Lever Espresso Machines, Fewer Constraints on Making Good Shots?

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drgary
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#1: Post by drgary »

Jim Schulman just posted a note of distilled wisdom that I believe is a great topic for discussion. Here's what he wrote on a thread about using the Bezzera Strega. The part that especially got my attention is what I've put in bold.
another_jim wrote:Stop when the flow goes clear. Don't worry about time (since the coffee can never overheat); mine take an absurdly long time from beginning to end, maybe 50 seconds. For coffees where a wine-like taste is wanted, go with a slow flowing, higher brew ratios; for coffees where you want warm caramels, go with faster flowing shot. You can use dose, grind or pressure to make this variation, up to you.

The whole point of a lever machine is that there are far fewer constraints on making good shots, and therefore no mandatory guidelines. I'm describing what I do; you are free to invent.
To the veteran leverheads, especially, what's your take on this, especially the part about fewer constraints?
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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hipporun
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#2: Post by hipporun »

I agree with and beyond this statement. Lever espresso machines are called manual machines for a reason, they have more freedom and maneuverability compared to traditional semi auto machines. (A partial exception to this would be semi autos like Slayer, Speedster, and others in their class with water flow control and more preinfusion control, they opening new doors for semi autos.)
Coming up with a few "removed constraints" off the top of my head...
-As mentioned, the concept of preinfusion and having maximum control over it.
-Extraction. With semiautos, you flip it to brew and watch your shot erect. While you can end the shot as early or late as you want, you do not have full control. On a lever machine, you can mess with how fast or slow, hard or soft you pull the lever thru different stages of the shot and test the effects on flavor.

I guess those are two of the big ones that come right to mind. I may be biased, (I own all lever machines, buy hey all my Barista employers have GS3s and other semis) but I fully believe you can extract better espresso on a lever. Weather it be due to the absence of constraints or not.

forbeskm
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#3: Post by forbeskm »

I agree a lot with what you quoted here. There is a great amount of art to the lever machine. The only changes I have made on mine are a single tip steam wand and a temp band. Nothing more, and most of the time I go by feel and have not been disappointed. Its nice to just be able to go with where it takes you. Another sign that "you are never in control" :) I'll add that the first few years with it were a learning curve and I did not know about HB at the time :(

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hipporun
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#4: Post by hipporun »

+1 for the steam tip, and oh baby that learning curve can be rough. (TB to my first months on my level all those years ago.) Once I get around to it, I plan to plant some thermocouples on my Pavoni. I know Ray and some other forum members have done some great stuff with that. Its a big project, especially if you go all out, but results are worth it.

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rpavlis
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#5: Post by rpavlis »

Of course lever machines involve the barista MUCH more in the process from start to finish. The more automated approaches utilise machines that have been designed to function in special ways without as much attention from the user as lever machines require. Variations in how these largely automated machines function are limited by their very nature.

This brings us to an important point: Understanding the process, and understanding the design of individual espresso machines is extremely important! Once one has understanding, the manual lever machines can be used to great advantage by simply using good sense! One can craft the espresso!

I remember an incident in a chemistry laboratory course where a student asked me to explain to him how to graph an expression to display some data they had taken in a recent laboratory session. I explained carefully what needed to be done, and we discussed why we were doing it. I realised that the student had become addicted to automatic ways of doing things. So we used a computer to generate a data table by entering the data into a spread sheet. Then instead of clicking icons and having magic happen we used another computer system that permitted generating graphs from data by commands. When we finished the student said, "I do not like doing it this way, because you have to understand what you are doing."

Lever espresso machines are NOT for people with the attitude of this student!

OldNuc
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#6: Post by OldNuc »

rpavlis wrote:Of course lever machines involve the barista MUCH more in the process from start to finish. The more automated approaches utilise machines that have been designed to function in special ways without as much attention from the user as lever machines require. Variations in how these largely automated machines function are limited by their very nature.

This brings us to an important point: Understanding the process, and understanding the design of individual espresso machines is extremely important! Once one has understanding, the manual lever machines can be used to great advantage by simply using good sense! One can craft the espresso!

I remember an incident in a chemistry laboratory course where a student asked me to explain to him how to graph an expression to display some data they had taken in a recent laboratory session. I explained carefully what needed to be done, and we discussed why we were doing it. I realised that the student had become addicted to automatic ways of doing things. So we used a computer to generate a data table by entering the data into a spread sheet. Then instead of clicking icons and having magic happen we used another computer system that permitted generating graphs from data by commands. When we finished the student said, "I do not like doing it this way, because you have to understand what you are doing."

Lever espresso machines are NOT for people with the attitude of this student!
I will quit laughing as soon as can draw a breath. Way too many people just want to push a button or touch an icon and will never be bothered to find out what is behind the curtain.

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hipporun
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#7: Post by hipporun »

That reminds me...
Back in calculus, many people did not like my teacher becuase instead of giving us the formulas to memorize, he explained them, how/why they worked so we could derive them outselves, furthering out knowlage in Calc.

The students who did not like the teacher for his teaching style would love semi/super autos, while my teacher and I prefer manual espresso machines.

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FotonDrv
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#8: Post by FotonDrv »

With a spring lever you could use a few cups for the shot and rapidly swap cups under the flow to be able to taste what part of the flow was most appealing or what parts you might want to combine.

I usually don't drink the blonded/white out part of the shot.
That Light at the End of the Tunnel is actually a train

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RapidCoffee
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#9: Post by RapidCoffee »

Just what we need: another thread for self-congratulatory posts from lever fans. :roll: Be careful guys, if you dislocate your shoulder from patting yourself on the back, it will be difficult to operate those levers.

Here's an alternate viewpoint: I have owned a number of home levers (Pavoni, Gaggia Factory, Elektra MCaL). Results were decent, but in the end I sold them, because I didn't care for the extra hassle when making more than a shot or two. This has nothing to do with art, craft, mathematics, computer software, or understanding of espresso. It's merely personal preference.

And this has nothing to do with my preferences in other fields. As an educator and computer scientist, I tend to be old school in both my teaching philosophy and choice of software platforms. My cars are manual shift. But when it comes to my daily espresso, I prefer pump machines.
John

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hipporun
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#10: Post by hipporun »

RapidCoffee wrote:Just what we need: another thread for self-congratulatory posts from lever fans. :roll: Be careful guys, if you dislocate your shoulder from patting yourself on the back, it will be difficult to operate those lever.
Thanks for the free laugh :D And despite everything, at the end of the day, yes, it's preference. You either prefer a lever (and what it has to offer) or you prefer a semi auto (and what it has to offer.)

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