Lever espresso machine: espresso by hand

You place your hand on the lever, pull it down slowly and feel the pressure building in the coffee. Shortly afterwards, the espresso flows dark and syrupy into the glass, and you know: you made this one. A lever espresso machine is a luxury for the hands and for the eyes, and in your kitchen it stands like a small sculpture. So the nicest question to start with is: how much of your espresso would you like to hold in your own hands?

In short: A lever espresso machine builds up the pressure with a lever. With a manual lever, it comes from your hand, as with Flair Espresso or Olympia Express; with a spring lever, it comes from a spring that you tension with the lever, as with Profitec, for example. We brew espresso by weight and recommend a finely adjustable grinder to go with it, ideally single dose as a ritual. That is how we advise at Coffee Coaching Club.

Man pulling the lever of the Flair Classic in black and red in a bright kitchen, an espresso glass below on the white counter

A sculpture in your kitchen

The lever stands upright above the group, the chrome gleams, and the walnut handles feel warm to the touch. A lever machine brings you joy even as you walk past it. Some tell of the time when espresso began with the lever; others are as clean as a design object. You will find all models among the lever espresso machines, and more on the look in design espresso machines.

Profitec Pro 800 spring lever machine in stainless steel with walnut handles on a white plinth in front of a green wall with bird of paradise flowers

Manual lever: the pressure comes from your hand

With a manual lever, you are the pump. You pull the lever, feel the resistance of the coffee and decide for yourself how gently or firmly the pressure rises. All is quiet until the first drop falls into the glass.

Hand presses without a boiler are made by Flair Espresso, Aram and Superkop, for example, and the hot water comes from the kettle. We are the exclusive importer of Flair Espresso in Switzerland. You can see which model suits you in Flair Espresso: which model suits you?, and our Flair portrait introduces a Flair with a heated brew head and a 58 mm portafilter. Olympia Express builds the manual lever with a boiler and steam wand, by hand in Schwanden in the canton of Glarus.

A hand pressing down the lever of the Flair 58+2 with walnut handle, espresso flowing into a glass below

Spring lever: the spring works with you

With a spring lever, you use the lever to tension a spring. Then the spring takes over, pressing the water through the coffee, and the lever slowly travels back. With a classic spring lever, the shot begins at around 10-11 bar and tapers off gently as the spring relaxes.

Spring levers with a boiler and steam are made by Profitec, for example, with walnut handles and a pine-green pressure gauge. Olympia Express also offers the spring lever in a compact form, and Manument builds its spring lever machine by hand in Thun; more in the story of Manument.

Manument Leva spring lever machine in black with glass tank and wooden handles in front of a green wall

Feeling and shaping the pressure

At the lever, pressure becomes something you feel: first the water gently wets the coffee, that is the pre-infusion, then the pressure rises, and towards the end you let it taper off. On many hand presses, a pressure gauge shows you where you are, and a mirror beneath the bottomless portafilter shows you the first drops.

At La Marzocco, the pressure curve also runs in real time on a display, with a saturated group at work beneath it. Saturated groups bring the most balanced interplay of aroma and body. You can play through what pre-infusion, peak pressure and profile change in the pressure profiling simulator.

Shot mirror of the Flair 58+2 showing the espresso flowing from the bottomless portafilter into a glass

Espresso by weight

At the lever you feel the pressure, and on the scale you see the espresso, because we brew espresso by weight. A lovely starting point: grind fine, start with 14.5 grams of ground coffee and work your way up from there, usually to 17 grams, at a ratio below 1:2, so less than twice as much espresso as ground coffee. Espresso dial-in without a stopwatch shows you how to fine-tune your espresso step by step. Flat scales come from Varia and Normcore, for example, and we are the exclusive importer of both in Switzerland; you will find all models among the coffee scales.

With hand presses, you pour in the water yourself. You can taste temperature differences from just half a degree, and a kettle with temperature control lets you plan every cup. For your first weeks at the lever, we like round, chocolatey coffees such as Cozy Chocolate or Nutty Delight; more in coffee beans for espresso machines.

A hand pouring hot water from the Flair Café Kettle in black into the brew head of a Flair hand press in the kitchen

Espresso flowing from the bottomless portafilter of the Flair 49 Pro with wooden handle into a glass on the kitchen counter

The grinder: single dose as a ritual

Alongside the lever, the grinder shapes your espresso more than anything else, which is why a lever machine goes with a grinder that can be finely adjusted. A machine on which you pull every espresso one by one goes beautifully with a grinder that grinds every dose one by one. Single dose is a ritual: you weigh out every dose, and because nothing stays in the grinder, you switch from bean to bean. Grind by weight is absolute convenience and consistency.

