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AndrewD
[HoMe Moderator]
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Not a La Pavoni, but…

Hi Luc

I used a La Pavoni lever machine before the ECM Giotto. For more than 10 years it was my morning ritual to stumble down the stairs in the dark, turn on the machine and go back up for a shower. By the time I was finished the boiler was ready and I would invoke the coffee gods to pull the perfect espresso to enjoy with my toast.

Those of you who have used lever machines will know that they provide an unprecedented level of control over the extraction; there is no better way to be ‘at one’ with the coffee making experience. However, they require the utmost concentration and adherence to a specific ritual to get the perfect “God Shot”, as it is sometimes called. So in addition to the caffeine ‘hit’, this ritual was also part of my waking routine.

There is, however, more variability in the coffee produced by the La Pavoni and the process is slower. The semi-automatic ECM provides greater reproducibility and, for a dinner party, lets me bang out the espressos more quickly.

Coffee making is another perfect pastime for the obsessive compulsive. And don’t deny it … there are a lot of us out there in the watch collecting community.

Andrew