I've got the La Peppina spring lever which is also an open kettle design like the Caravel. This made it dead simple to PID for precise temperature control and made it an ideal starter lever. The spring doesn't develop all that much pressure and the 45 mm basket likes 14 - 16 grams of most coffee so the espresso that comes out has a nice clarity, but can be thin on crema at times. It warms up quickly and has a light-weight aluminum portafilter since the water in the kettle is at brew temp and doesn't require cooling to avoid burning the espresso.
See my thread below for recent experiences with this spring lever.
Bring your espresso machine to work in 2013
Thanks, Chris; good one.
I had a La Peppina for a while several years back. It needed more TLC than I could manage at the time and I traded it for an old Gaggia that I later passed on.....(My espresso machine life has been like that).
Anyway, La Peppina scared me enough that I wasn't sorry to see her go. Have you never/ever had that cauldron of boiling water come over on you? It seemed as though her design was a scalding waiting to happen....probably only for a klutz with 5 thumbs, but....enough to make me wary.... And, I think I remember that her steaming capacity isn't great, so she's probably best for the purer amongst us (who don't contaminate their coffees with milk like I do....)?
Susan
