yakster wrote:That's a nice deployed setup and pretty amazing powered milk latte art.
I bet you get a line forming all the time.

rawman wrote:That's a great set up uscfroadie. Beats the heck out of what we drank on most deployments.. Big can of pre ground no name coffee.

Thanks, Guys!

It's a conversation starter, to say the least. After making cappuccinos for a few of the folks here I see them now perusing sites doing research for a machine and grinder of their own when we get back.

rawman wrote:By the way love the poster.

Can't say that wasn't strategic placement...

Cheers!

I've been lurking on the lever side for a while, I've been using an unpresurized saeco for a year now and was saving for an upgrade. Really didn't know what I would get. Last month I decide I would go for a used sama export If i could find one....two auction came up.....lost the two.....but was lucky enough to find a used cremina 1988 for about the price I was ready to pay for the sama...of course it needed a bit of love.....but I'm now on the right track! (picture to come)

Robert

Well I suppose I'll stop lurking in the background, as this post seems an excellent opportunity to jump on in and say hello.

As if to say "please, take the obsession to a whole new level!", my fiance gave me an early Christmas gift. An Elektra Micro Casa a Leva. One week and hundreds of dollars later, here I am. Turns out my $150 breville grinder is not (by a long shot) up to the task. So a Baratza Vario arrives next week from 1st-line (not to mention various coffee's, cups, tampers etc. from CCC, Intelligensia and OrphanEspresso).

I'm sure I'm not the first to say it, nor will it be the last time I say it, but you folks have amassed a tremendous resource. What an amazing community and wealth of knowledge.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Andrew

Welcome Andrew. And when the new toys arrive we look forward to more suggestions. Welcome from the lurk.
-C

Hello fellow conspirators, after spending a few weeks reading information on which machine to get for good espressos I finally nailed down a lever (after losing 4 Olympia Cremina auctions) and managed to snag a Caravel from Italy. Chap says it works fine so fingers are crosses and am in anticipation.

I had been considering a $1250 Quickmill Alexia and a PV Lusso or Export. Had the Caravel not come to my attention I would probably have gone with a Ponte Vecchio (I think they look great too).
So am hoping the Caravel will live up to its reputation on H-B as a "sweet espresso machine" and I won't have to pop for another machine. (love that Lusso).
What do you think?

I am now ready for my number and secret decoder ring please.
Cheers, Ted.

Welcome Ted to the LMWDP,

From what I've read, it sounds like you'll be happy with the Caravel, assuming she meets muster. The link for applying to the LMWDP is in the first message in this thread click here, and the Captain Midnight Secret Scroll Decoder Ring can be found in the 63 and counting pages of the Lever Espresso Machine forum click here. There's a huge wealth of knowledge in the old posts, I've found, but don't be afraid to post if you have a new question not already covered.

I must admit at having stalled out reading the lever forum from page 63 forward about 2/3rds of the way through (selectively) but a lot of the earlier threads I've also read several times in different topics of interest of mine (open boilers, PIDs, Peppina's, Exports, etc.).

Please post a picture of your new lever when you get her and let us know how it works out.

As the proud new owner of an older Olympia Cremina, I thought I'd add myself here - at this point I've really only had time to pull some water through, pulled one shot to verify things were working, and noted that it desperately needed cleanup before wasting any more coffee. I can hardly wait to actually start playing with the machine once the necessaries arrive.

I'll try to grab a few photos of it when I have a chance - looks quite clean and in decent condition, but the water I ran through it earlier tasted awful, so I'm hoping I can just run cleaner through and be done with it.

Welcome to both Ted and Gabe. I wish you the best coffee you have had in your life.

The LMWDP as a group wish you the best pulls in your life. And thank you for joining.

-Cecil

Greetings,

I have been looking on the many lever machines here with slightly green eyes, now I am only jealous of those with a working lever!
You will have to decide if I yet qualify to join the ranks, as there is a man down(see photo). I would contend that, Achille and I are plotting as hard as any out there, we are just not ready for direct action.

It is my intention to start a rebuild and redesign thread for this project, as the machine is riddled with problems and I have discovered it's a long way from being the only duff Achille out there.
No doubt I shall be seeking the help of the LMWDP members.

Thanks for all the info assembled thus far. There has been some very impressive work documented in these pages, I doff my cap to the LMWDP

Best
Lawrence

Welcome Lawrence!

Yes, you'll get plenty of good practical advice from others here who like the design of the Achille and have learnt a few tricks getting it to work.

Cheers

Mike

Wow, I didn't know you could get them as a kit

-C

Here is my Italian friend who finally arrived today from Milan. She appears to be in good shape. The portafilter handle, basket etc., shows no waer at all, almost looks new.

Her paint work will need to be spruced up. Unfortunately she lost her tray in Italy; drip grate intact. Can anyone help out? I checked the OE site but nothing showing in the way of a drip tray.

Can't wait to get her cleaned and pulling tiny shots.
Cheerio, Ted.
P.S. edit: just realized the picture isn't my machine , pulled the wrong pic out of My Pictures. They all look so much alike.

Hi Ted,

So you bought the 89€ Caravel on ebay.it! It was a good deal if you don't mind the drip tray.

Lawrence shared:

You will have to decide if I yet qualify to join the ranks, as there is a man down(see photo).

That is quite a nice display of a fun project. May it reward you with delicious espresso when finished and loads of fun along the way!

I'd love to be a member of the plot!

I've been struggling with my Europiccola, for months now, figuring out a.) how to pull good shots, and B.) get some good microfoam. I've been constantly reconfiguring my grinder, pull time, fellini/no fellini, amount of coffee, and as of this week I've been pulling 90% really good shots! I am so relieved to have found the right combination, and on top of that, after applying the trick with blocking one of the holes in the steaming tip, the microfoam has become so easy to make!

Looking forward to a lot of good coffee in the future with my chrome peacock!

Hi Ted,

welcome to the Caravel club Ted - nice bike too. You'll find there are quite a few bikers here, many not suprising with lever machines

And well done on the perseverance HCB, you'll probably surprise yourself with some further big improvements soon now that you've got the feel for the Europiccola.

Cheers

Mike

michaelbenis wrote:Welcome to the Caravel club Ted - nice bike too. You'll find there are quite a few bikers here, many not suprising with lever machines

Mike

+1

If you can pull on a throttle to make your adrenaline flow, you might as well pull on the handle to make your caffeine flow.

-Cecil

Ted, I was going to comment that the drip tray is present in that picture.

Shipping for mine last year was actually not too bad, but I forget the actual amount. The seller was able to tell me in advance.