windsoracr Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2012 Posts: 3 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat Mar 24, 2012, 10:59am Subject: la pavoni
Hello everyone,
So I recently bought a pre-millenium machine and have been playing with it, watching videos etc I have a hand grinder with ceramic burs and a nice 49mm ss tamper
the machine heats up nice on level II and will hit the pressure point where you can hear steam venting from the safety valve if I knock the machine down to level I the machine can just barely (like subtle whistle) keep the steam flowing through the safety I blast some water/ steam through the brew head (roughly 1-2 seconds) then pull a shot once I lift the handle I'll see a several tiny droplets of coffee on the bottom of the portafilter (bottomless) I pull the handle down slowly and can feel resistance if I pull too hard the espresso sprays out like it's channeling but there are no channeling marks in the puck the shot looks OK and will give me about 1/4 inch of creama on top but the taste is always always extra extra bitter (not close to enjoyable) I've even tried taking only half a shot to avoid the blond end but the taste is the same i use the same beans in my saeco super automatic and the taste is fine I've used hot water from the machine to make tea and the taste is fine
My theory is that the pressure relief is messed up and thus the temperature is far too high and burning my espresso
hankbates Senior Member Joined: 2 Feb 2012 Posts: 30 Location: Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Professional... Grinder: LaPavoni Jolly Roaster: Hottop
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 5:07am Subject: Re: la pavoni
Grind too coarse? Everything else you describe sounds normal to me. Try a finer grind first, maybe get some from another grinder if necessary. If that doesn't help, then perhaps a temperature strip from oe. Installing a pressure gauge would be helpful in any event. I really like the gauge because once the air is vented, it gives reliable info as to boiler temperature. I haven't seen many pressure relief valves fail on these, take it apart as a last resort.
windsoracr Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2012 Posts: 3 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 6:03pm Subject: Re: la pavoni
hankbates Said:
Grind too coarse? Everything else you describe sounds normal to me. Try a finer grind first, maybe get some from another grinder if necessary. If that doesn't help, then perhaps a temperature strip from oe. Installing a pressure gauge would be helpful in any event. I really like the gauge because once the air is vented, it gives reliable info as to boiler temperature. I haven't seen many pressure relief valves fail on these, take it apart as a last resort.
tried tightening my grind 1 minimum increment it is now much harder to pull a shot (resistance wise) shot looks beautiful great colour and smell but still bitter perhaps I'll try some different beans and get back to you
thijsdb Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2012 Posts: 2 Location: netherlands Expertise: Pro Barista
Posted Tue May 1, 2012, 2:49am Subject: Re: la pavoni
I use about 12-13 grams in double basket, works fine. If the coffee is to bitter you probebly need to grind more coarse, not finer. I always use this as a reference: Click Here (www.home-barista.com) . Maybe if you blast the water through the brew head the head gets heated to much, unabling the water for you shot to cool down enough. I always open the steam blaster for 6 seconds or something, before I open the let some water flow to heat up the head/cup, for only <1 sec...
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