Lever Espresso Machines

Koffee_Kosmo

I can also say that the pull down handle design is superior on the Strega They use a pair of large roller bearings to take the pressure and to operate smoother with equilibrium as opposed to a pin that wears And that is why they use a cover - But if you don't like a cover it can be removed and you can see the movement in all its glory    It will take a while but other manufacturers will follow suit I look at design and its implementation

K_Bean_Coffee

I see that you love your Strega KK.  That's awesome   We all have different opinions and sharing them (in a constructive way) is one of the beauties of forums.  Cheers   Paul

K_Bean_Coffee

Just thought this thread is the right one for me to share this vid of me pulling a shot on the Profitec Pro 800.

askthecoffeeguy

Nice camera work and great musical accompaniment to the making of an espresso looks like a great shot that you pulled there

K_Bean_Coffee

Thanks. The funny thing is that I took the video, added this music and the timing matched up almost perfectly with the shot first time.

LeroyC

I've wanted to get a lever for quite a while now, but never had the funds for one. I've been looking into the Flair Espresso recently and it looks pretty damn cool so I might just have to grab one I think. Nothing like the Profitec or Bezzera of course, but could still be a really cool little unit.

Brett H

on 1493089064:

I've wanted to get a lever for quite a while now, but never had the funds for one. I've been looking into the Flair Espresso recently and it looks pretty damn cool so I might just have to grab one I think. Nothing like the Profitec or Bezzera of course, but could still be a really cool little unit.

I don't know it.  Google will again be my friend. If I were to replace my current lever I'd have a very hard job indeed.  How big is the boiler on the Profitec? The Bosco is great but where are they and they'd be pretty good $

LeroyC

Flair Espresso user video.

askthecoffeeguy

I used a 4 group bosco in a commercial setting and it was a beast of a machine to ouse - made great coffee but the lag time between shots was frustrating plus it was extremely sensitive to tamp and grind, and needed to be backflushed regularly still i dont think ive had a better espresso or long black than what I could produce on that machine especially with the double pull-down, extended extraction method! p

Unknown

Just saw a Ponte Vecchio Lusso lever on eBay.  (In Victoria) I don't know your site policy with links to external sites so won't put it on.  Not interested myself but wonder if they are any good?

Koffee_Kosmo

When working well they are good machines and make good coffee However if you encounter problems or need parts you will need to import from Italy This info is from users here on Coffee Forum - search Lusso and you will see the whole discussion KK 

Unknown

Thanks KK. 

K_Bean_Coffee

The Profitec Pro 800 is now setup at Pomegranite Coffee Bar - 265C Bluff Road, Sandringham VIC. Phone 9598 2074. Exciting as this is the first Cafe to serve only K Bean Coffee. Feel free to visit. Nik is open to letting forum members have a play with his Pro 800

mycuppa

K-Bean, if you are selling beans on a commercial basis, I hope you are aware of the requirement for a Council Permit (or permits which may be the case) and other compliance requirements for your roasting facility ?

lukemc

on 1495087708:

K-Bean, if you are selling beans on a commercial basis, I hope you are aware of the requirement for a Council Permit (or permits which may be the case) and other compliance requirements for your roasting facility ?

I know what you mean.  I've just started working my way through my councils requirements for setting up a small at home Roastery not difficult in reality but lots to know and lots to tick off before they grant a permit ☺️ Sent from my ONEPLUS A3010 using Tapatalk

K_Bean_Coffee

on 1495087708:

K-Bean, if you are selling beans on a commercial basis, I hope you are aware of the requirement for a Council Permit (or permits which may be the case) and other compliance requirements for your roasting facility ?

Good point and yes, absolutely I'm sub-contracting my roasting now. I definitely can't keep up with my own 1kg roaster. Cheers, Paul K Bean Dream Machines

West Village

Hey guys does anyone on the forum own or had any experiences with the manual flair espresso lever? Any thoughts on them ? Gimmicky or legitimate for good espresso? I'd love to enter the world of levers but wanted to get a feel for them at an entry level and lower price point in the first instance. From what I read the flair could be a good option. LeroyC - did you ever end up purchasing one?

LeroyC

on 1518207073:

Hey guys does anyone on the forum own or had any experiences with the manual flair espresso lever? Any thoughts on them ? Gimmicky or legitimate for good espresso? I'd love to enter the world of levers but wanted to get a feel for them at an entry level and lower price point in the first instance. From what I read the flair could be a good option. LeroyC - did you ever end up purchasing one?

No I haven’t bought one (yet). They’re getting quite good reviews. They are a touch fiddly apparently, but not too bad. And there’s some debate on whether you can get even close to 9bar pressure during an extraction. However all up they look to be a great buy at their current price.

askthecoffeeguy

on 1518251860:

No I haven’t bought one (yet). They’re getting quite good reviews. They are a touch fiddly apparently, but not too bad. And there’s some debate on whether you can get even close to 9bar pressure during an extraction. However all up they look to be a great buy at their current price.

