Olympia's other Jewel of a Machine

[bobcraige]

I have owned a Cremina for almost fifteen years and consider it an absolute jewel of a machine. Its build quality, operational quality and quality in the cup are superb. It came as no surprise to me when recently they have become highly after and used machines today bring many times their original purchase price.

I just finished rebuilding an Olympia Maximatic and am just as impressed with it as the Cremina. Years ago, when I first got my Cremina, I saw a Maximatic at Zabars, but could learn little about it at the time.



I am delighted to report that the Maximatic shares all of the exceptional qualities of the Cremina. It is tiny, hand made, has superb fit and finish, and makes a great cup. When I first fired it up, I was a bit apprehensive about what kind of results it would give as my experience table is all with the Cremna which is a tough act to follow. By the third cup, the Maximatic was getting results comparable to the Cremina. My Maximatic uses the same 49mm portafilter and baskets as the Cremina, so it has a head start for comparisons.

The Maximatic is a heat exchanger design. It contains a boiler similar in size and design to the Cremina's but with the addition of a heat exchanger. A three way solenoid is mounted on top of the boiler to relieve group pressure when the pump is turned off. The Maximatic shares the exact same pressurestat of the Cremina. The machine is almost the same dimensions as the Cremina, but deeper to accommodate a large water reservoir. An added benefit of the Maximatic is a warm storage shelf at the top of the machine allowing warming of four cups.

The machine's operation is very simple. There is a main on off switch, an indicator lamp wired in parallel with the heater and a switch for the pump. Fill the boiler to the fill line, fill the reservoir and switch the machine on. Immediately pulse the pump switch until the pump is primed. Open the steam valve as the machine heats to purge any air trapped in the boiler. When the machine comes up to temperature, the heater lamp switches on and off with the heater.

Attach the portafilter and basket to the group and run a flush to preheat the group and cup. Fill the basket with coffee and attach to the group. Switch on the pump for a second to wet the puck. Now wait ten seconds for preinfusion and switch the pump back on to extract. When the extraction is complete, switch off the pump and the three way solenoid relives the pressure into the drip tray.

Being a heat exchanger machine, the machine is always ready to steam. The steam wand swivels laterally so you can adjust for the most comfortable position. Being a heat exchanger, it also means that it can be left on all the time and be always ready for use.

The results in the cup were terrific with similar crema color and amount to the Cremina. What a wonderful little machine.

The Maximatic was built under several different names. In Europe and here, it was marketed under the name Maximatic. Zabars marketed it called a Coffex. Pasquini also marketed it and called it a Livetta. Both 49mm and 54mm groups were used, Zabar's used a 49mm and Pasquini used the 54mm. The 54mm had the added bonus that it could be used with the Illy Easy Serving Espresso System pods should you want to.

The Maximatic shares the same superb build quality, fit and finish of the Cremina. It is larger and heavier and has a deeper footprint. Unlike the Cremina, it can make an unlimited number of espressos as it does not suffer overheating and the open reservoir can be refilled at any time, even in the middle of a shot. Since the boiler water is only used for steaming, the boiler needs much less frequent refilling than the Cremina. This makes the machine suitable for large dinner parties or even a small restaurant.

Like the Cremina, this is a superb gem and it I am delighted to have it!

[grong]

Thanks for the report bobcraige, and congratulations on your restored Maximatic. Is a cooling flush necessary with this HX? How long for the machine to warm up? Please post a photo of a shot if you get the chance. Yours is an excellent looking machine!

[mogogear]

I actually had a Pasquini Livietta( circa 1980) and it had the 49mm group , so I think these things got shuffled around with alot of variations.
I have to agree about quality. The shots were very good and the flushing was minimal to keep stable temp wise. Although more complicated than the Cremina, a very simple design that worked well.

[timo888]

Bob,
What does the pump sound like? Is it noisy? Fairly quiet?
I like the minimal flush and temperature stability. Does the Maximatic run cooler than the Cremina or at the same temp (i.e. when the Cremina is on the 1st or 2nd shot)?
Regards
Timo

[mogogear]

Tim,
Typical vibe pump, mine had been "insulated" with foam tape. The pump is mounted to a metal bracket right underneath the reservoir at the rear. It was pretty quiet. I never left it on for extended periods or ever temped it much to comment on stability / fluctuation.

greg

[Avi Fischer]

As the current custodian of a 1991 cremina, I became inspired by your restoration of this beutiful Maximatic, took the plunge and won a Pasquini version of the Maximatic off e-bay (together with its Moca grinder). Waiting for it to arrive, but given the "sold as is" description I anticipate a major rebuild project. I wonder if you could share some details of the project you just finished, to help guide me through this undertaking....and I thank you in advance. I enjoyed putting the Cremina back together and than the great espresso it makes. And I say to myself that this machine would look great next to the Cremina....if I can convince my wife......

