Victoria Arduino Eagle One vs Black Eagle: Which Should You Pick?

Looking for an espresso machine that’s visually stunning and efficient? In that case, you can’t do much better than a Victoria Arduino.

Thanks to over a hundred years designing espresso machines, each Victoria Arduino is a work of art. In fact, many of their machines get used at barista championships.

In today’s post, we’ll be comparing two powerful Victoria Arduino machines: the Victoria Arduino Eagle One vs Black Eagle. We’ll answer the question of which one you should choose by discussing the following topics:

• What the Eagle One and Black Eagle have in common.
• Which features separate these two espresso machines from each other.
• Pricing information.
• How to decide which one is a better fit for you.

Similarities

Number of Groups

Your group heads are what you use to brew each shot of espresso. Having only one brew group significantly limits your output and would not be an ideal situation for busy coffee shops.

To combat growing lines and piles of drink orders, both the Eagle One and Black Eagle come in configurations with multiple groups. On either machine, you’ll have the option to choose either two or three group heads.

This translates to increased speed. More group heads will allow your baristas to make more drinks at a time.

Another benefit, however, is that there’s more workspace on espresso machines with multiple groups. You could potentially have two baristas working on such a machine, increasing your espresso output even further.

T3 System

Impressive T3 technology has been a part of Victoria Arduino espresso machines for years, and we think it’s here to stay. In fact, both the machines in this comparison utilize a T3 system.

This design comes down to precise temperature control that’s virtually unmatched in competitor machines. Baristas are able to control the temperatures of individual brew groups, steam, and water infusion on either the Eagle One or Black Eagle.

Why does this matter? Simply because there are so many variables that come together in every shot of espresso. Temperature is important – it can impact the flavor of your drinks, so you want to be sure it’s where you need it to be.

With T3 technology, you can be sure that’s the case.

Read Also: Victoria Arduino Eagle One vs Eagle One Prima

Cool-Touch Steam Wands

Most people love a decadent cappuccino. What they might not know, however, is that there’s some risk involved every time a barista makes such a drink for them.

In any milk-based espresso drink, baristas need to steam and froth milk. If the steam wand isn’t specifically designed to keep cool, it gets unbearably hot to the touch, leaving baristas with stinging burns.

We can say from personal experience that steam wand burns aren’t exactly fun. But the Eagle One and Black Eagle can both protect your baristas from this risk with their cool-touch steam wands.

Not only will the steam wands on either of these machines remain safe to touch at all times, but they can help cut down on cleaning time. Because their exteriors don’t overheat, milk doesn’t burn onto the ends, so your baristas won’t need to struggle to scrub milk crust off them.

Direct-Connect Plumbing

Espresso machines need water in order to function. In some models, you need to supply this water manually by pouring in more whenever the tank runs low.

This clearly isn’t an efficient design for businesses with a line of customers at the counter! The last thing you want is for your employees to have to stop constantly to add more water.

With direct-connect plumbing used by both the Eagle One and Black Eagle, baristas won’t need to ever add water. These models are hooked directly into your water line, enabling them to refill themselves automatically and saving your baristas time that could be better spent on other duties.

Raised Feet

Below either the Eagle One or the Black Eagle, you’ll find legs that raise them up off your counter. The first benefit to this design is aesthetic – the legs give the machines a graceful look and draw attention to their elegant designs.

Another benefit to the legs is that they make space underneath the espresso machines. If you ever need to clean up any spills or crumbs that got underneath them, your employees will have no problem doing so.

Ergonomic Steam Controls

Victoria Arduino machines didn’t become so popular with baristas for no reason. On top of being a pleasure to look at, they are also a pleasure to use.

Part of that is due to user-friendly features like ergonomic steam controls. Many espresso machines require people to twist a knob in order to make steam. Imagine twisting a knob over and over again for hours, and you’ll see how this can quite literally become a pain by the end of the day.

However, these Victoria Arduino models both have steam switches instead of valves. Turning on the steam is as easy and pain-free as pushing the lever.

Soft Infusion System

There are so many ways for a shot of espresso to go wrong. An inexperienced barista has multiple opportunities to make mistakes at any point in the process, even in the beginning.

An example of one step where mistakes commonly happen is tamping. Tamping down your espresso in the portafilter helps level the puck so all the granules can be reached during extraction.

A new barista might not know how to apply the proper amount of pressure or how to apply said pressure straight down without slanting the puck. Fortunately, with the Eagle One’s and Black Eagle’s Soft Infusion Systems, you won’t need to be as worried about baristas making tamping mistakes.

Once the portafilter is on the machine with the fresh puck of espresso, a light stream of water will gently soak the grounds. This helps settle them, eliminating any irregularities caused by improper tamping technique.

Cup Warmer

Have you ever watched a barista filling empty cups with hot water? The reason they do this is to keep the cups warm until the water is replaced by a drink order. A cold cup can drain away the warmth of a freshly made drink, making it get cool even faster.

Pouring hot water in and out of cups can get messy, though. Furthermore, it’s wasteful, especially since you need to pay for that water.