They're a great looking device not a lot different in terms of flavour profile to a number of manual extraction methods I would  think but all. Kinds of awesome all the same! P

Unknown

G'day All...  ;D I've been using a Flair for a couple of months now and can attest to the quality of the 'shots' they are capable of producing. Makes a beautiful espresso that is comparable to excellent shots I've been able to produce on various semi-auto espresso machines we've owned over the years. As for their alleged 'fiddliness' to use, this is (as far as I'm concerned) highly exaggerated. I have very poor dexterity in both of  my hands, especially the left one, and I am able to manage the few steps required without difficulty and without dropping any of the components. As for whether they can actually produce a Brew Pressure of ~9.0 Bar? This just comes down to a simple maths problem...  Even when assuming a very pessimistic lever mechanical advantage of less than five to one, the required force to be applied to the end of the lever to achieve this is less than 24.0Kg. Well within the means of most people...  8) The realistic mechanical advantage is closer to nine to one however.  Hope this is of some help... Mal.

askthecoffeeguy

on 1518528297:

G'day All...  ;D I've been using a Flair for a couple of months now and can attest to the quality of the 'shots' they are capable of producing. Makes a beautiful espresso that is comparable to excellent shots I've been able to produce on various semi-auto espresso machines we've owned over the years. As for their alleged 'fiddliness' to use, this is (as far as I'm concerned) highly exaggerated. I have very poor dexterity in both of  my hands, especially the left one, and I am able to manage the few steps required without difficulty and without dropping any of the components. As for whether they can actually produce a Brew Pressure of ~9.0 Bar? This just comes down to a simple maths problem...  Even when assuming a very pessimistic lever mechanical advantage of less than five to one, the required force to be applied to the end of the lever to achieve this is less than 24.0Kg. Well within the means of most people...  8) The realistic mechanical advantage is closer to nine to one however.  Hope this is of some help... Mal.

Hey great feedback Malcolm -, I'd love to see some photos of your setup and the quality of the shots that you produce! I've worked on lever machines before but never a manual lever, but I can definitely vouch for the superior shot quality from the lever extraction process! Best, Pat

West Village

Thanks for your comments and experiences shared Mal. I think that has just pushed me over the edge. Looks like I'll be joining the flair lever club shortly!! Any other tips or tricks to getting the best out of it? I.e. Pre-heating techniques or amount/weight of coffee to use etc? Anyone know if or when they will be selling the signature series of the flair in oz?

Unknown

G'day 'WV'...  No need to get too caught up in semantics with using a Flair. I use a Hario kettle, heated on an Induction Hot Plate that once it is boiled, just set it to hold the temperature at just under boiling. The body of the Group is placed into a Pyrex jug, hot water from the kettle added and the kettle is returned to the hot plate. Depending on what you intend to make with the coffee, you can also put hot water into a cup to heat up while you grind and fill the filter basket with coffee. I use ~15g ground to a normal espresso fineness, gently tamp the coffee with the supplied Tamper, put on the shower-screen, assemble the Group, tip out the water in the cup and then apply about 15-20Kg force to the Lever. In 30-35 seconds, Voila! A great coffee awaits...  ;D Mal.

West Village

For those of you interested in the Flair signature model ( the shiny chrome and copper version). I just emailed the creator of the flair "Sergio", top bloke and very responsive to queries. He said that he had just mailed out a whole bunch of signature models to their Australian distributor whom he said should have them available any day now. I won't mention the distributor here in case I breach site policy. Also asked Sergio if he had any plans for a wall mount version or adapter of some sort to allow this functionality. Whilst it wasn't on his immediate pipeline he did  encourage the flairs users to design and create it to which he would make public if deemed safe and within the design principals. I believe a bottomless portafilter basket will be made available soon (according to HB forum). One to keep an eye on!

askthecoffeeguy

oh thanks for the update WV thats good to know - I prefer my equipment on the bench but a wall mount would be an awesome innovation! P

West Village

Anyone come across the "Pull" lever espresso machines? American vintage style, built very impressively and like a tank with what appears to be quality craftsmanship .  Love to know your thoughts...

Brett H

Yep... They look beautiful but you're ostensibly paying a big premium for a fancy 'skin' for your bog-standard commercial lever.  Who remembers the leather wrapped Miss Silvia??

K_Bean_Coffee

on 1521283326:

Who remembers the leather wrapped Miss Silvia??

Ummmmm... not me. Sounds a little crazy.

Brett H

Heat, Liquids, Stainless Steel tools... what could go wront

K_Bean_Coffee

on 1522233660:

Heat, Liquids, Stainless Steel tools... what could go wront

Exactly Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro