It works with the proven pre-infusion piston system: lifting the lever draws a small amount of water into the piston chamber and forces it into the pressed ground coffee, allowing it to expand. Lowering the lever forces the hot water through the ground coffee.
This tried and tested extraction procedure, coupled with the continually increasing experience of the individual Cremina owner, guarantees a perfect espresso, a composition of crema, smell and taste — a harmonious pleasure for the senses. Even your ears will be delighted: the only noise produced by your Cremina is the singing, when the boiler heats the water.
Appreciated worldwide
Not only the “New York Times” and the “Neue Zurcher Zeitung” have considered the Cremina to be “the best espresso machine in the world”; for more than 40 years, we have been receiving fan mail from all around the world. This is not just an honour for us, but also for every owner, who knows how to create the perfect espresso. It does require some practice, however, but once you have reached the perfect espresso, it will always be just that: your very own espresso. A minor, yet subtle distinction and a true event for every espresso lover.
Built for a small eternity
Have a look at her inner qualities. You’ll find stainless steel, chrome and brass, and perfect manufacturing.
The brew group, consisting of group head and portafilter, as well as the steam wand and the steam nozzle, are made of brass—and are of course chromed and polished to a high gloss. This increases the longevity of the machine and facilitates the cleaning. The electric boiler, made of chrome steel is filled by opening the top and has a capacity of 3.8 pints—enough for 20 cups of classic espresso.
The high performance tubular heating element has a thermal protection against overheating of the boiler. In order to guarantee a perfect result and longevity, the high-tech gaskets used in the Cremina. The default pressure is adjusted to between 0.7 and 0.8 bars and the brewing temperature to 198 °F. The Cremina leaves it to the skill of the barista to find the required nine bar pressure onto the portafilter by lowering the lever at just the right time.
Current supply 230–240 V / 50 Hz¹ Cable length 5.25 ft. Power input 1000 Watt
¹ Also available with 120 V / 60 Hz / 1000 W
Additional information
Weight
24 g
Dimensions
10.63 × 7.87 × 12.99 cm
Power Supply
110 – 240 / 50-60
Price
Contact us for quotation
Warranty
Up to 2 years parts and labour
Lifetime limited warranty
Country of Origin
Switzerland
Servicing & Repair
Coffee in a place
Video and Reviews
Olympia Express Cremina
Reiss (Londinium Espresso)
Not sure what to say really. The Cremina is most definitely a machine that can stay on all day every day. All day & all night, if you like; we do.
If you want to criticise the Cremina say it is a single boiler machine that isn’t the best choice for someone who wants to steam a lot of milk when the pressure stat is turned down to the optimal setting for espresso (a fraction under 0.8 bar)
If you primarily drink espresso (& I do mean espresso, not espresso based drinks), it is absolutely peerless. I genuinely do not believe another domestic machine exists that makes espresso of this quality.
Domestic spring lever machines are unable to exert enough pressure and therefore choke early. As a result they will not produce the dense espresso you obtain from a commercial machine. An elegant espresso quite often, but never that real dense commercial grade espresso. The Cremina will, and consistently too.
Set the boiler pressure to just below 0.8 bar, a fine grind, 15g in the double basket isn’t a bad place to start, tamp very lightly so the top of the puck is perhaps 5mm below the top of the PF rim, 8s pre-infusion, then commence your pull, load up the lever progressively rather than trying to strangle it, drips rather than flow at the start of the extraction is OK, fellini move if you like, or a complete double stroke, in which case pause for only 2s at the top of the second stroke.
Look at the ground welds. That costs money. Either a bloke in overalls has to sit there and do it, or in higher volume operations a robot may be used. But it has to be paid for. Whether you decide that is something you want to pay for is your choice, but a high price does not of itself make a product poor value for money.
Add in the tiny footprint that almost allows you to keep it in a shoebox. What else on the market is there?