In our experience, conical burrs bring more aroma, and the larger the conical burr set, the more body. Flat burrs bring more clarity to the aromas, and the larger the flat burrs, the more clearly that clarity comes through. Single-dose grinders are made by Varia, Weber Workshops and Option-O, for example, and we are the exclusive importer of Varia and Weber Workshops in Switzerland. You will find all models among the single-dose coffee grinders, and the hand grinders grind entirely without power. More in coffee grinder for beginners.

Two hands setting the grind size on the grind ring of the Weber Workshops Key MK II in white, flowers in the background

Varia VS3 in silver in a coffee corner at home next to a scale, a dripper and a table lamp
Single dose in silver
A hand opening the hopper of the Varia VS4 in sand on a wooden table at home
Single dose in sand
Coffee beans being poured from a measuring scoop into the 1Zpresso K-Ultra hand grinder in silver
Ground by hand

Is a lever machine right for you?

Often the lever machine comes after the first machine: when espresso brings you so much joy that you would like to be even closer to it. A lever machine is right for you if you enjoy working with your hands and every espresso may be a small craft. Upgrading your espresso machine helps you sort out what you are still missing today.

Lever machines are built mechanically, from materials such as brass, stainless steel and chrome. You buy one for many years, so you can start straight away with your dream machine. Our own service workshop takes care of servicing and repairs, and you will find parts for Flair among the Flair spare parts. If you buy a new machine and a new grinder together, we add up to CHF 150 in shop credit* with the bundle bonus. Jackson, our AI advisor, helps you around the clock to find the type that suits you.

At a glance

Type How it feels For example Right for you if
Hand press pressure from your hand, water from the kettle Flair Espresso, Aram, Superkop you want to pull every espresso entirely yourself
Manual lever with boiler pressure from your hand, steam for the milk Olympia Express you want to feel the pressure and make cappuccino
Spring lever the spring provides the pressure, you guide the lever Profitec, Olympia Express, Manument you love the ritual at the lever
Lever with display feel the pressure and see the curve as well La Marzocco you would like to experience every shot in numbers too
On the go foldable or compact, entirely without power Flair Espresso, Olympia Express you want your espresso to come along on your travels

Lever espresso on your travels

A hand press needs no power at all, which is why it loves to travel with you: at Flair Espresso, one model folds up small into its case, and Olympia Express builds a mobile sister of its lever machine for camper, rucksack and boat. More in espresso on the go.

Olympia Express Mina manual lever espresso machine on a rock by the sea in Sardinia in the evening light, an espresso cup below

You can also find us in person

In Bern at Gerberngasse 44 and in Zurich Oerlikon at Hagenholzstrasse 50b, machines are set up and in operation, and in Bern they run all day long for the guests in the café. Drop by for an espresso and see how a lever gleams for real. For anyone who would like to experience several machines and grinders side by side at their leisure, there is the espresso machine and grinder comparison.

Bar in the Bern café with coffee grinders, bean shelf and sofa by the window

Frequently asked questions

What is a lever espresso machine?

An espresso machine on which you build up the pressure with a lever. With a manual lever, it comes straight from your hand; with a spring lever, from a spring that you tension with the lever. That way every espresso becomes a small craft.

Manual lever or spring lever: which suits me?

The manual lever suits you if you would like to guide the pressure yourself and feel it in your hands. The spring lever suits you if you love the ritual at the lever and let the spring build up the pressure.

Which grinder suits a lever machine?

A grinder with a finely adjustable grind size, ideally single dose. Single dose is a ritual: you weigh out every dose, and because nothing stays in the grinder, you switch from bean to bean. Entirely without power, a hand grinder is the right fit.

How do I brew espresso by weight with a lever machine?

You weigh the ground coffee and the espresso on a scale. A lovely starting point: grind fine, start with 14.5 grams and increase the dose from there in small steps, usually to 17 grams, at a ratio below 1:2.

Can I froth milk with a lever machine?

Yes, with a lever machine that has a boiler: spring levers such as those from Profitec and manual levers such as those from Olympia Express have a steam wand. A hand press without a boiler goes well with a stovetop milk steamer or a battery-powered milk frother.

Does a lever machine need power?

Hand presses, from Flair Espresso, Aram or Superkop for example, work without power, and the hot water comes from the kettle. Some Flair models preheat the brew head electrically, and lever machines with a boiler heat their water themselves.

How quickly do I get a feel for the lever?

A little more with every espresso. After a few weeks you know the pressure at the lever, and every espresso is yours. With a spring lever, the spring builds up the pressure, which makes getting started easy.

* Bundle bonus: when you buy a new espresso machine and a new coffee grinder in one order paid by advance payment; amount depending on the purchase value; valid for 60 days. You will find all the conditions on the bundle bonus page.

Written by Yalcin Akpinar, qualified food chemist and coffee roaster at Coffee Coaching Club. Updated: October 2026.