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Nice work to OP. There's so many super high quality espresso machines out there that will outlive me. When one of those classic machines is paired with a qualit

Nice work to OP. There's so many super high quality espresso machines out there that will outlive me. When one of those classic machines is paired with a quality grinder and fresh beans, you will be brewing coffee better than many coffee shops (especially the chains). Around 5 years ago I restored a La Pavoni Europiccola manual lever espresso machine to working order. I bought it off of a "parts only" ebay listing for $200. It turns out it just needed new grouphead and base gaskets, some rustoleum, and some simple electrical work (new power switch and thermostat). After getting over the initial learning curve, this machine has consistently given me some amazing espresso shots, all while on a tight budget. If you're interested in seeing more of these kinds of restorations, check out these videos from the Orphan Espresso guy, who is incredibly skilled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Ymz8YJpcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Ymz8YJpcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k-08sVlPw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k-08sVlPw

peatmoss 7y ago
La Pavoni Europiccola is a great machine. I have a modern one (I didn’t feel like restoring a classic one), but it’s still great. I have replaced the factory steam nut with a single hole end that I made myself, but otherwise my machine is stock. I love espressos, machiattos, lattes and have gotten to the point where I’m consistently producing both espresso and lattes (with art!) that I prefer to many reasonably good coffee shops. It took me some time to learn the machine and how espresso works, but I got to geek out in the process. Highly recommended for people who are more interested in the journey than the destination.
11thEarlOfMar 7y ago
I got my first taste of manually-pulled espresso at Bright Coffee in Monterey. It was fantastic, but I could never be sure if it was induced by watching the barista pull the shot, or if the flavor was in fact better. I've had my mind made up to get a manual pull since then, and found a hand-made brand that looks promising. I'll be saving for a while: https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html
- sjwright 7y ago
  The quality of grind tends to be the weakest link in most home barista situations. It's easy for most people to justify buying the expensive espresso machine, or buy a kilo of beans from the last cafe they got a great coffee from, but the grinder is often neglected. For the nerds on HN, the difference between a good grinder and junk is the consistency of particle size. There's an optimum particle size that will result in the greatest amount of desirable flavours being extracted; most cheaper grinders will spit out a wide gamut of particle size. One of the most important jobs of a barista is to manage the grind fineness to optimise for the beans. The reason that perfect espresso isn't made by a robot—the reason why the process is so variable—is because the source material (the beans) are volatile. They're constantly changing, each batch is slightly different, their properties change as they off-gas every day from when they're roasted, and they're greatly affected by storage and ambient humidity. Some of these variances can be compensated for by adjusting the grind.
  - davnicwil 7y ago
    Thanks for this - sounds like you're pretty knowledgeable on the topic - don't suppose you have any recommendations for books or other sources for further reading?
    - ereyes01 7y ago
      I really enjoyed Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/dp/0312312199 https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/... It's not about grinders but it spends a few chapters on how coffee is produced and how different factors/regions can affect its flavor. It's an excellent primer on coffee in general, and of course on roasting at home (though the chapter on machines at the end is a little outdated).
      - davnicwil 7y ago
        Thanks!
- 7y ago
korm 7y ago
My Europicolla is almost 20 years old and going strong. Maintenance or replacing parts is simple, you can kit it out with all sorts of upgrades, and its espresso is comparable to that of super expensive pressure profiling machines. It's my favorite thing I've ever bought.
- simonebrunozzi 7y ago
  Piccola, not picolla. Piccola means small, tiny, in Italian.
abakker 7y ago
As the owner of an older europiccola and a quick mill qm67, I've been eying this: https://www.flairespresso.com https://www.flairespresso.com which seems really need. the europiccola always struggled with managing steaming/overheating issues when doing multiple beverages. (Boiler was small), so I got the QM67. But this seems like it might be perfect for the times when you want to make just one shot.
- hedora 7y ago
  I love my flair espresso machine. I put the cylinder (~= group head) in the water as I bring it it up to temperature, and get extremely consistent results. I have a PID controlled kettle, and a high end burr grinder. The setup compares favorably with high end manual machines at work. I usually make two batches (2 double shots) with the flair, fwiw.
- arghnoname 7y ago
  I have a flair, a temperature controlled kettle, and a bellman stovetop steamer. The grinder I have was good for pour-overs, but isn't really up to espressos, but even so the espressos and cappuccinos I've been able to produce make my kitchen my favorite place to go to get caffeinated. More often than not I'll make multiple beverages with it in a row. It's good enough that I'm frankly worried that when I finally upgrade to a proper machine it won't feel worth it. I had been looking forward to getting my fancy espresso machine eventually, so this is weirdly disappointing.
  - theCodeStig 7y ago
    FWIW, I have a proper espresso machine, and I’ve considered downgrading to a Flair.
- gegtik 7y ago
  I've owned an EPC8, Silvia with PID, and an E61 machine and I can tell you the flair is my favorite machine
- IRLIamOffline 7y ago
  Went from a Gaggia to a Flair and can only recommend it. For me, the Flair only falls short when you want to make >2 espressos at a time. Love the control over every parameter and that you don't need to preheat for 15 mins

