The ancient art of coffee lives on in the Athena Leva. Classic stylings. Timeless coffee.
A true milestone for Victoria Arduino, the Athena Leva has it's roots in the post-war coffee culture boom that emerged on the European continent with influences from automobiles to mopeds.
Named after the goddess of wisdom, art and culture, Athena, the Italian made machine has retained the lever mechanic that has served them well for over 70 years.
A timeless classic
Based on the original WAT series of espresso machines, ancestors of the Athena Leva, the first of which was made in the late 1960s in Casorate Sempione, Italy.
The ancient art of coffee lives on in the Athena Leva, an espresso machine beloved by professionals all over the world.
Uncommon in most high-street coffee chains and coffee shops, the lever system gives a level of control and customisation beyond many newer, seemingly 'advanced' machines.
Barista and machine must be completely in sync to ensure that quality espresso is produced, this is a machine for those steeped in barista skill.
'Pulling shots'
The lever system of the Athena allows the barista to have full control over the pre-infusion process prior to espresso delivery. A skilled barista can make micro-adjustments and modulate the pre-infusion procedure to truly affect the taste of an espresso shot.
Simply by lowering the lever hot water is released from the boiler and enters the group, soaking the coffee. The longer your barista pulls the lever, the longer the pre-infusion phase.
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A true professional waits for the first drops of coffee to come out before lifting the lever; this means that water will have permeated all of the ground coffee.
For effective pre-infusion, the pressure of the water shouldn't exceed 2 bars as it enters the group.
Technology meets tradition
In typical traditional lever machines the water that enters the group is straight from the boiler at around 1 to 1.2 bar of pressure, which corresponds to 120°C-130°C.
The Victoria Arduino Athena Leva utilises heat exchangers — a much more recent innovation — allowing the water temperature to be controlled. This process optimises and improves the quality of the extracted coffee.
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A special pressure reducer lowers the water supply pressure, this results in extractions producing a creamy and not burnt espresso — exceptional for a wide range of indulgent coffee drinks.
Inspired by automobiles
An incredibly eye-catching design that was originally influenced by the rounded edges of the Alfa Romeo 1900, Cadillac Eldorado and the Citroen DS of the early 1950s.
Smoothed edges create an incredibly pleasing silhouette, whilst the levers instantly draw attention from intrigued guests and customers.
Available in three distinct finishes — copper, brass and chrome — this is truly an all-time classic machine that has the coffee-making capabilities to match.
