WTF Is It With Lever Machines?

Each issue, Caffeine tackles some of the complexities associated with the coffee industry. Here, we attempt to explain the resurgence of lever espresso machines

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Leading espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco has launched the Leva, a new lever espresso machine, as part of its 90th birthday celebrations. Fellow machine maker Conti launched its own version, the Project 60, earlier this year as part of its 60th birthday celebrations (see a trend here?). So what on Earth is a lever machine? And why the big hoo-ha?

In a world rapidly moving towards greater efficiency and automation, this appears to be a backwards step for two of coffee’s major players. The lever machine, after all, was invented in 1945 and has been superseded by all manner of modern technology.

In a traditional lever machine, you pull the lever and water flows from the boiler into the brewing chamber. As the lever is released, a spring pushes the water through the coffee puck. Lever machines undoubtedly evoke a romantic notion of the coffee making process – plus they look really cool. But do they provide any benefit to the barista or customer?