Why a Lever Espresso Machine is Your BEST First Machine!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ม.ค. 2021
- Addressing the elephant in the room, we explore the question of why a LEVER ESPRESSO MACHINE should be your first espresso machine. The answer may surprise you.
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Lever Fanatics Buying Guide
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Eureka Mignon Silenzio Espresso Grinder
-- A solid, quiet grinder that will last for years.
httpslink.com/eureka-mignon-s...
Eureka Mignon Specialita Espresso Grinder
-- A step up with touchscreen and dose programming.
httpslink.com/eureka-mignon-s...
GreaterGoods Digital Pocket Scale
-- The only scale you'll ever need.
httpslink.com/greatergoods-di...
Coffee Scale with Timer
-- If you need a shot timer and scale this one fits the bill.
httpslink.com/coffee-scale-wi...
DeLonghi Double Walled Thermo Espresso Glasses
-- The best double walled espresso glasses
httpslink.com/DeLonghi-double...
Espresso Cups, Double Walled with Handles
-- More budget friendly double walled glass with handles.
httpslink.com/espresso-double...
Milk Froth Pitcher Stainless Steel (12 oz.)
-- A solid frothing pitcher.
httpslink.com/milk-froth-pitcher
Star Coffee Frothing Pitcher (12 oz.)
-- Another solid pitcher.
httpslink.com/star-coffee-fro...
DeLonghi Knock Box
-- Everyone needs a knock box. It will change your clean up forever!
httpslink.com/DeLonghi-knock-box
Needle Straight with Plastic Handle
--A step up from a paperclip or toothpick.
httpslink.com/needle-with-pla...
CREMA PRO Milk Thermometer
-- Never over or under steam your milk ever again.
httpslink.com/cremapro-milk-t...
Streamlight ProTac Right-Angle Light
-- The most useful flashlight to peer into your machine.
httpslink.com/Streamlight-ProTac
Stainless Steel Espresso Coffee Tamper (45mm)
-- Hard to find 45mm tamper that can be sanded down to 44mm for the Ponte Vecchio.
httpslink.com/stainless-espre...
Braided Coasters for Drinks (Tamping)
-- Simple tamping mat that can also color match your counter or mood.
httpslink.com/braided-coasters
Bamboo Mini Scrub Brush
-- The fastest way to cleaning your machine's shower screen.
httpslink.com/bamboo-mini-scr...
my first machine is La Pavoni Professional (lever machine). it works the exact opposite of espresso machine in this video. i had to raise the lever first and push it with my hands. not the other way around. this way, i can feel the right pressure for perfect shot. and adjust the variable accordingly.
Yes, the machine in the video is a spring lever, the pivot point is between the piston and the handle, unlike direct levers where the pivot is behind the part where the piston attaches. What happens inside is basically the same but on spring levers you have to press down to lift the piston, let in water and then the spring presses the piston down while raising the lever. On the Pavoni you press it down manually. I have to say the Pavoni is more fun since you can directly feel the puck resistance and you develop a feel for the flow rate that gives you the coffee you enjoy. Might take a little longer to get consistent results but long term you get more leniency when it comes to dialing in your dose and grind size. You can feel if your coffee was too coarse and press a little harder at the start to compact the puck more for example. I would love to own both though haha
Great video. Lever all the way! I have been roasting and pulling espresso for 20 years. And only used levers. Learnt on a La Pavoni and now with my Electra Micro Casa a Leva. I do a 15s pre infusion, and a Fellini first pull to about 4g output, press down and allow a full pull. Typically, pull time is about 30s for about 30g espresso from 14.5G beans.
Great video! Good Job! I have an old school la Pavoni, and I wouldn’t go back!
Nothing like a lever espresso!
All fot lever but man... what's with the icon you choose for your chanel ? Am I the only one to see it ?
Right?
