Hello, dear enthusiasts

Quick history: I had a lot of machines, good machines: from a number of heat exchangers to Cremina a long time ago, Decent XL, Londinium LR24, and now ECM Synchronika.

I have an MC4 grinder and Fellow w/SSP for pour-overs.

Two things: first, I am moving countries every few years or so. Second, I make one coffee in the morning and maybe one in the afternoon (if I do not do pour-over, but I often do). On the weekends I make up to three coffees.

It is obvious that Synchronika is overkill in terms of use and mobility when a potential move is an option. So until I settle somewhere for good and buy a Synesso Hydra I am thinking of downgrading, saving some money, and I enjoy levers anyway.

So for the money, is La Pavonies a good choice? Which model? At the moment thinking about new ones, and I need to steam one milk drink a day.

A Europiccola would easily suit your needs but the Pro models are the ones to get in my opinion. Larger boiler has better steam and fewer refills. Plus the boiler is larger but the machine is not in space, same countertop usage.

After that it's deciding on style, either gen 3 grouphead or Stradivari. I have one of each pro model. It probably comes down to which you prefer the looks of. Overall the differences are minor in use though the Stradivari is superior in temp stability by a smidge. The group has a bit more mass to slough off heat and is a little easier to temp surf. Still not a huge gap really. Both have bayonet style steam arms, but I prefer the Stradivari for ease of use since it's more angled downward and easier to position. It could just be my gen 3 steam arm wasn't bent properly, but judging by pics of others I believe they are mostly similarly angled. Following pics show the difference. First is Stradivari





I find the gen 3 steam arm annoying and will be either attempting to bend it or just buy a second Stradivari steam arm. Presently swapping the one strad between both when steaming to avoid the annoyance. I just want a little more downward adjustment than is possible with the gen 3.

No real difference in the cup both pull lovely shots once you get the feel for it. Since you already have the barista skills your learning curve should be a little bump. Mostly just a matter of learning Pavoni grinds (generally much finer than pumps), lever techniques and grouphead temp management. All of which is available in vast quantities in the lever forum.

Definitely get temp strips for the group, or one of the thermometer upgrades. The stainless or brass piston sleeve is also a major upgrade and not too expensive. Worth every penny in smooth lever action.
If you are into light roasts might be worth getting the Pressure Profiling Kit for the grouphead. It's a good (but expensive) tool to figure out what lever techniques work. I don't have one personally as I learned before they existed but knowing what pressure you are applying can be helpful in finding the sweet spot for pulls. I learned to adjust by feel during pulls, but wish I had had the option of the PPK then. Once you get the feel for different puck resistances and lever feel at pressures I think the PPK might fade in usefulness, but not if you tend to log variables for shots I suppose.

If you're not in a rush, then two new small lever machines will be coming out next ... let's say ... year to be very conservative: the Odyssey Argos and the Londinium Vectis. If you can wait, then I wouldn't consider a new Pavoni until the above two products become available for comparison. (I'm not anti-Pavoni; I have two first-gen Europiccolas. )

If you wish to wait for the Argos (I hope it will be launched before 1 year. My guess is before end of 2022), you can buy for 20$ another heating element and switch it from 120 to 240, which is great IMO. Probably possible also with some other products but probably much more expensive, and the electronic need to also be designed from 100 to 240 volts.

https://www.odysseyespresso.com/shop/ar ... ng-element

All current Europiccola and Professional models use a pressurestat for controlling boiler pressure (and thus boiler water temperature). The Professional has a boiler pressure gauge; the Europiccola does not, but one can easily be added. The boiler pressure gauge is just as useful/useless as any machine.

None of the models have temperature control, nor is it trivial to install brew water temperature control. No model has a thermometer except the luxury versions that have a bunch of add-ons already installed at the factory. Plenty of aftermarket thermometer options.

Winner between the Europiccola and Professional is hard to say. I only do two pulls in a session so the bigger boiler is just a waste. Personally, I don't like the proportions of the Professional, but I'm not a fan of the looks of any of current generation anyway.

buckersss wrote:I'm mulling over a la pavoni too. The europiccolas have a separate switch for temp control, correct? Where as the professional has a thermometer built in to manage this?

Boiler size aside, is there a clear winner in this regard?

I am not certain but believe the millenniums are all single switch. Neither has the boiler pressure gauge like the Professional models. You can mod to add pressure gauge though

If you are expecting to make more than two maybe three drinks in a session a Europiccola may be too small boiler wise. It may need a steam purge and add water and bring it back to temp. When I was using a friend's on a swap I stopped at two per her request, as I will push my pro a bit further with some rapid cool cycles.

Either of my Pros can easily roll three to four drinks before retopping boiler. In one session it would require grouphead cooling at least for the last two shots on a medium roast. Light roasts and high temp pulls will often require cooling inbetween each shot.

I didn't really notice any difference in cup between euro and pro. Same internal and external group components after all. It will be as good as the coffee and the barista can do.

buckersss wrote:The europiccolas have a separate switch for temp control, correct? Where as the professional has a thermometer built in to manage this?

Not quite.

All Pros have a pressurestat to control temp and a pressure gauge to show pressure. They have a simple lighted single on/off switch.

Late Europiccolas, (some late pre-millennium and all millenium machines) have a pressurestat to control temp. No pressure gauge, but they have a lighted single on off switch with a red light to indicate power to the machine and a green light to indicate power to the element. (When machine is up to pressure the green light goes off.) You often see used Europiccolas modified to have a pressure gauge.

Earlier Europiccolas have a dual heating element and a double switch that supports a min and max power setting. Since around 1978 they had a red/white dual switch where the lighted red one turns on the power and the white one selects hi or low element power. (See the excellent F. Ceccarelli site for details ) No pressurestat on these - temperature here is regulated by a pressure release valve, like on a pressure cooker.

Stradivari machines all have a pressurestat, and only the Pro (SP) model has a pressure gauge. They are a little different in that they have an indicator that is lit when the machine is up to full pressure and the element switches off.

buckersss wrote:Can you easily fit a boiler gauge on the current europiccola? I had read that threading on the top of the sight glass may have changed and become incompatible?

Every vendor's website has a guide explaining how to determine which adapter to order.