donn wrote:But ... pardon me, maybe I should look at the video, but the piston is outside on the front? Don't the classic open boiler designs put the piston in the boiler for a reason?

Yes, definitely! In all the open-boiler (or kettle ) levers I know of the group and boiler are nestled together for warmth.

I'm interested to hear why the creator of this machine chose to have them separate . . . I suspect it has something to do with the way he implemented the steaming.

This guy must be a lever forum lurker- I have no doubt.

We should see if he can come onboard and post a little about this machine. (EDIT: I just sent him an email with a link)

So far: I love it! Not sure about the open kettle at the top with boiuling water though.... could do with a Caravel type lid.

Yes, I really really want to find more out about this machine, particularly with regards to the steaming.

sorrentinacoffee wrote: Not sure about the open kettle at the top with boiuling water though.... could do with a Caravel type lid.

Indeed. The lack of a lid dramatically increases energy use. Also, you run the risk of boiling it dry when leaving it on.

Hello there all you lever people,

I think it's time I m introducing myself, which feels a bit weird, because I do not see myself as a newbie on Home-Barista. Been lurking over the posts for some years indeed. Always so much lever espresso energy around..But I was quite a silent lever fan.

Some clever observations here, I understand my machine raises some questions.
I l start at the beginning, on this picture it was purely a technical tryout


With this first model I had a pressurized boiler and the group cylinder (which I still use in the latest model)
I had two pistons, the one on the top acting as a boiler fill, (this made it possible to pressure-fill the boiler with water when it was hot)
So I had a sort of continues cycle.
But I found it very difficult to make it work properly. The boiler was very unstable.

My idea, or approach was clearly to go back to the core, get rid of all the electrical stuff and concentrate on the art of espresso making, a very manual machine which should be easily assembled.
And it should give you inside in the process, now hocus-pocus.



..To be continued

Wouter

Very nice! Congratulations!

Thanks for posting Wouter. As a long-time lever forum member I give you a lot of credit for developing such a machine. I appreciate not only it's function but I find the design very pleasing. Keep us posted!

Dan - if you're reading this I suggest we change the name of the thread to the correct machine name (How about: "New open-boiler lever: EspressoStrietman ES-1"?).

PC

Wouter,

Yes, thanks for posting. As a La Peppina user and fan, it's exciting to see a new open kettle design, especially with a steam wand. I love the quiet simplicity of making espresso with the La Peppina, but recently added a Gaggia Factory to be able to have a steamer and immerse myself in a full manual lever experience instead of relying on the smooth release of the compressed spring.

Looking forward to your future posts.

Hello there Wouter,

great to see this prototype image. When you get some time I would love to see more images of the machine. It is hard to fully appreciate it in the video. Can you also explain what the funnel at the top of the machine does? What's the little dripping tap for?

Excellent, looking forward to hearing more -