The answer to that problem is the cup warmers on top of the Eagle One and Black Eagle. That flat space on top of either machine helps warm your cups and keep them warm until they’re ready to house a drink.

Differences

Color Options

The first impression is the most important one you can make. A huge part of making a favorable impression on your customers will be through the looks of your establishment.

To ensure your espresso machine complements the look you’ve chosen, both the Eagle One and the Black Eagle are sold in multiple colors. The difference is the number of colors that are available.

Our Black Eagle is sold in more colors than the Eagle One. However, it is important to note here that both machines are sold in custom color options, allowing you to completely customize the look of the machine if you don’t want to stick to the basic colors.

Dimensions

Size is another area in which these espresso machines differ from each other. The two-group Eagle One is 38.9 inches wide, 22.6 inches deep, and 17.2 inches tall.

In comparison, the two-group Black Eagle is 33 inches wide, 28 inches deep, and 20 inches tall. That makes the Black Eagle slightly larger in two dimensions: its depth and height.

Depending on the shape of the counter space you have available, either machine could be better for you. If your counter isn’t very long, you may prefer the Black Eagle. On the other hand, if your counter isn’t very deep, the Eagle One may be better.

Boiler Capacity

Boilers generate pressure and heat for steaming and brewing. Their capacity matters, as larger boilers tend to be more impressive in the steam power department.

In this regard, the Black Eagle is the clear winner. Its two-group configuration has a total capacity of 14.7 liters while its three-group configuration is 18 liters.

To put that into perspective, the Eagle One’s total boiler capacity is 7 liters. This isn’t small by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s no mistaking the fact that the Black Eagle has the greater steam power.

Black Eagle Bar Pump Gauge

Another difference between these machines is clearly visible: the bar pump gauge on the Black Eagle’s front panel. This is a gauge you can use to keep an eye on the internal pressure of the machine.

Pressure is critical to properly brewing espresso. Aside from brewing, however, this bar pump gauge could be a maintenance indicator; if the espresso machine consistently fails to reach the correct pressure, then you know something might need to be fixed.

With the Black Eagle, you can easily glance at the gauge to determine where the pressure is at. That’s not to say you can’t monitor the pressure on the Eagle One – you’ll just find it on the digital display panel between the group heads instead.

However, it is sometimes easier to just look at a physical gauge, especially when information can sometimes be drowned out on display panels with a bunch of statistics on them.

Eagle One EasyCream

The objective of the Eagle One’s brilliant EasyCream design is simple: promote the consistency of every drink your baristas make by automating the frothing process. This smooths out the differences in quality customers might experience as other baristas make their drinks.

Steaming and frothing milk is tough. A new barista probably won’t be as good as a veteran at making that smooth, silky microfoam for an indulgent cappuccino. The Eagle One can help put them on even ground.

Eagle One New Engine Optimization (NEO)

When Victoria Arduino set out to design the Eagle One, they did so with the goal of creating a machine that’s the epitome of efficiency. They saw traditional espresso machines as being wasteful both in terms of water usage and in terms of energy consumption.

This is something your business should be concerned about, as well. Not only is such wastefulness harmful to the environment, but it ends up costing you more money in the long run. An espresso machine that efficiently uses water and energy will lead to a decrease in utility expenses.

From that goal, the Eagle One’s new engine optimization was born. Rather than focusing on maintaining an unwavering brew temperature from start to finish, the Eagle One ensures that the water is heated to the perfect brew temperature just prior to brewing and entering the group head.

This approach saves energy, leading to a budget-friendly and energy-efficient experience.

Eagle One Temperature Energy Recovery System

In addition to the engine’s optimization, the Eagle One has another feature that optimizes heating called the Thermal Energy Recovery System. You can think of it as basically recycling water.

The hot water that’s discharged down the drain is used to preheat incoming water for brewing. It’s another thing that reduces waste and energy consumption.

Pricing Information

We at Majesty Coffee pride ourselves on giving our customers the best deals online.

For that reason, we offer our Victoria Arduino Eagle One to you for $16,650 or $19,350 depending on the number of groups you choose.

On the other hand, we offer our Victoria Arduino Black Eagle Volumetric for $24,300.

Which Should You Pick?

Now, let’s get to the difficult question: which Victoria Arduino machine should you choose? The answer to that question, believe it or not, depends entirely on you.

We can’t definitively say one machine is better than the other in all scenarios. There are reasons why you would choose one or the other.

We’ll begin by looking at one of the most basic considerations: cost. The Black Eagle is the more expensive of the two, so you may be more inclined to go with the Eagle One if you’re on a budget.

Plus, when it comes to budget, you can’t help but consider the cost of operating the espresso machine in the long run. The energy-efficient design of the Eagle One means it could be a little more economical to have down the line as it uses less water and energy.

So, which situations would you choose the Black Eagle for? With its larger boiler capacity, it’s got an impressive amount of steam power that makes it ideal for competitions or extremely busy establishments with a large number of espresso orders.

You can take a look at either of these machines yourself by clicking the below links:

Victoria Arduino Eagle One

Victoria Arduino Black Eagle Volumetric

Need help choosing the right espresso machine? Reach out to us at 888-978-5224 or contact us through the chat in our store.