Hmm . . . Tim, me thinks you should take a look at the pics previously offered up at this site:
http://espresso-prego.dreisoft.com/index.php/maschinen/besondere-maschinen/113-strega
When you're done with that, you can check out the "official" Bezzera manuals at the link I corrected earlier. Admittedly, the electrical diagrams in the owner's manual are a little questionable, but they do "sorta" show pumps in both versions.

If nothing else, this is certainly a unique machine and, given a little time with a quieter pump, it looks like a very well constructed spring lever machine for the home.

Yes, it's a circle with a M inside, and the symbol for ground wire too... I could imagine a 2-way valve there, or maybe an optional control for a external pump?

Márcio.

KnowGood wrote:The only thing to be torn about is how much $$$ you want to part with. The Ellisse isn't cheap and is probably twice as much as the Strega.

The Ellisse is basically a significantly more expensive B2006AL with a fancy shell, isn't it? That's the impression I got from looking at the parts diagrams last year. Definitely not a good value unless you must have a pretty all-stainless machine.

beanflying wrote:I think you are misreading a bad Italian translation of the manual. To my read there is two version available of the Strega one has a Pump and Tank fitted (version S) and the other is built for being plumbed in and has no pump (version R).

Pumps on these machines are just used for boiler fill, pre infusion is done by boiler pressure which is lower than line pressure. The machines without a pump as standard just use a solenoid back through a standard boiler fill arrangement.

The specifications of the R version on all translations of Bezzera's site show a vibe pump installed. I would be all over a direct connection version of this machine with regular line level pre-infusion.

As for the vibe pump in the pourover version, here is a direct quote from Bezzera's site: "Before coffee delivery the pump fills the lever group providing a pre infusion between coffee and water. During delivery the pump stops, and the pressure in the group unit is developed by two springs...". From the German video it's pretty clear that description is accurate.

From idrinkcoffee's description, as expected: "The Strega uses a 2.0 litre copper boiler with heat exchanger". This explains the need for the pump in the pourover version, but not for direct connect.

The S version diagram clearly shows the vibe pump in the circuit. This unit is shown as having the tank at the rear in the instructions.

That's how I read the electrical symbols for the R unit (circle with an M in it is for a motor) too Marcio it is for an optional rotary pump and a corresponding relay to drive it from the level controller. This is how I run my Fioranzato and Izzo from Tanked supplies but from mains there is simply NO need for a pump on a lever machine. side note and OT the floor pan of my fiorenzato was drilled and room left for a procon pump to fit thanks to a bigger chassis.

Considering the weight of the R version is 3 kg more than the S version, maybe it already comes with a rotatory pump (and the vibratory pump for R at the specification could be a mistake)... The drawback would be the price, as vibe pumps are way cheaper...

Márcio.

Bluecold, you may disagree with my interpretation of the video etc, but I think we could agree about the confusion of just how this works and what the hey is going on! When I hear a vibe pump quiet down and even out like that I hear extraction, not pre infusion. So, what happens if you do not release the lever? By the sound of it you would end up with a pump driven espresso. Besides 2 to3 bar pre infusion may be a bit on the high side even if it does have an opv. Seems like pf ing at these high pressures would undo some of the pressure performance of the lever.

Not sure if I'm way off track here, but couldn't you just replace the vibe pump with a solenoid and plumb it in yourself (bypass the tank)?

Barazi in AU. is expecting one in 10-14days. A CS member is hoping to go to the unboxing.

nvm.

Did anyone notice the water draining into the drip tray during pre-infusion (or the initial part of the pull) in the German video? That suggests to me that pump pressure was feeding the group head, similar to a semi-auto machine.

The mystery mounts.