hi there - recently took delivery of a pv lusso single lever (demo) from 1st-line. of course i was as excited as a little kid removing it from the packaging and packaging..(it did arrive undamaged.) I had originally considered ordering a new red one from somewhere like orphan espresso since their approach kind of appealed to me. that being said wasn't sure when one would be available not to mention the savings on the demo and proximity...to me its a very cool looking machine - kind of a mini version of a simple vintage commercial machine i may have seen somewhere as a boy or in an old italian film perhaps. the black enamel (more of a charcoal) would not be well received by certain parties on the peninsula so i rearranged some clutter and placed it's back towards the wall. thankfully with the lever attached there is juuust enough room to clear opening cabinet door! i was a little disappointed at first looking her over with a critical eye as there were numerous little things that would not make it off the production line of a higher end machine. you might say nothing on the machine is perfect! i then filled the boiler and waited. after a beat the reading on the gauge started to climb, and climb. it leveled at just over 1.5 i then remembered to removed the false pressure withe the steam valve and it dropped way down only to climb right back up however. . i had requested the pstat be calibrated but there was an extra fee but was assured the machine had been "tested". anyhoo thanks to the photos posted on the OE site i managed to take the machine apart and adjust the pstat on my own. a little tricky but not too bad - worst part was getting the plastic cover back in place. after filling and flushing and refilling i was ready for a coffee. scooped some beans into the hopper of my cunill tranquillo, dosed into a cup and filled the double basket with two measures from the included metal scoop. grabbed the included tamper and it doesnt fit. lol effin italians ..anyhoo i used the small end and managed a couple of sink shots and some pretty great shots. been using it for a few days now and love it. still need to find a proper tamper as i cant get the streams to flow evenly with any consistency or maybe at all. any recommendations would be welcome. i'd prefer to stay away from any plastic if possible and still not spend a lot. perhaps someone has a used one? at the end of the day i have been pulling some pretty good shots with this machine with little fuss and making great and numerous cappucini which is winning my wife over so I think the pv lusso is a keeper!

congrats on the new machine! very cool. I considered this machine also before i found an older commercial lever on the used equipment market locally. Enjoy!!

you might say nothing on the machine is perfect!

Ha ha, that is funny. Actually the design might be close to perfect. I have had my Lusso for three years and I really like it, and it makes super espresso and steams very nicely. It sounds like you are off to a good start with your machine.

I keep my pressurestat at .8 at the high, so the heat kicks on at about .5. This keeps the temperature where I like it, but with the pressure this low it is important to check or pressure gauge before pulling a shot to make sure it is at .7 or .8. Otherwise, bleed off a little steam to get it to kick it back to the top. Otherwise there will be insufficient or sketchy pressure to get adequate water to the puck for a full shot.

As for a tamper that is inexpensive, how about a 45mm Stubby tamper from Orphan Espresso? I got one for my Europiccola, and it is a cute, comfortable tamper, nicely made in the size you need and the color you want, at a great price.

Best wishes with your new machine.

Ciao Nick,

If you can handle waiting for a custom order, you might also consider a Thor Tamper -- the unweighted Thor Classic in Myrtlewood is a terrific deal for a work of art!

http://www.thortamper.com/index.html

Happy Brewing,
Wayne

bgn wrote:congrats on the new machine! very cool. I considered this machine also before i found an older commercial lever on the used equipment market locally. Enjoy!!

many thanks, im sure i will!

grong wrote:Ha ha, that is funny. Actually the design might be close to perfect. I have had my Lusso for three years and I really like it, and it makes super espresso and steams very nicely. It sounds like you are off to a good start with your machine.

I keep my pressurestat at .8 at the high, so the heat kicks on at about .5. This keeps the temperature where I like it, but with the pressure this low it is important to check or pressure gauge before pulling a shot to make sure it is at .7 or .8. Otherwise, bleed off a little steam to get it to kick it back to the top. Otherwise there will be insufficient or sketchy pressure to get adequate water to the puck for a full shot.

As for a tamper that is inexpensive, how about a 45mm Stubby tamper from Orphan Espresso? I got one for my Europiccola, and it is a cute, comfortable tamper, nicely made in the size you need and the color you want, at a great price.

Best wishes with your new machine.

hey there - thanks for your reply - i have pressure at .9 i guess.. on my gauge the "1" comes after 8 markers. all the others come after 9...once i settle more i may play around but for now i will keep her right side up..I do like those OE tamps and may go that route. i did however find this cuisipro tamper designed just for pv owners which for whatever reason only comes in 45mm - they have a long handle and short version. http://www.cookware.com/Cuisipro-747063 ... R1425.html they sell for as little as 12.99..what appeals to me about hte oe tamp is the thickness of the base. seems like u might flush with top of pfilter and keep a consistent depth. i am trying to consume less plastic when possible but then again it would probably be years away from a landfill...thanks again

roastaroma wrote:Ciao Nick,

If you can handle waiting for a custom order, you might also consider a Thor Tamper -- the unweighted Thor Classic in Myrtlewood is a terrific deal for a work of art!

http://www.thortamper.com/index.html

Happy Brewing,
Wayne

hey - thanks, its likely a thor is in my future!

Pressurestat setting is a matter of taste/duty demands. Anywhere from a high of .8 to 1.5 will do -- it depends on what roasts you use most often and whether you make a lot of milk drinks. Since the cappas are winning your spouse over, I'd recommend a high at around 1.1-1.2 -- plenty of steam at that setting, rapid rebound, yet not too hot; that's the recommended setting in the manual that came with the Lusso I had to test for a while.

I've been told that in Italy the pstat is often set at 1.5 in the smaller cafes that use the Lusso; I conjecture that may be because singles are common in Italy, and with the Lusso's small water draw, much heat leaves the water while it's in the cylinder. Singles also place lower demand on the group than doubles do (lower water mass per cup) which results in a cooler average temperature for the group. A high pstat setting would then also eliminate the need for a warming flush, if the machine has been idle; this conserves the water in the boiler. No cafe wants down-time while a machine is being cooled down and refilled.

I may be sounding like a broken record to the regulars, but precision tamping ("the tamper doesn't fit") is really unnecessary. All you need is a very light compression of the coffee in the basket, and an adequate preinfusion. With 6 bars of brew pressure, if you apply a heavy tamp you all but eliminate your ability to finesse the Lusso, IMO.

Where precision is good is in the grind setting. You will get a consistent stream if you tamp very lightly and make your fine adjustments to the grind, and dose consistently. The Lusso has a relatively small water draw, so lower the dose proportionately for a normale.

Enjoy.

thanks for the insight. much appreciated, and great review btw! I have found that a lighter tamp is better. i was all set to mount a 3olb dumbel to a rb base for my morning workout..guess i'll just have to use the lever more! probably the first to make lever exercise jokes i bet...anyhow many thanks