Thursday, November 16, 2006

The Stumpjack la Pavoni Bar S model

This is our La Pavoni. We've received a lot of compliments, oohs & aahs on the look of this machine. We wanted something that had a retro look to it, yet didn't look "vintage" like the eagle-domed copper/brass Gensaco or Elektra (as gorgeous as those machines are...I'd love to eventually acquire an Elektra Belle Epoque...unbelievably beautiful).

Plus, it was important to us to have a semi-automatic levered machine, that reinforced the attitude we wanted to present of hand crafted drinks and greater involvement and skill from the barista.

Thus far, I've been pretty pleased with the performance of the machine, although there are one or two design alterations I would make if I could. One, I'd make the steam wands an inch or two longer and/or have a greater joint distance at the elbow. There's not as much clearance and room to adjust a pitcher when steaming as I'd like.

I'd also add an inch to an inch & a half to the depth of the cup warmer holding tray on top. To be able to have one more row of cups up there would be much appreciated, and that extra depth shouldn't detract from the the design or practicality of the machine, I wouldn't think.


I'm going to replace the PF handles, steam knobs and levers with turned wood ones, either cherry (red) or black walnut (dark brown). Any problems or challenges we've dealt with with this machine are, I feel, compensated for by the "wow" factor and numerous compliments it gets from people. What people see and perceive can't be discounted where it concerns their overall experience in the shop.

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