A really nice example of the early Caravel. Legendary as much for it's unique design, as for it's incredibly sweet shots.
Small. But sweet!
The portafilters are among the smallest on any home lever, so you have to be down with old school Italian sized shots. But the smaller portafilter gives the piston even more leverage to produce pressure, and thus lotsa crema, and that's the point with Caravels.
These are one of the rare home espresso machines that use an "open" boiler, so the brew water is not under pressure. (Heated with an elegant "range" style burner under the stainless tank.) Which means they could actually be used anywhere you could find hot water to pour in the tank! Perfect for "off the grid." Like from a pot hanging over a flaming couch in a side yard in Houston?!
Actually been dying to take one of these camping, for the best "camp coffee" ever. Just need to sort out the grinder half of the problem since idiotically selling the Brazilian Mimoso No. 2! Sometimes it's better not to list things...
This one is fully rebuilt with new seals, and converted to run on US 120 house current with a new custom 120 volt heating element! (Once again, be careful when buying these, and other vintage European espresso machines. People are often selling un-converted 220 volt machines! You'll be stuck with a beautiful machine you can't use in most American kitchens!)
This one is missing the drip tray under the cup grille, but the base casting supports the grille nicely, and it's totally usable until a new owner finds a replacement tray. It'll be a little more annoying to clean of course. Or just never spill, ha!
Yes, Caravels are "espresso" machines! In the Italian tradition. They don't have steam wands. So you'll have to solve the latte problem separately. But Caravels make such yummy shots, you may give up milk drinks!
So Caravels may not be for everybody. Or maybe everybody needs two machines. A Caravel, and anything else.
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$345.00Price
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