I really only need my coffee machine to perform one simple function. Make me a decent cup of coffee in the morning so that I have the energy to shower and leave the house.

I’m not a morning person, so the machine is the most important thing in my apartment.

My partner comes in a close second.

What I don’t need in my life is a coffee machine that I’d have to take a bank loan to be able to afford. If that’s your vibe, though, two things:

First, congratulations on your success.

Secondly, you should head on over to the Bryanston showroom of Italian Motorcycle Importers (IMI) in Jozi to check out the limited-edition coffee machines that pay homage to 1990s-era F1 racing engines.

Business Insider SA has more on the man behind the machines. They’re designed and built by Paolo Mastrogiuseppe, the son of an Italian immigrant who was deeply involved with Swiss master watchmaking, at his workshop in Mossel Bay.

Congrats, Mossel Bay – you’ve hit the big time.

Before they went on display at Italian Motorcycle Importers, Paolo’s Super Veloce machines always required a custom order.

Mastrogiuseppe sketches each design in pencil, before proceeding with a meticulous mechanical build project, at his workshop on the Garden Route.

…Each Super Veloce features around 600 individual components. Many of its bits are handmade, with materials including stainless steel, gold, aviation-grade aluminium, and even carbon-fibre.

It’s a beautiful machine, but I’m already getting high-maintenance vibes off it. If it breaks, does it have to make the journey to Mossel Bay? Do you use jewellery cleaner for the gold?

Speaking of gold, these things don’t come cheap.

Prices start at R96,500 for an Espresso Veloce Flatsix model and go up to R171,200 for the Aviatore Veloce Turbojet, which weighs 28 kilograms. Unless you want the Aurum, with its 18ct gold-plated detailing, which is upwards of R600,000.

That buys you a machine that can make coffee, and tea – and some even have optional grappa dispensers, just as you might expect from a hand-made South African coffee machine that looks like a Formula 1 engine.

You know what else will make you excellent coffee without breaking the bank? This gorgeous little machine from Importers Coffee:

It’s stylish, and at just under R1 000, you won’t be paying it off in instalments for the rest of your life. Plus they throw in 100 free coffee pods when you buy it, and delivery in Cape Town is free.

Lovely. There are no downsides here.

If, like Seth, you’re in the market for a machine that uses coffee beans, keep in mind that Importers Coffee imports top quality coffees from the world’s leading equatorial coffee-growing regions, and they use the same coffee-brewing methods that have made them such a firm favourite over the years.

I’m telling you this because even the best machine in the world is nothing without some quality beans, but don’t take my word for it.

If you’re in the ‘burbs, swing by their famous shop in Newlands. Out and about in town? Grab a cup at Café du Cap (113 Loop Street).

You can’t say I didn’t tell you.

[source:businessinsider]