Ha! I swear I scanned that first post for how to do it and couldn't figure it out. Apparently I am good with details.

-Andrew

All,

Longtime lurker, longtime commercial semi-auto guy. I have always appreciated the flavors of a great lever pulled shot, but dreaded climbing the learning curve again after it took so long to get a handle on using the equipment I already had. After a recent trip to the shop for my much loved CMA Laurentis left me high and dry for espresso at home I caved in to my secret desire to learn The Way of The Lever and purchased a "lightly" used Gaggia Achille. As the sight gauge and pressure gauge both shattered during shipping ("carefully packed" is a relative term to some people) I am now in the process of trying to emulate some of my HB idols and for the first time make the repairs myself! Have to be honest, much less intimidating working on the 20 lb Gaggia than the brass and steel monstrosity that is the Laurentis

Like most of my major life journeys, this one has already taken longer and cost more than I originally figured. But you can't take it with you, and I am firmly focused on the end goal of maximizing my personal espresso experience. I am also looking forward to experiencing all my favorite blends again for the "first" time again through the Achille!

Lever Machine users of the world unite!

Terry Radwan

I've always enjoyed coffee! Started on a quest a few years ago for a better 'cup' of brewed coffee. Ended up with the Technivorm. Then... the Isomac Venus magically showed up at our door. I've enjoyed morning and evening lattes (for myself and occasionally the wife or guest) for the last 5 years.
We lived in a real small town in CO last year and I had my first GOOD cup of espresso. Man! Well, I never could get the Venus dialed in to espresso So, I bought the Cremina. I spent a 1 1/2 days cleaning, descaling, removing asbestos and last night... with the help of a 'make believe' tamper and semi-stale BlackCat, I had the best espresso I've ever pulled! Fortunately, I've got some Malabar Gold, Ophiolite, and some Brazilian that will be ready Monday... plus the supplies I order from Orphanespress are in the mail! So, the Cremina takes the helm in the RV (we're full-timers), the Venus will go on the market, and I get a LMWDP #

Here goes my story that might make me #242, better late than never right.....

Approximately three years ago I made a new friend online that had been recently widowed and he was on another forum looking for help with his little $20 steam machine. Since I had used one for 7-8 years I gladly helped in any way I could. We struck up a friendship and slowly but surely he made the same steps many of us make. He went to a pump machine, then to a better one and so on. Well 2 years or so ago he was at a yard sale and spotted a 1977 Olympia Cremina marked for $1. He asked the lady there if that was correct and she said "heavens no...... it should be $10" and he replied that it couldn't be worth more than $3 and that's what he got the machine for. Of course he knew nothing about what he had just bought. He liked the "old school" look and that was all that mattered to him. BTW, he's in his 70's and appreciates old world craftsmanship and style.

He tried to use it for awhile and did get decent results (according to him) despite using preground stuff. He did know enough about it to realize it was leaking alot from the lever area and wasn't getting the right brew pressure. He asked me if I would take a look at it and of course I couldn't wait. It arrived very dirty (from previous use for many years) and all the seals were shot. I had never tackled anything like that before, but have a strong mechanical nature so it was on. I slowly took it apart piece by piece, cleaning/descaling everything little by little. I was fortunate enough to find Bob Craige and ordered a rebuild kit from him complete with instructions, which was great. After everything was cleaned and good to go I put it all back together taking as much time as necessary to make sure it was 100%. In the process of putting it back together I scratched the flawless paint job on the rear cover. Of course this was upsetting, but my friend could've cared less. He even told me if I thought the machine was useless just toss it in the trash and not to worry about what he had spent on shipping, the rebuild kit, etc. I sanded the cover down and gave it several nice coats of hammered copper Rustoleum paint. Once that was dry I finished putting it all together and fired it up. First to check for leaks, then to check the temperature and pressurestat settings. Found those great instructions on another site before I found much on here. This place is a true wealth of info on the levers.

Good thing is the machine fired right up with no leaks and required very little adjustment for boiler pressure. I tinkered with it several days just to make sure it was 100%. I boxed it back up and sent it back to my friend. He was so thrilled with what I had done he "willed" it to me in the event that he died before me. He actually taped my address to the back of the machine so his daughter would know where to send it. Well maybe 2 years had gone by and he enjoyed using the machine, but slowly drifted more toward drip because of the convenience. I get a call from him recently saying he was sending something and not to complain. Had no idea what it was but was surely hoping it might be the Cremina. Sure enough it arrived a week or so later. Thankfully he didn't die and is alive and well. He said he didn't use it much anymore and knew that it belonged with me. So I'm now the proud new owner of a '77 Cremina and I've been pulling 4-5 doubles daily and loving every minute of it. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

So good deeds do get rewarded!

Mark

Hi All,
A few months ago my wife said something like "Let's get an espresso machine." A few hours later she ordered a semi-auto and I started searching for websites to learn about making espresso. I found home-barista.com and have been visiting daily since. I kept reading about lever machines, and figured I would give one a try. After translating a few posts on ebay.it I took the plunge and ordered this La Peppina:


The seller included a pair of cups and saucers (one set is shown) from Alba, Italy. I think the Vario is a nice match for the La Peppina, they are almost the same size.

I took the La Peppina apart partially last night, when trying to remove the third screw through the shower screen I got stuck. I had to wait for the local Harbor Freight to open so I could buy a screw extractor. The screw came out easy after soaking in 3-in-1 overnight and being drilled/extracted. On the way home from work I grabbed a bag of hairbender, and tonight I finished cleaning and replacing the washers, o-rings, and screws with a kit I ordered from Orphan Espresso (thanks Orphan for the great instructions!).

So far the pulls are not great, I need to find the proper size tamper. Maybe tomorrow

Thanks all for your posts, I never would have tried this without knowing that there is a community of people I can turn to for help.

Take Care,
Dan

Look through your spice rack, one of the bottles should fit nicely until you take the plunge on a nicer one.

Mark

mhoy wrote:Look through your spice rack, one of the bottles should fit nicely until you take the plunge on a nicer one.

Thanks Mark, I found one this morning that looks promising. I am wiring up the heating element now and will give it a try.

Edit: I found one bottle that is a little small, but it works out just fine. Seven grams a little coarser than usual into the single basket and a light tamp. One pull with five 1/3rd pumps gives 14ml of espresso, a second single pull gives another 9ml. I get 28ml per single pump with no PF in place. I am not sure if the 14ml and 9ml numbers are what I should expect (I have 40 pages of "Peppina Redux" to read), but the espresso feels and tastes good!

Take Care,

Hi
just introducing myself here
Im Gavin from the uk.
At the moment Im working on my technique
and experimenting with Grind and tamp etc.
I hope to get the settings right so I can produce that elusive perfect shot.
I use a gaggia factory 8 cup and an Innova(ascaso) grinder