Have a recently purchased Ponte Vecchio Export, and also have a Niche Zero grinder used with a finer grind setting at 20 or 21, and then blow the final grinds from the Niche using a minimally modified Aspectek Insecticide hand bellows (about $11.00 USD). Additionally use an Orphan Espresso 45mm tamper. So far have not used Fellini lever moves, but have allowed a free movement of the lever under spring control to deliver just outstandingly smooth, non bitter ristretto shots of my medium and dark bean roasts.
I agree with you that in my now short PV user experience that spring lever machines deliver surprisingly consistent, great tasting espressos.......even outstandingly good tasting espressos, and consistently.
Like you I sought the taste experience that I had from a trip to Italy several years before the Pandemic, and I too started with a Gaggia Classic Pro. I couldn't believe the quality of inexpensive espressos at Italian Autostrada service plazas, simply amazing, making gas stops a taste treat too. I too wanted to duplicate what I had experienced in Italy after my return.
I don't know if my espressos on a lever machine now would be of such high a quality without the knowledge and failures experienced along the way. What I learned through failures and dissatisfactions about coffee and machines definitely prepared me for better appreciating and using my spring lever PV export. The PV Export ( and the companion Lusso) is definitely an affordable machine delivering amazing taste at a very reasonable price. A tiny machine with a gigantic taste presence.
Cheers.
Could not have said it better! It is a great machine for the price and makes amazing espresso. I've been using some Lavazza and Illy which in my past machines was pretty average. But the Ponte Vecchio makes completely drinkable ristretto shots! However, so far my favorite has been the Dolce blend from Espresso Vivace in Seattle WA.
I have 2 La Pavoni’s,a 1976 Europiccola and a newer Professional. They are beautiful machines but I do call them my ‘temperamental Italian girlfriends’ for good reason, if you don’t give them good coffee they will refuse to put out great coffee. Hahaha. But I will say even bad shots taste better than anything you can buy in a cafe. I also find that they produce a completely different taste profile than other types of espresso machines, but I love the ceremony I go through for my morning coffee.
I’m using a la Pavoni millennium. Once I learned its absolute rules, it’s only the other elements that cause bad shots- old beans, using decaf beans, too soft (or hard) tamping, combining too fresh of beans with too fine of grind, etc. But when it all aligns, wow! ❤
Some of the La Pavoni rules- the group *must* be hot enough, porta filter hot but not scorching hot, counting the seconds of every step, lots more. It’s a dream machine for people who love studying and perfecting the details over the weeks and months. Perfecting this, where you are almost completely in control, is a joy!
Thanks, that was a very interesting video. I'm interested!
This video needs more views.
Bought a cafelat robot as my first espresso machine. I like the idea of controlling the pressure by hand. Also, your machine looks like something that would like very nice in my kitchen =)
I looked at the Robot and it would be on my shortlist for a home and portable machine. The PV Lusso is more of a home machine with its huge boiler that does not need refilling often and ability to leave on for a long time during the day. If you are interested in a portable you might look at the PV Export.
Love it mate... and love a lever.
Clear and good video. 😀
Have you tried the cafelat robot with the Bellman steamer as an entry level lever machine?
You're awesome! You're the Mr. Rogers of Espresso.
Thank you.
Is this where the term "pulling a shot" comes from ?
Yeah, just learned that today
Would anyone know how many Bars of pressure this machine can go up to?
I have two non-sprung lever machines, and love them -- absolutely silent, and the Robot doesn't need anything but a good hand grinder and a kettle.
I would love to test out the Robot. I was looking at that and an Arrarex Caravel when I first considered a lever machine. Both would make great travel units -- I ended up getting a Flair which I use with my Kinu hand grinder if I travel. I do find that I need to practice more with a non-spring driven machine. You really have full control over the pressure and water flow. I think the spring trades some of this control for consistency or at least consistency without having to practice!
I saw you secure the portafilter while you pull down. What lead you to this as part of your routine?
Really interesting video ,a lever machine keeps you on your toes and makes you a better home barista so many variations to take into account ,type of coffee bean grind adjustment temperature t
Great vid. Love my machine. Time for another video?
I like the best coffee you can make.
