I took advantage of Orphan Espresso's closeout specials while they're making room for the Lido 2 grinder parts to pick up a Faema Faemina anni '50 spring lever. I've always wanted a vintage Faema, but was thinking it would be a commercial machine, but when this came up for sale I couldn't resist. It's not a club machine and I'm sure that there'll be some temperature management issues, but so far I'm really impressed. Here's the description that OE posted for this machine:
Vintage Faema Faemina Espresso Machine
Features:
- 110v operation high 1200 watt/low300 watt
- Completely rebuilt with new seals and gaskets
- New power cord and high/low switch
- double filter basket
- 100% complete and original with matching brown bakelite grips and knobs
This is a very clean Faemina and is fully rebuilt. There was very little scale and no corrosion in the group....the heating elements retain the original plating and zinc bands. The group screen has never been removed or distorted. The machine has some splotching on the aluminum base but with some elbow grease would likely gleam nicely (my elbows are pretty much out of grease at this point). There is a capped off port on the boiler lid that I assume was once a fill valve and now is a closed cap. I have it set up to idle at .5 bar but the pressure regulator valve is adjustable so the functionality is up to you.
The grips are all brown bakelite and all match, which is unusual. The Faemina badge has the original paint and the front blue badge is also complete. I have seen one Faemina nicer than this one, and it was pretty dazzling...this one is close. If it is relevant, this is the last Faemina that we have for sale...likely ever.
The Faemina is quite a bit heavier than my La Peppina or Gaggia Factory and has a deep, heavyweight portafilter. I tried my first shot this morning with 17 grams of coffee, but by the way it fit the basket I'm thinking 18 g might be better. I need to figure out how far down the dispersion block / shower screen comes though and see what kind of headroom is required, maybe do the nickle test on it.
I received it really well boxed and wrapped with no damage from OE, just really awesome packaging and service. I took my La Peppina and PID box out to the garage and set it up on my kitchen counter. It's a shame that the back faces a wall because the Faema logo is really nice. Yesterday morning, I heated it up and started running water through it to test it out. After figuring out the power switch and dual heating switch (both elements do work) I got it to heat up and hold pressure and found that you can quickly drain the boiler if you have it on high and pull a shot with no coffee in your portafilter. I'll have to be careful about that. This morning I pulled a shot with 17 grams of an aging coffee just to get a feel for the machine and it wasn't too bad, it shows a lot of promise once my technique catches up.
