This is an email conversation over a period of time with a new owner of a Cremina; one of many similar conversations that I have had. I hope it helps others!

Hello,
Thank you for the good news, because buying a Cremina, you did well!. A Baratza Vario is a good accompaniment to the Cremina. The Cremina is my daily machine at this time.
Use filtered water, Dump and refill the boiler every few days.( Easy, as the machine is fairly light.) Flush the group with boiler water before and after use. That will keep the screen fairly clean. Pop the screen and put a little Dow 111 on the pins, piston, and rod every six months; makes for less wear.
I do not leave the machine on all day as it heats in about 20 minutes, or less. There are beaucoup H-B threads about the use and loving care of the Cremina, and for darn good reason. About once or twice a year I do a citric acid cleaning of the boiler. If you wish to see what is in the machine and all the parts and how they go together, OE has five threads also:
http://www.orphanespresso.com/REBUILD-G...545-1.html

The four really scary mistakes that I have made are:
1. Leaving the lever up. That lets boiler water flow when it heats.
2. Leaving the steam wand cracked open a little. That lets all the boiler water out as steam.
Light finger tight is all that is really necessary for the cap and steam wand. Tighter just wipes out the gaskets faster.
3. I have mistaken a white milk jug for the white Britta water filter jug when half awake in the morning..I really hate to clean a boiler!!!
4. I forgot to check the sight glass for water level. I now fill the boiler the night before at bed time.

I have heard that some folks forget to put the portafilter in in the morning..Do not operate the machine in the nude!!!
I would also suggest reading all the " I learned about coffee machines type threads1:
What I learned from today's mistake
I would also suggest reading all the " Hall of Shame posts:"
Hall of Shame: ''What I did when I was a newbie...''

I used to own a fully manual home lever (Factory), so I am familiar with manual levers. Three questions about the Cremina, if I may.

The Cremina is different than the Factory/LaPavoni in that, with the boiler setting that the totally rebuilt machine will come to you, there should be no overheating; and you may buy the color/depth of coffee roast that makes the best coffee for you. I roast to a light to medium brown, no black or oil.

1. After turning on the machine, and leave it warm up for about twenty (20) minutes, that is when I relieve false pressure through the steam wand, right? With the Gaggia Factory I remember turning on the machine, opening the steam valve and leaving it open, and closing the steam valve when the sputtering began.

I bought a Maximatic venting cap for mine when I found one on the 'bay, that is not the complete answer as the machine still needs one vent through the wand.. Before that, I would vent through the wand every time I thought about it. Today, I vented through the wand at about 5 minutes and then at 10 and I had full heat. I also drop a couple of very short pulls when I start out if the machine has not been on a long time. You can false pump the lever without fully raising the lever to heat the group due to the placement of the passages inside the group..

2. How do you prevent overheating? With the Gaggia Factory, I used to pull two shots in a row, then turn off the machine for a few minutes, then turn it back on when the shot was ready to be pulled. .

I do not think that it will be a problem, with Doug's setting it probably will never overheat. After you get to know the machine you will buy roasted beans from a good place or use a popcorn maker to roast your own to about barely second crack for about a third of the cost. Too cool water= sour, too hot= bitter. Normally, you will find the first shot may be a bit sour unless you learn to heat the group. I would get one of these to assure that the group is hot before the first shot.
http://www.orphanespresso.com/Pennys-Ho..._2133.html

3. Are you using the Elektra MCal Aleva double basket with your Cremina? Or, are you using the stock Olympia double basket? I seem to recall several H-B threads/topics about Cremina owners using that particular double basket (i.e., Elektra MCal Aleva double basket). Supposedly, said owners get better shots from their Cremina when using the Elektra double basket.

I like the McCal basket as it holds a bit more coffee and is deeper so the water flow through the puck is longer. Also and a big also, is the McCal basket is much cheaper so I can have two or more baskets ready to go if I have company....Elbow pressing on lever while hands grind and fill the next basket.

I also steam the milks first for my morning Macchiato and drop a double shot into it.

There are several threads about using the Cremina and about home roasting with popcorn poppers on H-B. Not rocket science; takes a few tries to get it good every time! I like a sweet roast and will usually buy the Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees. Read the roasters' notes for the coffees before you buy them. Darker the roast, the less heat it will take to brew, and the sharper the taste.
Simple..What?

Respectfully
~Richard

Richard,

Spot-on advice, and my lessons learned are similar to yours; no milk jug mix-up.

Funny how I moved from a Gaggia Factory to the Cremina, just like the person you've been in contact with. I also have it paired with a Vario. Between the Cremina and Factory I have found that the Cremina will also overheat if pulling multiple (more than 4) shots in a row, whereas the Factory was good for two at most before you had to turn it off and cool it with a cold wet towel. New 2002 Creminas are supposed to be even better, though I cannot comment on them.

On the plus side of the Factory was the boiler cap, which is self-venting, so false pressure is not as noticeable as it is on the Cremina with a stock cap. The only other positive over the Cremina is the cost. Aside from those two, the Cremina is a much better machine, with build quality that is far beyond that of the Factory/LaPav Pro.

Cheers!

Hi Richard,
Its been a long time... Great to see you are still hammering out great information.
Bob C