The Spiritello is the newest machine from Kees van der Westen, introduced in 2024, and it does something the atelier had never done before. It takes the soul of the commercial Spirit lever series and distills it into a countertop machine you can actually live with. Like every KvDW, it is hand-built to order in Waalre and customisable down to the wood, but this one was designed from the start to feel at home in a real kitchen.

The headline is simple. This is the first KvDW with an onboard water reservoir, a 3.5L 316L stainless tank, paired with a quiet 180W internal rotary pump. That means no plumbing, no holes in the counter, no calling someone in to install it. You fill it, you turn it on, you pull a shot.

And what a shot. The spring-lever Idrocompresso group gives you that naturally diminishing extraction pressure that defines a true manual lever, starting somewhere around 8 to 10 bar and easing off as the shot develops. You can adjust the spring pressure to taste, and a knob underneath sets pre-infusion anywhere from 1.5 to 4.0 bar. There is even a "stop shot" button beside the lever that halts and flushes the group without making you pull the lever back. Dual 316L boilers, 0.8L for coffee and 3.5L for steam, both PID controlled, keep everything stable, and a 53mm round display tracks your shot timer.

This white version pairs a matt pure white body with warm oak accents on the lever handle and the small details, a bright and clean look that feels modern without going cold. At roughly 45 kg and built for 110V North American power, it is the machine for the home barista who has always wanted a genuine lever experience but never wanted to deal with plumbing.