''Romantica'' Brass 16-cup - PG-16  Product Reviews

"Having worked for several years while in college as a barista, it was difficult to find a machine that could meet my high expectations for espresso. I worked with many manual machines so an automatic or semi-automatic simply would not do. This LaPavoni unit does not simply meet those expectations -it far exceeds them. The steam pressure is around 1 bar which is more than sufficient to produce wonderful shots. It also makes for exceptional heating and frothing of milk. The steam is dry and very close to that produced by far more expensive commercial machines. This is an extremely well-built piece of equipment and I expect that it may outlive me. If you are unfamiliar with manual espresso machines you will likely find it a little difficult at first to produce good shots. Cardinal rule: do not over-pack the coffee in the filter. Use the right grind and only VERY SLIGHTLY compress your espresso into the filter. If you are not up for the trial-and-error necessary to become good at this, you may wish to consider one of the automatic, semi-automatic or espresso-pod machines available. [...]"