Brian Fantana

Rest in peace Barry. I will always remember the words of welcome from Holy Roller when I joined the hub in 2008.

I have to say that this grinder surprised me. It has very good ergonomics, you only use your thumb and index finger to grip the knob. It grinds at least 3 times faster than my porlex and loading/unloading is very easy. I paid the same price as a porlex mini when I backed the kickstarter project and this grinder gives you so much more in terms of ergonomics, speed, grind quality and looks. Having said all this, my Madebyknock grinder still grinds faster and smoother than the Handground but it costs three times as much!

I backed this Kickstarter project in February 2015. I took delivery of this unit at end November 2016. I have not had a chance to try it yet due to a hectic travelling schedule. I will try it out later today. It looks very well manufactured! http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170104/a079af79d840e83b8d4f1d044857ec54.jpg

My work can get intense at times and I started to feel sorry for my Seiko SKX007 as a daily beater. So I purchased a Casio G-Shock GA-201 to fill the daily beater role.

Having some fun on the farm:

On my mother in law's farm:

Thank you gentlemen. I will pick a colour scheme I like and I will post the results here when the airbrush work is done.

You probably could, but it will detract from machine's simplicity. The simplicity is what makes it such a great device.

I am not saying that temperature is related to altitude. However boiling point is related to altitude. When you pour 96 degC water into a stainless steel tube that is at ambient temperature the temperature will drop very quickly and might even drop below your desired brewing temperature. Here at the coast I found that the machine works very well. I will test it on the farm (1500m asl)next weekend and see what effect the lower boiling point has. Most manual espresso devices share this low temperature problem because the water cools down very quickly once it enters the device.

Hi guys, I have been lurking on this thread for a number of years now and I really appreciate the information shared on this thread. I am currently busy restoring a Deale and Huth (DHC) with 6-speed Campagnolo Nuovo Record derailleurs and shifters, Weinman brakes and Zeus hubs and crank. The frame has been repainted by the original owner. I would like to have it painted in original Deale and Huth colours. Does anyone have photos of original Deale and Huth frames of the 1965-1970 era? As far as I understand, it is a 1968 model frame.

Yes it has a long basket. You dose the basket, press a shower screen on top to create a tamp, pour hot water up to the top edge of the basket, lift the levers (which lifts the piston) lock the portafilter and press down. The water cools down quite quickly in the basket which is why I suspect that it might make slightly sour shots at higher altitudes. It is quite ironic that such a simple device from the late 1950's and 1960's works so well and now in 2016 it is hard to find something similar that can match its performance.

This is my setup for local travels, a Faema Baby Faemina and MadebyKnock grinder. This combination makes very good espresso. I suspect that this lever machine might brew at a lower temperature at higher altitudes which can cause some issues, but at sea level it has been brilliant so far.

Longmore Forest:

I follow a few collectors and enthusiasts on Instagram which is where I found this Riviera. I paid EUR200 for it. You will find many vintage lever machines on ebay as well. I purchased my Caravel on ebay. You can also find many lever machines on Francesco's website, he is a great guy and I have purchased parts from him last year without any issues: http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/onsale_eng.htm

I purchased this Zacconni Riviera from a collector in Alfianello a few months ago. It was in bad shape, so I did a complete overhaul which involved a lot of cleaning, descaling, polishing, new pressure gauge and replacement of seals. After using it for two weeks I came to the conclusion that I prefer my Arrarex Caravel, and since I have limited storage space, I sold it. The new owner sounds very happy.