Izzo Alex Leva

[Magic_Matt]

I'll be following replies to this with great interest, as I also serioualy considered the Leva before settling on the Synchronika. Excluding anything over $10k, a lever is pretty much the only prospect of me contracting upgradeitis
[emoji4]

[RichardC]

Hi Matt, the Alex Leva appears to be circa $4-$4.5K so you may well be coming down with that peski upgraditis!

[RichardC]

But you can stroll into your local airport..... about $210 return Brisbane/Melbourne. Less to Sydney .....if you want to go there.

Not a huge outlay when you're considering a circa 5k spend on something sight unseen and taking recommendations from the internet! ;-D

Good luck in your search, the Leva will do all you are asking.... with a bit of coffee theatre as well (question 4)!

Correct, not much in terms of $ but losing a day poses the problem....

[TC]

Hi Matt, the Alex Leva appears to be circa $4-$4.5K so you may well be coming down with that peski upgraditis!

Hi Richard,

Let's not cultivate any unrealistic expectations on price . The Alex Leva is $4500 and I reckon that's very fair pricing.

You are most welcome to call for a chat in relation to your questions above and of course, we're more than happy to assist with any upgraditis outbreaks that may occur within CS....

Cheers

[Magic_Matt]

Hi Matt, the Alex Leva appears to be circa $4-$4.5K so you may well be coming down with that peski upgraditis!

Haha, yeah, to clarify - the Leva was a contender this time around, but I went for the ECM DB largely for practicality (I move around quite a bit so internal tank operation is convenient for renting etc). If I eventually settle down somewhere and plumbing in becomes more feasible it would certainly come back into contention. Pricewise I reckon it's very attractive at $4.5k - AFAICT it's basically in a class of its own as a commercial grade lever with a kitchen-friendly footprint.

The machines I was referring to as ruling out on price were Slayer, Speedster et al. which would be lovely but more than I could justify spending. Though, never say never, I guess

[Petie]

Hey Fellow Snobs

We're looking to upgrade our old but yet incredibly faithful em6910 (yes, slightly (very) embarrassed to mention this on this thread but it has served us faithfully for 9 years pulling close to 10,000 shots with minimal maintenance). It's still going strong but I've known for some time it's hasn't the ability to extract full flavour and I know there's a better world of classy machines there!

We're tossing up between an Alex Leva, a Duetto III (is there a IV on the horizon?), Profitec 700 and ECM Synchronika (and maybe and the Evoluzione 2 as an outsider)

I love the romance of the retro Leva but my concern is practicality particularly when entertaining.

We presently in a rental but that will change so I do want the convenience of both tank and mains and also happy to look at a flojet.

First and foremost on my wishlist is flavour and of course great steaming capability.

So my questions are:

1. Compared to a semi auto, say Profitec 700 which seems to produce 2 flat whites in well under 2 mins, how does the Leva compare timewise?

2. Holding the lever down for 10 seconds, how long does it take to brew?

3. What is its recovery?

4. Which is best suited for an entertainer?

5. PID – how do the PID’s on the Leva machines compare?

The problem we have in Brisbane is we can't just stroll into a showroom and "play" as can snobers in Sydney and Melbourne.

Thanks
R

Not directly answering your questions, but I regularly have a few friends over (4-5) and have no problems caffeinating them all with their preferred beverages in a timely manner. I'm never waiting for the machine to get back to temp.

I have had, I think, 11 people over. That did require a bit of planning, but much less that my previous pump machine.

Oh the coffee is, of course, amazing 😀

[Dr_Dave]

Hi Richard,
I agree with Petie- no problem with back to back coffee's for friends - I changed from a Duetto 11.
The Leva is quieter, smoother, and generally a higher percentage of better shots
I dont know the Profitec, but am extremely happy with the Leva
I think the suggestions to go and visit, look and play are very wise. I did. I visited Chris at Talk Coffee and this was from Rockhampton. Chris has vast experience and wont try and sell you the most expensive machine, but the one that suits you best
Good luck with your decision!
Cheers
Dr Dave

[TC]

Thanks to Dr_Dave and Petie for your contributions.

