Cremina Customer Unboxing & Review

Hello Roger,

I just wanted to send you a short note about my initial experiences with the Cremina…

A very sublime experience. I think it is important to have experience with other espresso machines so one can really appreciate how much the Cremina does but more importantly how little. You have to know how the coffee coming out is supposed to look like (and taste like) because the Cremina gives you no baseline.

The workflow is totally different. It is much simpler, it almost feels like you are doing nothing at all. No multiple gauges to watch, no feeling like you are operating a steam locomotive, no back-flushing, no adding water while the machine is hot, no leaving the machine on for the whole day. It is a very simple, very personal machine. When you lock in the portafilter and lift the lever to pre-infuse, there is a kind of pregnant pause while you wait to see if the pre-infuse water starts to drip in about 10 seconds. If not, likely ground or tamped too tight. If it starts right away, then likely it’s too coarse or too loose. Then the pull and it coalesces into a single thick stream and your cup starts to fill with rich crema. It’s really beautiful! 14g in, 28g out, about 10-15 seconds (I might be pulling slightly too hard, but I am looking at the stream from the middle of the bottomless portafilter, so I try to keep it a nice thick, foamy rope). And then it’s over! Half turn to bleed the residual pressure off, knock the puck out, rinse the portafilter, a couple of quick lifts of the handle to clear the infusion screen, measure, grind, tamp and ready for the next shot.

Below are a few unboxing pictures…

The last one shows the Lagom p64 grinder I ordered to go with the Cremina. This combination works really well except that the portafilter fork on the p64 is built for E61 portafilters and the dosing funnel is too big. I have ordered an aftermarket item for the latter and I am looking at 3D printing some type of insert for the former until I can make one (or have one made) out of metal. But grind-wise, I think it is a very good match for single dosing the Cremina.

My wife is enjoying the Chico D’Oro very much… I prefer a little darker roast but I am still tweaking the whole process.

So far, I am very happy with my purchase and thanks to you and your team for expediting my purchase and for the great customer service.