Customer Reviews

La Pavoni EPG-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine, Brass

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

 

 

Please trust me, although I may not be an EXPERT on coffee, I know ALOT about espresso. I have worked in the coffee business for over 5 years. I have tasted the good, the bad, and the ugly. I drink espresso and espresso drinks regularly. Through my years of drinking espresso I beleive there are two things essential to the perfect cup. 1. The beans must be dark, oily, and finely ground. They must be of the highest quality you can afford. 2. The most important....your machine must be a REAL espresso maker. Forget about those combo coffee makers. Forget about Name-brand department store machines...they all have one thing in common. The espresso always tastes weak and you cannot control the strength of it. These ordinary machines cannot give you rich espresso topped with Creme( a frothy rich creamy foam that floats atop the perfect espresso). This is because no machine, except for industrial high-tech machines used in coffee shops, can carry the pressure necessary to create the perfect espresso. This machine can! I have used one, searched for one for YEARS...even looking in Italian papers...and here it is right at Amazon! If you are looking for perfection...you've found it! The hand-pull design allows you to control the strength of your espresso..thereby giving you superior tasting espresso drinks as well. I would give this machine 10 stars because you would have to go to Italy to find such a high quality machine..honest....I really do know this stuff. If you have any questions regarding this machine, espresso, or anything to do with quality coffee please feel free to email me. Espresso fanatics..this is a MUST have.

I have owned this machine (in chrome) for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they'll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two. If you aren't the kind of person who takes joy in mixing the perfect martini, making a risotto that whispers with flavor, or whipping a meringue to impossibly tall peaks, this probably isn't the machine for you.

The La Pavoni is for the person who will find tremendous joy in going to the lengths required to make a perfect cappuccino by hand everyday. (And don't bother using anything less than Illy Cafe coffee in it.)