Lever Technique - Page 2

#11: Post by **mborkow** » April 9th, 2022, 12:12 pm

drgary wrote:Me included. A good starter lever machine is the Cafelat Robot and a keeper too. You can get it with a pressure gauge to help you dial in. I rarely look at the gauge. Also, you can do lots of preheating rituals. But I like simplicity. I feed it coffee that doesn't need preheating. Making wonderful espresso in the morning is no harder than cooking our morning omelette. And there I don't go fancy either. Using levers gives me a break from the fuss and calculations of so much else in life.

+1
I have a Robot w/o gauge and it replaced both my other levers (vintage Europiccola and Cremina) though full disclosure I drink pretty dark roasts with which the Robot excels. I love being able to pull shot with just a five minute wait (for my EKG to get up to temp).

April 10th, 2022, 2:34 am

Thank you all. I am looking for an alternative to my semi automatic. so I hope to have some variety not only in the experience of pulling a shot but potentially tasting a different kind of shot.
The Robot is a fully manual pull and some other levers are springs. What's the ultimate difference? A difference in control (if i merely pull and let a 6 or 9 bar take control)?

#13: Post by **drgary** » April 10th, 2022, 3:28 am

You can hold back a spring lever for similar control to a manual lever. Spring levers can help you be slightly more consistent. Manual levers offer direct sensory input for making espresso. I can make very similar shots on a Robot and my commercial spring lever. Spring levers automatically give you a declining pressure profile, which is generally a good way to extract fully without overextracting.