Elektra Espresso Machine Review 2021 – Full Review with FAQ

We have always wanted the best espresso machine, which is highly easy to use. Some of our friends told us about this fantastic coffee machines and that’s why we have decided to do this Elektra espresso machine review. We found it incredible; it works so smoothly.

You have to sit a few minutes, and in a few minutes, your coffee is ready. At first, it was hard to understand and implement making coffee in this elegant machine.

We think that is why most people don’t buy but let’s make it clear, how can you make coffee when you don’t understand the process.

We know how it works, and when we got it, there was no single day when we didn’t make coffee for ourselves from the Elektra espresso machine.

Elektra Espresso Machine Full Review

If you are not a fan of multiple variables, then don’t buy a piston machine; get a super auto. It’s that simple.  For people like us, grind, tamp, and volume of grounds are the main reasons to get a great shot with the Micro Casa a Leva.

There’s no way around it. We are sure that you won’t get a good shot with fresh roast coffee that’s been ground in a cheap grinder.

You certainly will not get a good shot if you use old beans. And you will not get a good shot if you are even slightly off on your grind, your tamp, or the volume of grinds you use.

We found in our testing that the Micro Casa’s double basket held up to 3 grams more than the Pavoni double basket (14.5 grams vs. 11.5 to 12 grams).

We mean, we had about 200 levers pulled under our belt when coming to the Elektra, and that gave us a real foundation for further fine-tuning the grind in a short time.

But the Mazzer and Innova gave us that extra edge in fine-tuning ability that made it fun to spend an afternoon pulling shot after shot, fine-tuning the balance, and being a coffee geek (no, we don’t drink most of the time).

Grind and tamp work together, so before getting to volume, let’s discuss the kind of tamp we saw was valid with this machine.

We know the spring is set to give an even 8BAR of pressure to the packed bed of coffee—1BAR, or 15psi lower than the official 9BAR rating.

At first, we might have to adjust our tamp to compensate for this, but we know that the grind we were using let me go with our standard 30lb pack. A solid, even bed of coffee is so crucial with this machine; it isn’t funny.

The volume of grinds is another core issue. We thought we got the best results from this machine when we had about 1mm clearance between the dispersion screen and the tamped coffee bed.

It means you have to have almost one-fourth inch of the sidewall in the double basket showing after you have filled in 14.5 grams of coffee.

We can’t stress enough the need to absolutely perfect your grind, tamp, and volume with this machine and make sure you’re using top-tier, fresh roasted, fresh ground coffee.

We only got the kind of performance we did with this machine once we knew the variables and regulated them.

1. Everyday Balance

Once we got to know the MicroCasa a Leva, we found that the machine’s day-by-day performance was at a different level above the La Pavoni Professional. The spring helps produce repeatable results.

The giant group head, larger filter, and overall better design give you a perfect shot of espresso consistently.

Suppose your goal is to have one shot and one cappuccino or two cappuccinos. In that case, you can get it per “session” with the machine, and it’s an almost perfect example of coffee.

You can have your steam on demand means that macchiato is at your convenience, not a problem while waiting for the smoke to heat up.

Even you know, pulling Americanos is easy – although not nearly as easy as a machine with an excellent hot water tap.

We find ourselves delighted with the Micro Casa machine. In the morning, we would first have to turn on the device, then do our morning stuff.

Once we were done, the machine was up to pressure. We would bleed off some, and then we would pull a blank shot.

Then we would have to do grinding, loading, tamping, locking into the machine, and after all that, we have to pull our first double. We would have to froth up 3 oz of milk and stain the top of that espresso shot.

Then we would remove the portafilter, and load it up again, lock it in. When the wand is clean, we would steam 4oz of water up to boiling and then pour in Americano.

When we are done, we have to put the machine turned off. After drinking the Americano and reading the paper, you go back to it and remove the portafilter, clean it, run some water through the machine.

If there’s still enough residual pressure to run water through the group head when you press down on the lever, wipe up, and you are done. In about 4 minutes of “machine time,” you will have two unlimited drinks.

2. Steaming Performance

Are you ready to steam your coffee with the Micro Casa? as we have confessed before – a joy. Not a perfect pleasure, but a close one. We believe part of the long steaming times is the smaller steam tube and the super-tight diffusion pattern holes in the steaming tip.

The exact elements make this a near-ideal “micro frother” device for creating that silky smooth micro frothy so crucial to making latte art essential to an excellent drink experience with dense, nimble foam.

This Elektra espresso machine also has quite a great layout and design of the steam wand – but some of you attribute it to your being left-handed, and it’s a right-hander’s world.

The rod does not move; instead, it sits far out to the right side of the machine’s body and angles out at about 8 o’clock.

