I have had my Elektra Micro Casa a Leva since late July and I estimate I have pulled about 750 shots with it by this time. On this basis I feel I am starting to get the hang of it and thought others might be interested in my experiences to date.

By way of prefacing my observations I should explain that for about 33 months prior to getting my Elektra I had an ECM Giotto and estimate I pulled 4000 shots in the 1000 days I had it. Of those 2000 were double espressi and 2000 were morning Cafe Cremas. Prior to the Giotto I had had a Solis SL-70, a couple Krups thermal block machines, a Krups steam toy, virtually every form of drip "machine" I know and a French SEB moka pot. But the Giotto is my real frame of reference for the Elektra.

My basic habits with the Elektra follow those I had developed with the Giotto. In the morning I pull a shot of decaf for my wife and a shot for me. One basic change is that with the Giotto I made Cafe Cremas while with the Elektra I have switched to Americani for morning coffees. I have a single Mazzer Mini so I grind each coffee separately and "completely" empty the doser after each shot. As can be seen from pictures I do not use the hopper. The cap over the mouth of the Mazzer is from my Solis. In the evening I make three single shots for myself. With the Giotto, by contrast, I had two evening doubles. When I first got the Elektra I tried to continue the practice of pulling doubles in the evening but I found that getting a double with the Elektra was a challenge. I experimented with the single basket and found that I could get a better and more consistently high quality with a single pull and the single basket. With the double basket and added coffee I tried to do "multiple" pulls but never got anywhere near as good results. I find myself wondering if the "sweet spot" of an Elektra is not actually found in single shots rather than doubles. Could there be a better harmony between the amount of coffee, the basket size, the amount of water present and the pressure? I am keenly aware that in the world of HX machines the double is the gold standard. I have not had that same experience with my lever. My morning Americani are made using the double basket and with a double lever pull but the straight espressi are all single basket / single pull. As my technique matures more I plan to test this further.

I will move on to details of the process in my next posts.

KS

Hello Karl,

I've had a very similar (albiet lower price-range) experience with my espresso brewing. I started with a Krups steam toy, and graduated to a pair of Saeco/Estro pump machines, the former with a pressurized portafilter, the latter without. I brew milk drinks for my wife and friends, but almost exclusively straight espresso for myself. The Estro is capable of brewing a very nice double with the correct grind and fresh beans (although I have never compered it to a higher-end machine). Its almost impossible to brew a decent single because the double basket is too large (~20g) and the single basket doesn't really work.

One of the main reasons I upgraded to a lever (see my posts on the Ponte Vecchio Export) was the idea that I could brew smaller espressos (not to mention the quality, quiet, elegance, etc.). One can drink only so many 20g doubles per day! The PV, however, has one of the smallest groups around (45mm), and it only produces 0.5 oz. per pull. In the week that I've had it I've found that any more than two pulls seems to degrade the espresso (it appears to crack the puck). I've yet to move to the single basket and one pull, but I'm afraid this may be the PV sweet spot, as you've noted with the Elektra. The difference is the my singles will only be 0.5 oz!

I'd like to start a separate topic on baskets, dose, and number of pulls, to get input from others. Perhaps there are some subtleties of method that would allow two or three pulls without sacrificing shot quality.

peacecup wrote:The PV, however, has one of the smallest groups around (45mm), and it only produces 0.5 oz. per pull. In the week that I've had it I've found that any more than two pulls seems to degrade the espresso (it appears to crack the puck). I've yet to move to the single basket and one pull, but I'm afraid this may be the PV sweet spot, as you've noted with the Elektra. The difference is the my singles will only be 0.5 oz!

I'd like to start a separate topic on baskets, dose, and number of pulls, to get input from others. Perhaps there are some subtleties of method that would allow two or three pulls without sacrificing shot quality.

Hi peacecup,

You are right that the single shot size in an Elaktra is different from your PV. With a single pull I get a 1 oz. / 30 ml shot. This makes a half-full espresso cup and is fine. I get two to three sips. I would be frustrated with half the volume and would indeed work on techniques to get a better double pull with more volume.

I have to admit though that one of the shots I still remember was in Florence in a regular espresso cup and it was clearly only 15-20 ml or the size you are getting. It was rich and dark and wonderful. Just one perfect sip. As I recall that shot i think I might set that as a goal.

KS

Did you ever try single pulls with the double basket, Karl? With my Pavoni I've got some ristrettos that way, which outperform most ristretti I've made on my butterfly.

Walter wrote:Did you ever try single pulls with the double basket, Karl? With my Pavoni I've got some ristrettos that way, which outperform most ristretti I've made on my butterfly.

Hi Walter,

I need to go back and try exactly this. What I have observed so far is that on the Elektra I have to grind and tamp differently for a double basket and a single basket. More precisely I grind more fine for the double to get a similar 25 sec. pull. The larger diameter of the double needs a finer grind to slow down the flow. The narrower actual screen on the single must have a coarser grind for the same time in flow.

Since I discovered the higher quality of the single pull in the single basket I have focused on that combination alone. When I get a bit more confident with the single/single combo I will experiment with the single pull / double basket.

I find that I learn a lot by moving slowly, by staying with the same configuration for a long time. That old French saying about "Le plus ca change, le plus la meme chose" (excuse omission of accents) is not true in making espresso.

