Un-boxed a very well taken care of Bezzera lever today. She came from a H-b'r in the Bay area. It is so nice to find older machines with no scratches or dents! She reminds me of Lola ( The red Gaggia- shackin up with Bill ) except this one is in great shape and has been pulling shots for some time( Lola remains in great shape, but was unused when I found her).
Oddly enough- no manufacture plate anywhere?? No model number or name or serial number... It is supposed to be a 1970 era model and on this forum it has been referred to as A Bezzera Family? I don't know.. she is kinda cute in earth tones and all



The group head is actually a thermosyphon job that feeds from the approx 3 L boiler( no asbestos - YEAH!!!)




Frontal




She is 14"w X 11" H X 11.5 D, 110 V ( don't know the wattage yet- looks like a Isomac type screw in element -maybe 1000w
Also is plumbed . The steam , water and boiler fill valves are all the flip-style . Lift the valve and the toggle knob pushes a button on the valve behind it to open. All seem very tight and adjustable.

One note of interest is that the PF , unlike the version on the Ponte Vecchio Lusso, holds a 49mm basket. I was able to swap the Olympia PF's just fine into the group head!! Also the stock PF is ( this is for you Timooo) 7mm deeper fron top of the PF rim to the bottom where the basket would touch. (25mm deep on the Cremina, 32mm deep on the Bezzera)






Sorry for the over zealous flash The handles are very Olympia-esque although shorter and do not fit the Oly PF handle. The handle is heavier than the Oly handle weighing in at 380gm vs 300gm for the Cremina ( ad 30gm for the screw on spout)

I am quickly hooking her up to my bottle pump so I can get a shot pulled-- My wife is hysterically laughing in the back groud and shaking her head... cup warming area fits 8 cups with room to spare across the front.

A pour later.

Mo,
You who call me out of control! What have grace and the twins to say??? Is that the daughter snickering in the background?
There must be Karma with you and lovely machines!
My fondest congratulations!
sincerely
Richard /Espressme

Now here is a picture of the p-stat- Wow when I first cranked it up( the previous owner told me that the gauge was not zero's out but the machine worked OK)

It climbed upto 2.5 before shutting off!! I don't mind telling you I was backing up more than a little.. come safety valve...
I adjusted the stat down some and got it to cycle between 2.4 and 2.8.. I think , that is what the gauge was saying, who knows if it was accurate?

Here is this stat. I waven't see none like this. It has a pressurized barss pin that pushes out of the boiler against a micro switch. There is a spring reinforced plate between the two that is the adjustment. I think a modern style P-stat is in my future.



So I go and grab a extra gauge I just happen to have , let off a lot , lot , lot of steam- swap gauges and crank the stat down , down , down. The new gauge works great. But the best I can get for a dead band is .9--1.2

Ok, here she is with her skirt off





Here is a reference shoy with my hand showing the space under the group and the drip tray





So it's time to grind some coffee and pull a shot. This style lever with the round "roller" apparatus at the top of the group does not allow you to assist the lever . So , grind, tamper, load and pull.











Yep, I am a sucker, drank the first shot.. wasn't bad. Moderately thin Crema, but full taste. I will have to play with the amount/tamp recipe.

Greg,

Congratulations on your new machine. She is really gorgeous.

Javier

Beautiful. I am green with envy.

Can you, or anyone, give a comparison of these type Bezzera machines with the current Ponte Vecchio's? I know this one is plumbed (first difference), but they look so strikingly similar. Does anyone know what the differences are?

Beautiful, mogogear. Thank you for the excellent tour.

Judging from the photos, the machine looks extremely similar to the PV, with an important difference being the larger group on the Bezzera. And as you noted, mattwells, the Bezzera is plumbed--are all Bezzera's plumbed? The fitting at the top of the boiler where the water enters is the same location as PV's fill spout.

There are style differences in the outer shell: notably the rectangular shape of the Bezzera, and the excellent choice of brushed stainless. The actual structural body looks almost identical, including the way the group is attached.



Another difference is the placement of steam and water tap valves. Also the wires on the Bezzera are sheathed in an extra layer of insulation.



