Peppina Redux - Page 8

[timo888]

Timo, did this little gizmo really get your shower screen screws out?
...
Is this the one?:
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-Ratch...iver/dp/B0006BIC9E

Yes, Susan, that is the little screwdriver. Little cheapo plastic ratcheting drivers that can be found at the dollar store have too much flex. This little metal one from Lisle is rigid and has very smooth action. A real tool worth the price.

The screws that hold the dispersion screen in place are made of fairly soft metal, so you have to be careful not to tear the slots up. I inserted the driver in the slot, and then kept it seated squarely in the slot by pressing my thumb against the oversize flat plastic end of the driver, while turning the handle with my other hand. It took both hands and 99% of my patience to get the screws loose without ruining them.

Regards
Timo

[SJM]

Yes, Susan, that is the little screwdriver.

Good, I'm going to order one asap. I came altogether too close to tearing up the slots on the screws with what I was trying to use today.

Thanks Timo.

Susan

[espressme]

Tomorrow we start work on pulling good shots.

Greeeeaaat! Today!
rp

[SJM]

Well, tomorrow got to be today and it's verging on yesterday already, and I've made one measly attempt to pull a shot from LP.

What I got was tepid, although not untasty, and took what seemed like an excess of lever pulls and pushes. The fact that the phone rang in the middle of the process didn't help a lot, and probably confused the whole thing, but still it was very clear that the one long pull down, slow let up, pull down again and let up gave me.....nada. Pumping some (and in what exact order, I can't remember now) gave me 1 oz (although I had filled the double basket with 14 gm, and was aiming for a double.

So, what assumptions do you think I should make? What order do you suggest for eliminating the variable(s) that are not working?

Is there a problem with my leaving the top off the kettle while pulling the shot?

Oops, guests just pulled into the driveway....

Off to another task.

Susan

[espressme]

Hi Susan,

I've had a wrong grind and the similar problem. Each grind and roast has a tweak-in period to get very close. And some ground roasts, when fresh, take a lot of pre-infuse pulls and slow let up.

Tepid shot probably means that the group had not come to good temperature yet. That could also be why the puck did not accept a full amount of water in the first pre-infuses.! Is that a word?

The way that "usually" works for me is to bring the kettle to temp. Shut it off. Then pull a couple of blanks in to the cup for warming. Walk away for a minute or three. Then reheat water to temp. Then a blank to heat the cup. Then lock in the Portafilter and do the lever motion thing. Nothing is going to happen till the first drips hit the cup after a pre-infuse. The starts the pull and time!

After the first shot, they are all good! It will take time to learn your machine to the point that you do everything automatically and fix your breakfast at the same time. Was time I could do my geriatric oatmeal, pull a shot, be fed, clean kitchen and gone in 15 minutes

1 oz. is a good ristreto and another half ounce or so can be added. 45ml. is for me a great pull. More can be done if you don't like to chew your brew!

Cheers and a good "Yankee" breakfast brew to you!
rp
Bye the way, When you choke the machine ( and you will ) the best way to prevent repainting the kitchen is to lower the lever a bit to relieve pressure and wiggle the pf loose. A damp washrag around the group is a help also.

[timo888]

First step to diagnose: with the portafilter in place but no coffee in the filter, pull the lever once and let it rise under its own power. What is the volume in the cup after one pull?

No problem leaving the lid off.

Regards
Timo

P.S. You can use cold water for this test. It may splash.

[SJM]

First step to diagnose: with the portafilter in place but no coffee in the filter, pull the lever once and let it rise under its own power. What is the volume in the cup after one pull.

One Ounce.
Susan

[timo888]

The Peppinas I've used have had a shot volume of ~45ml. The most likely cause of a 30ml shot: washers that are stiff with age. If the one-way washer below the ring of holes is not pliable enough, some of the water in the piston cylinder can flow back up into the kettle on the downstroke. You might see some swirling in the bottom of the kettle. And if the smaller one-way washer in the group is too stiff, it allows air to be sucked back into the piston cylinder. You might hear a bit of a whooshing sound. Both conditions are likely.
Regards
Timo

[SJM]

The Peppinas I've used have had a shot volume of ~45ml.

With that in mind, I pulled a couple more shots of water, and can definitely pull 45 ml simply by pulling down a bit more slowly on the lever.

In fact, if I were to hold the lever in the down position, I could drain the whole kettle....

But, twice in a row, doing a slow smooth downward pull and an even upward release, I came up with 45 ml.

Whaddya think?

(You can tell I'm trying not to have to take her down to those gaskets, can't you? I definitely will if I have to, I just know that it is more likely to leave me with another machine in parts than one that I can actually learn to use.)

Susan

[timo888]

With that in mind, I pulled a couple more shots of water, and can definitely pull 45 ml simply by pulling down a bit more slowly on the lever.

