La Pavoni PPG-16 Professional 16-Cup Espresso Machine, Brass

I have owned this machine (8-cup, chrome) for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they'll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two. If you aren't the kind of person who takes joy in mixing the perfect martini, making a risotto that whispers with flavor, or whipping a meringue to impossibly tall peaks, this probably isn't the machine for you.

The La Pavoni is for the person who will find tremendous joy in going to the lengths required to make a perfect cappuccino by hand everyday. (And don't bother using anything less than Illy Cafe coffee in it.)

I owned one of these for three years, and agree with the only other reviewer that this item is only for those who take joy in fiddling with the many variables of grind, pull speed, preheating, and coffee bean choice. If you don't want to put in all the extra effort to coax performance from a beautiful piece of Italian engineering, save your money and buy something automated.

That said, I thought a potential buyer might want to read about some of these idiosyncracies. First, no matter what you do, the first shot you pull will taste bad. Preheat, pull hot water for the first shot--nothing will change the fact that the first shot doesn't taste good. I resigned myself to wasting that first shot.

Second, if you want to pull shots soon after each other, you'll find out that this unit does not have a pressure release mechanism. So when you unseat the filter holder soon after pulling the shot, there's still pressure against the grounds, which will now *poof* blow back outward onto your fingers and the machine. You'll get used to knowing when it's been "long enough", and in a pinch you can *carefully* ease the holder out, slowly letting the pressure to escape.

With a pump espresso maker, you can pull "lungo" or "ristretto" shots, which have (respectively) larger or smaller shot sizes. Since the amount of grounds stays the same, this means more watery or stronger. But with this unit you have to live with the pull size implicit in the amount of water moved by that piston for a pull. They give you two holders, which gives you two sizes. The smaller one is the only one I ever used, which was a ristretto--a good choice, if you have to take a single choice!

Unlike most espresso machines for the home market, you have steam available all the time on that side steam wand--you don't need to switch it into "steam mode". The steam wand is a little dated in design, but I got very good results out of it. They supply you with some gimmicky steam/frothing attachments which you should ignore.

For a party, you'll run out of water sooner than you expect. The reservoir is heated up to steam and is thus under pressure. You do NOT open it until it has cooled down enough to release all the steam. So unlike those pump units, this one is really not for making a lot of shots in a row.

Let me finish by saying that although most of what I've said about this machine are its misfeatures, it is a really, really likable unit! The previous reviewer was SO right in comparing it to making a martini. I'd add that it's even more like fiddling with your stereo and speakers until you finally get it sounding *right*. With the manual pull lever you'll get a feel for what the correct grind feels like. You'll know what the right pull speed is--your muscles will start to remember it. And out will come that lovely espresso with its golden crema--what a way to start the morning!

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The only problem I had was the wood on the boiler cap was cracking. This is not a common problem that they had. I sent the damaged cap back and they replaced it with a new one. The coffee grind is the trick to making this espresso machine work properly.

Read Best Reviews of La Pavoni PPG-16 Professional 16-Cup Espresso Machine, Brass Here

Pros: after getting used to the classic finicky nature of this, the quality if superb.

Cons: first shot tends to go to the sink, poor placement for the steam wand.

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There is nothing I can add that these other 2 reviewers haven't already covered w/ eloquence, but here I go anyway. I bought mine roughly 2 2.5 years ago. I'm happy to report, the romance is still alive and strong. I might not tremble in awe anymore, but every morning there we are, starting our day together. It's never the same. lately my shots are not doing it for me. I have found the bean makes a considerable difference. namely, how fresh it is. I've been buying stump town lately, but it might not be cutting the mustard. ahhhh, I digress. the general gist is that its quirky. and figuring out those quirks(which may vary machine to machine) has got to appeal to you. If you want a consistent, nice shot everyday as you fly out the door on your way to work, maybe this is not the one. some people prefer automatic transmission, others want to feel the engine below the pedals, they enjoy driving for its own sake. so, that's what I'd reinforce. clearly it's a gorgeous machine. It's very well-made. it's got old-world appeal. some of my friends didn't realize it actually functioned. they thought I had some cool antique relic on my counter, and didn't even question why I had it on display based purely on aesthetics. pouring a shot of liquid gold was, for them, nothing short of a religious experience. the last thing I'll say, and the resin I'm even here, is because I was curios how well they hold there value. I am happy to report they seem to be increasing in value.

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