Do you regret buying a lever machine

[GreenBeanGenii]

Care to elaborate, do you get covered in a shower of coffee grindings?

Mostly a bit of everything. A right mess too.
Term has even made the Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary: portafilter sneeze

[bindibadgi]

Haha. You might. It makes a right mess.

[Etheral]

And good luck with your first portafilter sneeze.

Care to elaborate, do you get covered in a shower of coffee grindings?

[Henriklam]

Hi Etheral. I owned a pre 2000 La Pavoni Europiccola and now a Silvia w/ PID. I would say, it really depends on what type of person you are. If you enjoy the process, then I would definitely suggest a lever machine to you since it gives you more sense of achievement. But then again, this moment may come eventually after tonnes of frustration especially because this is your first machine. I kinda regret selling it to buy my Silvia really. Whatever your decision is, hope you will enjoy your machine.

[speleomike]

> And good luck with your first portafilter sneeze.

Haha .... I have done that on my Ponte Vecchio :-)
I notice there are NO Youtube videos of PF sneezes.

[LordL]

I bought my La Pavoni in 1993 and it's still going strong. New gaskets when needed are easy to obtain and fit. There's plenty advice on the web. I will never part with it. And suits me well as I'm the only coffee drinker in the house.
It did take me about 5 years before I worked out how to pull a consistent good shot, though. However those were the days before YouTube and the web.
One piece of advice that was given to me, I'll pass on. Don't stick with one basket. Have at least 2. When you're making more than one coffee, it saves a huge amount of time to have filled baskets ready. They just drop in and aren't a tight fit.
And good luck with your first portafilter sneeze.

[speleomike]

Hey

You will enjoy it lots. I have a La Pav Europiccola from the late 1970's and a modern Ponte Vecchio Lever machine. I like both though I make use of the Vecchio more as it does not overheat as much. Its usually just an espresso for me and a piccolo for the wife. Hopefully I'll find one day an affordable lever machine with a full 58mm PF size.

The learning curve is not too steep. Just read posts here and watch the many youtube videos and practice. It can make a great shot off coffee - just make sure you use good beans. Popping down to Woolies or Coles for beans to try out in your new machine will lead to disappointment :-) Order in some nice roasted CS beans.

Best wishes
Mike

[shortblackman]

Aaah. Good move. You'll enjoy rapidly improving shots, & within a couple of months you'll wonder what the hoo har is about!

one last purchase. Jar of Kraft peanut butter: eat or wash out the jar's contents. The plastic jar fits nicely on the lido as a replacement/ spare/ risk free jar.

that is, unless the lido e has a plastic jar to start with. Can't remember....

[Etheral]

I have purchased a Europiccola and Lido E grinder, can't wait for them to arrive. Excited for the steep learning curve!

[Rolf]

starting with a Europiccola is not the best way, that machine needs a lot of experience.
I have a Bezzera leva and a Astoria Perla, there are both easier to handle.
if you start with a Europiccola, you should have a good grinder, at least that makes it a bit easier.

[Pretzal]

I have both a Vibiemme Domobar Super (heat exchange machine) and a Europiccola. If I go away, I take the europiccola and a Portaspresso hand grinder (fantastic grinder) but typically at home I just use the Vibiemme as its easier to just walk up anytime and it's ready to go. Where as the Europiccola, I have to turn it on then have a window of opportunity in which to make the coffee before it overheats. It's still a lot of fun and does make a truly great espresso/latte when you get it right, but for me I find you get one shot at it before it overheats and you have to wait for it to cool. Forget entertaining with it. I still use the europiccola at home occasionally when I need a coffee quickly and the Vibiemme isn't on or I actually just want to experience the pleasure and simplicity of the lever.

Ultimately, it would be up to you whether these limitations you could work with or not.

[fg1972]

I've got a hx giotto evo rotary pump machine and also an old 76 model Europicolla lever as a 2nd machine. Whilst the evo is the daily driver, I regularly use the Europicolla for something different and although it is harder to operate, the coffee it produces is mind blowing once you know what you're doing. I've got no regrets buying a lever machine. To me, the lever machine is like driving an old Italian sports car, harder to drive but when you know how, it's an awesome experience.

[Etheral]

Other aspects that appeal to me is the compact design, as bench real estate is minimal. I was impressed with the site sponsors, contacting me with in the day of doing a quote. Im currently having 2 coffee's a day, and the other half will have about the same. It should do us for a while to get our fix. All I have to do is to wait for a nice second hand unit to come up in the trade section.

[deegee]

I have a Europiccola and a Gaggia G106 which is a Pavoni Pro with Gaggia badge. I also bought a Pavoni Pro for one of my daughters, and I don't regret buying any of them.

However they were not my first ever coffee machines. I already understood the basics of grind/dose/tamp and how they go together, and had a good grasp of temperature and pressure control needed to make espresso. Even so, I needed to brush up a little on my techniques to get the best from the lever machines. However, I got the hang of them fairly quickly, and they made some of the best coffees I had ever pulled myself, and better than many I had paid for. I only use them when I'm making one or two cups, which is most of the time.

Yes they do require some attention to detail, yes the exterior does get hot, and could be dangerous for small children, and yes they take a bit more effort than some other machines, but it's not that much trouble.

I have not used a spring lever machine so I can't comment on them, but an Elektra is on my wish list, and if a good S/H one comes up at the right price I will probably grab it.

[Deano]

Hi Etheral . I have an Elektra Micro Casa a Leva and Lido 2 which I take on holidays in the caravan. I love this combination. Makes great espresso and latte. 2nd hand leva and new grinder was less than a grand. Good luck.