[bobcraige]

Dear Avi

Congratulations on your Pasquini purchase. I believe that the glass bean hopper is cracked according to my understanding of the auction text. The original Murano hand blown glass hopper as used on the old grinders, is no longer available, but a blue plastic replacement is available. The factory can also custom fit the new pyrex hopper from the current Moca, but it is a custom made item. I did a post some time ago about this including the prices. The new hopper is very thick strong pyrex and more robust than the old hand blown one. The new grinder is in my photo with the new hopper if you want to see what it looks like:



I will be happy to help with whatever information you need.

[Avi Fischer]

Thank you for your quick response. I wonder what the crack will look like (the unit didn't look very well cared for, but who knows.......I did notice your response to sombody looking for a hopper.....your grinder looks great..so I will look into getting the new hopper. I am waiting to disaasemble the unit before ordering parts so that hopefully I can deal with olympia in an organized way rather than piece-meal. Your setup looks great..I wonder if this is going to start a new wave of restorations....

[rebank]

Hi everyone.

I also bought a Livietta, aka Olympia Maximatic. Its serial number starts with 85, so it has the later, 56(?) mm filters. It is in outstanding shape, except for the water level indicator, which does not seem to have water getting into it. How can I fix this? Also, in which direction the pressurestat need to be turned to increase pressure? I'd like to experiment with it. I inserted a temp probe right through the portafilter and it shows 200 degrees.

Many thanks in advance,

Edward Bank

LMWDP #048
Olympia Maximatic
Mazzer Super Jolly

[bobcraige]

The sight glass problem is due to scale build up in the boiler passages to the sight glass. The machine needs to be descaled with particular attention to getting the descaling solution into the passages. This can be done by filling the machine with descaling solution and placing it on its sides to get the solution to the passages. Likely you might want to do an overhaul of the machine at the same time.

In order to reasonably adjust the machine, you need a pressure gauge. Olympia offers a cap mounted gauge for the purpose. Measuring the water temperature coming out of the Portafilter is a poor test as the machine is a heat exchanger design. The water temperature will be affected by how long the machine sits, how much water is in the boiler, how long the pump is on, previous cooling flushes, reservoir temperature etc. To get control of things, you need to have a direct indicator of what you are doing, and the boiler pressure gives you this information. Looking down from the top of the machine, tuning the knurled nut of the pressurestat clockwise decreases the pressure and counterclockwise increases the pressure. Adjust the pressure to turn off at 1.1 bar and come back on about .9 bar.

[Avi Fischer]

Hi,

I would think the reason you see no water in the glass is build up of scale (assuming the rest of the unit is working properly). I would start by de-scaling the machine. You can use simple vinegar (5% acetic acid) or use Citric acid, dilute it and put it in the boiler (there are several threads dealing with descaling. Also Steve Robinson has a great description on how to disassemble the safety valve and the water level glass in his Cremina restoration thread in the Lever forum. Remember that since this is an Hx machine, the water in the reservoir is not the same as in the boiler.

Avi

[Avi Fischer]

Sorry Bob, I was writing my thread simultanously....................

[rebank]

Thank you, Bob and Avi. I shall report on the progress when I am done.

[aread]

What ever happened with you Pasquini Livetta and Moca Grinder?

I think I also bid on those same ones.

Andrew

[atao]

hi folks,

i've got a livietta, looks a lot like bob's above. i finally recently got a thermocouple-based temp meter to monitor temperature. i calibrated it with boiling water.

i basically found that i was brewing too hot - probably close to 206+.

so with the more responsive thermocouple, i can tell that i need something closer to a 4oz flush to get the temp down, not the 1-2oz that people are reporting. i think the first 2-2.5 oz are to get past the dance and then another 4 or 5 seconds.

i *think* my pressurestat is set around 1.1, which seems to be what others have said. should i just live with the longer flush? could anything be wrong? should i lower my pressurestat setting? i do like to make milk-based drinks, and kindov don't want to lose the steam pressure.

thanks for any advice,
andrew

[bobcraige]

hi folks,

i've got a livietta, looks a lot like bob's above. i finally recently got a thermocouple-based temp meter to monitor temperature. i calibrated it with boiling water.

i basically found that i was brewing too hot - probably close to 206+.

so with the more responsive thermocouple, i can tell that i need something closer to a 4oz flush to get the temp down, not the 1-2oz that people are reporting. i think the first 2-2.5 oz are to get past the dance and then another 4 or 5 seconds.

i *think* my pressurestat is set around 1.1, which seems to be what others have said. should i just live with the longer flush? could anything be wrong? should i lower my pressurestat setting? i do like to make milk-based drinks, and kindov don't want to lose the steam pressure.

thanks for any advice,
andrew

The heat exchanger tube has a volume of 3 oz. The working principle of a heat exchanger machine is for the machine to be in dynamic equilibrium. That is to say, with water flowing, the temperature should equalize. Therefore you should flush as long as it takes to get the temperature down to its final value. As the tube holds 3 oz, and there is some additional plumbing involved, 4 oz sounds about right. 1.1 bar is the correct (factory recommended) setting, but must be set with an accurate gauge. Nothing you have said indicates the pressurestat is set wrong. Without an accurate gauge to test the pressurestat setting, leave it alone.