Dear All,

I am new to home-brew espresso and to this forum. I am looking at buying a lever espresso machine and I have laid my eyes on the La Pavoni Europiccola and Professional. From the look of them I can tell that the Professional has a pressure gauge while the Europiccola doesn't. Is this an inconvenience to not having it? Is there anything you can do with the Professional but can't do on the Europiccola. Will the coffee have the same quality from both machines? I heard that the Europiccola has a two stage heater. What exactly is the difference? I won't be making a lot of espresso at a time, 1 to 2 cups max. My criteria for choosing the machine is quality/crema no.1, price no.2 and everything else I can live with. Will anyone share their opinion?

Thank you.

hon

If there is a significant price differential between the Professional and the Europiccola (EP) then go for the cheaper Europiccola. Shot making and shot quality is identical and issues with overheating (after a couple of shots)are exactly the same. The bigger boiler will allow for stronger steaming, but given that you only make a couple of shots a day then this is not really an issue. And if you wanted to, buying a single hole steam tip from say someone like Orphan Espresso cures the reduced steaming power on the EP.

If they are of a similar price range, then I guess the Professional has a bit more presence about it.

Good luck with your purchase. Lots of info on this forum on how to use these wonderful machines.

If you are new to leaver machines I'd seriously consider trying one out for a while before getting one. I thought the same as you did and bought a lever machine, only to give up after six months of terrible coffee and buy an machine with a pump and E61 group head. I've been thrilled with the E61 machine, and still have never gotten a decent shot from the lever machine.

From talking to others, and reading other posts on various forums my progression seems to be a quite common one. Maybe you'll love a lever machine, but do try one out if you can as they are quite difficult to master.

Not every lever machine is a LaPav...

Thank you guys soooo much for your valuable inputs. ziemas, I will take your advice and try out one first. Thank you again.

My experience is the direct opposite of ziemas, above. I got a La Pav cheap on craigslist, and then purchased a Bezzera BZ02SDE, thinking I was missing out on something. Well, the Europiccola makes wonderful, if slightly inconsistent espresso, and I've gotten few (very few) very good shots with the Bezzera.

ziemas wrote:If you are new to leaver machines I'd seriously consider trying one out for a while before getting one. I thought the same as you did and bought a lever machine, only to give up after six months of terrible coffee and buy an machine with a pump and E61 group head. I've been thrilled with the E61 machine, and still have never gotten a decent shot from the lever machine.

From talking to others, and reading other posts on various forums my progression seems to be a quite common one. Maybe you'll love a lever machine, but do try one out if you can as they are quite difficult to master.

Trying out any machine before you buy is indeed sensible, if you can. In reality, Pavonis do take a little bit practice, but not too much. You should get some good espresso in no time, and based on your requirements on a couple of drinks a day only, a lever machine like the Pav's would suit your requirements beautifully. That is exactly what they are designed for.

However Pavoni's do demand the freshest coffee ground from a high quality grinder ground in your home before you make a shot. Never bought, pre ground coffee. Even slightly old beans Pavonis will be merciless with. If you cant guarantee this then yes, the Pavoni is likely to disappoint.

If you're not worried about portability, it might be worth considering the Pro just for the pressure gauge. As you go further and further into the fine coffee journey you may find yourself experimenting in all sorts of ways to get an even finer cup and playing with heat/pressure could well be part of that.

Cheers

Mike

If you don't have a good grinder, don't bother with the lever at this time; at least as it regards the Pavoni. I find that I need to grind much finer for my Pavoni than my E61 semi-auto.