Izzo Alex Leva

[bezzieman]

I visited Dimattina on the weekend (do most weeks to pickup beans anyway) buy no luck on the Leva :-(.
I have send them an email asking about it.

In the meantime, would one of the wonderful people who have access one do me a huge favor ?
I'd like to see (and hear) a double pulled from this machine, how does it differ from a single shot ?
Any chance you could post a video of the process ?

Two spouts,one cup.Video.

[MarkZammit]

Izzo Alex Leva

Quick question Chris. You have height of machine listed as 800mm, which I assume us height to top of lever. What is the height to the top of the multi level cup holder? Need to feedback to architect for pantry joinery. Currently have 550mm between bench and cupboard above. Cupboard above is setback, so no problem with lever height.

[TC]

I'll check for you Mark. At any rate the only attachment of the cup holder is by 4 pop rivets. Easy to remove and easy to reinstate at any time ;-)

Cheers

Chris

[Peter42]

I've been following this thread since several month, as the Alex-leva is a fascinating machine and I would like to have one. It seems that they don't intend to sell it in Europe. Could somebody comment the differences to the Pompei, which has the same group and is fascinating as well - but larger and more expensive.

The obvious first point is the width, with only 37cm instead of 48 which makes a difference in a small kitchen.

Second, the weight: It is only ~35kg instead of ~65kg (61kg sometimes).
What is the reason, as the boiler (5l )and the group are the same? The heating almost the same power.
Is it only ballast on the Pompei for stability or is it a different construction?

Third, the PID: It is clear that it is very conveniant to see the changes in the setup. Is it more a question of comfort, or does the PID keep the temperature stable in a significant smaller range than the pressostat could?

Does anybody know both machines and could tell about his personal impression of differences on machine and shots- although on a very high level and worth a bit of dreaming.
Peter

[TC]

Hi Peter,

They are essentially the same machine and there is zero difference in shot.

The PID- extremely handy as this is a dipper group design. Change boiler temp and you have a corresponding change at the group.

Mass? The leva is on a smaller and lighter chassis and has less- though plenty of ballast.

They're both terrific machines though we have already sold more Alex Leva machines than 1 group Pompei- and not surprisingly as they are a good fit for domestic use.

Chris

[bezzieman]

Having had a Strega and having now a Pompeii I would never go back to a smaller lever.
First of all the Pompeii has huge cupstoring space Right now I have 30 cappu cups and 30 espressocups on the racks.Which is just very practical.
But most of all I love the stability of the machine.The big frame gives the machine rock stability which gives a much more comfortable feeling when pulling a shot.
Although my Strega never tilted it did feel a little unstable sometimes.The Strega weight in at 33 kg I think so about the same as the Alex leva.
If you got the space for it I'ld go for the Pompei.

[TC]

I'm yet to weigh an Alex Leva as I have nothing which registers beyond 30kg. The cartons are much heavier than the Duetto. As a guesstimate, more like 40kg.

[Dr_Dave]

Hi,
I suspect Chris is spot on - My Leva, pallet, + box was 68kg (weighed by courier) . Though I haven't weighed the machine itself
Cheers

[Peter42]

Thank you for your supportive answers - especially Talk-coffee.

I was already thinking about logistic around the globe
and found right in the last moment a trader with the first Leva's in Germany.
They were not even on the Web.

It will soon brew the beans roasted in my Behmor or Huky.
Peter

[TC]

Congratulations Peter,

You will love your new machine!

[javabeen]

Alex arrived home today . I've set it up and first shot pulled I was very impressed, the coffee is smoother with more definition and flavor. I was blown away by milk texturing performance, it was very easy to get silky milk even my wife commented it was much improved. Its coupled to a Mazzer Kony e, I'm now in coffee heaven. I'll post more later, just wanted to share.
Thank you Chris at Talk Coffee, I've been a long time customer and you stepped it up again with your service. Very much appreciated.
May everyone's shots pour like liquid gold.

Javabeen.

[TC]

Alex arrived home today . I've set it up and first shot pulled I was very impressed, the coffee is smoother with more definition and flavor. I was blown away by milk texturing performance, it was very easy to get silky milk even my wife commented it was much improved. Its coupled to a Mazzer Kony e, I'm now in coffee heaven. I'll post more later, just wanted to share.
Thank you Chris at Talk Coffee, I've been a long time customer and you stepped it up again with your service. Very much appreciated.
May everyone's shots pour like liquid gold.

Javabeen.

Welcome to the leva club javabeen,

I'm sure you will never look back!

Chris

[amellor]

Hi,

I'm eager to pull the trigger on one of these (already suggesting to the missus when to get the plumber in )
but I still have a few questions,

What is the Warm up time, What's the morning process with the dipper ? do you simply wait then go, or should you pull a blank shot at some point to allow things get up to temp ?

Post shot, how long does it take to 'relieve' the pressure in the portafilter after a shot ? If you are making multiple coffee's does it slow down the process ?

Cleanup, no 3 way valve, so is there no backflushing ? what is the cleaning process ?

[TC]

I'm eager to pull the trigger on one of these (already suggesting to the missus when to get the plumber in )
but I still have a few questions

What is the Warm up time, What's the morning process with the dipper ? do you simply wait then go, or should you pull a blank shot at some point to allow things get up to temp ?

We generally recommend a 45 min warm up and a squirt of 50ml to get everything all warm. Thereafter, back to back is fine. It's possible to get things warm enough earlier (25 min) with a warming flush.

Post shot, how long does it take to 'relieve' the pressure in the portafilter after a shot ? If you are making multiple coffee's does it slow down the process ?

It will depend on the shot. If you choke it- some minutes. A jiggle of the lever combined with a p/f burp will generally result in a mess free removal. If it runs normally, perhaps a minute. It's definitely slower than an e-61.

Cleanup, no 3 way valve, so is there no backflushing ? what is the cleaning process ?

Pull the shower screen every so often and have a clean/soak in backflush detergent. The group seal doesn't require removal to do this. A pair of circlip pliers is required to remove the shower screen. The simplicity of these machines makes for a trouble free existence. No doubt CS owners will chime in. There are a few now

Hope that helps!

Chris

[Peter42]

@Bezzieman and Dr. Dave
I'weighed my new Alex'Eva and it is quite exactly 46kg, as noted in the manual.
This includes the lever and the cup rack, but not the portafilter and no water (just as dry as delivered).
Although you can identify minor (really minor) bending of the front plate, I cannot identify any instability.
The center of gravity of the 46kg +x is in the rear part.

Btw, does anybody kow how much water it sucks into the 5l boiler? It needed not too many seconds to fill at start.

The carton (as delivered in Europe) is 55kg containing all the stuff, including 4 cans of coffee.

I have my Alex since one weeks to look at and today it has been plumped in.
What I was not really aware before that there is a seperate switch to warm up the cups by releasing steam on the top, underneath the cups.

Additional to all the appraisals, which I just can absolutely confirm,
I'd just like to share my first impressions - some still in the box - as these photos are normally not the typical presentation, but were for me the real start of beeing impressed and feeling high- by unpacking a real man's toy.
I assume that inside the additional wooden overseas packing is the same content (maybe without coffee to avoid tax trouble)

Open the box:


First feeling: it might be impressive:


Nice mechanical details:


closeup of front


Even the first cups are smooth, with soft mouth feeling, wonderfull
Peter