaves the premises.

Getting it onto the counter

Like any traditional machine this is a plumbed installation, and the position needs agreeing well before the machine arrives rather than on the day. Settle the following with whoever prepares the counter:

• Where water comes in and where waste goes out
• What power the model needs
• Room for a grinder alongside and a knock-out drawer within easy reach of the working hand
• The access route in, since lifts, thresholds and tight corners matter more with a machine of this weight than with a countertop appliance

Training, cleaning and upkeep

Button controls are forgiving of a mixed team; there is no menu to get lost in and no screen to fail. Teach the routine rather than the machine, and keep the close-down short enough that it actually happens:

• Backflush the groups at close and brush the shower screens
• Soak baskets and portafilters
• Purge each wand immediately after every jug, so milk never dries inside the tip

Filtered water protects the copper boiler, and a booked service keeps gaskets and valves ahead of failure instead of behind it. A properly matched grinder is the other half of the result, and pairing it well makes more difference to the cup than anything you can change on the machine.

Choosing this over the alternatives

Choose the Synchro where the machine is on show, the counter is short and you want the mechanical feel of traditional equipment with a straightforward control panel, and where the team would rather have buttons and serviceability than a touchscreen. Choose differently if nobody on site will be trained on milk, in which case the case for an automatic bean to cup machine is worth reading first, or if your peak demands a third group and the staff to run it, which the wider espresso machine range covers.