I participate in development, testing and review of machines, grinder and roasters. If I don't believe a product is good I don't usually publish anything as I have little motivation to put in the work and effort required for that type of review
I sell nothing, have no affiliate links (just standard links) and don't monetise the videos. The reviews are my personal opinion based on more than 15 years of experience and 100s of machines tested and reviewed. My experience may not match your experience and features I like may be unimportant to you. I do like to get underneath the skin of things and go into detail, simply because it shows up things that are not obvious (especially around repairability/maintenance). Read more here coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/about/
My channel is to help and inform you, nothing more. Many of these videos are used in full reviews on my Wordpress site, make sure you view them in context where appropriate. Links are in the video descriptions
The user will be able to do it without changing any parts, it's simply a firmware update and you do it using your android or iphone.. I'm testing at the moment and there will be more communication when it's available for people to update. This is because depending on the age of your display (mine is an early one), there are 2 different methods. I think most displays out there are later ones. So no, nothing to buy.
Hi there:) Im looking to mod my pl62s to be similar to the X version. I was wondering what is the maximal pressure that the steam boiler can stant (planing on changing the pressure relief valve to a 3bar one). Would much appreciated your answer, thanks!
I received the grinder today, the german version in white but the paint is not really nice, it has darker and brighter spots within the paint, so it looks always kind of dirty and blotchy
Is this the one with the speed control, the paintwork on white and black units I had was fine? Perhaps yours as a problem and you should contact the retailer.
Hello Mr Corby -as I recall you never made a video showing the insides of the ACS LEVA EVO 2 - it would be an interesting video to hear your viewpoint on some of the design subtleties . Thank you
Would love to be able to use a lever, but for now I'll just watch with curiosity and intrigue :). I have to say, with a voice like that you'd make a great teacher or story teller! Thanks for the videos.
Hey hi I just received mine but unfortunately I have to abandon coffee for health reason - interested ? It's two weeks old ? All loaded with all features -- thx
Thank you sir!! Are those settings still actual in 2024? And if someone can explain please, why we set offset at 10c? Isnt it decrease boiler lifetime? I were using Anna and set offset to 4 just to be sure that temp on pid is actual temp, whats the point of 10c offset in Elizabet? Thanks in advance 🙂🙏
If my beans require 92 degrees and I want to have steam priority. When at warm mode(92 degrees) the pressure really doesn’t go to 1,5 bar at standby. Do you recommend just to rely on the flushing to try to lower the temperature to 92 and at the same time have the setting on “hot” to have more steam? Don’t know which is best… I mean by changing to steam mode you are really also changing the temperature at standby… so is then the temperature setting very “picky “ when choosing beans?
If yours is a later machine, I had them remove HX mode and have 2 different modes. Coffee mode which gives you stable brew temps and no, or very little boost when a shot is drawn, just to warm the HX water up again and then I think it's called X-mode coffee, which was the old coffee mode which boosted up for steaming after a shot. The pressure in either mode shouldn't be 1.5 at standby.
bought this used from Marketplace and the previous owner was kind enough to run it through her dishwasher for me before I picked it up. this helped me get it back together properly after dismantling it and wiping everything down with iso.
Hi Dave, thanks for the explanation. I've got an issue with the MaraX v2 (black font version) the water,heat and the power button are flashing constantly. The water tank is sitting well, the boiler is empty and the pump is not taking water. Any idea?
Hi Dave, thank you for this informative video. I have some trouble getting the inner burr out. It might be due to build up of coffee grinds / potentially hardened grinds. Wondering if you have any tips in getting the inner burr out? Thank you in advance!
Probably a bit late now...but it's unusual for these things to jam, perhaps some fishing line under the sweepers, make it even so it pulls up from all sides.
Hi Dave, thank you for this informative video. I have some trouble getting the inner burr out. It might be due to build up of coffee grinds / potentially hardened grinds. Wondering if you have any tips in getting the inner burr out? Thank you in advance!
Спасибо за ролик. Еле нашёл в интернете. Нужно прочистить её, всего месяц назад купил, это первая в моей жизни ручная кофемолка и она первая, до неё была ( и есть) электрическая с роторными ножами. Пользуюсь 1 такой 1Z- presso J -pro всего месяц, нужно чистить. К тому же сегодня нечаянно попала под кран с водой и нужно её разбирать. Да и оттрегулировать не мешало бы ( видел и этот ролик. Привет из Казахстана, где кофе пьют мало. Казахи ведь любят ( 95 процентов) пить только красный чай с молоком! Спасибо! 😂
Not when you enjoy coffee and the hobby. The best, easiest to use, most consistent machine ive ever had, and ive wasted a lot of money in the past. Not this time!!