Looking to get one as second machine for fun times mastering espresso.
the first machine with levas reminds me of the old Unic espresso machines from the 50's
Hi, I'm slowly scrolling through the Italian ebay to find a decent vintage spring lever, but ...
the amount of spare parts (10+ gaskets per each machine on average) and other possible "vintage gear" issues are kind of stalling me.
Looking at:
-Faema Faemina,
-Microcimbali Liberty (brass),
-Sama Export (continued as Pontevecchio Export, woah, some hope for spare parts! 🙂),
-Bruna Brunelli (only 5 gaskets!) and
-Kim Express (true 58mm baskets!).
Have you tried one of these?
Thanks and have a great year!
I have a lever espresso machine. My first love. Microcimbali . Unfortunately, at this point it is going through a "difficult recovery". The boiler is totally corroded. Metal overlays may be required. Or making a boiler from stainless steel sheet. I'll see. Now I use Ranchillo Sylvia. The difference is palpable.
Love the chanel
Random accidental click.... Went to close video.... But then I saw the channel name. Subbed immediately. Watching video now... Woo hooz!
😁💕😁💕😁
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
I think it’s the bar pressure on the classic. You have to mod the OPV spring to get better Espresso on it.
you need the PID for consistent temp, the boiler for the classic is tiny and fluctuates by a whopping 7 - 8 degrees when you hit the brew switch as it pumps in col water... I have PID on my classic and it night and day difference now!
Honestly, sincerely great video! Have been researching for upcoming La Pavoni purchase and this really eased some doubts. that being said, are we just not talking about the swastika logo or....
Great video, I'm thinking to buy one but I don't have that big of budget. Do you know any lever espresso machine under 200 or 300(if it comes with a milk steamer I would appreciate)
Anything that would come with a steamer at this price point wouldn't be worth it.
Either forget about the steamer, and go with a Flair, or go with much more money, otherwise just go to the local coffee shop and order your coffee from there.
Hey ! What do you think about the new Londinium Vectis ?
Did you modify your Gaggia with necessary MODS? Such as; PID, change pressure to 9 bar, precision baskets ? Also you could have added a dimmer knob / switch tot he pump to replicate lever shots. The mods require a bit of work but are well worth it inn the end.
The key is you do not have the experience of different bean, grind size and pull pressure. You just have no fell starting from there.
Hi there. It’s common wisdom to brew light roasted beans with higher temperatures and vice versa. What is your experience with the PVL2? How do you control or adjust the brew water temperature?
I set my pstat for 1.1 - 1.2 bars and have not touched it since then. You can run more water through the group head before you pull a shot to increase your working temperature (or actually reduce your temperature loss). If you find that you need a higher temperature then I would remove the cover and adjust the pstat. I read somewhere that people were getting their PV from the factory set to 1.5 bar. I guess if I did a lot of light roast brewing I would just set my pstat higher. If you look at my temperature surfing video you will see that it is very easy to lower your brew temperature. So perhaps it would be best to set it higher and just surf to a lower temperature for the times you want to brew a dark roast.
@@leverfanatics1978 This is a brilliant suggestion and simple enough to implement. Thank you
I recently purchased a Gaggia Classic Pro and am enjoying the lack of consistency (more creativity) with this machine with a modded OPV spring. I am now becoming interested in a Manual lever to go along with my Gaggia which i will use for steaming milk. So with that in mind what are some spring lever machines you would recommend that I can add a Smart Espresso Profiler too so I can really play with pressure and flow. I'm also wondering whether a might be better off with a non-spring lever if I add the Smart Espresso Profiler. I want to find a lever that heats up within 10 minutes and has an easy work flow. Since I have the Gaggia for steaming I don;t need a lever machine that includes steam. Thanks for your excellent video and knowledge of Lever Machines.
You can consider the flair lever machine. They seem to pull a pretty good shot
Olympia Cremina !
@@mspdec I wish!
P.S. what is the name of the lever machine that you used here?
