another_jim wrote:I've tried it, and not noticed a great deal of difference in the taste. On the other hand, I have never noticed the puck being sucked out of the basket or otherwise disrupted. One possibilty is that as the pressure builds, and the water bears down on the puck, it repairs any damage the initial vacuum caused. This repair may be less likely to happen with 1 bar boiler pressure than with 3 to 4 bar line pressure, or 8-10 bar pump pressure. Moreover, many Pavoni lever owners lower the boiler pressure even more to get better thermal management.

On the other hand, it does save one lever pulling cycle.

Thanks Jim. Not to be belabour the point and also state the obvious, puck composition may have a bearing on how the puck survives being exposed to a negative pressure differential. If the handle is cocked slowly then air might flow through and the puck remains stationary. Or if it jumps, acting as a one piece piston, then how stable is it in terms staying together going up and then reseating. Grind size, volume, tamp, and nature of the specific coffee particles in compacted state all would have an effect on puck disposition in a lever machine. #angels, #how many sitting on pin?

If you are considering a Strega it is truly worth your time to read this thread. You can skim many of the posts but there is a lot of valuable information. I had a couple of concerns when I bought my machine a few months ago but neither turned out to be an issue.

There were a couple of reports of the machine arriving scratched, apparently by the steam or water wands in shipment. My machine, purchased 10/14, arrived in perfect condition and the wands were nice wrapped and secured. Not a scratch on the baby.

Before even filling with water I did the "Vacuum Relief Valve Drain Line Modification" with a T-Connector and tubing. This very simple mod, well documented in the forum, will keep water out of the inside of your machine. It was nice to have a peek inside. Every thing was neatly routed and well secured.

There is a "store bought" bottomless portafilter available for the Strega now. It was a big help in learning tamping and I still use it exclusively for shots since the Strega makes such pretty espresso.

Some users mentioned excessive grease in the piston. After making the first few shots, I disassembled the piston prepared to clean and re-grease. The simple procedure is covered in this thread. There was little extra grease around the seals but and, being picky, there was a little sediment on the inside of the screen. The job wasn't necessary on my machine - perhaps the factory is listening.

Wonderful machine. Lightly used around this household but we do enjoy the coffees.

Good having latest reports on purchasing the Strega and receiving it in fine condition. May I ask which vendor you used....thanks!

Sorry to be so long in replying.

• The Strega from 1st-Line Equipment.
  A few odds and ends, such as the T-Connector and 1/4" Silicone Tubing by 12" to do the vacuum breaker drain modification came from Chris' Coffee Service.
  14g and 21g Ridgeless Basket and a few other bits came from Espresso Parts
  The bottomless portafilter was from Cafelatstore.

After investigating the Strega I knew what I wanted and didn't spend much if any interacting with the companies' sales departments. Each company shipped promptly and I was please with the service from all of them.

I'll be happy to provide more details if you like.

Thank you! 1st Line does stock a bunch of parts for the Strega--I had a good experience ordering a grinder from them. They seemed to be knowledgeable and careful. Now, to wait for the Stregas to whisk in to US dealers' warehouses on their brooms!

Sorry to see the Strega is currently out of stock at 1st Line. No idea how long it takes them to get new inventory. They do come up in the Buy/Sell section from time to time.

Dave, PM me if you want to discuss that option.

kofi wrote:Really?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uveo5dgU32c

Great link. Thanks for sharing.

I bought my Strega from Idrinkcoffee in Milton Ontario. I think they ship to the US. My experience with them has been great. Here is the link to them:
http://www.idrinkcoffee.com/

Watched Jim's video on the amount of water filled with different pump settings, or without a pump.

Can I confirm if I reduce the pump pressure, the volume of coffee will be reduced, and the starting pressure remains unchanged?
What's changed is a faster decline of pressure?

It's truly a versatile machine.
Where are the parts to dismantle to remove the spring?

the amount of water the pump fills into the cylinder depends mainly of the pressure you are reaching when you stop the pump;

while filling the cylinder, the pressure of the pump is practically zero (1 bar absolute), with or without dimmer;
when the brewing water volume is almost full, the mixture of vapors, water and air, begin to offer an hydraulic resistance, the flow of the pump decreases while the pressure start to build up; the first drips of coffee appears on the shower and the end of the ramp is reached;
it could be 10 bars (factory setting for mine), 9 bars (now), or 2-6 bars with dimmer;

the full power of springs creates the same 10.2 bars when working with the stock pump to the end of the pressure ramp; but, if the volume of water filled up is smaller (pump stopped earlier on the ramp, or with dimmer), the piston will start in a lower position, the pressure of the springs will be smaller; in this case, the lever starts somewhere in a higher position than horizontally (this corresponding roughly to closing the water entry orifice);
and the total volume of water available for extraction is smaller, 40-50 ml as it happens in my case;

obviously, with a dimmer, the flow is slower and the filling time is longer (also the pump preinfusion):
while with a direct connected pump, the final ramp starts after cca. 7 sec and takes 4-5 sec, with a dimmer, the final ramp could start after 17-25 sec and is slower, up to a pressure which yes, depends of the dimmer setting;
providing that somewhere at the end of the ramp, the shower is dripping, so there is a flow to continue with;
if there is no flow at the end of the ramp for a pump with dimmer, the pressure continues to increase, up to the limited value set via OPV!

in flush and in the no pressure portion of the profile, the pump flow is around 10 ml/sec;
actually, as temp profile on the HX output, the flush and the preinfusion looks similar (when they are recorded after a full recovery, 2-3 min);

I have installed (on pump output), a pressure gauge for preinfusion, and also I've made some measurements with a portafilter with pressure gauge and a valve;
also, I have a PID installed on the group, and a lot of session temp profiles (HX output and group point 1), and some pressure profiles, for those interested;