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Coming to terms with the witch: strega

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  • #16
    Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

    Originally posted by 343A2A3B352C3C2A590 link=1319882086/14#14 date=1322720592
    Are TNT called TNT because someone should BLOW THEM UP??
    Yeah- they have a long history of apathy and its why we dumped them.

    The important thing is to get it right and then pick up the pieces as Renzo has done  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]. Its one of the many bonuses of this community.

    Will TNT compensate in any way? Yep- with threats of court action if any payments are withheld.

    We had so many claims when we were with TNT that we were on the brink of being refused by our transit insurers.

    Take a big deep breath JJ. All will be well...

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

      After an absolute 3 ring circus of bad courierism (is there any other kind?) today ...



      Ahhh - revel in its shininess! (must take a better pic ... but a bit busy atm ... sleep, who needs it?)

      BTW ... I currently have 2 Stregas ... its entirely possible TNT will just forget about the other one ... any offers??

      Cheers,

      JJ

      (aka "big kid in a sweet shop" - oh well, Ive been called worse! ;D)

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      • #18
        Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

        Congrats JJ,

        They always look so much better once in the hands of an appreciative new owner.

        Enjoy and we look forward to reading your findings

        Chris

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        • #19
          Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

          Oh wow congrats on the purchase, the Strega is one damn sexy machine and possibly the only thing I would think about upgrading my Breville for as I am fascinated by lever machines.

          I would love to try a couple of shots from the lovely beast of the machine, I did watch Jims videos on it a while back.

          BTW thanks for the Sassafras JJ, Greg made sweet work of that for the nexus, I still owe you a couple of coffees so if you are in town hit me up.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

            Hi all,

            Im looking for an upgrade as well. Currently, thinking of upgrading to a GIOVE II until I saw the strega 2 days ago. It gives me a very hard decision to make. I love the pressure profiling from the strega but I also like the thermostability of the GIOVE II. Very very hard!!!!!

            Also, how do you clean a lever machine? can u back flush it?

            Tony

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

              Originally posted by 3E382A242138234D0 link=1319882086/19#19 date=1323690110
              Hi all,

              Im looking for an upgrade as well. Currently, thinking of upgrading to a GIOVE II until I saw the strega 2 days ago. It gives me a very hard decision to make. I love the pressure profiling from the strega but I also like the thermostability of the GIOVE II. Very very hard!!!!!

              You choose on the this method
              "does it fit like a glove in hour household"
              " Does it make fantastic coffee"

              Originally posted by 3E382A242138234D0 link=1319882086/19#19 date=1323690110
              Also, how do you clean a lever machine? can u back flush it?

              Tony
              I have been told that
              No backflushing is required
              A water flush is required to remove coffee oils and keeping the brew head & seal brushed clean of coffee grounds

              KK

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                Originally posted by 4A6E676764645E4A6E726C6E010 link=1319882086/21#21 date=1323691012

                You choose on this method
                "does it fit like a glove in hour household"
                " Does it make fantastic coffee"
                Yes. although I may need sunglasses in the kitchen in the morning and oh my goodness, yes!!

                Still need a bit of practice with the big steam - think maybe a 300 - 400ml jug might help for small amounts (my smallest is 600ml).

                Tony, Jim Schulman has some interesting (and probably controversial) things to say about thermo stability in this thread (page 12 or 13 from memory) - just dont tell the PID brigade!

                http://www.home-barista.com/reviews/bezzera-strega-second-look-t18933.html

                BTW, while I have thanked them personally. Id be remiss if I didnt emphasise how far Chris at Barazi and Renzo and his team at Di Bartoli have gone above and beyond normal service during this whole courier nightmare. While thankfully Star Track (Express youre kidding) didnt drop it, I cant quite shake their recorded message whilst on hold, yet again trying to talk to their call centre  : - who had no idea at all what was going on when you did finally speak to a human. You see apparently their tracking and communication are regarded as not just "industry leading" but "cutting edge" ...

