Ever since the second half of the seventies fragments of holidays in northern Italy have remained cherished jewels of romantisism for me.
The girl I was smitten with had family there, so we travelled down on a motorcycle for summer holidays. I had my first taste of many experiences, food and drinks.
Amongst those was my first taste of espresso:
On a meter narrow terrace under the pergola in front of a bar at the lake-side I sip from an imo weírd mini cup. The incredibly aromatic, strong tasting drink is called after the espressing of the taste of coffee; under high pressure drawn by hand with a lever from a steam machine.
It is all strongly associated; the cool mornings, leisure evenings, espresso, being in love.
Like the light summer wine, the espresso does not taste quite the same back in the northern Netherlands. The espresso is all but forgotten, replaced by the urgency of modern life and the convenience of the omni-present filter coffee.

While I am enjoying summer love with espresso in Italy, in Cataluña a girl and her boyfirend are enjoying love and espresso thére. She and her fiancee buy a lever machine so they can make and enjoy proper espresso at home.
They get married and soon the leisure espresso experience is replaced by the urgency of life and the covenience of the filter coffee machine. The lever machine goes into the cupboard.

With romance and coffee aromas in the Italian and Catalan air, in England a lovely young girl is pulling espressos in a bar from a commercial machines. Fun as that experience is, study, a professional career; the priorities of modern life take also her on a busy road. She too all but forgets about the lever machine.

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Fast forward four decades and I find myself in the south of Spain in a romance.
With the lovely English girl!
On a terrace under a pergola, overlooking the mediterranean, I enjoy a latte she makes using a stove top Moka espresso pot bought for the purpose.
All different off course but again a strong package of emotions, impressions and tastes.
Together making, enjoying a cup from the Moka becomes a shared experience which we enjoy very much.

Parallel fast forward to today in Cataluña, renovation of the appartment pushes the espresso machine out of the cupboard where it's function is replaced by a Nespresso machine.

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As endearing as the Moka is, it has it's limitations and we would like to replace it with a proper espresso machine.
Thát proves to be easier decided than done: Modern machinery is excatly that; modern. It makes great espresso but there is something missing. The lever experience.
Making an espresso is still called 'pulling a shot' but is really 'pushing a button'. Ok, ok, there is a bit more to it, but there is no more lever pulling involved. No more fysically es-préssing the flavors by hand force on the lever.
Not prepared to pay quite a lot of money for a good quality modern machine which in effect crops our shared hands on experience, we stick to the humble but satisfying Moka.

Through some wonderfully quaint and unexpected link chasing on the internet which one could impossibly thínk out, I encounter a newly made lever machine for home use. It is the ever so slightly modernised version of the machine that was first released on the market in the nineteen fifties.
Even some original machines; the very same ones made half a century ago, are still about and making espresso!!
I find one such original for sale on a free ad site and contact the seller.

It is the Catalan girl!!
Most remarkably we soon discover the shared added value. She is as taken with my romantic take on it as I am with her line of the story and she sends me two photos of when they bought their love machine.
We decide that the machine should serve espresso to the southern romance.
She and her man pack it nuclear disaster resistant to make sure it arrives safely and that it does.

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With the box, coffee and cups in the car I go woo my love. Boy is she beautifull!
The Catalan girl has included a sweet letter which brings tears to our eyes.
The bomb resistant packing makes for spring X-mas, unpacking all the bits. The machine is incredibly complete with ALL the original accessories and it all as néw.
We need four hands to unwrap the machine itself and which is as hands on together as it comes.
It is a doddle to assemble and install. Soon we have it steaming. The sound of the milk frothing transports my English girl back to her days with the espresso machine.

The lovers' espresso cups I had bought were just the right thing too.
...and we are going to frame the letter.

Fast forward to the next moring and I go make my love a coffee to bring her in bed.
Busy with the not yet routine I suddenly notice her smiling at me in the door opening. 'I simply could not wait and not watch you' she whispers.
Yes a love story to be continued...

Petrus

The machine came with original user manual and accessories, one of which is an exquisite aluminum convex tamper.





As you can see it is the same machine that Marcfi exported to the US where it was marketed as the Cara.

Also clear is the full involvement of La Pavoni as the machine is thus branded on the base plate badge and also tagged Europiccola on the Marcfi documentation.
This is following the same usance as with the machines intended for commercial use in bars.

A lovely story and a rare and marvelous machine. You are one lucky guy.

Thanks guys.

Sent to me by the english girl

Next episode.

Meanwhile I have an EP by Marcfi to pull espressos for the english girl from the story ánd an La Pavoni EP at the farm occupying kitchen surface gracefully conceded by the resident female there.

Alsoalso an Arin for my son with whom I compete to pull me an espresso.



The Arin and yes we have already pulled it over




Two EPs means two grinders needed.

First I sourced a used Demoka M203 to uuse with the La Pavoni and I got on véry well with it.

To keep things simple I wanted another small flat burr machine for the Marcfi.
A friend in the village turned out to have an unused Ascaso Innova 1 in a cubboard. Yes I'll have that please!

After a good clean it proved to be quite ok. Just needed a new plastic chute and ditto hopper.

When at Ascaso Málaga I tried the 1 lbs. hopper of the Mini and it was a close enough fit. At 8 cm. lower than the 3 lbs. it makes the total height stand only 2 cm. higher than the Demoka on the LaPavoni crud tray.



The Demoka will keep the Marcfi and the knockbox company.

Good espresso!!!

....and good espresso it is

Made the english girl a cappuccino the proper way.
She was amazed that it took only 10 minutes from cold start up ánd that I could do something else for five to grind/brew/foam the best cup she'd ever enjoyed. Sofar.

What a life.
Enjoying a fresh fruit, a croissant with a proper cuppa overlooking the Mediterranean on the terrace of the charming female.