peatmoss 7y ago

La Pavoni Europiccola is a great machine. I have a modern one (I didn’t feel like restoring a classic one), but it’s still great. I have replaced the factory steam nut with a single hole end that I made myself, but otherwise my machine is stock. I love espressos, machiattos, lattes and have gotten to the point where I’m consistently producing both espresso and lattes (with art!) that I prefer to many reasonably good coffee shops. It took me some time to learn the machine and how espresso works, but I got to geek out in the process. Highly recommended for people who are more interested in the journey than the destination.

11thEarlOfMar 7y ago

I got my first taste of manually-pulled espresso at Bright Coffee in Monterey. It was fantastic, but I could never be sure if it was induced by watching the barista pull the shot, or if the flavor was in fact better. I've had my mind made up to get a manual pull since then, and found a hand-made brand that looks promising. I'll be saving for a while: https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html

sjwright 7y ago
The quality of grind tends to be the weakest link in most home barista situations. It's easy for most people to justify buying the expensive espresso machine, or buy a kilo of beans from the last cafe they got a great coffee from, but the grinder is often neglected. For the nerds on HN, the difference between a good grinder and junk is the consistency of particle size. There's an optimum particle size that will result in the greatest amount of desirable flavours being extracted; most cheaper grinders will spit out a wide gamut of particle size. One of the most important jobs of a barista is to manage the grind fineness to optimise for the beans. The reason that perfect espresso isn't made by a robot—the reason why the process is so variable—is because the source material (the beans) are volatile. They're constantly changing, each batch is slightly different, their properties change as they off-gas every day from when they're roasted, and they're greatly affected by storage and ambient humidity. Some of these variances can be compensated for by adjusting the grind.
- davnicwil 7y ago
  Thanks for this - sounds like you're pretty knowledgeable on the topic - don't suppose you have any recommendations for books or other sources for further reading?
  - ereyes01 7y ago
    I really enjoyed Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/dp/0312312199 https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/... It's not about grinders but it spends a few chapters on how coffee is produced and how different factors/regions can affect its flavor. It's an excellent primer on coffee in general, and of course on roasting at home (though the chapter on machines at the end is a little outdated).
    - davnicwil 7y ago
      Thanks!
7y ago

korm 7y ago

My Europicolla is almost 20 years old and going strong. Maintenance or replacing parts is simple, you can kit it out with all sorts of upgrades, and its espresso is comparable to that of super expensive pressure profiling machines. It's my favorite thing I've ever bought.

simonebrunozzi 7y ago
Piccola, not picolla. Piccola means small, tiny, in Italian.

abakker 7y ago

As the owner of an older europiccola and a quick mill qm67, I've been eying this: https://www.flairespresso.com https://www.flairespresso.com which seems really need. the europiccola always struggled with managing steaming/overheating issues when doing multiple beverages. (Boiler was small), so I got the QM67. But this seems like it might be perfect for the times when you want to make just one shot.

hedora 7y ago
I love my flair espresso machine. I put the cylinder (~= group head) in the water as I bring it it up to temperature, and get extremely consistent results. I have a PID controlled kettle, and a high end burr grinder. The setup compares favorably with high end manual machines at work. I usually make two batches (2 double shots) with the flair, fwiw.
arghnoname 7y ago
I have a flair, a temperature controlled kettle, and a bellman stovetop steamer. The grinder I have was good for pour-overs, but isn't really up to espressos, but even so the espressos and cappuccinos I've been able to produce make my kitchen my favorite place to go to get caffeinated. More often than not I'll make multiple beverages with it in a row. It's good enough that I'm frankly worried that when I finally upgrade to a proper machine it won't feel worth it. I had been looking forward to getting my fancy espresso machine eventually, so this is weirdly disappointing.
- theCodeStig 7y ago
  FWIW, I have a proper espresso machine, and I’ve considered downgrading to a Flair.
gegtik 7y ago
I've owned an EPC8, Silvia with PID, and an E61 machine and I can tell you the flair is my favorite machine
IRLIamOffline 7y ago
Went from a Gaggia to a Flair and can only recommend it. For me, the Flair only falls short when you want to make >2 espressos at a time. Love the control over every parameter and that you don't need to preheat for 15 mins