The steam knob is uncomfortably close to the machine’s body. Its direct action on a ball valve doesn’t enable much control over the steam power.

The right-handed people have no worries about this setup, but we found it a little awkward.

After some time, we got used to it; we liked the instant ability to froth up milk for our espresso and cappuccino. Cleaning the wand is so easy.

We enjoyed the feature of how the steam was almost instantly dried. With dual-purpose boiler machines, you have to bleed out a lot more, so Elektra is a real boon for us.

3. Machine Usability

After using it for so many days, we can say that the machine is somewhat easy to use if you’re tall enough or strong enough.

We had no issues with the lever position, the device, or the pressure to apply.

Most males who tried the machine noted the same thing, but a few women who tested it did find it awkward. Some people were afraid of the device and the heat it produced, not to mention the pressure needed to press the lever down.

It can be an intimidating machine for the new user, without a doubt.

We liked the fact that the Elektra is fairly bottom-heavy and doesn’t slide around much. The bottom also has five rubber indents to make it more slide resistant – an elegant design and functionality touch.

4. Machine Durability

With time, we realized that The Elektra Micro Casa is rock solid. The only concern we have is the polished finish of the boiler brass is sensitive to nicks and scrapes.

Somehow we managed to put a few on the boiler myself (we don’t know how we did).

The chrome parts are mostly more durable, and to this day, they bear no mark. This Elektra espresso machine has the simple yet efficient design of the piston assembly.

It needs maintenance not so often and performance for years, and the top-quality parts will last a long time in the future.

Indeed, getting an accurate chart of actual machine durability is something way beyond the scope of our detailed Elektra espresso machine review – and for that, we would have to evaluate the product for a two or three-year period to get a better presentation.

Still, from what we can see of the machine’s build and parts, it’s designed to last for decades.

The only downside to all of this is the availability of parts for Elektra machines in our place. So ordering from Italia is not the most convenient thing for us, and we hope Elektra remedies this situation soon.

5. Water – The Controllable Variable

With the Elektra Micro Casa a Leva, water can be both a friend and an enemy to your espresso. The machine heats up to 123 Celsius inside the pressurized boiler.

The device is designed to bridge the group head and boiler for the first few shots, and the group head itself acts as a heat sink to break water down to almost 95C.

But once you pull many shots, the group head and bridge’s heat sink ability will reduce. However, there are many ways you can deal with it.

The One way we found to increase the machine’s performance was to heat it, then pour a blank shot to warm the group head, then turn the device off.

You can also pull images from the Micro Casa without any electricity. Finish your photo, and enjoy it, and after 30 seconds, remove the portafilter and clean it out.

You can also control the group head and bridge temperatures partially by using an ice-cold, wet cloth.

6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Even after reading the full review of this Elektra Espresso Machine, some questions must have popped up in your mind.

It is because some questions popped up in our minds also when we were done
writing this article.

Therefore, we are answering some of the most common questions that must have
come in your mind.

How can I use the Elektra espresso machine?

It can be hard to understand the whole process but believe me. You will get this after two or three tries.

You have to follow the guide or manual that comes with the products or watch tutorials on YouTube. With time you will understand the whole mechanism, and you are all set to go

Where can we use the Elektra espresso machine?

You can use it anywhere and at any time. It is so handy that you can take it wherever you want to.

Going on your vacation, pack it with your luggage, so whenever you have a craving for coffee, you have to wait for a few minutes while your coffee is ready.

What is the price of the Elektra espresso machine?

The Elektra espresso machine ranges from $1723 to $ 1730. However, the cost does not matter when you get the quality, which you will never get in any other espresso machine.

It makes your work so quickly without much effort. You have to find better for yourself so, tell me what you want, quality or quantity.

Where can I buy the Elektra espresso machine?

You can get it on any online store only because it is unique and one of its types. We don’t know if you get it in other stores; it might be fake or damaged.

So, you better buy it online. It will not cost you more penny.

How many cups of coffee can I make at one time?

On a full tank, you can make 6-8 espresso and steamed milk. You can even run it pretty continuously on a full tank.

Once it’s empty, however, you need to let the pressure drop before refilling, which can take a while.

It isn’t the machine to knock out cup after cup, but you can probably do 20-30 cups with some downtime in between.

7. The Key Takeaway

After doing the complete Elektra espresso machine review, we have found that this coffee machine is a classic machine that comes with a fantastic performance.

It is durable with copper and brass design; the Microcasa a Leva is for the ones who are an experienced espresso drinker and who values both elite performance and classic design.

This elegant-looking Elektra espresso machine will make your work a lot easier. Without doing anything, you will get your coffee or cappuccino ready in a few minutes.