History of Wega
In 1985 the Wega Macchine per Caffé division was founded and became part of the Astoria CMA group. It doesn’t have such a rich history as the Astoria CMA company itself.
Wega is part of the of the Astoria CMA group and is one of the biggest manufacturers of espresso machines in the world. The Astoria CMA group exists out of Astoria CMA and Wega. They have quite a lot of similarities. They both have the same market and produce mainly commercial espresso machines and grinders for the ho-re-ca.
Types of Wega coffee machines
The espresso machines Wega builds can be divided into 2 categories. That a coffee machine manufacturer makes all these 2 types of coffee machines is not really that common. Most of them only produce 1 type of espresso machine nowadays.
Lever espresso machine
The lever operated coffee machines are operated with the help of a spring which is installed inside of the brewing group. This spring generates the pressure on the water to force it true the coffee puck. Wega still produces a model, that is the Wega Vela Vintage. Which is a basic espresso machine with a simple and clean design.
Semi automatic coffee machine
The semi automatic coffee machines are the most common type of espresso machine. This type of coffee machine uses a removable portafilter, which is standard with Wega espresso machines. The pressure is build up with a pump and motor combination. This type of espresso machine is the standard in the world of commercial espresso machines.
Wega models
The Italian manufacturer Wega has a variety of coffee machine models, they do have some similarities with the models of Astoria. But that does make sense, seen they are part of the same company, which is Astoria CMA.
Wega Polaris
The Wega Polaris is the most well know Wega espresso machine. This espresso machine is made in 1 up to 3 brewing groups, so you can use this model in a small bar but also in a busy bar.
The espresso machine works based on a heat exchanger (HX) system to feed the brewing groups with hot water. The brewing groups used on this espresso machine are a E61 style of brewing group, but the solenoid operated models.
Wega Sphera
The Wega Sphera espresso machine is one of the older Wega espresso machine models. This espresso machine has been made in variety of model versions. The basis of all the different models is that they all have a HX boiler installed. The biggest differences are in the brewing groups used on the Wega Sphera. The basis is the E61 style of brewing group, but there are versions with a manual brewing group and versions with a solenoid operated group head.
For this reason the espresso machines are also electronically different, seen the manual E61 brewing groups don’t require a dosing device only a level regulator. Where you require a dosing device for the solenoid operated brewing groups.
Wega IO
The Wega IO is one of the later Wega espresso machine models. This is a semi automatic coffee machine, with a lot of traditional features. This is a HX boiler system, which can be a 2 or a 3 group boiler. The brewing groups used on the Wega IO are solenoid operated group heads. That is required seen this is volumetric espresso machine, otherwise you can’t use the automatic dosing features on this espresso machine.
A unique thing on Wega espresso machines, as well on Astoria machines, is the water cooled pump motor. This is a small RPM motor which has a copper coil around it to cool the motor. This prevents overheating of this compact motor.
Wega My concept
This espresso machine, the Wega My Concept, is a multi boiler espresso machine. This means that you have a central boiler for hot water and steam and for each individual brewing group a separate coffee boiler for brewing. The advantage of these temperature controlled boilers is that that they have a very accurate and stable temperature, which results in a more consistent espresso.
This espresso machine is only available in a volumetric version, which is made in a 2 and a 3 group version. So this coffee machine is ideal for most bars and restaurants.
Wega spare parts from Brooks
At Brooks we sell a variety of spare parts for Wega espresso machines, this can be OEM/original spare parts or aftermarket ones. If you are not entirely sure which spare parts you need for your Wega coffee machine, don’t hesitate to contact us.
