- Edited
Now, I have only had my machine 48 hours. I am not going to try and convince anyone that it is the missing link in home coffee production, but it does have a couple of things I quite like. Being an ex lever owner of many years standing (although it is 5 years or so since I had an Orchestrale Nota that I really did rate) I tended not to keep up with machines as they came to the market. A couple of features I like about the LE……being a twin boiler you can switch off the steam boiler yet press a button and instantly get a mug full of water through the hot water outlet. Drinking non milk based americano for breakfast this is useful. I like the management dial. As soon as you pull a shot it changes to a timer. There are two buttons that many will be able to program that as opposed to the usual one cup two cup buttons, each provides a style of shot (that you can alter at will). By that I mean button one gives a 3 second pump activation that then cuts out for 6 seconds to pre infuse then pulls the shot. Button two is simlar but the delay from memory is 13 seconds so the pre infusion becomes more of a bloom. The buttons are needed to be pressed on and off so scales are needed. But, the distance from the drip tray cover to the pf allows you to stand a mug on scales that a lot of machines cannot accommodate. The pf is really good quality. You only get one yet the twin spouts are close enough together to fit into an espresso cup or wide enough apart to get two cups under.
It is a simple machine as long as you do not enter the menu system since there are so many programable options. That is what exactly appealed to me, simplicity. I could in reality have bought any of the machines that are regularly purchased by many members but I have long held the belief that a barista makes the coffee. The machine and grinder just facilitate that. Will I still own the machine in 4 years. My wife would like to think so!
