I'm a flavor junkie, a total hedonist -- quality over quantity in terms of experience with coffee, amongst other things. I have been wet dreaming of a lever machine for my personal coffee obsession and after months of research, came to the conclusion of this machine. http://www.olympia-express.ch/en/products/cremina

Why lever? Baristas talk about "pull"ing a shot, in the 70s Italian baristas had to literally pull a lever to activate the pressure necessary for espresso. We have retained the vocabulary but have lost touch with the physical action, now it is pressing a button. An active lever machine gives the direct "feel" of the resistance as the hot water passes through the grind.

There is another type of lever system which pumps in reverse, meaning pressing the lever primes a spring, and releasing the lever actually performs the pull. This does not give the same feeling of resistance.

Have you heard of the fellini technique? This is the origins of pre-infusion, it is also employed to extend a shot. Most modern trained baristas have NO CLUE about the history and heritage of the espresso. Here's some guy doing it on a lever machine (la Pavoni, Italian, cheaper than the olympia) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzD065Ktr3M

I'm writing to share my findings and to see if any other coffee enthusiasts have arrived at the same or a different conclusion about what machines to buy for their own use, and why.

Salute!!

I favor the Cremina due to the engineering and better temp stability. Over heating is not going to be an issue for me as I'm not using this for a business.

But why do you want a spring lever over a manual lever?

Thanks, ordered it. Good recommendation. Lets see if the project is be on time.