Izzo Alex Leva

[kwantfm]

Goodness, the HG one looks tiny next to it!

[amellor]

haha yeah.

[Pdockley]

Looks fabulous, where did you get those great cups ??

[amellor]

Looks fabulous, where did you get those great cups ??

They are Terra Keramic. There is a thread or two on here about them, I got those from USA, there is an Australian non sponsor seller but they are out of stock.

I'm looking to get a couple more to complete my set

[Veebee]

Is there anyway to adjust the shot volume on these machines or is it one size fits all?

Thanks

[TC]

Welcome veebee,

With a lever machine, you pull the lever and the chamber in the group fills. The release empties it. You can do a partial pull, but there may be pressure implications as well depending on spring configuration. The total volume of a double with the Alex Leva (San Marco group) is circa 50 ml.

I adjust shot volume by rejecting whatever I don't require.

[Veebee]

Thanks Chris,
That's what I thought.
Any other tips or tricks that you or anyone else may have in getting the best out of these?
I currently leave the lever in the down position for pre-infusion for 10 seconds before lifting it back up. Getting great coffee at the moment but always looking to improve.

Tim

[amellor]

I'm doing the same re pre-infusion. 10 secs, drops of coffee coming out the spouts.
I get about 2x 20ml including the crema, I reject the rest. I spent the first few days attempting to get a bigger shot, but I'm happy with the taste.
I still have a ways to go though. I am producing shots tasting below the good coffee houses, but much better than the average 'drinkable' coffee shops.

I've heard from orphan espresso, you can adjust the pre-infusion on the sm leva, but haven't had that desire yet.

[javabeen]

Picked up this beauty Bogav tamper today from Talk Coffee. Had it fitted to the basket of my Leva, fits beautifully and cleans the sides of the basket perfectly. The finish is sensational.

The fit in my hand is nice and makes for a beautiful level tamp.

[Dr_Dave]

Hi Veebee,
I am running approx. 10 sec pre-infusion, however this depends on my speed to get the milk out of the fridge! And I also just remove the cup to cut the shot, the rest goes into the drip tray
Still love the lever
Cheers
Dr Dave

[amellor]

Picked up this beauty Bogav tamper today from Talk Coffee. Had it fitted to the basket of my Leva, fits beautifully and cleans the sides of the basket perfectly. The finish is sensational.

The fit in my hand is nice and makes for a beautiful level tamp.

Nice, I'm looking forward to me second Pullman showing up Monday (I hope)

Hi Veebee,
I am running approx. 10 sec pre-infusion, however this depends on my speed to get the milk out of the fridge! And I also just remove the cup to cut the shot, the rest goes into the drip tray
Still love the lever
Cheers
Dr Dave

I hear ya dr Dave.
Compared to the silvia being in front of the leva feels like being the pit crew at Bathurst.
I find myself going through a checklist to make sure everything is ready before I grind, because once I start there is no 'dead' time waiting

[javabeen]

Just took the shower screen off, looked pretty ugly dirty. You can see it soaking in some cleaner as we speak.


Word of warning if you're thinking of taking the c clip out. It's under a lot of tension. I bought a set of expensive c clip pliers from the hardware store and they didn't grip the clip well so it went flying across the room when I lowered it from the group. The pins on the pliers are shaped like a v so the clip slipped out if that makes sense.

Got these cheaper pliers ($8) and they work much better. More strength and they hold the clip well as the pins are like little pillers.

[Dr_Dave]

Hi Java,
It must be telepathy as I had EXACTLY the same experience TODAY! I decided to soak the screen, the clip flew off with expensive
circlip pliers, so I bought a pair for $7.80 at Bunnings - they work much better than my expensive ones
How funny
Cheers
Dr Dave

[javabeen]

Hi Dr Dave

That brought a smile to my face, what are the odds of this? Might be a sign, I'll buy a lottery ticket this week hehe.

At least we both survived without injury!

How did you go getting the c clip back in?

Now, I've been brewing some Peru that I lightly roasted in the Behmor 2 weeks ago and it shines with the Leva. The pour is entire crema, no liquid. It settles to 70% liquid after 30 seconds. I bumped the temp to 124° to take the edge off the acidity, and dropped the dose. The result is a very moussey, nutty shot with nicely balanced acidity and sweetness.

I swap bean varieties a lot, literally after every bag, so I get to play with temp and other variables, you? Have you been playing with the temp?

Javabeen.

[Dr_Dave]

Hi Java,
No problem getting the circlip in with the new $7.80 pliers...
Like you I will buy a lotto ticket in the $28M lottery on Saturday. I love the people who say "it wouldn't change my life at all if I won" - well it would change mine!
I am using Genovese beans from MLB which I find great and really consistent and temp sits at 123C
I haven't taken the plunge to home roast yet as I just don't have the time at this point, however in the future home roasting is definitely my next step
Cheers
Dave