Buy La Pavoni EPBB-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine, Black BaseLa Pavoni EPBB-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine, Black Base Product Description:
- Delivers espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte, and other coffee drinks
- Lever permits crafting espresso to personal taste
- Makes 8 cups continuously without heating more water
- Includes automatic milk foamer, measuring spoon, 1- and 2-cup filters
- Measures 11 by 7 by 12 inches; 1-year warranty
Product Description
Includes 2 stainless steel filter baskets . Makes 1 or 2 cups at a time . 8 Cup capacity . 20 oz. Boiler capacity . Power switch 1000W/110V . Internal thermostat and reset fuse . Steam pressure and piston operated . Long life stainless steel heating elements . 1-Year warranty . 12 in. H (14 lbs.)
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
101 of 105 people found the following review helpful.
This might be the shiny Fiat of espresso machines
By A Customer
La Pavoni was the first espresso machine I owned - I had it for a number of years, had it repaired a number of times (expensive), and know it inside and out, its eccentricities, abilities, and inabilities. It's a beautiful piece of sculpture. As an espresso machine, it's okay - certainly harder to use than any pump machine. Anyone considering buying one should know these things:
* The unit is basically a boiler, one pressurized system. Once the water boils, it can escape two ways: through the steamer, using a valve, or (by raising and lowering the handle) through a manifold and into the coffee basket. All the water is heated every time you turn it on. If you run out of water and have more coffee to make, you must depressurize the system entirely to fill it, then fully reheat the entire boiler to begin again. Pump machines generally do not have pressurized water systems, can be refilled at any point, and heat only the water needed for immediate use, usually to an electronically-controlled (and correct) temperature.
* When heating and in use, much of the unit becomes very hot to the touch - it can burn you if you touch some metal parts, a definite non-prego moment.
* It does not operate like the commercial machines of old, despite what some poetic review might claim. The Pavoni fills its manifold when you lift the lever; you must force the lever down to make espresso, and unless your grind is just right you will not get acceptable espresso, never mind the cremina. The old lever-actuated commercial machines operate in the opposite way: pulling down the lever cocks a strong spring, and as the lever travels up under spring power, the water is forced through the grounds. Pavoni is muscle-powered, like it or not, and responds best to beans you grind yourself using (only) a burr grinder (or some hand-cranked models), decidedly >not< a blender-type grinder.
Using the machine takes a good deal of patience and forgiveness, and not a little mechanical aptitude. Consistently getting good espresso from it is like getting consistent high performance from a Fiat, and they don't sell those here any more. OK, I had one of those, too.
So, be aware that the Pavoni is likely to become only a sculpture for you unless you like working under the hood. If that is not you, get one of the better pump machines and be happier.
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
Mother's little helper...
By O. Buxton
PHOOEY to those who say this is only for the purists! Stuff and nonsense! The possibility for a more delightful relationship with a machine than a man can have with his La Pavoni espresso machine surely doesn't exist outside an Arthur C. Clarke novel. I really can think of no other mod con which is truly indispensible in the way that Ralph, our little Europiccola, is.
Difficult to use? Pshaw! Is a bicycle difficult to use? At first maybe, but all of a sudden you wonder what the fuss was about. With a little practice - and practice is half the fun of it - you will have the most beautiful espresso - thick crema and all - merrily widdling out the little spout everytime.
Ralph is delightfully simple to use, as a matter of fact: water in, turn on, coffee in, lever up, lever down, and you're done. How hard can that be?
Getting your espresso right comes down to a lot of other variables, which are the same for any espresso machine - the sort of coffee you use, the correct grind, the correct grinder (if you grind yourself, the grinder is really critical) the correct pressure, even the type of water you put in the machine. If you're having trouble grinding your own then head down to the grocers, pick up a tin of Illy coffee, and BINGO - you may as well be in a Palazzo San Giovanni with a pair of smart sunnies and a scooter shouting, "prego" at passers by, that's how Italian you'll feel. And the coffee is divine.
Honestly, the very sight of that cute little chappie sitting, glinting on our bench every morning, ready to gladden the very experience of waking up and getting ready for work is enough to make my heart sing. I love my little La Pavoni. You'll love yours, too. Depend on it. I know I do.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
you gotta know what you are doing
By A Customer
the pavoni espresso maker is certainly the most beautiful on the market. it looks like it's right out of a 1920's milan bar. but it's not easy to use. this isn't for push-button automatic types. everything, from what coffee you use (illy or lavazza work best) to how you measure and pack it, to how much pressure you exert, to how long you let the water run, will affect the final outcome. it takes weeks of practice till you get the hang of it and more practice till you learn how to make coffee to match your tastes. i don't want to warn anyone away from buying it. once you get the hang of it you've got a gorgeous piece of italian design that makes a near-perfect espresso (face it, at home you'll never match a milanese barrista). but it takes work.
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