In fact, if I were to hold the lever in the down position, I could drain the whole kettle....

But, twice in a row, doing a slow smooth downward pull and an even upward release, I came up with 45 ml.

Whaddya think?

(You can tell I'm trying not to have to take her down to those gaskets, can't you? I definitely will if I have to, I just know that it is more likely to leave me with another machine in parts than one that I can actually learn to use.)

Sounds good. With the portafilter full of coffee, you won't drain the kettle. As Richard suggested earlier, run a couple of blank shots to warm the group (portafilter and basket in place when you do it -- the spring-lever packs a dangerous wallop).

Additional (opinionated) advice:

-- don't overdose the filter basket;

-- tamp very gently, not the 30 pounds you may read about, just enough to level the puck and create ~ 6mm (quarter-inch) of space at the top of the filter basket;

--regulate the speed of the flow by adjusting the grind, not the tamp. With coffee roasted full city++ and less than a week old, you should get about 10-15 seconds of flow per pull.

-- pull the cup if the stream turns blond

Regards
Timo

[Bushrod]

Wait a darn minute! Is water supposed to flow when you pull the lever down?

[timo888]

Wait a darn minute! Is water supposed to flow when you pull the lever down?

When you pull the lever down, the piston retracts downward. Water flows down from the kettle, filling the piston chamber below. Near the top of the chamber is the port (3mm diameter? -- long time since I measured) that leads out to the group. A trickle of water can make it out to the puck under the force of gravity -- not enough for a true preinfusion of the puck, though. To preinfuse the puck properly you can do a few shallow pumps, or allow the lever to rise perhaps one-third of the way under your hand and stop it there. At that point you can count off your preinfusion time and either let the lever rise the rest of the way, or press it down again, to fetch more water. What you do depends on dose and whether you're pulling ristretto, normale, or lungo.

Regards
Timo

[Bushrod]

Yes, that's what I thought. I got the impression from Susan's post that she gets flow all the way through when she holds the lever down.

Susan wrote "In fact, if I were to hold the lever in the down position, I could drain the whole kettle...."

You replied: "Sounds good. With the portafilter full of coffee, you won't drain the kettle."

I thought that meant that the water would flow through to the cup with the lever down. I only get a shower of water when I release the lever.

I also didn't realize that slower pull on the downstroke would let more water in. I'll have to try that.

Thanks!

(Darn, I wish I worked at home!)

[SJM]

I got the impression from Susan's post that she gets flow all the way through when she holds the lever down.

Susan wrote "In fact, if I were to hold the lever in the down position, I could drain the whole kettle...."

That's exactly right. With no coffee or basket in the portafilter, and with the lever pulled all the way to the bottom of its range, I get a small steady flow of water through the brew head. It continues for as long as I keep the lever in that full down position.

You replied: "Sounds good. With the portafilter full of coffee, you won't drain the kettle."

I assumed that this mean that the resistance provided by the coffee and the basket would be enough to block this passage through. And, in fact, that does seem to be the case. When I add coffee and basket, no water comes through on the downstroke.

In fact, my challenge is getting anything through at all without significant more pulls down, pumps, etc....I'm still working on it one or two attempted shots per day.....which may take me a while....

Susan

[timo888]

In fact, my challenge is getting anything through at all without significant more pulls down, pumps, etc....I'm still working on it one or two attempted shots per day.....which may take me a while....

Sounds to me as though your machine is capable and I suspect a grind/dose/tamp issue. So, you might try this:

Try 11-12g in the double (cylindrical) basket, tamped lightly, and by lightly, I mean almost not at all. Coarsen or refine the grind to speed or slow the shot, respectively.

Regards
Timo

[Bushrod]

I get no water until I release the lever and then it starts showering out. Strange.

[espressme]

I get no water until I release the lever and then it starts showering out. Strange.

But true. You have good valve washers!
rp

[Bushrod]

But true. You have good valve washers!
rp

That's what I thought until Susan's posts about water coming through before releasing the lever!

It's way too easy to overthink these things..

[espressme]

That's what I thought until Susan's posts about water coming through before releasing the lever!

It's way too easy to overthink these things..

Ain'atta truff!? Timmo sold me my first one and spent a month tearing his hair out with my questions!
I am watching and learning like everyone else!
richard

[SJM]

But true. You have good valve washers!
rp

Okay, more overthinking here (sorry Rich):

What I'm gathering is that although my La Pep is probably capable of making me a decent shot with some practice, that she really does have not so good valve washers and that if/as/when I actually dig down farther and replace them that there will be NO water coming through the brew group when the lever is pulled down the first time.

Izzat right? She may be okay but not any better than that at this point?

And, by the way, Rich, the only thing better than working at home is NOT working at home (after having worked at home for years and years and years).

Susan