A lot of similarities, a lot of differences.

grong

That is one beautiful macchina! You'll need to update your demitasse collection, however. My latest favs are IPA (they make the Illys among others) and the Nuova Points. I also recently got a pair of Bodum Pavinas - these keep the espresso really hot. They're great for photos. I'm overdue to post some crema-laden videos, but have been very busy lately. I'm off today for Anchorage, where I'll be visiting George and his Astoria at Side Street Espresso.

an you, or anyone, give a comparison of these type Bezzera machines with the current Ponte Vecchio's? I know this one is plumbed (first difference), but they look so strikingly similar. Does anyone know what the differences are?

My PV is the "Export" model, a smaller machine, but with the same group.

The PV's have a smaller diameter group (45 mm ID). Physics tells us that this may lend itself to more pressure and better heat dissipation, but in practice these may be negligable. Conversely, one would expect slightly lesser shot volumes with the 45 mm group, although I'm not sure if this is true in practive either.

Mo says he cannot override the spring on the Bezzera by pushing down on the piston rod - I can do this with my Ponte Vecchio, although I suspect the cotter pin is not rated for such activity. I just pulled an incredible first shot of the day in this manner.

From the photos the Bezzera looks to well-built and perfectly finished - in keeping with the company's reputation (check out their website sometime). My Ponte Vecchio is an extremely durable tool built from top-quality materials. The finish, however, has a few slight imperfections, such as bumpy paint under the drip tray. I 've used it for nearly a year, 3-4 times a day, and the only maintenence has been olive oil in the cotter pins (you might try this Mo), and removing the dispersion screen to clean the back side. The Export also has the advantage of a smaller footprint and faster warm-up time, although it is more prone to overheat if you're pulling more than 4-5 shots in succession.

Grong,

That Lusso is also really nice. I beleive the PV P-stats are supposed to be good quality. Have you noted any imperfections in the finish, either the chrome or paint? My espresso has been so great lately that I'm inclinde not be bothered about the smaller group size. And there still is the unresolved issue of coffee:water ratio, which at 15g:1.5oz., seems to be in favor of the PV over the larger groups. One thing I can say about the narrow basket is that it is almost impossible to get side-channeling with the double basket.

How long does the Lusso take to heat up from cold fill to "lights off"?

PC

Another lovely come into your keeping, sir? Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! Bring me up to speed on your having all these? Is it for repair, for collecting, for - what? Happy and lavished with care, to all appearances, certainly!

I do hope you'll be compensating your wife for accomodating your obsession, seeing as it's the holiday season and all - something in karat weight, I shouldn't wonder. . .

How much coffee could you serve if all the machines in your harem were hot and working? Would the utility company be asking to install a dedicated transformer outside of your home to preclude another brown-out locally? What would be the total boiler capacity in use?

It'd be a glittering sight!

That Lusso is also really nice. I beleive the PV P-stats are supposed to be good quality. Have you noted any imperfections in the finish, either the chrome or paint? My espresso has been so great lately that I'm inclinde not be bothered about the smaller group size. And there still is the unresolved issue of coffee:water ratio, which at 15g:1.5oz., seems to be in favor of the PV over the larger groups. One thing I can say about the narrow basket is that it is almost impossible to get side-channeling with the double basket.

How long does the Lusso take to heat up from cold fill to "lights off"?

Lusso thanks you, peacecup.

PV's fit and finish is fine with me, but it is definitely less of the factory's priority than function. As an example, if you look closely at photos of the outer shell's fitting around the stainless backsplash, you will notice it poofs out a little one one side. This is because the backsplash cants out a little at the bottom, and rather than making a little trim to make it tidy, the shell is forced to fit, creating a little gap. There is a little roughness on the bottom of the group on one side, but it is chromed over, and again, fully functional. If you are used to a Ferrari, the finish would disappoint.

Even though the boiler is 3 liters, it needs some headspace for steam, so the actual water is about 2-1/2 liters. It is hot from cold in 12 minutes.

What came first: Bezzera (Family?), Olympia Club, SAMA(?) and Ponte Vecchio Lusso?

peacecup, please report on the Astoria in Anchorage. Will you have your camera?

The Bezzera looks like it would be lovely to work in front of, with espresso and pastry served, on a narrow street lined with specialty shops and shoppers on foot.