We greatly value owner feedback in advising prospective purchasers. It's just another level of reassurance that we are a sales schpiel free zone.

The leva is an awesome machine in the right hands and rewards the extra care required with brilliant coffee. They are not for careless players though- the results being potential damage, injury or catastrophe as the graphics in my earlier post show. It's a circlip away from going bang and in a really big way.

I had a handful of visitors tell me the espresso from ours this morning was they best they'd ever had. What was that about some planets in alignment at the moment?

[chokkidog]

I can also chip in with my 2c...... I've had a Leva for 18 mths or so.

There have been no problems at all.

A very forgiving group as far as dialling in and achieving great extractions go.....

When changing coffee the shots start off good and by the time your dialled in they're awesome!

One particular feature of note is the silkiness of mouthfeel.

I feel your pain re giving up a day, or overnight, for a trip to Melbourne but you won't regret

the opportunity for an informed choice.

A good grinder + Alex Leva + San Marco 55mm Lever Group = Coffee Poetry

[RichardC]

Thanks folks

For me it's coming down to the romance of a leva or the convenience of a semi. My searching misery is coming to an end (I hope!)

[RichardC]

I can also chip in with my 2c...... I've had a Leva for 18 mths or so.

There have been no problems at all.

A very forgiving group as far as dialling in and achieving great extractions go.....

When changing coffee the shots start off good and by the time your dialled in they're awesome!

One particular feature of note is the silkiness of mouthfeel.

I feel your pain re giving up a day, or overnight, for a trip to Melbourne but you won't regret

the opportunity for an informed choice.

A good grinder + Alex Leva + San Marco 55mm Lever Group = Coffee Poetry

Hi Chokkidog - when you say "Alex Leva + San Marco 55mm Lever Group" is the San Marco a mod you've made or are you saying this is standard with the Leva?

Also, curious to know which grinder you ran with.

[TC]

Hi Chokkidog - when you say "Alex Leva + San Marco 55mm Lever Group" is the San Marco a mod you've made or are you saying this is standard with the Leva?

Also, curious to know which grinder you ran with.

Yes- it uses the LSM group, so no mod. I know that Chokki uses a Robur-E

[RichardC]

Yes- it uses the LSM group, so no mod. I know that Chokki uses a Robur-E

Thanks Chris

This now leads me to a question you've probably answered several times here but with the exception of the 6mm, what's the difference in performance or otherwise between a 55mm and 61mm group?

It seems logical to me the 61mm would be wide and shallow and the 55mm would be narrow and deep, presume both are designed to hold the same weight in coffee grounds? In theory would this mean the infusion process of a 55mm carries a stronger depth of flavour or am I way off the mark?

Or is a 55mm native to a leva and 61mm to a semi?

Thanks
Richard

[Gavisconi007]

Thanks folks

For me it's coming down to the romance of a leva or the convenience of a semi. My searching misery is coming to an end (I hope!)

Having gone over to the lever side myself around one month ago, I can honestly say that there is no "inconvenience" associated with a lever. In fact, I find the substantially less time required to clean the group head quite convenient indeed. There is none of that back-flushing and brushing out heaps of grinds with every shot that I had with my E-61. Just saying- you may be thinking that a semi is more convenient- not so. I also get god-shots on virtually every shot now- way more consistent- again convenience factor is high. Good luck!

[TC]

Thanks Chris

This now leads me to a question you've probably answered several times here but with the exception of the 6mm, what's the difference in performance or otherwise between a 55mm and 61mm group?

It seems logical to me the 61mm would be wide and shallow and the 55mm would be narrow and deep, presume both are designed to hold the same weight in coffee grounds? In theory would this mean the infusion process of a 55mm carries a stronger depth of flavour or am I way off the mark?

Or is a 55mm native to a leva and 61mm to a semi?

Thanks
Richard

Hi Richard,

In a nutshell, I consistently get better coffee and easier with the LSM group.

Save me an essay and give me a buzz for a chat at your leisure ;-)

Cheers

Chris