What Is Lever Espresso? Why We Still Pull Espresso the Old Way
What Is Lever Espresso? Why We Still Pull Espresso the Old Way
There are much easier ways to make espresso than using a lever machine.
We use one anyway.
At Bee & Brew in Fort Worth, we roast our coffee in-house and pull our espresso on a Profitec Pro 800 lever machine. In the grinder is Rustic Roast, our signature espresso blend.
The lever isn't there because it looks cool, although it definitely does. We use it because we like what it does in the cup.
So what is lever espresso?
Most modern espresso machines use a pump to create the pressure that pushes water through the coffee.
A traditional lever machine does things a little differently.
On our Pro 800, you pull the lever down and water enters the group to begin saturating the coffee. When you release the lever, a spring takes over and provides the pressure for the extraction.
The pressure naturally falls as the shot progresses instead of staying flat the whole way through.
That is a big part of why lever espresso has its own character.
Why do we use one?
Because we like traditional espresso.
I want body. I want texture. I want chocolate and caramel. I want an espresso that tastes like espresso.
I'm not chasing the lightest possible roast or trying to turn every shot into a fruit tasting exercise. There is nothing wrong with that style of coffee, it just isn't what we're trying to do here.
The lever works really well with the kind of espresso we like.
It also doesn't hide much.
If the grind is wrong, you know it. If the coffee isn't behaving the way you want, you know it. There isn't a bunch of automation trying to fix the shot for you.
For me, that makes it a really interesting machine to work with because we also roast the coffee ourselves.
If I don't like what I'm getting in the cup, I can change the grind or the extraction, but I can also go back to the roaster and change the coffee.
That's the part I really enjoy.
Rustic Roast was built for espresso
Rustic Roast is our signature espresso blend and probably the best example of what we're trying to do with coffee at Bee & Brew.
We roast it here in Fort Worth specifically with espresso in mind.
The goal is pretty simple: full body, good sweetness, chocolate and caramel, and enough roast character that it tastes like traditional espresso without just tasting burnt or bitter.
That balance is harder to get right than it sounds.
Too light and you lose the body and character we're after. Push it too far and all you taste is roast.
We're constantly tweaking little things in the roast and then taking it over to the espresso machine to see what actually changed in the cup.
That's one of the advantages of roasting and pulling the coffee in the same building.
We're pretty unapologetic about traditional espresso
Coffee has gone in a lot of different directions over the last few years.
We aren't trying to be everything to everyone.
If you want a really light, tea-like espresso with a ton of acidity, there are places doing that really well.
That isn't us.
We like espresso with weight to it. Something that tastes good straight, but still has enough backbone to stand up to milk.
That's the direction we're taking our coffee program, and the lever machine is a big part of it.
Come try it
If you're in Fort Worth and you've never had espresso pulled on a traditional lever machine, come by.
We serve complimentary espresso to visitors using Rustic Roast, roasted right here at Bee & Brew.
You can watch us pull a shot, talk coffee with us, and if you like it, we sell Rustic Roast whole bean or ground to take home.
Traditional espresso, roasted here, pulled here.
Bee & Brew
217 North Rupert Street
Fort Worth, Texas
Visit our Espresso Bar & Mead Tasting Room
