Hi fellow Home Baristi!
Proud to enter the list of LMWDP members.
Greetings from Denmark

My espresso addiction started during a visit to my brother's home in New York City's Upper Westside. He has a restored older La Pavoni. It got me interested when he needed help replacing the pipe for the pressure stat.

Since then I have restored a few La Pavoni Europiccolas, a Cunill grinder, a Riviera Eagle, and an Elektra Casa a Leva. Now March 28, 2010 I just got a 1987 Olympia Cremina and a Anfim Baby grinder. I can't wait to start cleaning up both and trying them out.

So far I think that I make my best espressos with the La Pavoni. I look forward to testing the Cremina.

Just found this site while looking for fellow lever lovers. (Wrong time to attempt this)Tried my Gaggia Factory 4 years ago and with no barista skills or training found it is impossible to pull a decent shot. No understanding of the dynamics or variables to be controlled make it a waste of time to the average Joe. It remained in the attic collecting dust for the next 4 years. Since then I have been working hard honing my barista skills and this christmas decided to give it a go. (Right time to try) Wow. After about a half hour of playing and adjusting I can say that I pulled some of the best shots ever. It's not easy, can be bloody frustrating, but when it works out it's a great feeling to be able to get the best from your beans. Who cares if 1 or 2 shots are not the best. When you get it right it is hard to beat.
Going to use in my coffee house next week and see what customers think. Has anyone else used in their cafes? Let you know how it goes

Hello,

first post here and i want to join the gang! I'm an coffee enthusiast from Vienna/Austria and I am really attracted by lever machines.



While my main workhorse is an Izzo Vivi i bought used and restored it I recently stumbled over an LaPavoni Europiccola and restored an Elektra Microcasa i bought at Ebay (the chrome looks very bad, but technically its perfect with the new, longer, spring).



I also made the Elektra-portafilter bottomless (not a beauty, I know) and it is a joy to watch the coffee come out (even with the single basket)....


In the long way I am looking for a single group commercial lever machine for my home to replace the Vivi. But this will take some time to get the money and to find the machine (something like an brugnetti aurora export or the bezzera b2006al I've seen here).

So, I hope u welcome me on board of the LMWDP gang (even with my bad english).

Cheers
Stefan

Stefan,

Welcome to the club, and thanks for posting pictures. Nice setup!

Which is your favorite machine?

yakster wrote:Which is your favorite machine?

hard to tell. Probably the Izzo. It is on all day and just works. The levers are great, but for all day use i would need something with the ability to pull doubles and coffee after coffee without cooling down and refilling of the small boiler (thats why im up for a commercial lever machine).

But I love the unbeatable (is this correct english?) simplicity of construction of the two lever machines and its fun to use them!

Hello to all,
so now it's time to ask for my number: I am qualifying with a 35 year old commercial lever astoria called "Sonia", which is a very useful kind of workhorse lever machine:



With best regards from Munich, Germany

Emil

@emil: great machine. i followed your restoration thread at the kaffee-netz. good work!

Thank you Stefan,

I restored Sonia a year ago and it was a very good introduction in the world of commercial espresso machines as in the world of lever groups. Being a huge machine with lots of room inside, wide and heavy tubing and no(!) electric or electronic features beside the heating elements it is a clearly understandable mechanical concept that cannot have changed much since it was invented in 1948. But the rectangular form has its advantages: You don't pay as much for machines of this kind as for the Faema President, Mercurio or the Gaggia Classica or America - and there is no problem at all with parts, as the group ist still in production and used in actual C.M.A models as the Rapallo aL.

I just completed changing the tube in which the piston is travelling - it was worn out after 35 years of use, 30 of them commercial. When I got the machine, it wasn't working at all, spring corroded and broken, seals down and heating element missing - but you could get every single part in no time directly from Astoria.
So it is not only a possibility to get a machine near the material price (copper is quite expensive these days) but also a chance to get to know your baby from the bottom of the frame to the last seal inside the steam valve.



Since then it is a continuous source of joy to watch the coffee pour in the cup - especially since I am using the bottomless ...

Cheers Emil

sounds good....and i like the rectangular form...if u ever think about selling it

i was thinking about a faema president as well...but its crazy what people pay for these 50 year old machines (even if they are reallllllyyyyy great)