The Olympia Cremina 20 months later: Is it REALLY worth it? 

I've been on the fence thinking about a Cremina machine, but you've convinced me to stick with my Pavoni. No way can I wait that long for the machine to heat to pull a shot. Plus the thought of heating all that water just for a shot is much too wasteful for me. Nice machine though, but not for me.

Great video!

The problem with the Cremina is that they never break so Olympia never gets repeat customers. These things are for life!

Really nice video, fun and informative, nicely done.

I have a big birthday coming up soon and I’m seriously thinking of gifting myself this. I have been playing around with lever machines for a few years and feel like I’m ready for the next level, and this might be the machine that will see me right for the rest of my days.

I'm 4 years in - have a 1989 model I rebuilt myself. I enjoy 9g in a single shot basket with traditional spouts. No gauges, no nothing. Use a Niche Zero on a 19-21 grind setting typically. Agreed that 20-30 minutes warming up is ideal. I love the machine, and am not tempted to get anything else. My gripe is the custom portafilter size makes aftermarket baskets and tampers rare. I also had to make custom brass washers to remove side to side play in the lever.

Nice work Arthur - I'm about 6 months into my journey - Like you I've gone tactile and just love making coffee with my Cremina (I had an ECM Synctronika and a La Marzozzo GS3 before) - I currently have the Naked gauge and the heat strip still in place but don't really need them or use them - but easier to leave them in place. Heating it up is no issue - once you have had your first cup in the morning, it then heats up any extra times in the day so quickly... Just makes wonderful coffee, every time, every day... My workflow has also changed - I have 12 pre-measured 14g bean doses ready and then use the Moca SD to grind and use paper to cover the coffee puck - No mess and keeps the group head pristine. Like you, I use pre-infusion of around 10-15 seconds and when I get a couple of drops I then hold at around 3bar until I have around 2g of coffee coming through - I also lift the handle again before I start the shot - I use the flow control lights on the Acaia scales and aim for 0.8-1 to around 28g coffee - That way I slowly decrease the pressureover the shot but have a constant flow - Don't need the gauge here as it is all feel. At around 28g I swap out the coffee cup for a small jug and keep any excess coffee in the jug for iced coffee later (if I make 3-4 coffees in the morning the excess is usually enough for one nice, iced coffee... Still really enjoying the Cremina and it is much easier and more fun to use than my previous machines...

I watched your video while my machine warmed up :-) I'd love to see your group head maintenance and descaling procedures as it's about that time for me.

I wonder how many Creminas have been sold over the years!!! Ive had mine for a little over two years and love it as well! The learning process kind of reminds me of that of manual photography, takes its time but pays off in all ways. I also still leave my pressure gauge on however I feel that I would be ready to pull shots solely by feeling now. the process truly needs years to turn into muscle memory. Great video Arthur!

You make good videos. I don't own a cremina but I'm sure in a few years I will buy one. Currently my machine is a Quickmill Carola - actually a quite similarly looking machine, though of course it's not a lever machine. And it takes 20 minutes at least to heat up, I think it's completely normal and never was a problem for me or my guests.

Excellent review! You have to really enjoy the whole analog experience to appreciate what the Cremina is offering. I've been pulling shots every day on mine for over 12 years and the tactile "feel" you get for when you know you are pulling a good shot of espresso is tangible. You know right away when something is wrong, long before the spurts of coffee start happening from the bottom of the protafilter. There is a certain resistance you learn to look for when you are pulling the lever down. I won't get into the minutiae of grind and puck prep, but you are correct in saying that this machine is not for everyone, for the same reasons that some people choose a car that has the option for a manual over an automatic transmission; some don't want the added steps while driving from A to B, and that is ok!

cool, thanks for the video. Do you have any flow profile models to suggest for different roasts, for example? (I have a Robot Cafelat, Cremina is a dream... perhaps SL ? but with the second lever for classic).

Thanks for the review n this :) Where can we get the better lever screw to replaced the C clip

I have a similar experience. The more I use it, the more I like it. I also have a Decent, but this still give me the excitement every time I use it. It’s completely silent and I just feel zen using it. 😅

The previous version of OE has a smaller boiler, waiting time from 5 to 9 minutes depending on the level of the boiler, for me the perfect fill is 3/4 it also gives you a dryer steam for lattes...

Nice video Arthur I have a LP post millennium and i can relate I am ok with the temp i want but i still experiment for a pressure profile(no PPK)

Interesting change to the profile you’re pulling. I’m nine months into ownership and I really enjoy making espresso, still tweaking the way I pull and rely on the temperature strip and pressure gauge on the group head.

Feel the same way about my La Pavoni. We’ve become one. ❤

I’ve loved my Cremina for a couple years now. I first pulled shots on a large commercial LP lever machine in the 70s in Seattle as a teenager and to me it doesn’t feel like a shot unless I’ve had the tactile experience of actually pulling the shot. The Cremina is an elegant and spare machine with classic design. As an artist I see and feel this every time I pull a shot or steam milk. I mess with lots of different coffees and I understand what you mean about being able to pull a good shot even if you’ve ground coffee inproperly because the La Cremina gives feedback that’s clear. My workflow is similar to yours, though i use a paper filter on the bottom of the basket and a screen on the top to keep the head clean. I have a heat strip on the head and i do watch that on the first shot. Circulating water through the head to heat it up is my first step. I use between 14.5 to 15.1 grams of beans, prepare my puck with with dampened filter paper, coffee, WDT, tamp and screen, then i wait for the first three drops (even if that takes a minute if the grind is too fine), feel the puck gently with what i imagine is 2 bars until i have 2 to 3 grams of coffee, then i slowly lift the lever up again and pull the shot, first with some proper resistance to the puck, decreasing through the shot. If my coffee is ground correctly the shot timed from the second time i lift the lever takes between 23 to 26 seconds with a medium roast coffee. My normal shot weight is between 30 to 34grams. But the quality of the shot is dictated not by the time or weight, but by the proper feel of the pull, the flow and texture and taste of the resulting shot. I’ve owned a LP too. To me the La Cremina is just so much more solid and better designed. The drip tray is big enough, the handle is tighter, the whole machine is heavier, making it more comfortable to pull shots without needing to hold a boiling hot machine steady. I do appreciate the heat shields too. To me this is an end game machine. I don’t need nor what instant gratification, I do want to feel what i make and what sustains me. I appreciate timelessness in design, but also objects that work and are stable through time. Thanks Arthur for what you do! You have been a valuable resource to me!

For a traditional espresso shots the group head size is perfect my Gaggia Classic machine needs 15 minutes to head up properly so yeah 15min is fine! I woudl buy this machine but the spring version to do more consistent shots

Yes, the heating time is something stop me to get this machine or many machines.

May want to try a smart plug to help with start up time. More convenient to have on a schedule to come on (and turn off) every day. Doesn't help with your gripe about guests wanting espresso but it does connect to Google home and alexa to easily give a voice command or turn on remotely

You said 15/16 g, I use 14g in with 28g out of- never had a quantity issue.

❤

Turn it on, wait 10 minutes, then ask guests if they would like a coffee.

Thanks, Arthur! How do you use the lever when your coffee is ground to fine? I have to apply enormous force to pull down the lever if the I grind is too fine.

The best espresso machine in the world deserves the best coffee in the world. Bourbon Pointu from Lake Itasy. Pure Madagascar

Cremina going strong for decades in a row, and clueless influencer pops out of nowhere to express his complaints. Just another day in social media