New Strega video by Bezzera

#1: Post by **farmroast** » May 5th, 2012, 9:28 pm

Luca Bezzera is explaining the functions of the Bezzera strega lever machine and Markus Schollmayer is testing the result. This is taken in the Bezzera R&D department. Other assorted videos too on their espressoTV channel.
Some English some not. Their not doing a full preinfusion.
I like the handle on his machine!

#2: Post by **another_jim** » May 5th, 2012, 11:14 pm

Most of the German is translated or later repeated in English. The untranslated part is him saying that he finds the dry pucks from the Strega very sexy, since it's a sign of perfect extraction. Not sure which is more disturbing; the misinformation about extraction or being turned on by pucks. Since the internet has amply proven that there's absolutely nothing that doesn't turn somebody somewhere on, I guess it's the extraction misinfo.

The lever catches at around 90 degrees. That's lower than if I would get using a conventional basket's and machine's 14 gram dose/ 14 gram grind, but higher than I get with the 18 dose/14 grind that quiets the Strega's pump. I'm guessing about 16 grams.

#3: Post by **LaDan** » May 6th, 2012, 12:41 am

I am intrigued by his "leveling" and tamping techniques.

(First time that I see an actual Italian doing it).

#4: Post by **Bak Ta Lo** » May 6th, 2012, 3:48 am

Interesting to see the birthplace of my Strega, I like the testing machine for the levers, a lever pulling robot!

That cool looking Bezzerra logo handle that he puts on the Strega's lever is a portafilter handle from one of the newer Bezzera commercial machines. They come with those funky angular portafilter handles, with the Bezzera logo on the handle. Wonder if I could buy one of those handles as a replacement from somewhere and swap it out for my machines portafilter and lever handle?

Notice after they pull the Strega shots, before they taste them, they get some sugar packets and lay them next to the cups. Makes me even more inclined to drop a little sugar on my shots sometimes, to test the taste with sugar. I use so little sugar at home I forget to keep some by the espresso machine. Maybe I will grab some of those little tubes like they have at the bar, love pouring the sugar out of the tube for some reason.

#5: Post by **sorrentinacoffee** » May 6th, 2012, 8:39 am

I am impressed byt hat lever testing machine at the end. That is quite something.

May 6th, 2012, 9:21 am

I posted a comment about the lever handles below the video and Markus replied he could make some available for about $50. plus shipping. Group buy? Maybe pf handles too? Sent an email to Markus about the possibility.
Finding out if he meant handle and rod. And if we could just get handles and if they could replace on lever rod and/or pf, same part. Edit: with closer look the lever one and the pf one are the same style but a bit different in name plate and plate orientation.
Here is a picture of pf with handle.

#7: Post by **Bak Ta Lo** » May 6th, 2012, 10:14 am

Count me in on a buy of those handles if it can be arranged!

#8: Post by **F.M.** » May 6th, 2012, 11:35 am

I'd be interested in a handle as well.

I don't read much into it, but the pucks from the strega are remarkably undisturbed compared to other machines. I figure the strega loads the water into the group and pushes it through the puck very uniformly. Looking forward to getting my chopped PF.

#9: Post by **Bak Ta Lo** » May 6th, 2012, 11:53 am

Promise not to tangent in to puckology, but the dry pucks I just assumed were a result of the full piston cycle having to run all the water in the chamber through, not like a pump machine where the force of the flow is stopped as soon as the pump is killed. The function of the machine making dry hard pucks does not really matter to the actual shot, as the the actual espresso shot itself has been pulled away from the flow long before the full cylinder finally finishes emptying out through the puck. Once you pull the lever, you gotta let it run all the way through, you can't "kill a shot" in the middle and knock out a wet puck, the spring has to decompress. My Cremina also produces a similar undisturbed and bone dry puck, because I hand pull every drop of water out of the cylinder in to a catch basin after I pull the espresso shot. Just extracting all the water, nothing really special about it as related to the espresso shot.

I want to get one of my PF's chopped too, so I can try some naked extractions. I need to find someone who can do it. Any good source who will do it via "mail order", shipping it back and forth?

#10: Post by **LaDan** » May 6th, 2012, 2:47 pm

Bak Ta Lo wrote: I want to get one of my PF's chopped too, so I can try some naked extractions. I need to find someone who can do it. Any good source who will do it via "mail order", shipping it back and forth?

Cannonfodder will do it.