Robson Barista

Lever Espresso Machines

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:49:00 +0100

I first started working on lever machine eight months ago in a small coffee bar placed in the front of a men’s cloths store called Present on Shoreditch High Street, London. In Present we use a Victoria Arduino two group Athena Leva. I knew little of it when I started apart from the fact it made a lovely coffee but it was soon brought to my attention by Gwilym that the machine works very differently than other more conventional espresso machines. Since then I have continued to work for Gwilym at Present and other Prufrock ventures on a number of espresso machines, none of which I enjoyed as much as that lever machine.

Recently we have been lucky enough to get our hands on a Kees van der Westen machine called the Mirage. A three group machine placed in a quiet shop located in west London that has allowed me to spend more time understanding how lever machines work and why they make such lovely coffee. I became more informed as I started taking bits apart, it was so helpful to me so I decided to photograph the workings of the group head to share with anyone that finds themselves here…on my blog.

For those that were curious (baristas and otherwise), I hope this helps.

Enjoy!

I started by removing the screws on the machine seen in the picture below. This removed the side panel allowing access to the inside of the machine.

Once removed I can gain access to three valves that gives me the ability to stop water flow to individual group heads. This will allow me to remove a group while the machine remains in working order with the ability to make coffees with the removing two groups. In the picture below I have stopped the water flow in the right group by shutting the valve labeled ”R”.

Once this is done I then have to drain water in the machine between the valve I have turned and the group head. Taking apart a group head that contains hot water will end in tears, to avoid this I pulled the group lever down fully. This flushes the water through the group, exiting the shower screen as if brewing. Once drained the water will stop flowing as shown in the picture below.

I can now lift the lever group from the machine by removing four screws in the middle on the group head.

The picture below shows the exposed lever group. The base (on the right) is fixed to a piston the runs through the inside of the spring, this piston is attached to a joint at the base of the lever. When the lever is pulled downwards the piston pulls the base(on the right) towards the lever handle (left). This compresses the spring. Lifting the lever back up releases the compressed spring.

The below picture shows the housing for the lever group with the group removed. You can see the shower screen fitted to the base. Below the shower screen is where the coffee ground sits in a portafilter.

From the side.

And from above

When the lever is pulled down the piston is raised. This creates a space between the base of the piston and the shower screen (pictured above). This space is filled with hot water. Releasing the lever upwards allows the compressed spring to push outwards, against the body of water which passes through the shower screen and through the coffee ground.

Effectively what we have is a very even cylinder of water the same diameter of the ground coffee puck being forced straight downwards through the coffee using the force of a spring resulting in espresso extraction.

Below I am going to post a series of pictures. The first shows the base of the piston base with the group assembled

The shower screen fitted.

The spring being released and pushing the piston base, forcing water through the shower screen. (Notice how evenly the water is delivered. An even cylinder of water passing straight downwards onto the coffee makes so much more sense to me than other water delivery methods.)

A portafilter is fitted containing ground coffee. The water passes through the coffee extracting the final espresso beverage.

I think that about wraps it up. A basic and brief explanation to the best of my knowledge on the workings of a lever group.

What would be skills you recommend people to practice if they want to become a barista? I love coffee and friends and family love the cappuccino's I pull on my gaggia classic but I am by far no coffee expert.

-folkert

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:57:54 +0000

Focus on what it is in coffee that interests you the most. For me it was latte art at first but for you it could be brewed coffee, roasting, etc. This will be your gateway into coffe as it will be much easier for you to absorb information on an area you are truely interested in. I use to watch youtube videos for 2,3,4 hours a day and watch how different pours were done…I also used a Gaggia Classic at the time.

Like with anything, if you want to be good at something then put hours each day learning and doing what you love. This will make you shine above the rest.

Oh, Social networking is greatly overlooked by manly people. Get a twitter, a flickr and tumblr. Gain followers by giving regular quality content…Hopefully you can be more regular than I am :P

-David

Improving Service

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:46:00 +0100

I have been thinking a lot recently about service, sparked by blogs I have read but also when I started comparing the service I provide as a barista to the service found dining in some great restaurants.

Many baristas in our industry are guilty of providing some down right terrible service at times bought about by what I would best describe as snobbery. While it is a great thing to have product knowledge, this should not always get in the way of us providing what the customer wants.

Obviously I have my limits. I am not going to take a coffee that has been so carefully brought to my bar from passionate farmers and roasters just to cover it in whipped cream and stick a flake in it.Will I make someone a latte hotter than usual by request? Yes. I know a few baristas that would not, I know many others that would but only after feeling the need to explain to the customer why he/she shouldn’t have it they way they want. In the eyes of our customer we are telling them they are wrong. While some may be interested in learning how a few degrees could improve their coffee, many just want their coffee the way they like it.

Education must be carried out in a very careful way. Don’t get me wrong here…I am all for educating customers on coffee quality.

