Date: 07 Aug 2006 20:49:49
From: Cyril
Subject: Elektra Micro Casa a Leva
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Any of you folks in cyberland own one of these beautiful beasts? I bought
one a year ago and have had nothing but superior expresso from it. At
first it was a royal pain in the arse to get the grind right, but after a
while I learned that this thing likes a grind a couple small steps from
Turkish Grind.
I used to own a Silvia, it was one of the first 200 in the U.S. and had a
myriad of problems: Bad pump, Bad Gaskets, Bad Control Electronics. I was
not impressed at all and was actually considering using the consumer lemon
law against the dealer so he would take it back and refund my money.
After 3 service visits on the dealer's dime, the Silvia worked perfectly.
It has for a number of years now, with yearly preventative maintenance My
daughter wanted the Silvia when she got her first apartment, she got it-
(My wife negotiated our girl's attendance at Sunday dinners for the rest
of the year).
I am really pleased with the Micro Casa a Leva. There is much to be
learned from making a manual (albiet spring loaded) expresso shot. It
forced me to reevaluate my Barista skills and get more in tune with the
grind, tamp, and freshness of my beans. Overall the Silvia was easier to
use once it was finally fixed, but fun comes from learning and learning
the Micro A Casa Leva was fun (mostly).
The only thing I dislike about the Micro Casa is how fast the brewhead
heats up. I can make four doubles in a row, the fifth shot tastes
bitter because the water/brewhead is too hot. Anyone have a remedy for
this quirk? Heat sink? Santeria Chicken Sacrifice?
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