Totally agreed now. But it would not happen for most of us as we start from local rest. or macdon or even starX you do see this. In fact one should have a good grinder and a manual one without temp bath. But who will do that or start from there.
Excellent video. I want to get into this. But it looks like I'm going to have quite an experience picking my first machine. I'm not afraid to spend money, but I've yet to find a machine that really calls out as to what I'm looking for. I'm almost tempted to make my own machine; I'm that nuts.
A DIY lever machine! If you do this you need to post a video! You could look at the Ponte Vecchio Export which is just under $1000.
@@leverfanatics1978 Thanks for the input! In previous years, I've gone so far as to spend a dozen or so hours looking at some of the earliest espresso machine patents. I suspect it's a situation where if you own your own lathe (I do), and you don't mind burning your personal time as a source of labor, your can come up with something you can be happy with. Normal people should either spend the money, or stay away from this fascinating rabbit-hole.
It would make for a great video though. I think I'll pitch it to my maker-group and see what they think.
i really want to get a lever for my first espresso machine, question is , which one ? the ones i can afford are the profitec pro 800 , quick mill achille and the bezzera strega .
the top 2 contenders being the pro 800 and the achille .
my main criteria really is durability and not having to maintain it too often (twice a year max ?)
please help me choose
thanks in advance
Wish I had more personal experience with those machines but I have heard many good things about the Profitec. The Quick Mill also looks promising. I would visit some of the espresso forums and see what others say.
An Odyssey Argos would be well within your budget.
Is the La San Marco double spring group head 53mm better than bosco’s single spring 85mm ? Elaborate please 🤲🏻
Sorry I have never used a double spring group machine. From what I understand you would get higher pressures (9 bar) and the profile would be more like an electronic pump machine. The single spring gives you a lower pressure and "softer" pull of a traditional lever machine. But again I don't have any personal experience. Here is a good discussion on the differences between a single and double spring ... although it does seem like these machines are typically commercial machines and probably not aimed at the home user who is pulling just a few shots per day. www.home-barista.com/levers/difference-between-single-and-double-spring-t50923.html
@@leverfanatics1978 thanks man 🙏🏻
I like the idea of a more hands on experience with a lever machine and would like to get one. What's a good entry level model? Spring or no spring?
Personally I like having a spring if only to remove one more variable! I find having to just focus on grind size and dosing makes it really easy to dial in my espresso. I have a pull technique that I have standardized and the spring ensures that it is easily repeatable. Just my 2 cents.
If you haven't purchased one yet, have you considered the Odyssey Argos?
Can you add the name and a link to the lever machine you are using to the description please?
Sorry It's the Ponte Vecchio Lusso (comes in both one and two group heads). If you do a Google search you'll find several places to purchase one.
Do you de-scale? If so, what is your procedure?
Citric acid and water
I would fill it with this mixture and then heat it up but not to full temp let cool and siphon with a tube and fill and siphon with regular water. Those inexpensive flexible cameras work well on these in doing an internal inspection. As to the water I was using in mine I would take 1 gallon of distilled water and add .26 grams of baking soda sodium bicarbonate and .76 grams of epsom salts magnesium sulfate which adds a good level of treatment without any heavy taste and keeps down the amount of times you would need to descale being that it has a copper boiler and is more susceptible to scaling. It is a great machine until you try to find a good tamper or a bottomless portafilter which I took a 2 1/2 inch hole saw I believe it was 2 1/2" and cut my own and used a dremal to finish it up. It worked great but was a pain in the a** to replace and lube the gasket in the plunger assembly. It is great and forgiving but I'm now using a profitec 500 pro with a flow control in the e61 and can simulate the effects of the lever machine but still have this one if needed.
❤
Lever all the way!! Funny 1:26 :D
Bold Claim: If a lever machine is your first machine, a lever machine will be your only and last machine.
The Channeling though 🤷
O man, im planning to get gaggia classic pro. Now i have doubts
I started with a classic and it does work well. But if you can afford it I would seriously consider the Ponte Vecchio Lusso. The one group version is fine. If you don't plan on making a lot of espresso at one time you might consider the Export. Good luck and let us know what you decide!
