How do you know if the Unic Stella is right for you or your business? We're doing a Unic Stella Di Caffe review and reporting on all the details so that you have all the information you need to decide.
You're going to find out...
- About the Unic Stella Di Caffe's key features and how they work.
- Which of the different configurations this machine comes in is best for your business.
- How long the brand has been around and whether it's reliable.
- How the Unic Stella Di Caffe compares to other models like it.
- What types of operations you would buy this machine for.
Let's get started...
Key Features And What They Mean
AV / Auto Volumetric System
An AV machine is designed to be programmed for automatically measured espresso shots. This helps to ensure that only optimal espresso shots are being pulled with the appropriate water volume.
This is a helpful feature for cafes and establishments that do large numbers in daily business and need espresso drinks to be delivered faster with an eye on quality maintenance.
Dual Boiler
Dual boilers are the ultimate for bigger businesses and cafes that serve high numbers of customers. When your busy season hits, you'll need a machine that can keep up with a constant stream of lattes.
You can steam milk while brewing espresso without needing to worry about steam depletion, which can slow production and irritate customers waiting for the steam capacity to kick back on.
The Unic Stella's dual boiler system also provides separate heating for the brew and steam boilers, which gives you greater control over the quality of your espresso extraction.
Tall Cup Capacity
Businesses that offer a variety of drink sizes benefit from a tall cup capacity built into their espresso machines. This means that you can place a large cup right under the group head and pour the shot directly into the cup for faster drink production.
This feature is especially beneficial to businesses looking for ways to improve efficiency and get drinks to busy customers faster.
Plumbed
An espresso machine plumbed into a water line is crucial for baristas who don't have time to halt production and refill a water reservoir when it runs out.
Your drip tray can also be piped to a drain, which makes for easier cleanup. No need to manually empty it.
Central Control LCD Color Touch Screen
With an LCD color touch screen for major functions, Majesty Coffee's Unic Stella machines are well-adapted for convenient usage as well as all skill levels.
At the press of a button, your baristas can pull perfect espresso shots on an easy-to-read touch screen.
Programmable Pre-Infusion
If you follow the pre-infusion method of brewing, you can program your Stella machine for different pre-infusion times.
When you use this method, you saturate the espresso puck before pulling the shot to ensure that the water is distributed for even extraction.
Large Cup Warmer
For your guests who like to sip their coffee and tea from a warm mug, a cup warmer is a handy feature.
You can keep cups toasty so that drinks won't cool off when they hit the ceramic. Your customers will appreciate this kind of attention to detail.
Programmable Adjustable Hot Water Outlet
This is a solid advantage in terms of adjusting the water temperature for tea and Americanos.
The programmable temperature function eliminates manual temperature control, i.e., having to count ice cubes to cool off a hot tea for a customer to drink right away.
Different Configurations
Unic Stella 2 Group Volumetric
The Unic Stella 2 Group Volumetric is ideal for businesses with medium to high customer traffic.
It's not too bulky, so it should be adequate for relatively limited counter space. The two groups will allow baristas to work on more than one drink order at the same time, delivering faster and better customer service.
Unic Stella 3 Group Volumetric
Businesses that see higher costumer traffic could benefit from the Unic Stella 3 Group Volumetric.
With three groups, multiple baristas can easily work on the same machine, maximizing efficiency and getting through lines quicker while keeping quality standards high.
Comparable Alternatives
Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II Volumetric
Our Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II Volumetrics share a number of similarities with the Unic Stella machines:
- Volumetric dosing
- LCD display
- Pre-infusion settings
- Availability in two and three groups
- Pricing
Not every feature is the same with these machines, but a quick comparison of some of the major ones shows fairly comparable functionalities (and price points).
Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II Digit
You'll find that the Aurelia II Digit operates very similarly to the Aurelia II Volumetric, making it an equally valuable alternative to the Unic Stella. The biggest difference between these Aurelia machines is in their touchscreens.
While both have LCD touchscreens, the Digit lets you see what you're programming while the Volumetric's programming is less visually geared for a more analog feel.
Many fast-paced businesses see an advantage in the Digit's fuss-free, streamlined programming style, but it's also a matter of personal preference. Either of these Aurelias will enhance speed, quality and agility in espresso production.
Unic Mira
We can't talk comparisons without talking about another Unic model, the Mira. As the Mira and the Stella are made by the same company, you know that you'll be getting the same quality and dependability.
But there are some significant points that differentiate the Mira from the Stella. The Mira Volumetric is more of a budget machine—the "workhorse," as it's called—with the following features:
- Five control buttons: two single, two double and one manual
- Teflon or stainless steel wands (the teflon option will ensure that milk doesn't stick)
If the Mira is the workhorse, then the Stella is the connoisseur. It's a fancier machine with the following:
- An easy-to-operate LCD panel running across the top of the machine with color change features
- Temperature stability with a larger heat exchanger
There are significant price differences between the Mira and Stella machines, but price is not the only thing to consider when you're outfitting your cafe or restaurant with the proper espresso equipment.
If you're considering both of these machines, take a look at our review of the Unic Mira.
About the Brand
Unic has been making commercial espresso machine since 1919. Businesses trust the quality and reliability of Unic's products, so you can rest assured that this company has a long history with a good reputation..
Unic has a few different espresso machine lines, including Mira and Tango with features tailored for a variety of business types.
Ideal Machine Applications
Our Unic Stella machines are designed for busy commercial enterprises serving medium to large customer bases.
A medium-sized cafe or restaurant may opt for the Stella 2 Group while larger cafes would likely be making a wiser investment in the 3 Group model.
When choosing the right espresso equipment, keep in mind that it's better to avoid needing to make costly corrections to keep up with your business flow. Unfortunately, when businesses undershoot, it's not uncommon for them to find that they need to buy new machines with bigger capacities within a few short years.
One more thing—for most cafes, the Tall Cup feature is ideal. Even if you don't currently offer tall cups, you may switch to different cup dimensions in the future.
The key is to select a machine that has the room to accommodate you—not the other way around.
What Customers Say
In the industry, Unic machines are called the "workhorses" of commercial espresso machines. Why? Because they so rarely break down and need less servicing than other machines.
Any business can benefit from that, but businesses in remote locations especially value this kind of durability. Our customers are also fans of how user-friendly our Unic models are.
Price
At Majesty Coffee, we know that everyone's budget is different. To try to better serve our customers, we offer 15 percent discounts on our Unic Stella machines.
Our price for the Unic Stella 2 Group is $11,873, saving you $2,095. At $15,726, you'll save $2,775 on the Unic Stella 3 Group.
For expert service and the best prices, check out these machines on Majesty Coffee:
