No. The only reason you are pulling down is that you are trying to protect your puck. On the Strega this isn't exactly needed, since I only pull doubles on it, about 19g and that is a pretty big/strong puck, so I've never had one break. But when pulling singles, about half the time I will have a problem caused by the piston moving UP (drawing in air through the puck) when you pull the handle DOWN. So, to avoid this and for consistency's sake, I just do it all the time as good practice. You are pulling the handle down to move the piston up; this sucks in air... if the puck is tight up against the group, the air will get pulled through the puck and might break it; then you get a gusher. So, pulling the handle down is only to get the air into the group without fracturing your puck. So you pull down the handle until just before anything happens... you stop short of any steam escaping or water gushing. Just get close, you don't have to nail it every time.

Other than that, just relax and enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun!
"The women are lovely, the wine is superb...
but there's something about the song that disturbs you..."

walt_in_hawaii wrote:No. The only reason you are pulling down is that you are trying to protect your puck. On the Strega this isn't exactly needed, since I only pull doubles on it, about 19g and that is a pretty big/strong puck, so I've never had one break. But when pulling singles, about half the time I will have a problem caused by the piston moving UP (drawing in air through the puck) when you pull the handle DOWN. So, to avoid this and for consistency's sake, I just do it all the time as good practice. You are pulling the handle down to move the piston up; this sucks in air... if the puck is tight up against the group, the air will get pulled through the puck and might break it; then you get a gusher. So, pulling the handle down is only to get the air into the group without fracturing your puck. So you pull down the handle until just before anything happens... you stop short of any steam escaping or water gushing. Just get close, you don't have to nail it every time.

Ok, understood..thanks!

You are overthinking it .The machine works easy.
I've owned a Strega for 2 years and never had any problems.
Use it as it is meant to be used.
Grind,tamp ,lock in,pull the lever down,pump engages,wait until you see the first drops and release the lever.
Alle you have to do is adjust your grindsetting to accomplish this.
Strega is an easy machine to use.

I am using a brand new coffee now, I bought 1 kg and I am going to experiment with it for the next days..

no video necessary. Here is a cut n paste from the Bezzera Strega - Second Look thread:

If you want the master class shot with the flavor clarity of classic levers, but the denser body and crema of pump machines; here is the drill:
No flush is required if you want to minimize acidity. If you want to bring out the acidity, the longest flush needed is about four to five seconds, until the flash boiling stops. Longer flushes than that are unnecessary, since the group itself does most of the temperature regulation.
Allow the pump to run until it fills the group, quiets down (indicating 9 bar pressure) and until you see a slow flow of espresso. This takes about ten seconds; E61 users will feel right at home with this part.
Now lift the lever slightly, enough to shut off the pump, but not enough to engage the spring. Let the compressed air continue to force out the espresso in a slow flow. This trick adds both to the body and clarity of the shot, but I cannot explain why.
Once the air is decompressed and the flow slows down, lift the lever and engage the spring. But keep your hand on the handle and control its rate of rise, in order to maintain a steady flow. Keeping the flow very slow and steady will produce a dense, viscous shot without much crema; while a steady normal flow rate will produce a shot with pump espresso body and crema. The best tasting alternative here will depend on the coffee and your mood.
To end the shot, once the coffee stream blonds or the volume is sufficient, pull the lever down slightly, so the flow stops; and remove the cup.


I should have directed you to this earlier but was too lazy to look it up, sorry!

I've had my Strega for a few years, and whenever I think I've reached the next level of experience....the cold, brutal reality slaps me in the face.

I'm not very technical but would like to get to the bottom of this pump issue.

The pump goes nearly silent and though the boiler seems to have pressure, the group doesn't fill and coffee can't be made.

This can happen when the machine is cold OR hot, and was intermittent. Now I'm pretty sure it won't return to normal until I fix something... but what??! I took these videos (in order from top to bottom) in December 2018 and Feb 2019 to try and capture the sounds and status over time... can anyone HELP?!!

kevin, your pump isn't working correctly. The pump is very cheap, like twenty or thirty bucks. Its also possilbe you have an obstruction in one of the water lines between the pump and group. I'd pull the pump, and just run it without it being connected to the machine to check its output. Its just a magnet and the pump itself is a simple oscillating rod with a spring on it.... I've had them fail and it still makes the same noise as before, but pumps no water.... but very cheap to replace.