I bought one of these a couple of months ago and although it is a bit expensive it is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. It looks great. It is so well made, it feels like it will last forever as it is so simple, no electronics to break down no plastic bits to break off. You get a huge amount of control over the way the coffee tastes, it's all in the speed of lowering the handle and the tightness of grinds. It takes a few attempts to get it right but once you've worked it out you'll never look back.
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My parents bought this about five years ago and I followed suit about a year ago. When she first bought it I thought they were crazy, but when it got there I understood why.
This machine is superb for almost any kind of coffee. Sometimes I like a strong espresso and sometimes I like a cold cafe sheccerato which is a cold coffee and is great. (To make it you simply get a shaker (like a martini shaker) and fill it with ice and a few teaspoons of sugar. Brew the coffee and while it is still very hot throw it in the shaker and shake it strongly for about a minute. The result is an ice cold frothy espresso, great for warm days forget Starbucks imitation stuff, this is much better).
As other people have said, it takes a little bit of time to get it right. Typically I've found that very thin grains are not the best to work with, something between your typical Illy coffee grain and the larger cheap grains usually works well. It take a bit to get used to, but once you start to get a hold of the whole concept it works superbly well. Frankly, even when you do a poor job the coffee is still good.
In addition, my parents have had this item for about five years and have not had a single problem. It's extremely easy to clean and if you are in a rush it's also a great machine since it loads so quickly and easily.
Also, if you are running out the door you need not wait for the water to completely heat up. You can run it after just a few minutes (of course your coffee won't be as warm, but it doesn't have to heat up completely in order to use it). For those quick out-the-door mornings, this is great. You won't have the best espresso in the world, but you'll still have one that beats just about anything.
I've been through about three [price range] machines in the last few years and they all broke or just didn't taste right. ... You have to be able to taste the difference between good and bad coffee to enjoy this machine. If you don't you probably won't enjoy this machine as much. In other words, if Folgers Instant coffee tastes good to you, move along.
It's also worth getting good coffee for this. ...
In the end, if you are looking for a high-quality product that makes high quality coffee, this is a great choice.
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You'd better know your coffee before you even start looking at this espresso maker. It is a manual pull espresso maker, meaning there is some art and a lot of trial/error incurred when making your coffee. That said, this has produced some of the best espresso I've ever had. It's a smaller maker, and is great for someone who just wants about 4-6 espresso shots before needing to refill. (I work out of home office, so this is perfect...)
PROS:
* Small, means it doesn't take up much counter space.
* Manual Lever If you want fill control over your coffee, this is the way to go.
* More than enough steam pressure/volume to steam 12oz+ of milk.
* Solid construction. It is mostly all metal.
* Comes up to heat FAST. (About 5min with a full tank.) The head also comes up to temp quickly.
* Visible water level
* Easy clean drip tray
* Easy screw-off levers, knobs, etc easily replaceable/customizable.
CONS:
* The base is lightweight, and could be more solid. It feels cheap compared to the solid construction of the boiler/head.
* The steam nozzle does not swivel out, causing you to have to steam your milk VERY close to the boiler. (Ouch!)
* Must wait for it to cool before refilling due to steam pressure.
* The default tamp that comes with this unit SUCKS. Too small for the basket..leads to bad coffee...why, Pavoni, why?
CAVEATS:
* Not a "push button, receive coffee" type of maker. This is a pro for me, but you should be well aware that this requires finesse and patience.
* Ensure you are comfortable with servicing it yourself or OK with mailing it to a service center. This is not a throwaway item after a few years, and can be a lifetime purchase.
MUST ALSO BUY:
* 51mm Tamp. Seriously. Don't even use the one that comes with the unit. It will ruin your pulls. 51mm is the correct size.
* DEEP milk frothing container. Because of the angle and stiffness of the steam arm, you WILL spray yourself in the face if you don't have a good angle on it, and something to catch the overspray. (I use my mug, and have given up on having fancy foam.)
* Nylon brush Coffee regularly gets stuck in the area between the head and steam curtain on this unit. Clean after every use.
* Insulated espresso mugs/shotglases On bigger units, you can sit what you use to catch the coffee in on the unit to warm it up. Not so here. I use glass shotglasses that I heat up with hot water prior. (I'm cheap, ok?)
* Conical burr grinder A consistent grind is very important for this maker, as it is the difference between great coffee and awful coffee. This unit is sensitive to the grind, so once you have the right grind, it is very helpful to have that dialed-in on your grinder for every grind thereafter.
