Spartacus Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Canada Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: la cimbali m20
Posted Sat May 3, 2008, 5:47pm Subject: Old machine that I need some info on.
I am new to using an espresso machine and I need some help. A friend gave me an old espresso machine a while ago and I am in the midst of refurbishing it. It is a La Cimbali M20. I think it is from the the 1950's or 1960's. It looks like the M21 Junior, except that the steamer is on the right side and it does not have any buttons. There is also a large lever sticking out of the top. To get the water to the cotffee you need to pull on this lever. There is also a lever to fill up the boiler, there is no resevoir, and a vial to see how much water is in the tank. There does not appear to be a pump so I must assume that it is steam powered. The problem I am having is I can fix it up, it appears to be pretty stright forward, But once it is running I have no idea how to use it. Any info would be helpful
orphanespresso Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 53 Location: Troy Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Cremina Faemina Microcimbali... Grinder: Hand Grinders
Posted Sat May 3, 2008, 9:14pm Subject: Re: Old machine that I need some info on.
Welcome to the lever machine users club!
Oh boy - the simplest is for you to send the machine to us, and we'll send you a simple automatic machine - LOL! We have a bad case of leveritis we love them ALL!
But, if that wont work - the basics are: You need to hook a water line of some type, either from your plumbing, or an elevated fill bottle to the fitting where the 'fill' button is. This gets water into the boiler (on many old lever machines you just fill the boiler by adding water through the cap in the top of the boiler), and you can see the water through the 'sight glass'. Once the boiler is full you turn the machine on, if it is 110V it will take a while to heat up (a 220V ,machine heats faster). Once the boiler is hot enough to produce steam, flush some hot water through the group by pulling the lever down & releasing it (be sure to have a cup under the group to catch the water), this warms the group. Place the portafilter into the group empty, and flush some water through the group into your espresso cup (or cups), this warms the portafilter, and the cups. Assuming you have an espresso grinder, grind some FRESH roasted beans (old, stale, beans do not work so well), fill the basket in the portafilter, and tamp well. Empty the water from the cup, lock portafilter in place, pull the handle all the way down, and hold down for about 10 seconds, or until you see drips of coffee coming out of the bottom of the portafilter (this is the pre-infusion stage). Release the lever and watch the magic!
If the lever does not go to the top, in the prescribed 27 seconds, you ground the coffee too finely, or tamped too hard. If it goes to the top quickly, with no crema in the cup, you need to grind finer, or tamp harder.
With an older machine, if there are problems with leaking seals (water drips from the group when the boiler is hot, or leaks elsewhere, or you can't push water through the coffee to make espresso, then there is a problem with the seals on the piston. The rest of the boiler seals are pretty much the same as on any espresso machine & you can usually see if they are leaking, or not leaking.
It takes practice, but it is worth working at! It sounds like a fun project & a cool machine! Some people, like us, really enjoy levers, and some don't, I hope you enjoy yours!
Spartacus Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Canada Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: la cimbali m20
Posted Sun May 4, 2008, 12:27pm Subject: Re: Old machine that I need some info on.
Thanks a lot. That really does help. I always wondered what the old way of making espresso was. I knew you could not have always just pushed a button and the machine did its thing. Before I do anything I think I should try and descale the machine. It was used for some time as a commercial machine and then stored without cleaning. I do not think that the water that comes out will be that good. I just hope that if I take the end off of the boiler I can reassemble it without needing a new gasket. Thanks.
paulwd Senior Member Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 23 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: big old shiny things with... Grinder: anfim lusso Roaster: homebuilt
Posted Mon May 5, 2008, 6:47pm Subject: Re: Old machine that I need some info on.
Hi,
Your machine is not too old (well, from the late 70s). I am sure you will be able to find a boiler gasket for it somewhere. These days I get 'em made locally by a company that specialises in custom cut automotive and industrial gaskets.
Posted Tue May 6, 2008, 9:54am Subject: Re: Old machine that I need some info on.
Spartacus Said:
A friend gave me an old espresso machine a while ago and I am in the midst of refurbishing it. It is a La Cimbali M20. I think it is from the the 1950's or 1960's. It looks like the M21 Junior, except that the steamer is on the right side and it does not have any buttons. There is also a large lever sticking out of the top. To get the water to the cotffee you need to pull on this lever.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 