A tale of two brunellas

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:04 am

Well, I thought I would offer some information I have found regarding the history of the brunella espresso machine to try to fill in some gaps of the early lever machine production. The A. Bruni company seems to have made some of the earliest consumer lever machines, along with Zerowatt, Arrarex, and Pavoni (among others).

I want to highlight the subtle differences between the two brunella machines that I have, with some pics along the way...Enjoy!

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:08 am

The machine on the left, my latest acquisition (thanks javagonzo), is a coral colored, 110v machine.

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:11 am

I was surprised when I opened it up to see the date of production (barely legible in photo) as 11/1961, a pretty early machine.

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:18 am

This 110v machine differes from the 220v machine not only in voltage, but also precedes it by 8 years. As you can see, the red 220v was built in 9/1969, and it also shows some design changes including thermostatic temperature control and a pilot light.

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:35 am

Another difference between the two is a fill hole in the back of the machine. As you can see, the early 110v machine has a fill hole directly above the element.

Also, another difference is that the front skirt does not hold water in the early model, whereas in the 220v model it does. And, the top 'dome' is a much higher quality chrome plated brass (but not as easily removed) on the 110v without a plastic 'top' vs. a lighter gauge aluminum dome on the 220v with a black plastic 'top'.

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:44 am

Both machines share a solid brass piston and large spring (110v on left/220v on right).

Both pistons/springs screw off the rod, the only difference being that the 110v model rod does not come off

, whereas the 220v rod releases along with the spring....otherwise, the mechanism and group function the same on both models.

by **tdhunt12** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:54 am

I was lucky to find one of the much sought after brunella knock boxes (!) as well as instruction booklet

So, as you can see, there are some small and subtle differences between these two particular machines over an 8 year time period, and very interesting examples of espresso making some 40-50 years ago!

I always wonder who bought and used these machines so long ago......

Looking forward to waking up and pulling my first shots from this 110v newly restored machine!!!

Tyler

by **michaelbenis** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:12 am

Great, informative illustrated post there!

Nice restoration job, too!

They're lovely machines.

Cheers

Mike

by **espressme** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:23 am

Thank you for the article. I wonder if the brass "standpipe" next to the cylinder is a reservoir overflow?
They are loverly machines!
-Richard

by **peacecup** on Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:50 pm

They are lovely, and its a great addition to the lever forum. We haven't had too many new things come up lately, so its a welcome addition.

But I was just wondering about one thing....the espresso. Can you describe it? What is it like to brew, and how does it taste? Can you share a photo?

Peace,
PC


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