I've had the Classic Pro for a few months and while it has it's downsides it may be the best machine/platform for the money. I got my OPV springs from Shades of Coffee which hopefully will be a significant improvement to the process. Flair's offerings are also extremely compelling for dipping one's toes into espresso and/or doing espresso while pinching pennies. You may want to look at secondhand Gaggias as well, James Hoffman just did a good video on a secondhand Gaggia set up.
@@earlmcmanus194 I think if I were to go back to an electronic pump machine the Classic Pro would be a top choice especially if on a budget. I have the original Flair and it's a great machine for what it is and very portable. In fact, it's my travel kit. However, as a daily espresso maker I would not recommend it since the setup (manually warming the brew head, etc.) would get a bit tedious if you are drinking multiple shots per day. I know there is a new Flair 58 that addresses some of these issues but now you are getting close in price to a Ponte Vecchio Export or similar. I don't own the Export (maybe @Victor Ceicys can comment) but if I were to do it all over again I would get the PV Export over the Gaggia Classic even though it costs more.
I actually think the mentality of the Gaggia Classic owners and Lever Fanatics are very similar. The Gaggia Classic owners are proud that they can produce as good a tasting espresso as those spending thousands more on a La Marzocco Linea Mini (for example) at a fraction of the price. You accept having a more pedestrian-looking machine but focus on the value and quality of the espresso. Similarly, Lever Fanatics revel in the fact that we can make just as good espresso without the pump, valves and motors of the E61 crowd. Typically we can do it cheaper too -- but maybe not as cheap as with a Classic Pro! But in both cases, we are bucking the conventional wisdom of what you need to make great-tasting espresso.
@@leverfanatics1978, I use my Gaggia as light commercial machine to make drinks for coworkers as a side income. I want to get a lever for personal use and want something that will do cold pressed shots, I've been leaning toward a secondhand La Pavoni Europicola.
That is a very popular machine with a lot of support and aftermarket parts. I personally don't have any experience with it but there are a lot of people who watch this channel that do. With second hand the only concern I would have with any lever machine is to make sure the piston seals / gaskets are in good shape. Not too hard to change (usually) but just something to think about when looking at a used lever espresso machine.
Posting this on behalf of @Patrick Urey since YT's super aggressive filter does not like short comments with links. :-( Come on YT you can do better!
@Patrick Urey
"Give us a try at www.greensharkcoffee.com/ We want to open a shop with an lever espresso machine, the feedback would be great. Awesome video by the way!"
能幫我代購這臺機器運來台灣 謝謝希望你能幫我跟原場下單 我要購買 需要的您的幫忙
Making decent puns i see
Did you just stand there with the camera rolling, waving your arms for a several minutes at a time?
😂
Where is the coffee machine kink
get a nomad
I like the vid but the voice overlay on the video which clearly isn’t aligned is distracting. Your hands are all over the place and not anywhere close so what you’re saying.
Those are some pretty nasty shots.
To pull the lever a quarter, a half and back, once more…you really think you get the best of your beans? Really?! Nonsens.
No offense, but this video is stressing me out, since all the hand gestures here are clearly not connected to the dialogue, but are coming at breaks between the points of the spoken commentary. It's very unpleasant to watch. May I recommend, in the future, that, if you're going to have off-screen narration, you simply illustrate it with in-operations shots, and no extraneous gesticulation?
Wrong. Why a Lever Espresso Machine is Your Best ONLY Machine!
Spending in more than one espresso machine is the sign of a rich man. Something is wrong here in this monologue, not a diatribe. Wasted three minute plus the writing.
Why dont you actually speak during the filming? the lack of rhythm between the hand movements and the voice is distracting
Lol chill your triggers
I’m recently obsessed with these lever espresso machine but cannot find much info in my region, just want to know which are currently the cheapest Spring Lever machine on the market , 1 for home/small business and 1 for the commercial
Thanks alot if u can see and rep my concern 🫶