Hi...I had an aunt who bought an elektra leva back in 1983...she didn't even like coffee! She bought it as a piece of furniture that she proudly displayed in her living room...last summer her old age caught up with her and she passed on, bless her soul...i inherited the machine and sent it up to stephano's espresso care in oregon and had it rebuilt...i didn't realize what a prize i had 'til i started reading these forums..so i have come from 4 complacent years with starbucks barista and cheap grinder to elektra and a recently acquired mazzer mini...after a few weeks with this machine i have a few questions...first i read in one of these forums that the ideal dose is 14.5 grams and that with 30 lbs tamp pressure i should get 1/4 inch space between level of coffee and top of filter...with these parameters i get abt 3/8 inch.. does this seem off or within acceptable limits... second i have the mazzer at 4 marks coarser than the factory setting...anything finer leads to very slow flow or no flow at all...i know these grinders vary but do they vary that much...third i invariably get twice as much coffee out of the right spout of the portafilter as the left ..is that ok ...lastly if i try to pull a double and pull the lever down again after it has returned to 2/3rds its distance i get a much faster flow than during the second phase of this operation... any help you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated

1. Close enough if you are happy with your shots.
2. "Factory Setting"?. Of the three machines I own (Isomac Tea, Ponte Vecchio Lusso and MicroCasa a Leva), the
Micro Casa a Leva (MCaL) requires the coarser setting. About 5-6 notches coarser for the MCaL vs the Tea on the
Mazzer Mini.
3. Is the MCaL sitting on a level surface? Is your distribution even & tamp level?
4. I use the double basket and end up pulling at the most a single volume shot. Sort of a lever version of a ristretto.
What works for me is to pull down completely, you will hear the chamber fill. Gently/slowly let the lever rise to
basically parallel with the table until "preinfusion" is completed. Slowly pull level and release. The faster flow may
be the result of fracturing/channel the puck. Does the shot look & taste overextracted?

Congrads on your acquisition. The MCaL is not only a beautiful machine but a very functional unit.

Opinions vary about the precision needed with dosing and tamping with this machine.

Personally, I use about 4 heaped teaspoons of a single origin, Sidamo, and I use the double basket. 2 tsp then a light tamp (my 2 year old daughter does the tamping in this house), then another 2 and then another light tamp. The adjustment of the grinder varies with the type of coffee and its age, as does the best amount of coffee. I adjust the grind by taste, which takes ages when you only make a couple of cups a day. I hold the lever down for about 10 seconds and all being well I get a few drops of coffee toward the end of that time.

The gap at the top of the basket varies. I suggest that you experiment. Too much precision just makes life complicated in the morning and the result in this house and to my taste buds is almost as good as I can find anywhere in Sydney.

In my experience a second pull is usually faster than a first. If I have overdosed the basket I let it run a little and then do a second pull. As to even flow out of the holes, I suspect its an artefact of uneven tamping/distribution or possibly of the arrangement of the stars, I am not sure how much that affects the taste.

The main question is, do you like what you get? Thats all that matters.