Had to change my original gasket and this guide was perfect. Thanks! Also if anyone out there has a Lelit Elizabeth, the 8.5mm gasket is a better fit than the 8mm if you're going to replace it.
FYI...for anyone watching and interested. ACS offered the flush lever powder coated to match my black Vostok. Did you have anything to do with this Dave? 8-)
I didn't, mine is polished stainless. I didn't even think of it, but now you have said it, I suppose there could be a few colour options to match the machines body colour. If you get a chance, drop onto our forum and paste the photo into a post...I'd love to see it!
Interestingly, it depends on the machine. Large commercial dipper or HX lever groups, can't have their single boiler too hot, as they are constrained by keeping brew temperatures in a certain range. Usually bug commercial machines run at around 1.2 bar and smaller prosumer machines of this type around 1.35 bar due to the much smaller boiler. HX E61 machines have a similar problem. Of course prosumer dual boilers (and commercial dual boiler systems can run whatever pressures they want. 1.7+ bar being very common, this gives much better steaming for prosumer machines. Large commercial dual boilers probably won't run higher than 1.4 bar, as the very large boilers don't drop the pressure much at all when steaming and it saves a lot of money to keep them cooler, especially as unlike home use, the steam boiler would be on all day!
Any ideas when this might be available for the Vostok, if at all? Is this an add-on that can be retrofit by the end user (with relative ease) or does it involve group disassembly?
It's called the Solo T64 and comes with SSP high uniformity SSP burrs, but it's an under the counter grinder that you have to phone Bella Barista UK and specifically ask for it (it's not on the web site)....It's a long and complicated story. Very nice 64mm flat burr grinder though. I reviewed the earlier version (now modified) here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XQLxMeQupsA.htmlsi=7CDYJosmtEzWGOmJ
I busted my nice one by ripping the chain out as it was getting in the way, I have ordered another which arrived yesterday. I also wanted it to check out how the Difluid Omni particle and colour analyser might work better if it had a wash of ions to reduce static before it vibrates to distribute coffee for analysis (make the coffee less "clingy".
The problem is that little outcrop at the back of the lever cam moves up vertically and it's going to always go up it's full distance, so you have to be careful with the profile...That said I think you are right that the profile could be tweaked a little, as well as giving more movement. Ultimately though that slider has to move upwards by 1 to 1.5 cm more, to give a delay in opening until the lever is around 20-25 degrees past vertical. At the moment, you can only delay until a few degrees after vertical and it's not enough....we will get there.
@@DaveCorbey Probably a bit fiddly. Maybe it needs a redesign of the cam as well as the slider. I see you have changed your prototype for the production version with a neater integration of the time/pressure module at the top to match the display on the other side. I think the SS version looks better than black and is probably more durable.
I just like the extra texture, body and flavour they seem to give for all coffees and no, channelling doesn't seem to be a problem. Back in the day over 20 years ago, I tested a machine called the Isomac Giada which was an unregulated 15 or 16 bar...it cured me of any fear of higher pressures, even though 16 bar is a bit much. I don't find 11, then dropping an issue and with the Bianca, I set my maximum pressure to around 10.5 bar, to give me more flexibility and possibilities for emulating a lever shot. I don't set 11, because your getting close to the expansion valve release point.
@@DaveCorbey Interesting. With time limited machines wouldn't the higher pressure need a very fine grind, maybe finer than many grinders could manage and very tricky to set as a tiny change in setting would make a big difference at this ultra fine grind? My Elizabeth's work at about 8-9 bar so I would need a lot finer grind to run them at 10.5.
Yes, lost my mojo for a while. Partly because I could monetise my channel but decided not to so people wouldn't see adverts. Was I surprised when google decided to put adverts on it anyway, which upset me a bit, perhaps there's less adverts than if I monetised it, who knows?
There is no comparison, the ACS Evo 2 is end game for me, Bianca is good, Crem One lost it's way in development. If you have the space, go for the Evo2.