                Honestly theyd could only improve if they adopted smoke signals ...

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                • #23
                  Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                  Originally posted by 66687869677E6E780B0 link=1319882086/21#21 date=1323693942
                  Yes. although I may need sunglasses in the kitchen in the morning Wink and oh my goodness, yes!! Smiley

                  Still need a bit of practice with the big steam - think maybe a 300 - 400ml jug might help for small amounts (my smallest is 600ml).
                  With regards to steaming -

                  This thread was created for you

                  http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1220959662

                  KK

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                    Yes mate, I do know the thread (even though your link is broken) and I have been re-reading it.

                    Good to know you were thinking about me in 2008!

                    BTW Im still waiting on a couple of bits but a new bench has appeared in the garage, and the new KKTO roasting station is well under way .... which it needs to be ... the hordes are coming, the hordes ... :

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                      Hmmm, definitely making progress!

                      Once you get the grind/dose pretty much dialled in the shot itself is (as I think you found KK) ridiculously easy - especially so with the degree of control you have during the shot (I think CG mentioned that ... speaking of CG ... ) BTW I am using a Synesso double because my Pullman tamper is machined for that and is a fraction big for the Bezzera baskets. It works well and I have a matched Synesso triple on order from Greg which I am keen to try as well and will easily fit in the Bezzera buckets.

                      The milk - I dont do a lot of milk drinks myself but with a new machine you can bet every man and his dog wants you to be a latte art champion. Forget that, my 2 cents is just to relax and not stress about every time being perfect - it is more about feel (specifically when to stop) than technique and after a litre or so of Coles 3 bucks for 3 litres rubbish tonight I am already much improved.

                      The Strega? - just brilliant!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                        I found that a finer grind than I normally use on my BZ40 worked better

                        The baskets were the standard Bezzera type when I trialed it
                        And I used my home roasted beans

                        Stock standard the Strega just went on with its business of making coffee -
                        During the open day I pulled shot after shot, the spouts were woozing crema out - most with tiger stripes

                        Enjoy your new machine and give the human element, time to acclimatize   

                        KK

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                        • #27
                          Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                          There is no shortage of crema ... not sure if it is "woozing" ... will have to look out for that! ;D

                          Meant to say I got a kilo of brown beans from Andy (aka Fiefy  ) as I wanted to cut down on the variables initially - interestingly quite a grind change required from my home roast. Also meant to say Im very pleased with the Vario after a bit of modding to make the slippery Bezzera PF happy. It makes it easy to dial in the dose and grind ( yep it is pretty fine) and lets the human element play with the shiny thing!

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                            Someone was asking on the different Strega models available

                            Currently discussed model
                            Strega - with tank & vibration pump

                            Other models available by order only at this stage

                            Strega - Dual - Tank and Plumbed in

                            This model has 2 pumps
                            1 X Rotary pump - for mains water connection
                            1 X Vibration pump - for tank use

                            Strega - Direct mains

                            This model has no pump at all and connects direct to the mains water line

                            KK

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                              After initially being somewhat sceptical about the need and the noise of the pump, I find it really isnt a big deal, the pump isnt on for long at any stage. But I will plumb in a drain - what with cooling flushes and shots finishing beyond ideal extraction, coupled with a fairly shallow tray ... a purging blast on the big steam can get quite messy if the tray is already half full! :-[

                              So, when I work out the ideal height for the platform - currently thinking another 100mm on top of bench height (900mm) I will incorporate a drain and maybe an extra drawer in the riser unit.
                              Th fill side isnt a drama at all - just a once a day thing from a Brita filter (90+% rain water here so no need for scale protection) - unless there is a big crowd around.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Coming to terms with the witch: strega

                                Ya!!! I have just joined the Strega club . I picked up the machine from Chris yesterday. I just set it up in the kitchen but still havent had a chance to make any coffee from it just yet. Hopefully, I can have a bit of time to play with it tonight.

                                Just wanna know,how much coffee does people use for the factory double basket ?

                                Tony.

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