Why I rated 4/5 instead of 5/5??? Because of the craptacular plastic tamp, the inflexible steam nozzle, and the flimsy seeming base. Don't get me wrong, I would have zero issues recommending this unit highly, I think they just could have gone that extra little bit.
Honest reviews on La Pavoni EPC-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine
Manual machines, without question,produce the best cup of espresso. I have owned them in the past, and recently purchased a brand new La Pavoni. The machine arrived broken. I could not even get one cup of espresso. I called thinking that La Pavoni would have me send back the machine and replace it. WRONG. I was told that this was not allowed, and the only option I had was contact one of there US Service Agents and arrange to have the machine sent to them for repair. Even then they indicated that the repair expense would be my responsibility.
At this point what do you do? So either I keep the machine as a useless decoration, or concede and try to fix it.
I tried the three numbers they provided. About 10 days have gone by, and I have called each number numerous times to no avail. You never reach a real person. Only a tape recording informing you that they would contact you as quickly as possible.
So, yes, a manual machine is the best, but La Pavoni warranty and service is horrible. If you want a manual, try a different vendor.
Don
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for La Pavoni EPC-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine
Simply put, this machine rocks for high quality espresso.
Once you have the technical skills down, learn the nuances of the beans you are using, and the stars align the espresso this machine can produce is as good as (or even better) than the highest end models above $6K (La Marzocca GS/3 comes to mind).
For under $1K this is the best deal available, period.
The Pro's:
1) Absolute control of the pressure. You can do everything (with pressure) that the fanciest machines are just becoming capable of such as pre-infusion, controlled variable pressure while pulling the shot, and make tweaks on the fly based on what you see coming out of the spout.
2) It is a beautiful and striking piece of kitchen equipment with a timeless design. A true conversation starter which will never go out of style.
3) It can produce the the best quality espresso possible.
The Con's:
1) Almost no temperature control, it get's hot and after that you have to "surf" the temperature as the machine's interior metal parts start to heat up. Commonly I can only pull four shots before it starts to get unrecoverable hot. There are tricks to help this, such as running the portafilter under cold water between shots, but you are always having to ride the temperature wave.
2) You can only make a few good shots in a single session due to both the temperature issue above as well as the volume of the boiler. This is not a machine appropriate for entertaining with as you won't be able to make six quality shots. However, if your guests do not have a discerning taste for coffee you could perhaps get away with it.
3) The learning curve is insanely steep due to it's 100% manual nature. It's easy to pull a shot that is as good as the swill Starbucks pulls within about a week of use. However, to learn to pull high quality shots on a consistent basis it will take over a year of practice. This can be fun as you'll probably be pulling random amazing shots within the first month if you seriously dedicate yourself to trying.
4) The portafilter is not the standard commercial size. This doesn't impact the espresso quality for most blends. What it causes a problem with is the tamp. It comes with a piece of junk tamp you should immediately throw away however to buy a new quality one is not as easy as popping down to your average coffee shop. As it has an unusual size you usually have to order it online.
5) The design of the machine leaves built up pressure in the portafilter and group-head after you've pulled a shot (if it was a good shot that was properly tamped). So when pulling out the portafilter you have to "bleed" the pressure off carefully otherwise it will "sneeze" hot coffee grounds and water all over the place. It invariably does this when you are showing the machine off to friends.
6) It gets amazingly hot. Almost all of it. Only the base remains cool but every other metal exposed metal part gets far too hot to touch quickly.
7) The steam wand is at an odd angle and hence is hard to use which is too bad as it has pretty good steam pressure.
8) Eventually, under heavy use, the seals will wear out and you'll either have to replace them yourself or send it in to one of the three shops in the nation who will replace them for you.
9) Finally, regardless of how good you get with it you won't be pulling great shots 100% of the time. I've had mine for nine years and still can only pull a good shot perhaps three out of five times. There are simply too many variables and if the grind, tamp, pressure, and temperature isn't spot on the shot will go sour. However, at least one of those shots is usually so good the sky splits open and angels sing.
Summary:
That's a long list of serious cons, but if it's truly quality espresso you are after and you are OK working for it this is the machine for you. Be sure to buy a good grinder too though.
My recommendation for beans are the very forgiving and truly delicious Counter Culture Toscano blend. Most blends will work but the Toscano is a good starter as it isn't as picky about temperature and pressure.
