My first post here was initially going to be a paean of joy at finding a site with such info on La Peppina & other levers, along with an application for a LMWDP membership number. Then, as of a few nights ago, it was going to be a lament at the untimely death of La Peppina, and a shamefaced confession of illegitimate interest in the Bezzera currently on sale at Vanelli's. As of last night I'm just trying to figure out what's going on and what the prognosis is.
Everything was just fine until a few nights ago when, without any premonitory problems, I tried pulling a shot and saw that the handle was rising rapidly. After it had risen a bit I gave it another pump & again noted unusually fast rise and little resistance. There was also a sickening hissing noise, though I don't remember whether it was on the pump or the upswing.
I gave one last pump, let go, and all of a sudden, out spurted a nasty thin shot in just a few seconds. There was minimal, pale crema. Removing the portafilter, I noted that the puck was bone dry (usually it's a bit soupy). I gave it a few more tries with the same results.
I was grinding, dosing, tamping, and pulling as usual.
Last night, in an effort to get a bit more info, I tried again. I got the same quick rise & thin foul rapid shot, but no hissing. I pulled a couple of blank shots with the PF off and everything looked normal.
I then pulled one last shot and everything was back to normal. I tried a few more shots and all had normal taste, mouthfeel, appearance, & timing.
I'm now trying to figure out if this is just a temporary reprieve or whether I the problem itself was a fluke.
The only hypothesis I can come up with is that on the exploded diagram I have seen, there seems to be a valve leading to the grouphead. If there were something stuck in it (a coffee ground or a flake of scale) keeping it open, depressing the lever might draw air in through the puck, disrupting the packing. After a couple of pumps, there would probably be many channels in the puck allowing the water to rush right through. Possible the particle became dislodged, allowing the valve to close as designed.
Any thoughts?
