Coffee is both science and art
In 1945, the company Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettro Meccaniche e Affini was found in Milan, or Faema in short. It was found by Carlo Ernesto Valente, whose goal was to make the brand known as the world leader of coffee machines. A leader with successful past and is worth listening to him, when he talks about the future. After almost three quarters of a century, we can say that he succeeded.
Faema considers coffee making a serious thing: it is both science and art at the same time. You need to study, understand, and then prepare it with the care it deserves, than you really enjoy your espresso. Years after World War II brought an economic boom, which also helped mankind achieve great things, for example in the early 1960s the first space flights. Or design a coffee machine Faema – Lambro.
Historical coffee maker Faema – Lambro
Faema was and still is known for its excellent thermal stability, and the Lambro is not an exception. That’s why is more surprising fact that most pieces were not electric, but gas. At that time, the power grid was not as stable and strong as it is today, so gas seemed to be a more reliable solution. In addition, with Faema – Lambro you could also make coffee in the field or on the beach.
This historical coffee machine has no engine or pump, you have to strongly push strong the level that has a pump function to make coffee. Although it was a simple solution, it was perfectly functional and reliable. On the other hand, if you worked as a waiter in an Italian café with Faema – Lambro, you were like a human horse. Only the next model, the Faema – E61 Legend had automatic pump, which was a breakthrough solution in the world of coffee machines.
How was the refurbishment of Faema – Lambro
If we could guess, we would say that our Faema – Lambro spent 20 years without a hint of the attention of its owner in the cellar. Whole machine was rusty, leaking, screws corroded. When we started pulling them out, they were pulled up so hard, that several of them broke away. That was the reason why we decided to use stainless steel screws during the refurbishment.
The procedure was practically the same as refurbishment of Victoria Arduino – we also disassembled whole machine to the last part, but here we had a simpler job because of the better availability of its structure and information sources. We cleaned everything – we handmade something again, because getting spare parts is virtually impossible. Most of all, the lever, which was incredibly clogged, took us most of the time and we had to replace a strong spring. We also replaced the boiler, which held together only by force of will.
This historical coffee machine after the refurbishment did not go to the hotel or cafe, we enjoyed it for a while in the workshop and have coffee, then took the place of honor at the exhibition in our Espressophille Lab, where we do barista trainings and education. Feel free to come see it, along with other pieces, we will be honored.
