I'm fortunate to enjoy both futuristic and traditional espresso machines as represented by the Decent DE1XL with its Android tablet and the Izzo Valexia Leva with its La San Marco double spring lever mechanism.
I’m grateful to site sponsors John Buckman of decentespresso and Antony de Fina of Casa Espresso for supplying and supporting me with each of these machines.
I promised yochiya a comparison so here goes.
I used Kenya AA Lena beans, dark roasted with a moisture loss between green and roasted of 18.5%. I used a Weber EG-1 for grinding. I poured four espressos on each machine. I used the Traditional Lever preset on the Decent. I will probably not sleep for a week.
Firstly, whilst it’s true that the Decent has various Lever machine presets (meaning that it emulates those machines’ typical temperature, pre-infusion pressure and time, pour pressure and time) there are simply too many other variables to make a direct “apples to apples” comparison.
For example, the basket size on the Decent is 58mm and on the Izzo is 54mm. And those baskets have different depths, different gaps between the top of the puck and shower screen and come from different manufacturers and the holes are therefore engineered differently.
Additionally, it’s virtually impossible to get the temperature of the water in each machine identical at the group head or to get the pre-infusion pressure identical and the tamping pressure identical from one shot to another.
Another variable was that to achieve a 1:2 espresso ratio with a 30 second pour from each machine, I had to grind a lot finer for the Decent than I did for the Izzo.
That said, here are my conclusions.
Other conclusions follow which I'd class as being less categorical and more subjective include:
Which machine would I recommend if it were only to be one or the other?
For those who want to dive deep down any number of espresso rabbit holes, who have both the time and energy to explore and were a little more tech-minded than the average person, then clearly it would be the Decent.
For those who enjoy a simpler espresso experience and who are prepared to pay more attention to puck preparation and who love a more physical espresso experience, then the Izzo is my recommendation.
That said, it will be a cold day in hell before I part with either of them.
Happy to take questions and very interested in opinions and experiences of any and all.

I’m grateful to site sponsors John Buckman of decentespresso and Antony de Fina of Casa Espresso for supplying and supporting me with each of these machines.
I promised yochiya a comparison so here goes.
I used Kenya AA Lena beans, dark roasted with a moisture loss between green and roasted of 18.5%. I used a Weber EG-1 for grinding. I poured four espressos on each machine. I used the Traditional Lever preset on the Decent. I will probably not sleep for a week.
Firstly, whilst it’s true that the Decent has various Lever machine presets (meaning that it emulates those machines’ typical temperature, pre-infusion pressure and time, pour pressure and time) there are simply too many other variables to make a direct “apples to apples” comparison.
For example, the basket size on the Decent is 58mm and on the Izzo is 54mm. And those baskets have different depths, different gaps between the top of the puck and shower screen and come from different manufacturers and the holes are therefore engineered differently.
Additionally, it’s virtually impossible to get the temperature of the water in each machine identical at the group head or to get the pre-infusion pressure identical and the tamping pressure identical from one shot to another.
Another variable was that to achieve a 1:2 espresso ratio with a 30 second pour from each machine, I had to grind a lot finer for the Decent than I did for the Izzo.
That said, here are my conclusions.
- Both machines can produce “God shot” expressos. I’m aware that there is perhaps nothing more subjective than opinions about espresso and clearly, that superlative and the ones that may follow are only my opinion. But my oh my, full-flavored, thick, crèma-laden, chocolate-raisin-toffee espresso oozing from each basket into the cups and then over my taste buds, is an experience that both machines are fully capable of producing. I could not say that I preferred the espresso from one machine over the other; I love the espressos from both machines.
- The Decent offers unmatched versatility due to it being programmable via the tablet. Temperature, pressure, and flow rate can be pre-determined for every second of every shot. That is simply extraordinary. And so can the duration of pre-infusion (the Izzo can do that too of course) and the duration of the pour. Not to mention the presets such as Scott Rao’s “Blooming Espresso” or his “Rao Allonge” and many others from the Decent Diaspora community mean that potential for experimentation is virtually infinite.
- That versatility is countered by the physical, sensual experience of the Izzo Valexia Leva that can’t be matched by a tablet-controlled machine. The bare essentialism and physicality of pulling the double-spring lever down, pausing for pre-infusion and then releasing the lever is a magical pleasure, every time.
Other conclusions follow which I'd class as being less categorical and more subjective include:
- Both machines are easy to clean and maintain
- Both will likely never be made obsolete by manufacturers upgrades (for different reasons: John Buckman has stated as such and the lever design is already 76 years old)
- Both embody high quality design, engineering and build
- The Izzo demands a higher quality puck preparation
- The Decent offers more scope to extract the best from lighter roasts
- The Decent Diaspora community on basecamp.com offers unparalleled peer-user support
- The Izzo emits a presence that commands attention from every visitor (regular expressions of "wow")
- The Decent stimulates curiosity and intrigue from every visitor (also "wow", but only after I explain what it is)
- My wife is certain that I have I have lost my marbles (she is not a coffee drinker) and has the local psychiatrist on speed dial, just in case
Which machine would I recommend if it were only to be one or the other?
For those who want to dive deep down any number of espresso rabbit holes, who have both the time and energy to explore and were a little more tech-minded than the average person, then clearly it would be the Decent.
For those who enjoy a simpler espresso experience and who are prepared to pay more attention to puck preparation and who love a more physical espresso experience, then the Izzo is my recommendation.
That said, it will be a cold day in hell before I part with either of them.
Happy to take questions and very interested in opinions and experiences of any and all.

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