HB wrote:You cite a good reason not to obsess over crema appearance. As the old espresso adage goes (paraphrased): "Beauty is skin deep, but taste goes to the bone."

peacecup wrote:Are you reviewers a little stumped?

peacecup wrote:Can we conclude, therefore, that the typical HB'er is just over twice as interested in big. noisy electric machines than they are in small, quiet espresso makers?

Fullsack wrote:Not to throw a wet towel on the smackdown, but I'm wondering how much actually depends on the machine itself and how much will depend on the miriad of other variables: pressurestat setting, how the coffee pairs with the particular machine, how the grinder pairs with the particular machine, the familiarity of the barista with the machine, etc. It seems like it will be tough to level the playing field.

peacecup wrote:Are you reviewers a little stumped?

peacecup wrote:In fact, it took 26 days to go from top of page 1 to top of page 4.
The Titan thread took 12 days.
Can we conclude, therefore, that the typical HB'er is just over twice as interested in big. noisy electric machines than they are in small, quiet espresso makers?

PC

HB wrote:Give us a break. It's the holidays and some of us have been working long hours to bring you gifts.

HB wrote:You cite a good reason not to obsess over crema appearance. As the old espresso adage goes (paraphrased): "Beauty is skin deep, but taste goes to the bone."

frege wrote:I'm not obsessing! I just like getting pretty crema. Coffee's a visual experience too- all cuisine is. Everything we consume is.

peacecup wrote:I've been wondering myself just why this thread has been so slow to develop.

cannonfodder wrote:That's one of my pet peeves about most lever machines: Why do they insist on putting a screw under the drip tray? Any liquid that gets spilt on the base will end up under that drip tray. Most drip trays on these machines are small, and the drip tray on the Leva is particularly small. You most certainly will overflow it one day. Then all that water will end up under the drip tray. Once there, it will find its way around that screw and into the base of the machine. Once in there, the machine will slowly rust from the inside out. It would be nice if the screw was relocated to a non water prone location, like under the machine or behind the boiler. The other option is to create the base from a non rusting metal like stainless (such as the Gaggia Achille) or giving it a corrosion resistant coating, but I digress.

RapidCoffee wrote:My best Pavoni pulls rival a good strong cup of coffee or Aeropress cup, but they still don't compare to Vetrano shots.

Jarno wrote:However, you're right it's still not anywhere near the clarity you can get out of a nice PID machine, such as a Synesso.

gscace wrote: What I don't get is the taste clarity that I get with my Marzocco.
The Lusso is a fun, modern antique. So far, I'm glad it's in my basement.

Fullsack wrote:It is because the Lever Machine Smackdown looks more like the Lever Machine Putdown, with Dan being the only non-LMWDP exception.

Fullsack wrote:It is the Hatfields reviewing the McCoys

HB wrote:Do you disagree with the comments you excerpted?

HB wrote:And Dave's right about the Microcasa base:

HB wrote:Given the quality and thoroughness of the site's reviews, I believe we deserve a bit more credit than that.