Hi everyone! I have been lurking here, soaking up information, off and on for a few years. I have ogled your pictures and learned to make microfoam with dish soap and followed your advice that on a limited budget I would be better off making excellent coffee than buying a cheap espresso setup. (In case it is not obvious, I'm self conscious asking for help here when I still have nothing to offer ) But, my time has finally come. I know my choice of grinder will be very important. But, shopping for the espresso machine is the fun part, so I'm starting with that (If you have grinder advice to offer, I''d be happy to take it. But I'm hesitant to ask since I haven't done any research in that area yet.)

I'm the kind of person who likes to do research like crazy, buy the best one I possibly can and then stick with it "till death do us part". As an engineer, I'm drawn to levers so that I can effect the results (and also, I confess, because they're gorgeous). But, also under consideration is that I have never made espresso before and as a mom with young kids I will have limited time to devote to perfecting my technique. (But, I do understand there will be a learning curve!) I don't necessarily need to be able to steam milk, but there don't seem to be many options without that capability. Right now I drink 1-2 servings of coffee a day, and my husband only drinks coffee on the weekends (but, I suspect this will increase for both of us with new equipment). Of course it would be nice to be able to crank out shots one right after the other when we entertain, but realistically this does not need to fall into the "must have" category.

I think I want a new machine, so that I will have good support in case anything goes wrong and easy access to replacement parts down the road. I think I want a machine with an open boiler so I don't have to think about temperature too much (but I'm wondering if this choice limits my options too much). Also, ease of maintenance is an important factor for me. But, I'm more flexible on these last points.

I'm keeping a running list of machines to consider, but still don't feel like I know enough to narrow them down. And, I'm wondering if there is something great that I haven't come across yet. So far, I have:
Strietman ES3
Bezzera Strega
LONDINIUM I
Ponte Vecchio - Export or Lusso
Olympia Express Cremina
Elektra microcasa a leva
La Pavoni (so many lever options, I'm not sure where to start)
Izzo ALEX LEVA

What do you think? What am I missing? Which features should I focus on? My budget has a fair amount of flexibility, but I don't want to buy something I have no hope of fully appreciating. I just want something that's high enough quality to be a little forgiving and that won't leave me wishing I could upgrade in a few years.

Thanks so much for any help you can give me!

Ive owned/used four the machines you listed (in order owned:)
- Pavoni Europiccola
- PV Lusso
- Bezzera Strega
- Londinium L1

I also research like crazy. Each has pro's and cons all should be fairly reliable and have support for years. Personally, if you can afford it, I would get the Strega or L1. You can make multiple drinks back to back, commercial groups, lots of steam, autofill on the boiler, less mucking about, short learning curves, neither should leave you wanting an upgrade, etc...

Between the two, they are both good. When it comes to taste, I prefer the L1.

In a nutshell and summarizing hard, the Strega can give you thicker shot, where the L1 offers improved taste definition. Overall I also think the L1 has a better build quality, and lots of nice little details, extras. The big plus for the Strega in my opinion is the cup tray.

Happy to answer any questions if you have between the two.

Beyond that, I would recommend pairing each machine with a good grinder.

I'm curious, what kinds of coffee do you like to drink:
- Light, med or dark?
- Straight espresso, macchiato's, cappuccino's?

I on the other hand have no experience with the first three or the last on your list but have a suggestion. Hoboken is very close to Freehold, the location of 1st Line and they carry the Strega, Ponte Vecchio, and La Pavoni. I know they used to ask that you call in advance to set up a visit and I would recommend giving them a call. http://www.1st-line.com/store/pc/home.asp

Standard disclaimer: I have no connection with first line other than a purchase of a PV Export about 5 years ago.

I have owned:

- Sama (the original company to manufacture the design) Lusso, it is very similar to the current model, and shares 99% of the parts. The only thing I know of to change is finish (now chrome) and the addition of an emergency cutoff switch.

- La Pavoni Europiccola

- La Peppina

- La Peppina Termomattica (thermostat version)

- Arrarex Caravel

You didn't outline a budget, but if you can swing the cost of a Strega or L1 plus at least $500-$800 for a comparable quality grinder, do it. Your learning curve drops significantly with quality equipment. If you can't afford that, there's nothing you can't do with a lusso, it's essentially a scaled down commercial machine. The build is rock solid and has nothing to break.

For a grinder you must buy at least a Baratza vario, below that range is not usable for espresso. Commercial grinders do have better longevity and often better cup quality, but really you're going to see a lot of ergonomic issues that (for me) are unacceptable. These include a large footprint and height, and both bean and ground retention that's a serious issue (lots of wasted coffee because of spoilage) for home use. Many also find commercial grinders far too loud. Plenty find them just fine though.

When it comes to open boilers, there is only one modern option, ES3. You don't need an open boiler to regulate temperature well, but the design lends itself well to making a small amount of coffee.

In terms of 'prosumer' levers, there is also the Quickmill Achille. And you could go into the whole world of a commercial lever at home, such as a Bosco Sorrento.

The list is all good stuff, as far as I know anyway, but they deliver in different ways, so I guess the real question is what you want? Like, for me, I'd cross off the La Pavoni and Elektra Microcasa - I've had a La Pavoni, and got some good out of it, but in the end I think I'd rather go back to a moka pot than that. But some people here like that game, have fun perfecting their La Pavoni act, maybe they'd be bored with a Strega. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd get the Strietman, but I'd sure think very hard about it!

I couldn't disagree more. While neither of those levers are the worlds most amateur friendly, both are perfectly capable and fun to use. I dumped my pavoni because I drink more than two espressos in the morning, not because the espresso was bad.

To me there are several considerations. A major question is how many cups of espresso will you be making a day? Do you plan on making them just in the morning for one or two people? Do you want to make espresso on and off during the whole day?

Another consideration is just how much control do you want over the espresso process? Having the most control gives you the opportunity to learn to make extraordinary espresso, and it also can result in truly dreadful espresso.

If I were getting a machine to use once or twice a day making one or two cups each time, and I liked the freedom of controlling things a lot, I would say go with the La Pavoni. You can also take a cold la Pavoni and have a nice cup of espresso from it in eight minutes! But that espresso can be superb or terrible depending on technique. (I have three of these machines, 1964, 1978, and 1999. The 2001 on models certainly have better temperature control. Quality of construction has deteriorated over early machines, I think.)

I have an Elektra Micro casa a Leva. This is a very different machine. It is certainly easier to get decent espresso with these than direct lever machines like the La Pavoni. They also are beautiful machines.

Small machines like the La Pavoni also are rather portable! I often take them to other places. The MCAL tends to stay at home because it is larger and heavier.

Do not consider La Pavoni or Elektra the low end of the things available. They, especially La Pavonis, leave you close to the espresso process. One finds that one needs to understand how they work to know what to do to improve things.

Another very manual machine is the Swiss made Olympia Cremina. It has an extremely good reputation. New ones are rather expensive.

You also need to think about grinders. I like the Hg-one. It is built to last two or three life times, and they work well. I consider its lack of an electric motor a good thing, because it results in slower turning burrs, and there are less electric cords running around the place. It only takes about 15-18 turns of its handle to grind each shot. Remember you probably are not planning on running a coffee shop, so you will not be exhausted grinding coffee with one of these!

If you want the ability to make a lot of espresso each day, regularly serving large groups these smaller machines are not for you. It is possible, but it takes a big effort, to serve large numbers of people with two La Pavonis running at once!