A Lever Espresso Machine.


If you are looking for Old World Charm, a true lever espresso machine would look right at home on your kitchen bench as the older styled lever espresso machines can have brass accents or wooden lever handles.

The more modern lever espresso machines are sleek in chrome and black or red, but the undeniable presence of the lever-handle makes this sort of machine a kitchen stand-out.

True lever espresso machine-aficionados revel in the quiet preparation of their favourite drink, the thoughtful processes and ultimately, the hand-eye coordination when pulling the shot.
More than with any other espresso machine, a process of getting to know each other takes place: machine and man, lever and barista become one.

Pulling down on the lever when making the coffee gives you an unequalled  “control” over your shot, and you will soon find that not everyone who enters your kitchen can make a good cup of coffee with YOUR machine.
And that has to be a good thing, right?

 
Unless you have been able to find a older lever machine in good condition, you’ll have to settle for a modern version.
And that means the machine has thermostatic water heating and modern-day materials in the pistons, making it a altogether more dependable piece of kitchen –kit.

When you pull the lever, you decide how much water you push through the coffee grinds and how fast it goes through, giving you thereby an almost infinite range of brew possibilities.
Problem with that could be that no coffee you make is the same… but if you follow the
9 Rules, and stick to the Espresso Basics, they almost certainly will be delicious!

Thermostatically controlled boilers generally have a fairly wide range of control, which means that the water can be too hot if the machine has been sitting idle for a while.
By flushing the water thought the group head you will expell the over-heated water and avoid running the risk of burning your coffee-oils.

With a true lever machine you will be able to experiment with your coffee to find the one style of extraction you like best.
The way the water passes through the grinds determines certain aspects of the flavours of the coffee, so: go ahead and experiment!



There are three different types of lever-machines currently on the market.

  • Gravity-fed group machines, with an open kettle boiler sitting over the grouphead. Stabilising the temperature of gravity-fed group lever machines is not hard because the boiler is kept at brew temperature. Only problem is that they cannot produce steam immediately. These machines are hard to find.
  • Steam pressure group feed. Steam pressure pushes hot water from the boiler via a tube into thepiston chamber.TYhe boiler is always under pressure, so steam is always at hand. Problem is that most of these machines produce overheated water for the 3rd and 4th shot and boiled coffee is revolting, no matter how nice the machine. An example of these machines is the La Pavoni Europiccola . Easy to operate, modern in styling and capable of lovely rich espresso..
  • Heat-Exchanger machines. It means the machine can make espresso as well as provide steam   for millk. This sort of configuration is common in most current day commercial espresso machines, and genereally works a treat. Heat exchange machines do need a cooling flush before the shot is pulled. The Gaggia Achille is a heat exchanger machine and makes the most beautiful coffee, with rich, thick crema. The depth of flavour this machine produces is wonderful and once you have experienced the Achilles espresso,  it will be hard to drink any other!