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Permalink Reply by oliver jean on November 4, 2011 at 7:32am

lever machines are great! the shots, when properly dialed in and made, can beat everything from even the fanciest pump machines. i say this conditionally! it's a learning process just like w/ a  pump but different. don't compare it w/ a manual or semi/ automatic.

 you have the regular variables: dose, grind, temperature. tamper is less important on a lever. fairly even, but no fancy e-w, n-s maneuvre is required. tamper pressure is pretty light, hard tamping doesn't make a difference.

now, what makes a difference in regards of extraction time is the preinfusion time. the shorter the preinfusion, the longer the extraction: e.g. 5 sec pre> 35 sec extr; 7 sec pre> 26 sec ext. but here the extraction time is, of course also a function of dose and grind.

the ideal extraction time is around 28-35 seconds, sometimes even 40 seconds. so total contact time water/grind (pre+ext) is substantially longer than on a pump.

lever machines, by design are pressure (and to a certain degree temperature) profile machines.

in comparison w/ a semi automatic, a lever requires a lot more attention and dedication.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on November 4, 2011 at 10:49am

I've had some great shots off of a lever machine.

 

Understand that, due to a couple of factors, a two group lever machine is not capable of producing espresso at the same pace as a semi. A rule of thumb is that a 3 group lever has about the same production capacity as a 2 group semi. So expect this machine to perform about like a single group.

 

The construction of the groups means that there are several additional soft components that need to be replaced periodically. Expect regular maintenance costs to be greater as a result.

 

The group construction and overall behavior should be similar to the Astoria you played with. This machine may use a heat exchanger though, like the semi version. Not sure...

 

The espresso will taste different compared to the semi... and as the previous poster implied the guidelines are a little different. The shot I had most recently was amazing at a 60% brew ratio that clocked in around 45 seconds from start of the shot till the cup was pulled. Be prepared to step outside the normal "boundaries".

 

This is not an area of expertise for me, at all... but I hope that helped.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Barrie on December 23, 2011 at 9:39pm

Hi Kenneth, I just recently acquired this exact machine, but it seems to be missing some pieces. Would you do me a huge favor and take some pics of the inside of this machine? Specifically a plan view of the boiler from the barista's left. 

Merry Xmass

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Permalink Reply by Brady on December 24, 2011 at 5:15am

Hi Thomas. You may or may not have seen this parts book yet: link. It does not appear to be totally complete - perhaps missing the tubing page, but those bits may be shared with the MAC 2000, who's parts book is here: link.

A side view would be useful though.

Thomas Barrie said:

Hi Kenneth, I just recently acquired this exact machine, but it seems to be missing some pieces. Would you do me a huge favor and take some pics of the inside of this machine? Specifically a plan view of the boiler from the barista's left. 

Merry Xmass

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