To chime in, I have had the Evo Leva 2 for about 3 weeks now. I had a Breville Dual Boiler that was Slayer Modded before this machine. The Evo is definitely an endgame machine. I made pretty good espresso on my Breville and to be honest, the medium/dark roast coffees aren't significantly better on the Evo. However, the machine absolutely shines with medium/light roasts. The shots taste remarkably better on the Evo. I enjoy the workflow of the machine as well. Once you're dialed in, you just pull and release. You're going to get consistent shots pretty much all the time. The machine is also very forgiving; shots that aren't perfectly dialed in are still very drinkable.
Yup, I have done another video specifically about the flush lever, it works well, but needs a little more development to try and realise the benefits of changes in swept volume and pressure. This one doesn't effectively do that yet.
Pretty much yes, you won't have a very adjustable expansion valve, but if you check the plumbing you can replace the Lelit one very easily with an easily available one from an espresso parts shop...you would do it in line and NOT by putting it on the boiler as Lelit did. Not really able to explain on a video comment.
@@DaveCorbeyThanks a lot. :) Actually, I don't want to play with the OPV valve too much, but what you said caught my attention. I think I can easily use the new OPV valve if I divide the output from the pump into two, connect the new OPV valve to an outlet in this divided area, and connect the other pipe coming from above to the other outlet. Is that true?
I can't understand what difference would make if you set both types at the same time. For example let's say you have steam preinfusion at 3+6sec and the bloom at 3+6sec. Whats the difference? They both wet the pack for the same time before the actual brew. So?
Hi Dave, I can see the appeal of this beautifully engineered machine, especially with your upgrade to automate shots based on end of shot pressure with fixed volume. Comparing the workflow with mine using my Elizabeth's it looks identical. The key difference is that the Evo is volume limited whereas the Elizabeth is time limited (when used in the automatic mode for both). I do find that shot volume does vary a bit even with the same batch of coffee and I do have to make very small adjustments to the grind (Eureka Mignon Oro SD). The key question is 'Does it make better coffee?' Reviews so far have been very coy about the cost of the Evo and it's hard to find this online. I assume it must be north of £3K (ie +/- three times the Elizabeth). I am tempted by the engineering quality and the potential that pressure/volume limiting might provide more constancy in the output coffee - although I am not really sure about this. Leaving aside the emotional and technical appeal is it worth it?
I also have the Evo 2 and recommend it. The price I paid was £😊 . It's not a secret, just request a quote!! I've had many machines in the past, closest to yours being synchronika. Had an Evo 1 and now evo2. Wish I had converted years ago to the simply repeatable simplicity of this lever. The whole experience is better and the taste is subjective. Love mine ☕
The Evo ends the shot by time or pressure. Pressure is remarkably consistent in it's volume output, simply because the swept volume of water delivered by spring pressure is always the same for a given pressure reading. So much so, that once it's set up you don't need to use scales and it's usually within a gram. What's really important (unlike the timed shot on an Elizabeth), if the flow is faster or very slow, the weight of espresso delivered is the same...as it ends at the same pressure point! It's 3 times the cost, but 100% worth it if you have the space and budget.
Even my wife says, is that it?! Thought from comments online it would be difficult. Well, it is not 😎 the technique I guess is to initially pull out not down as initially tempted!!
As I sometimes use the left arm and other times the right...I can't tell. In truth, it's not that hard to pull...before the Host Milan 2023 show, I taught Maria at ACS, who is quite small and slim how to use it and she had no problem pulling the lever down to make 100s of coffees at the show.
FYI, these instructions are not up to date with the latest version of the Q2. You can no longer remove the burr ring holder. 1Zpresso is probably the most hard headed, obtuse company/product I have ever had the displeasure of using. The unit works great, but the instructions are poor (they don't take the English language seriously... I'd settle for French!) and they have too many models.
I get about 34 ish grams...it will vary depending on whether you have the safety system or not. It's best to weigh initially and see what the pressure on the screen is when you get the shot weight you want...then set your pressure release. After which use the scales again and fine tune the pressure up or down to get exactly what you want...before losing the scales.
I have the Vostok, but with the same functionality. I cannot agree more about how simple these machines are to use. I love the workflow. They allow me to adjust or tweak as much as I care too but once dialed in they are so consistent. Heck even when not dialed in, the output is often pretty darn good!
I've never yet pulled a shot that comes close to what I could buy at the local Starbucks or Costa. That should read comes close to being as bad as..... Even with a new unknown bag of beans and guess at dialling in!! Always drinkable☕
Nice video ! My grinder burrs appear to be seized, in the sense that adjusting the coarse/fine setting doesn't open the burr. And if I try to move the handle , it doesn't budge, any idea how to fix this? Thanks!
