Customer Reviews

La Pavoni EPC-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine, Chrome

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

After wearing out three Krups minis and one DeLonghi automatic-pump machine, I wanted an espresso maker that would last a while. The La Pavoni Europiccola was much more expensive than any of my previous machines, but with its manual pump mechanism and solid construction, it was worth the price.

It's great looking -- more chrome than a '59 Coupe De Ville -- and it makes great espresso, with lasting crema and that wonderful espresso taste that comes only from water held at exactly the right temperature (just under boiling).

I did have to spend some time experimenting with different grinds and blends of coffee to get the right combination. Correct use of the manual pump also requires some practice; my first few attempts went down the sink after I tasted them. An hour or so of playing around was enough, however, and I can now have professional-quality espresso, at home, any time I want. I highly recommend this machine to anybody who's serious about good coffee.

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

The one arm bandit mechanism that pumps the steam through the grounds is the only way to go. It is for people who like to drive stick. There is no pump mechanism to break. Periodically the filter screen will become clogged or the grounds too fine and you will struggle to pump it through. It is far better than having the pump motor burn out. After a bit you will figure the right degree of fineness from the local coffee store that mills your blend. It is much superior to the machines that use only the Nestle blister packs, which limit the type of coffee you use to their own blend. The steam mechanism works best when the boiler is full. This is also a way better price than I found anywhere else including a restuarant supply shop that sells only espresso machines. Blow out your steam arm after each use, just a little spritz. It keeps milk from being sucked into the pipe in normal usage and eliminates the momentary clog. The Pavoni is the best of the one arm bandits still imported into the country. Very solid. Makes a joke of the cutsey German machines. It is heavy and will live on your countertop for the rest of its and your natural life.

We had a Briel pump driven machine before the pavoni, which lasted not even 2 years and cost a bit over £100.

After that we thought it would be worth paying extra for a Pavoni, and bought one on ebay for £130.
As other reviewers on here have said, you need to be a bit committed and persistant to learn to get the espresso right, but it does the job very well and the design and solid feel is fantastic.
What I really like in our throw away society is the availability of spare parts. You can replace everything - we did a seal replacement no problem, and replacing the element is easy too apparently. Much better throwing three or four sets of seals over 10 yrs rather than five rubbishy machines into landfill sites.

I've enjoyed 3.5 years of incredible coffees with this thing, not to mention that it's beautiful and a conversation piece. Other than a single gasket overhaul and regular cleaning I didn't have maintenance issues But the design flaws have taken their toll. A year ago the base slowly started to rust because the steam wand tends to drip water under the tray (admittedly I could have been more diligent about mopping it up, but I shouldn't have to be).

Then this morning, the portafilter handle broke into pieces. Underneath the plastic handle grip, the metal of the handle had completely rusted through because, unbeknownst to me, moisture was getting in there as well.

Considering that the machine is now 33% more expensive than when I bought it, I say buyer beware. The portafilter is replaceable but hard to find. While I'm at it, I should also warn that the steam wand isn't going to give you enough steam for professional barista-quality froth, and that it gets a bit wonky to make multiple drinks in a row. I might add that I say all this with somewhat of a broken heart.

PS I had tried to change my rating to 3 stars but apparently because I had previously rated it I can't change my rating.

Let me preface this review by saying that this machine can make the WORST cup of coffee you'll ever drink. "Now," you say, "why would I buy a machine that makes terrible coffee?"

Because the difference between the terrible cup of coffee and the delicious shot is YOU. It's YOUR skill that gets you the great shot. Nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself to start the day.

I've had one of these little things for about five years now. I've got my grind down. Got my tamp down. Got my timing down. When the coffee first appears as I pull, I know how hard or soft to press, how fast or how slow. I know what the "mouse's tail" is, what the shot should sound like as it fills the cup, what the color of the crema should be.

If you're a Starbucks fan and you prefer West Coast style espresso with lots of milk, there's no need to go here. Hey, there's nothing wrong with West Coast style, but there are easier ways to get there than through this machine. If you're like me and you savor the smoothness, body, sweetness and bouquet of good northern-Italian style espresso, this is the machine for you.

The Europiccola is a machine for people with passion, people whose morning coffee borders on a sacrament. And yes, to receive the sacrament, the machine will extract its penance from you on the way. Expecting a great shot first time out? Don't. Expecting a "very good year"? Your first shot will be closer to Goodyear. So begins your journey.

I'll confess to having swum upstream from this seemingly impossible little machine to blending and roasting my own espresso beans. So my morning cup may start its journey a day or two ahead of turning La Pavoni on.

Worth every second of it. There's nothing that adds to the pleasure of the shot like knowing you did it yourself.

This is a machine which requires "touch". Also a burr grinder. If you are interested in respecting the tradition of great barristas, you're on the right track. Grind, measurement, and compaction are your first hurdles towards perfect crema. Your next obstacle is milk. The capp siphon attachment works quite well, but the milk needs to be preheated for perfect temperature. Steaming one cup's worth of milk with the wand is a bit of a challenge as it scalds quickly. All in all this machine is very satisfying to those willing to deal with a leaarning curve. Once your on your game you won't want to stop making coffee.

I lived in Europe for nearly three years, including one year in Milan. I eventually learned to appreciate unadulterated espresso, no milk, no sugar. My favorite is the Italian style ristretto, meaning a very short pull that comes up only half-way in an espresso cup. (This is the way espresso is made all over Italy, but you have to ask for it special in Spain or France.) This only works when the coffee itself is of excellent quality, the machine is good, and the guy behind the bar knows what he is doing. I've either owned or used a lot of non-professional domestic espresso machines, and I had pretty much given up on the idea of duplicating this experience in a home kitchen, either in Europe or America.

The closest I came was with the Nespresso machines, which make an espresso that most Italians will recognize as quite good, but which by no means scales the heights of the espresso served in quite average bars in Naples. But I always felt that the espresso capsules were quite expensive. On a hunch, really as a last ditch effort, I decided to acquire a Pavoni. Because they are absurdly expensive if purchased new, I purchased one on Italian e-bay for about 110 US dollars, and had a friend bring it over.

I expected that the thing would be a fixer-upper at best, a project, an eccentric hobby. But after some fiddling with tamping (I had to buy a real tamper to replace the original plastic one) and after figuring out how to let the machine warm up and how much coffee to use, I pretty quickly learned to make an espresso that would make even people from Naples envious. But here is the kicker. According to information stamped on the base, my machine is 30 years old!!! It has obviously been maintained well and I suspect that the seals have been replaced at least once, but the point is this machine is indestructible. According to websites I have read, there has been virtually no change in the machine's design in 40 years. Replacement parts are available. I can almost imagine paying for a new one, it would be a worthy investment. But if you can't swing that, check out e-bay. Of course, let the buyer beware...