Good morning! After another almost perfect pull with my Cremina, I felt the need to muse about your problems. First, you're in Washington State? Could you locate someone who owns a Cremina for a demonstration of proper technique. When I started I was tutored by a couple of HBers in the Chicago are t...

That's not the way a pull works. It should take considerable force to pull the lever down

There's a bit of a learning curve, but you have gear that's capable of world class espresso, fresh beans and grind finer until you achieve a 25 second extraction. There should be considerable resistance on the lever but not so much that you need body weight behind it. Joel

Bought my Cremina from Orphan (Doug and Barb) about 20 years ago and have never looked back. Cerini has rebuilt the group twice over the years, one pressurestat, and I just installed a new boiler cap gasket and that's about it. It produces great espresso day after day with continual reliability and ...

A few months ago, Baratza refurbished my quite old Forte for a bit over $100, hard to beat that. Joel

Positively magnificent, keep it!

Forgot to mention: you'll most probably be dealing with Johnny Cerini who is one of, in my humble opinion, dealers in the business. He stocks a full range of parts and accessories for these machines ; I order from him regularly. Joel

I own both the SL and the traditional Cremina as well as the Microcasa Leva. Of the three, I prefer the original, manual Cremina as it gives by far the most control over your shots. It will last your lifetime and more, and after owning it now for 15 years or so, I have absolutely no desire to

Just had my Forte refurbished by Baratza after 12 years or so, two week turnaround and a very fair price. These little beasts are made to be repaired

Agreed! JIm has been a dear friend for many years, and he's what's known as a super taster. Joel