I visited a restaurant recently that I found quite an eye opener. The service was the best I have ever had. Our waiter exceeded anything I had experienced in the past.

Able to answer every question we asked without hesitation
Extensive knowledge of the menu down to the type of cattle and origin.
Able to provide a different wine for each course (starters, mains, desserts & cheese) which complimented each dish beautifully.
When I left the table I would come back to my napkin folded neatly.
A bottle of wine was ordered for the main course, the cork was presented on a small plate awaiting our approval. Wine also decanted while we were working through our starters wine.

The food was also outstanding, but for blogs sake I will try not to divert.

That waiter made me question the way I conduct myself. While we may be part of the coffee industry we must also remember we are equally (if not more so) in hospitality. Some of our best made coffees will go to waste if not enjoyed as a whole experience in both quality of product and service.

I don’t feel I’ve really said exactly what I set out to say. Your comments would be very interesting to hear…

My London Move

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:28:00 +0100

A few months ago I was living and working in Aberdeen, Scotland for a sub-par cafe serving what we called BBQ style roast coffee with pretty latte art in 18 oz cups to people who felt this “small” drink was far too expensive at £2.20 when they could get a coffee for £1 in their local diner. 30lb rule, 25 sec rule, 2oz rule with tampers fitted to grinders and a boss shouting at us for not having the cups flat on the surface while we poured latte art. Work was work and the passion only came into play when on my home espresso machine and scanning forums online.

Going from that to working in London has been quite a change

I now work with some of the best coffee in the country on Synessos and Robur E’s with some amazing baristas and free reign to make the best coffee I possibly can. The job for me has changed in every possible aspect from the coffee I use to the machine I extract it with but most noticeably of all the customer I am serving. The people of London seem to have a huge appreciation for coffee and a good barista. Never before moving have I been asked so many questions about origin, brewing parameters and even coffee processing. Had it not been for the newly obtained knowledge this move has giving me I may have not been able to answer many of those questions.

I have been exposed to some great baristas, people I only had the opportunity to talk to in 140 characters or less on twitter I am now able to stand and chat with in a cafe for hours. They have helped me in so many ways, teaching me new things and even with getting work. I’ve had a chance to work (although only briefly) in Present/Prufrock doing my best to meet the usual occupants standards who also pointed me in the direction of my current work place.

Now settled into the shop I’m lucky enough to have many of those people I use to talk with online coming into the shop, tasting my coffee and chatting away with me which I am very grateful for. Those people really do make my day.

I feel so lucky to be one of the few that is able to get paid for doing a job I love, I’m looking forward to learning more, meeting more people and hopefully becoming a great barista.

Edit: Can I also add that I left home with a weeks notice, I arrived in London with a hotel booked for two days and the need to find a flat asap as I started work on day 3. I’ve heard a few people tell me they wish they could move…what is it holding you back?

Pouring latte art in Soho, London check out my flickr for more...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:13:00 +0100

Pouring latte art in Soho, London

check out my flickr for more regular updates

www.flickr.com/photos/robsonbarista

Barista at work

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:42:29 +0100

Barista at work

A latte poured at Fernandez & wells best viewed here:...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:59:12 +0100

A latte poured at Fernandez & wells

best viewed here: www.flickr.com/photos/robsonbarista/4785003202

Reblog much appreciated :]

Coffee at it’s finest!

Fri, 07 May 2010 13:35:00 +0100

Coffee at it’s finest!

Photo

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:53:48 +0100

Photo

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:48:49 +0100

Today was all about breakfast for lunch and brewed coffee.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:24:00 +0000

Today was all about breakfast for lunch and brewed coffee.

Photo

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:09 +0000

Coffee art daisy picked off my Flickr

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Coffee art daisy picked off my Flickr

Photo

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Bear with us, your coffee will be along shortly :) Poured by me

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Bear with us, your coffee will be along shortly :)

Poured by me

Photo

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:33:00 +0000

Espresso love! Steam heart captured, no photoshop used.

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:21:00 +0000

Espresso love! Steam heart captured, no photoshop used.

Robson Barista

Lever Espresso Machines

What would be skills you recommend people to practice if they want to become a barista? I love coffee and friends and family love the cappuccino's I pull on my gaggia classic but I am by far no coffee expert. -folkert

Improving Service

My London Move

Pouring latte art in Soho, London check out my flickr for more...

Barista at work

A latte poured at Fernandez & wells best viewed here:...

Coffee at it’s finest!

Photo

Photo

Today was all about breakfast for lunch and brewed coffee.

Photo

Coffee art daisy picked off my Flickr

Photo

Bear with us, your coffee will be along shortly :) Poured by me

Photo

Espresso love! Steam heart captured, no photoshop used.

What would be skills you recommend people to practice if they want to become a barista? I love coffee and friends and family love the cappuccino's I pull on my gaggia classic but I am by far no coffee expert.

-folkert