La Marzocco uses fire to craft one-of-a-kind machines – BeanScene

Italian espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco has unveiled its latest artisanal process, which uses fire to create one-of-a-kind machines 

The Fiammata Technique was developed at the brand’s Officine Fratelli Bambi workshop in Florence by Lorenzo Carcasci, who has spent more than 30 years at La Marzocco. 

While traditional techniques use to the application of paints and pigments to provide protective finishes for the machines, the new process transforms copper using heat, oxygen, and time. The use of an open flame on the surface of the metal causes it to naturally oxidize, revealing hues of gold, amber, violet, and deep blue, and producing a machine finish that’s impossible to reproduce. 

Through years of experimentation, Carcasci says he has developed a technique that can create permanent colour without the use of dyes and paints. Protective finishes were developed to ensure that these one-of-a-kind creations are able to stand the test of time. 

The Fiammata Technique has been implemented on projects such as the Fiammata OFB. It was also used on the Azetechina project to produce flame patterns, which La Marzocco says reflects both the individuality of each machine and the celebration of Mexico’s football culture, ritual, and passion. 

The technique has now become part of La Marzocco’s “permanent creative language”.