Elektra Micro Casa Lever S1

A beautiful machine hand made in Italy. It does require some skills to pull off a good shot but it isn't that difficult, however if you are looking for easier results then I would recommend other prosumer machines. My learning experience is similar to others that first of all you need a good grinder that give you consistent fine grind (I got a Mazzer Mini), I tested my grind size until I got the water to pass through a little above 1g/s. I got a calibrated pressure tamper so the pressure is always at 30lb. I then played around the weight and ended up with 14.9~15g of coffee to produce the best results. When you finally achieve that perfect result you can taste every notes in your espresso that is equal or better than any coffee shop espresso, I now appreciate different blends of beans much more than before because I can taste the tiny differences between them. This machine is NOT for you if you --- judge espresso shots by the amount of crema (you are better off getting a pump machine); need to produce a large cup (without doing the second quarter or half pull produce 1 oz exactly) and you are only working with 15g of coffee; don't have the time to play and learn.

I've only had it for a few months but I'm already producing coffee drinks that are as good as anywhere you can buy. Steams like nothing else under $2500. Easy to use, clean and maintain. No complaints, super high quality machine.