Anyone who is has seen the PV & the Cremina side by side would find the suggestion that they are ‘much of a muchness’ laughable
No one is suggesting it is the least expensive solution on the market. But I will argue ad nausem that the Cremina represents excellent value for money.
The markets pursuit of ‘cheap’ is why almost all domestic products are made in the far east today.
Noting your ownership of a GS/3 which Intelligentsia are currently offering for USD 6,500 I’m curious as to the basis for your comment. Your Cremina will produce shots as good & better than the GS/3.
I know roughly how many units Olympia are selling globally per annum, and rest assured they are making a lot less money out of their customers than La Marzocco.
Orphan Espresso
Very interesting discussion. When I consider the cost of anything, be it my car, my house, my coffee grinder, or an espresso machine one of the things I think about is long term – what is the cost over the life of the machine (barring disasters, of course). A Cremina will last. So, over a period of many years, lets say 40, the effective cost of the machine is low – $3650, averaged over 40 years, is less than $92/year. Averaged by month, it’s less than $8.00 per month. There will be a couple of parts that will need replacing – not many Mater pstats will last 40 years, and gaskets will need changing over the course of time, but if the rest of the machine is sound, then replacing a part like that is not a problem. Maintenance is to be expected.
Good design – it’s usually not inexpensive. My Series 7 Chair is just a couple of bent tubes, and a piece of bent plywood. My Arteluce bathroom sconce is just a bit of aluminum, and a wall socket wired in. But if anything happened to either, I would replace them with the same, even though it would be costly as compared to other items which serve the same function – they are both very good designs, and to me, worth the cost.
The Cremina fits in the same category, in my opinion. Excellent design which stands the test of time, and therefore worth the cost.
Mike (Home Barista)
I’ve not tried a commercial lever machine at home and though mightily tempted by an Idrocompresso, can’t really be bothered to make the space and do the plumbing in, not least of all because I tend to be a nomad wherever I live and change things around every few months or year or so…
What I do know is that I’ve not had a shot anywhere (and I’ve been lucky enough to have some darn good ones) that can beat what I am able to achieve at home with my very late model Cremina. The Caravel is a lovely machine, but does not really come close and is not as consistent. My Millenium Pavoni is behind both in consistency.
Sure there are ways of working round the so-called issues on practically any lever machine, but in terms of feedback through the handle, the ability to apply consistent pressure or to profile it up to very high pressures, temperature stability and the rest, the Cremina is in my opinion way ahead of the rest. That build quality isn’t superfluous. And there are design features, too, which differentiate it significantly from the Pavoni, for example – from the group head neck to the piston and water circulation internally as well as the group mounting on the boiler and the heat sink action of the case panels.
Before I owned one, I used to suspect that the Cremina was just a souped-up overbuilt Pavoni, too, but its abilities are simply in another class. What’s more, the longer you own and use one the more you appreciate what it can do.
When others told me this I was sceptical, but over a couple of years’ use I have come to agree with what they told me. If you have not owned one, it’s difficult to appreciate this. It’s not just a matter of it being rock solid, futz-free and requiring only quick cleaning and minimal maintenance, it’s the way it consistently delivers fantastic shots in an eminently controllable way, allowing you to build a very special relationship with both the machine itself and the beans you are using. It really allows you to get into the “Lever Jedi” “feel the Force” mode more than any other machine I know. And the results in the cup speak for themselves.
I still love the Elektra Microcasa a Leva, especially for it’s layered shots which are magic with some Ethiopian and Yemeni beans, not to mention some of the extraordinary fruity beans coming out of Panama at the moment – and of course it looks splendid – but whereas the Elektra has not sunk in my estimation over the years, the Cremina just continues to grow.
So, although I will readily admit there are some badly cared-for examples picking up silly prices at the moment, the Cremina in my opinion more than deserves its reputation. In fact I have come to think it is undervalued, with many kicking back against this reputation despite having little or no first-hand experience.
