If nothing else I think we’ve established beyond all reasonable doubt that the dominant school of thought that the ultimate espresso needs to be extracted at a constant temperature and pressure is dead. Toast. Finished. Time to expense the large and growing research & development ‘asset’ arising from developing constant pressure and temperature espresso machines under IAS-38 if you are a high end espresso machine manufacturer reporting under IFRS
Our understanding of what makes espresso from lever machines the best is that the temperature and pressure moves through a significant range during the extraction, from high to low. This is completely at odds with accepted wisdom of what an ultra high end electronically controlled electric pump espresso machine should do
It is true that if the idle/starting temperature of the group, effectively the starting point for the extraction, is not high enough then the espresso will be poor, as the temperature curve for the entire extraction will sit too low on the chart
It is also true that if the idle/starting temperature of the group is too high that the shot will be poor as the temperature curve for the entire extraction will sit too high on the chart
This isn’t the same as saying all lever machines are imprecise and the temperature goes all over the place. Some do. Ours doesn’t – it moves within a range during extraction, but it does not breach the critical upper and lower bounds that will result in a disappointing espresso
So, lever machines very much have a place in the future, even if the technology has been with us for decades; they still make the ultimate espresso
It is possible to replicate the high-low declining temperature curve extraction of the lever machine with an electric pump and electronic controls, but the question is becoming asked more loudly and more often; why bother? More maintenance. Specialist engineers. Specialist parts. Specialist tools. If you are the Finance Director of the espresso manufacturing company all these developments are very welcome; they represent new revenue streams. But what if you are the customer?
LONDINIUM I-II-III. Ease of operation. Excellence in the cup. Low total cost of ownership
if we put an end to the age in which one espresso machine owner proudly claims to another that his machine is superior because the PID in his machine says it constantly delivers water at precisely xx.xxxx degrees centigrade to the coffee, the world will indeed be a better place! 🙂