Lever press GS3

[Vittorio]

I'm in love

[Lyrebird]

How much of the "magic" of the lever do you think is a result of manual control of the pressure / flow profile? The reductionist in me says that the puck only sees a certain flow profile so this has to be reproducible by controlling a pump.

And BTW:

Actually now that I think of it some more - mils and grams are the same are they not (in terms of 30 mls espresso will equal 30 grams espresso).

Good enough for Jazz.

If you use a refractometer and come up with a concentration in Brix, the actually density is near enough to 1 + brix / 250. As an example, if you had say 20 Brix (eg 20% soluble solids), the density would be around 1 + 20/250 = 1.08*, so your 30 ml expresso would be about 32.5 g.


*The actual number is nearer to 1.083: Brix is weight per unit weight and density is weight per unit volume so there is no straight conversion, it's a third order polynomial.

[JohnA]

the photo was from pesado's instagram feed.
was uploaded 14 march, and it reads, one of a kind with one of our handles.

So would be yours and just using their handles to match the franco cozzo style side panels

[Faatshank]

Pretty sure it is mine. The photo is definitely of CMT on Lorimer Street, you can tell by the freeway. I didn’t like the marble panels and didn’t want to pay extra for them. Very Franco Cozzo I think was my comment! Although if the photo is from the last few weeks, they may have made another one. Where did you get the photo from?

[JohnA]

is this another one out in the wild, or yours with the custom side panels removed

[sakabatou]

Ah yes the Forte. Do you still have it? And what coffee machine are you pairing it with? I ended up purchasing another one - the mahlkonig vario (are they the same grinder but different branding?). You can't beat the form factor (size). Although I have found the espresso from the vario to taste a little muddy compared to the Robur or K30.

Still going strong as my daily grinder.
It’s not paired with anything special: a Breville Oracle, so the wife can manage

[Faatshank]

Not sure this is right. The dissolved solids make it a fair bit heavier than water, which is 1g=1ml
what you’re currently pulling sounds like it’s closer to a ristretto.
most sources that I’ve read suggest starting at about a 1:2 ratio of bean weight to liquid weight, but I’m current doing 17.7g in, 30g out in roughly 30sec. But this may have no relevance to you, as it’s not lever.
Coincidentally, weighing in/out is why I bought your Forte í*½í±

Ah yes the Forte. Do you still have it? And what coffee machine are you pairing it with? I ended up purchasing another one - the mahlkonig vario (are they the same grinder but different branding?). You can't beat the form factor (size). Although I have found the espresso from the vario to taste a little muddy compared to the Robur or K30.

[Faatshank]

Based on what I have read, discussions with people in the industry, user feedback and the above GS3/Speedster comparison there seems to be no doubt a well executed lever design is about as good as it gets at this time.

We can argue how much technology you need behind the lever - I still think the modified GS3 is the ultimate lever design but for most of us too expensive.

I conclude the Profitec 800 or Alex Leva when calibrated may get awfully close at half the price(!)

Completely agree - well said. I have come to the same conclusion (as explained in my previous posts). It is all, in my opinion, about the well executed lever design. I won't go back.....

[warmtone]

Manual or no manual - the proof is in the cup. With the Lever GS3 and the Speedster lined up side by side - same bean - same grinder - 30 mil shot in 25 seconds with the Speedster and the equivalent in the Lever GS3. Very different flavour. GS3 Lever wins hands down....

Based on what I have read, discussions with people in the industry, user feedback and the above GS3/Speedster comparison there seems to be no doubt a well executed lever design is about as good as it gets at this time.

We can argue how much technology you need behind the lever - I still think the modified GS3 is the ultimate lever design but for most of us too expensive.

I conclude the Profitec 800 or Alex Leva when calibrated may get awfully close at half the price(!)

[Yelta]

The LaPavoni is a pretty basic little machine, was a novelty/fun whilst I owned it, however I'm under no illusion that it comes anywhere near the level of higher end lever machines.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Only the LaPavoni Barry.

Fair nuff.

I find my Achille pretty simple to use, certainly no more difficult than a good quality HX. And definitely is better in the cup than my Diadema (which is a lovely machine as well).

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

Having owned both a La Pavoni and a profitec pro 800 I can confirm the la pavoni is a 'hassle'. It takes some time to get the hang of it and requires a bit of fine tuning in your use of the machine. It's not as simple as grinding, tamping and press a button. There is quite a bit of technique to get the right pressure in the lever, but it is part of the joy.

In a domestic setting I see no hassle with the sprung lever. In the Netherlands I saw a barista use a 3 group sprung lever machine and would pour coffees for 8+ hours. I imagine that was a hassle for sure.

On the point about brew temperature not important/not being controlled by a sprung lever. Yes this is partly correct. The water will cool slightly when it hits the group head and will change the outcome of the shot, which is why it is important to always properly heat your lever first. There is no need for a second boiler on a sprung lever as the water is pulled directly from the boiler and fills the void in the group head created by the compression of the spring. Once the lever is released the water source from the boiler to the group head is closed. There is no pump drawing water from the boiler during the shot needing a supply of hot water. There is just simply no need to have a dedicated steaming boiler/brew boiler - just more parts to go wrong, which is the essence of a lever, simplicity.

[Gavisconi007]

I think this post references manual levers better than spring levers.

ahhh fair enough

[kwantfm]

I view Lever machines in a similar light to manual shift cars, the purist petrol head may well buy a manual, and not unnaturally declare it superior, the truth is most of us now drive an auto, not surprisingly, they still do the job they are intended for, and, with less hassle than a stick shift.

I think this post references manual levers better than spring levers.

[Gavisconi007]

I view Lever machines in a similar light to manual shift cars, the purist petrol head may well buy a manual, and not unnaturally declare it superior, the truth is most of us now drive an auto, not surprisingly, they still do the job they are intended for, and, with less hassle than a stick shift.

Hi Yelta

I’m not sure where you got the impression that a lever is more “hassle” than a pump machine.

From my personal experience going from a Giotto to a Pompei, I found that wasted shots are virtually non-existent with a lever, and cleaning is much easier. In my view this equates to less hassle with the lever. Not sure about La Pavonis- maybe they are a bit fiddly.