Hey Folks,
Putting this question out to the wisdom of the crowds...
Shanny and me are looking for a brand-spanking-new lever group machine, but after talking to a Faema rep, it sounds like the Italians cant be bothered making them anymore. Faema now only makes one batch a year that goes out to Africa -- and they wont service any special orders. But they still make the classic E61 so I suppose they are history-proofed.
We have tried the Fiorenzato Piazza San Marco which is a very nice machine to use (except for the non-locking steam tap). (http://www.fiorenzato.com.au/piazza.html). Nice and shiny but not too overstated, and by no means as ugly as the Rancilio Classe 6 LE (http://www.rancilio.it/rancilio/prod_version.jsp?id_language=2&id_version=28&id_mo del=20&id_category=2) or the La San Marco Leva (http://www.lasanmarco.it/jsps/techlist.jsp?out=null&node=SANM00000532&type=null& language=E)
Astoria seem to manufacture one that has more character, the Rapallo AL2 (http://www.astoriaespresso.com/rapallo.asp) but I have yet to confirm if I can get a local supplier.
The Uber-Awesome lever group option would of course have to be the Mirage Idrocompresso (http://www.keesvanderwesten.com/mirage-idrocompresso.html) which Tobys Estate apparently have working in one of their Sydney stores.
So I was hoping to get some thoughts, experiences and recommendations from the fellow snobbers who may have used any of these (or other) new lever group machines.
Putting this question out to the wisdom of the crowds...
Shanny and me are looking for a brand-spanking-new lever group machine, but after talking to a Faema rep, it sounds like the Italians cant be bothered making them anymore. Faema now only makes one batch a year that goes out to Africa -- and they wont service any special orders. But they still make the classic E61 so I suppose they are history-proofed.
We have tried the Fiorenzato Piazza San Marco which is a very nice machine to use (except for the non-locking steam tap). (http://www.fiorenzato.com.au/piazza.html). Nice and shiny but not too overstated, and by no means as ugly as the Rancilio Classe 6 LE (http://www.rancilio.it/rancilio/prod_version.jsp?id_language=2&id_version=28&id_mo del=20&id_category=2) or the La San Marco Leva (http://www.lasanmarco.it/jsps/techlist.jsp?out=null&node=SANM00000532&type=null& language=E)
Astoria seem to manufacture one that has more character, the Rapallo AL2 (http://www.astoriaespresso.com/rapallo.asp) but I have yet to confirm if I can get a local supplier.
The Uber-Awesome lever group option would of course have to be the Mirage Idrocompresso (http://www.keesvanderwesten.com/mirage-idrocompresso.html) which Tobys Estate apparently have working in one of their Sydney stores.
So I was hoping to get some thoughts, experiences and recommendations from the fellow snobbers who may have used any of these (or other) new lever group machines.

A good place for lever information is the lever Forum over on HB, They love their levers over there.
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