# The Vostok lever



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Pid dual boiler thingy


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

His tamping technique makes me sad


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

The hopper makes me sad too, plus the group head brush for 'cleaning' the basket.


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

But ignoring shot preparation, it is an impressive machine. it will be fun to see if the cleverness of design actually impacts on the quality of the shot. The ability to control the water temp is useful but not limited to levers, but the ability to adjust the pre infusion most certainly is......at least done using electronics is a first on a lever as far as I know although the L1P does this in a different way I believe.


----------



## kevin (Sep 21, 2014)

Mrboots2u said:


> His tamping technique makes me sad


Which tamp - the first, second, or third one? Or the thump on the tamper...?


----------



## malling (Dec 8, 2014)

Horrific tamping technique the worst part was by far the thumping - but lovely machine, about time someone came up with a DB version with pressure regulator


----------



## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

Nice machine and impressive tamping technique

grind course and tamp the bejeysus out of it


----------



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I've seen that kind side tapping theatrics before it makes me cringe. The pile driver finish is a new one on me.


----------



## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

I liked the tamping technique .... In an environment where you deal with customers, having something to hit must take away the want to lamp annoying customers


----------



## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

The ampunt of times he whacked that portafilter about was insane. I'm always super gentle with a tamped puck so not to disturb it.


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I do wonder how many cafes use different temps for different group heads for different coffees tho (pump or lever ) . Would high volume cafes perhaps run one coffee for spro and milk and have multi groups to " knock out volume " not d different coffees .

How does it warm a group up without flashing in 12 mins ... Is there a heating element in there .


----------



## insatiableOne (Jul 29, 2015)

Very interesting, I was wondering with that. How does the group get hot in 12 minutes? Notice no steam?? Mine lever runs water similar to that, not that smooth.

I would love to visit a cafe' with a true Leever, (ahem) I meant leee' vur, at any rate I was watching thinking.. he left the puck in! Note sure about all of you? but I rinse off my basket & portafilter after each shot, then wipe dry. Wipe off my shower screen after each session, or every few shots, which ever comes first.

Now that tap-A-whack technique is entirely new to these eyes. Wonder in what region that originated from?

Is it as exciting a whack-A-mole??


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

When you watch Masterchef, and you see a judge had]s seen a rudimentary mistake, like they coated the wrong side of the steak with salt, it is funny how they always taste and say, yes, I thought so, I can tell you put the salt on the wrong side....it clearly comes though as a mistake.....and I always think, had he not seen that, would he actually have known?

Antonio might prepare his shot in a way different to anything that we would find acceptable, but that does not make it wrong. On a blind taste, would you be able to spot the difference between his effort and the next one using a bean you were not intimately familiar with?


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> I do wonder how many cafes use different temps for different group heads for different coffees tho (pump or lever ) . Would high volume cafes perhaps run one coffee for spro and milk and have multi groups to " knock out volume " not d different coffees .
> 
> How does it warm a group up without flashing in 12 mins ... Is there a heating element in there .


2 heating elements in each group, simply maintains the group at a PID defined temperature. The brew boiler is also maintained at a predetermined temperature by PID. These 2 temperatures can be different if desired, allowing a multi group machine to have different temps at each group. The heating elements are easily able to warm the group up in 12 minutes.

I will know more when I get a single group prototype to test.


----------



## mazi (Jan 21, 2015)

And what do you think about the timing?

10s preinfusion with dripping and then 12s shot?


----------



## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Mrboots2u said:


> His tamping technique makes me sad


I'm gonna try that...


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

mazi said:


> And what do you think about the timing?
> 
> 10s preinfusion with dripping and then 12s shot?


Thats nothing to do with the machine, but down to shot preparation


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

DavecUK said:


> 2 heating elements in each group, simply maintains the group at a PID defined temperature. The brew boiler is also maintained at a predetermined temperature by PID. These 2 temperatures can be different if desired, allowing a multi group machine to have different temps at each group. The heating elements are easily able to warm the group up in 12 minutes.
> 
> I will know more when I get a single group prototype to test.


He said the machine was ready to pull the first shot in 12 minutes, does this mean there is water int he group that is heated up to temp independent of the boiler, which must barely be warm at that stage?

Does this mean in turn that whilst you can pull one shot after 12 minutes, you cant back-to-back a few shots after 12 minutes as the incoming boiler water isn't yet at temp?


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

dfk41 said:


> On a blind taste, would you be able to spot the difference between his effort and the next one using a bean you were not intimately familiar with?


With that big Tin of nom nom beans probably not .

Can anyone taste the difference between a potentially horrid channeling shot and and even extracted one . I'd hope so .

As you say different technique " not wrong " wouldn't encourage its use to get to tastyness in the cup


----------



## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Am awaiting with interest ( and expressed a very very strong interest in a 2 group vostok) the initial Vostok machines, January poss Feb was being discussed at BB earliest and is what am holding off major purchase for. Having read DaveC's comments on here and over on HB, if all comes through as demonstrated, will be ideal for what have in mind ( 3 groups would just be "blingy"  and single group not enough ). It is what has stopped me buying a vesuvius and heading off on a whole different tack.

John


----------



## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

Love the Vesuvius but got to say if the Vostok comes in a 2 group version I could be very interested.

Struggle a bit sometimes with just the one group on the Vesuvius when I have circa 15 milk drinks to make at one time.

As a confirmed 'non-lever man' I do like the look of this one.


----------



## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Might want to take a look on Youtube by searching for ACS Vostok and there is another Espresso TV video discussing the dual group Mantra, which might suit your needs as being described (unless have misunderstood) this being two complete independant vesuvius's in one shell. Interesting times and looking forward to seeing something in the flesh, coffee fund growing...

John


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

johnealey said:


> Am awaiting with interest ( and expressed a very very strong interest in a 2 group vostok) the initial Vostok machines, January poss Feb was being discussed at BB earliest and is what am holding off major purchase for. Having read DaveC's comments on here and over on HB, if all comes through as demonstrated, will be ideal for what have in mind ( 3 groups would just be "blingy"  and single group not enough ). It is what has stopped me buying a vesuvius and heading off on a whole different tack.
> 
> John


Are you opening a cafe?


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Dylan said:


> He said the machine was ready to pull the first shot in 12 minutes, does this mean there is water int he group that is heated up to temp independent of the boiler, which must barely be warm at that stage?
> 
> Does this mean in turn that whilst you can pull one shot after 12 minutes, you cant back-to-back a few shots after 12 minutes as the incoming boiler water isn't yet at temp?


The smaller brew boiler will easily be up to temp in 12 minutes and yes once it is, you can pull back to back shots.


----------



## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

I'll delicately sidestep the answer to that one as posting under my own name, lets just say having options is never a bad thing....  (hence the recent "back up" Faema E98 and Mythos, all long term of course)

John


----------

