Best home espresso machine:La Pavoni Professional PBB-16

If you are looking for a pull handle coffee maker this La Pavoni Professional PBB-16 is the one for you. It takes a fine grind tamped firmly and it makes perfect crema on the top of your shot. I read some reviews before I bought this one but the only one that concerned me was the person that said when she pulled the lever, the coffee machine tipped forward.

Too coarse a grind will lead to watery shots that are useless. And I would guess that just about every Pavoni user has at one point pulled the coffee filter too quickly from the machine, resulting in spattered coffee grounds on walls and counters. Further, the machine does require some maintenance. The wand seal started to fail after about three years; this has to be replaced or you will steadily lose steam pressure for foaming.

• Makes one or two cups of espresso at one time
• Nickel plated, solid brass boilers
• Made in Italy
• Re-set fuse
• Stainless elements, 1000 watts

But this La Pavoni Professional PBB-16 machine is not nearly as mechanically complicated as automatic machines, and I would anticipate that it would last a lot longer than automatics. The Pavoni also has an interesting quasi-steampunk look and looks pretty cool on the counter.

The La Pavoni espresso machine makes great steamed milk too and I have never had to wait more than a few seconds (if any) for the steam to build up. As long as you don't use a giant vessel to steam you will get at least two cups worth of perfectly steamed milk.

I read the instructions and followed the cleaning procedure exactly but ran 4 full containers of clean water through instead of two. If you don't you can still taste the cleaner. Like I said, if you run enough clean water through, the first shot is perfect.

I have owned this La Pavoni espresso machine machine for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they'll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two.

I think the bottom line with La Pavoni Professional PBB-16 Espresso Machine is you get a really gorgeous Chrome Peacock that makes truly great espresso, but the workmanship is a bit uneven and you certainly shouldn't expect Japanese-car levels of reliability.