KS

I do like the single pull/double basket combination on a lever machine. Most of the shots that I have posted with the Olympia are produced this way. I will have to think back to see if I did much work with the single basket when I was using one. With regards to the double basket, I did find the Elektra very sensitive to over dosing. My normal procedure is to hand-fill the basket..tap three times, and then fill and distributed. My best shots with the Elektra were when I bypassed the tapping step. A trick that Dan taught me was to place a dime on top of the puck and lock it in. Then unlock. If the coin makes an indentation in the puck then you are over dosing. When I followed this rule, my Elektra shots improved dramatically.

The other thing that I noticed on the Elektra different from other lever machines, is in dialing in the grind. On manual levers, I always set my grind just a notch back from choke point. While this worked on the Elektra I found if I came back another notch, then the shot performed much better. Last advice on this post is not to worry about volume, but to pull until you see blonding. Once you get your routine down, then you will get very consistent volumes, but just watch for the blonding of the crema and pull the glass away at that point. I never go two full pulls and could not imaging 3....just remember..the drip tray is your friend.

Walter and Steve,

You guys are going to turn this into a really interesting discussion!

OK. Tonight I tried the single pull / double basket approach. Before i report on my results I must say that after reading Steve's post I said to myself, "Gott in Himmel, he uses a lot of coffee for a single shot."

So, my first shot was a "full" double basket and a single pull. To quantify I weighed the basket and it had 16 g of coffee. I had to guess the grind setting. I guessed too fine and got a very slow pull. I removed the cup after 45 sec. The taste was heavy, dull and noticeably bitter in the finish (which I associate with over-extraction).

The second pull was also a double (Elektra) basket. Also 16 g. I set my Mazzer at 2 clicks coarser. Still a slow pull. Removed the cup after 35 sec. Much worse bitter finish.

Third shot. I went back to my system. 7 g coffee in a single (Elektra) basket. The pull was an on spot 25 sec. The taste was marvellous. This was 4 day old Brazil Sul de Minas Yellow Bourbon (natural pulped). The flavor was delightful.

My conclusion is that the first two cups were failures due to my lack of ability. I missed the boat totally. I intend to continue the experiment. Next time I will try 7 g in the double and grind more finely.

I am still tasting the delicate chocolate of the Sul de Minas.

KS

Karl,

Have your tried the double basket/single pull again? I've gone to single basket/single pulls on the Ponte Vecchio and have been having much more consistent and flavorful results. About 1/3 of a 2 oz. espresso cup, a very nice 2 or three sips. This way I can enjoy twice as many espressos, the main reason I settled on the 45-mm group in the first place!

I have been wanting to go back to try the double basket now with a single pull, but it seems like it would simply be too much coffee. I saw some advice somewhere that said if one wanted a double with a lever the best way is to simply pull two singles rather than fussing with a second pull on a double basket.

peacecup wrote:Karl,

Have your tried the double basket/single pull again? I've gone to single basket/single pulls on the Ponte Vecchio and have been having much more consistent and flavorful results. About 1/3 of a 2 oz. espresso cup, a very nice 2 or three sips. This way I can enjoy twice as many espressos, the main reason I settled on the 45-mm group in the first place!

I have been wanting to go back to try the double basket now with a single pull, but it seems like it would simply be too much coffee. I saw some advice somewhere that said if one wanted a double with a lever the best way is to simply pull two singles rather than fussing with a second pull on a double basket.

peacecup,

Truth be told I have not tried the double basket / single pull more than two times for exactly the same reason you give. I get my most consistent results with the single basket / single pull. I like the results I now get. This week I am doing Brazil Fazenda Santa Helena and getting some of the best Brazilian essi I have ever had. I am getting rich round soft tastes with just the slightest hint of chocolate on the edges. The combination of soft and round flavors is so very pleasing. There is nothing else quite like these. They do not require as much attention as a Yemen or the best Ethiopians but they have a distinction of their own. Sometimes I really want a simple Haydn symphony and am not up to a late Beethoven string quartet.

I suppose that one could craft a good espresso out of a much larger amount of coffee in a double basket with its very different diameter screen and thus a different grind/tamp etc. But I still have this lingering suspicion that my Elektra has its sweet spot at the single basket and single pull. I think I can explore this terrain for a long time to come.

KS

peacecup wrote:Karl,

Have your tried the double basket/single pull again? I've gone to single basket/single pulls on the Ponte Vecchio and have been having much more consistent and flavorful results. About 1/3 of a 2 oz. espresso cup, a very nice 2 or three sips. This way I can enjoy twice as many espressos, the main reason I settled on the 45-mm group in the first place!

I have been wanting to go back to try the double basket now with a single pull, but it seems like it would simply be too much coffee. I saw some advice somewhere that said if one wanted a double with a lever the best way is to simply pull two singles rather than fussing with a second pull on a double basket.

peacecup,
My Riveria has the same group as your Ponte Vecchio (at least I think it does). I've never had a single basket so always use the double. When making an espresso I fill the basket with a slight mound in the center, distribute and tamp, and only use a single pull. I get a little over 1/2 oz. Sometimes when making a latte I'll use a double pull to get a little more coffee in the cup; I'll then get about 1 oz., maybe a hair more. The espresso produced is not as good as with the single pull so I only do this for lattes. I never considered trying to find a single basket but you and Karl are making me wonder if I'm missing out on something!