But isn't Kopiko from Indonesia?

^ It is lol

I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, European coffee culture, which is always hailed as a top tier version is trash.

Either that or we are just spoiled in Vancouver and Vancouver in general is totally underrated. I could get a better latte at 3-5 places within a 5 minute walk of me of every single coffee I’ve had on this trip. Americanos, lattes, drip and even instant is terrible

mainstream euro coffee culture is trash, the same way mainstream NA coffee culture is trash.

there's plenty of good stuff in europe and many of the best roasters in the world for light roast are there.

Coffee is a lot more common in Europe than what we have here. Not sure where you are, but when I was in Southern France, every corner I could find a coffee shop, however crappy it might be, but it's there. So the quality can vary greatly.

Just spent a week in Varadero, Cuba. This country has some of the worst coffee I have ever had.

^and the worst food, courtesy of the USA.

Yes, that too.

On my last trip we spent almost 2 weeks in France in and around Lyon and Avignon, the best coffee we found by far was a boutique roaster who roasted on site and every person working there was amazingly knowledgeable and could make a mean latte. We ended up buying a French press from then and 2 bags of grounds to bring around with us. This place resembled a place you’d find in a Vancouver or Seattle far more than the traditional European coffee place. The rest of France was absolute trash using Lavaza or comparable freeze dried garbage over poured and bitter.

I think if you are used to things like third wave coffee or single origin stuff, a clear sign to stay away is when a coffee place uses Lavazza or any of the supermarket grade stuff. Almost guaranteed to have a bad coffee.

Order placed and deposit paid for my next espresso machine. Let's hope it gets here soon.

I find australia to have very high standards for coffee even at a regular cafe

Me too! I was impressed with the average quality of Australian coffee - the ceiling was not as high as Vancouver, but the floor on average was much higher

wasn't it new zealand or Australia which they didn't have a chance with Starbucks... as in they really failed to launch.

both have succeed in keeping local cafe alive.

Excuse me but you can't just tell us you ordered a machine and not tell us what it is. Spill the beans! :mad:

Wanted to get the machine first. But it seems that I'd be lucky to get it by X'Mas if not after new year.

https://keesvanderwesten.com/wp-cont...es-machine.jpg

Mine is a different color. But this is it.

what the fuck is that thing!? it looks like you stole a robot's foot....

i actually found myself making espresso less and less these days. i prefer pour over

Well la Dee da Mr. Fancy pants

It's the Kees Spiritello. I've been toying with the idea of getting a lever machine for about a year now after first trying a lever pulled shot in Europe.

I tried a Flair, but it's just too much work. Sold it a month after getting it.

And thanks to Trump and his tariff, my current machine has nearly doubled in price vs. when I bought it (20k new vs. 10.5k when I bought it). So, decided to pull the trigger by selling my Slayer and go for the end-game lever machine instead of messing around with others.

So this robot foot just steps on beans or something? why dont you just use your forehead?

Going from a Flair to this is a huge jump. You'll either really love it or hate it, but you've made your mind up on it already.

I have a Cafelat Robot that got me started, then I went to a Ponte Vecchio, which pulls lovely shots, and finally an Olympia Cremina. The workflow is similar to that of a Flair, except the difference will be a reduction in having to heat up the water and all that crap. Outside of that, you might gain a bit in temperature stability, but I feel that anything else is diminishing returns.

Nice machine, nice flex, and overkill for all intents and purposes. Neat machine and purchase regardless. Looking forward to your review once you get it.

The Cremina is arguably the end-game machine before LevaX and Spiritello came along. Leva X, as great as it might be, just didn't feel quite right.

It's almost too plasticky for 20k. If I were to pick a LaMa, I'd go for Strada X. But lever is just so forgiving on things. So, it was Cremina vs. Spiritello. And Kees just does magic with metals. I think they are truly a work of art. Not saying that the Olympia isn't, but the attention to detail that goes into it is incredible.

Forgiving is subjective on a lever, I find. There are fewer nannies and parameters you can adjust to pull that God shot. Having said that, there's something for everyone nowadays.

I would argue that the Cremina was (and still is???) the benchmark for a good, solid, and reliable lever machine for the home enthusiast. But the market has come a long way and customers are far more discerning and there is a lever machine for everyone. Nevermind the rise of people with disposable income.

Oh wait, that's just you. :D

i have the ROK and i thought i was a loser. I wanted to get the flair but after seeing your machine.. danggg..

i thought it was all manual but then i realized aside from pulling the lever, everything else was digital.

It's really never about gears. Flair can totally pull a mean shot of espresso if done right.

From my experience of Breville 870, Rancilio, Rocket R58 to Slayer, yes the price jumped like 10-20 folds, but there was never any doubt in my mind that the 870 can pull a shot as good as the Slayer.

The Slayer just makes everything so much easier. There is no guessing or trial-error. Especially when dealing with light roasted beans.

Many have said that light roasts are meant for pourover or other method, but that's not true. With proper technique, an espresso from light roast can be as incredible as a proper V60. I fell in love with light roasts when I had my R58. Was I not able to pull good shots? No. But it was a bit of work and I'd easily waste 2-5 shots worth of bean to dial it down just right. And when those premium single origin beans are $35-50 for bag of 250g (meaning I could realistically make 14shots), the cost was quite high and as bean ages, I might have to adjust again.

Slayer, having its super long preinfusion makes light roast so easy to make good shots. Like, the first shot, while not perfect, it's easily drinkable and I fine-tune to improve rather than making it drinkable.

So, back to my latest purchase... I wouldn't say high-end lever machines would make better shot than something as simple as Flair. But it's certainly easier to repeat the same experience since these high-end machines have dialed everything down to perfection. As for Spiritello vs. Cremina, it is more of aesthetic decision rather than anything else.

I've shared in my past posts that we are doing a major reno at our place and I plan to move my coffee machine from a corner to an actual dedicated coffee/liquor bar that we have planned.

Thus, as beautiful as Slayer is, it didn't look good on the back unless one starts modding it, and when I saw the Spiritello, I thought... this is perfect. After having the opportunity to try one of first units in America earlier in the year, I was sold.