Peppina Redux - Page 5

[timo888]

Is your Peppina allowed into The City of the Angels?

APPROVED FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
AJ841376
FOUNDED 1781
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING & SAFETY

[timo888]

La Peppina Plug Dimensions

[happytamper]

Very happy with my La Peppina, and I am getting great shots from it.

I was wondering how it is working out for other users. For me it seems I have to pump the lever all the way down a few times before I get the water to start infusing the coffee. It also takes about two pumps to realise an espresso the size you see in the picture. The spent coffee in the portafilter is loose after I make my coffee, very different from the hard puck I get after using my Pavoni. The body of the espresso is also a little lighter but still very good.

Anyone have any similar experiences with this machine.

[timo888]

Very happy with my La Peppina, and I am getting great shots from it.

I was wondering how it is working out for other users. For me it seems I have to pump the lever all the way down a few times before I get the water to start infusing the coffee. It also takes about two pumps to realise an espresso the size you see in the picture. The spent coffee in the portafilter is loose after I make my coffee, very different from the hard puck I get after using my Pavoni. The body of the espresso is also a little lighter but still very good.

Anyone have any similar experiences with this machine.

Mitch,
When you depress the lever, the spring is compressed and so the piston retreats (lowers), causing water to flow down from the kettle through the ring of portholes into the space that has been created in the piston chamber. A little of the water will enter the canal that feeds the group but the water is not under any pressure (other than gravitational) at this point and so almost all of the water remains at the top of the piston chamber.

When you allow the lever to rise, the spring expands, forcing the piston up and forcing water into the group-- but only if the one-way washer is working correctly (doubled-up washers if you're using the ultra-thin striped black EPDM washers I sent you instead of the thicker gray silicone washer). The upward force of the water will cause the pliable washer(s) to cleave to the ceiling of the piston chamber, blocking the portholes, leaving the porthole that feeds the group as the only route of escape for the water. At this stage the water IS under pressure and the true preinfusion begins. Here you want to guide the lever up with your hand, to get the benefits of a gentle preinfusion.

A single-pull of the lever should draw a gross quantity of water sufficient to net a single shot. (The cylindrical filter basket is Peppina's double-basket; the single is conical.) And so for the double, after you have guided the lever upwards about two-thirds of the way on the first pull to cause the preinfusion -- you will see a few drops and then a syrupy flow for a couple of seconds--you would then depress the lever all the way down once again, allowing more hot water to fill the piston chamber. I keep the lever down so the preinfusion lasts a relatively generous ~17 seconds. The water is at the perfect temperature and so the danger of overextraction is small. Again, however, it all depends on bean, grind, dose, and tamp. At this point, the puck has been infused with water and there's more water at the ready inside the piston chamber. Now simply let the lever rise under its own power to finish the shot.

If you're NOT getting ANY drips or flow when the lever rises to approximately two-thirds of its ambit (when you first begin to feel the resistance of the tamped puck) then do one of the following, or a combination of them but with more finesse than if adjusting a single factor in isolation:

-- put less coffee in the basket
-- tamp not so heavily
-- don't grind so fine

Goopy pucks: if you use more coffee and/or tamp more heavily you end up with a well-formed rather than a goopy puck. If you under-dose and/or tamp lightly you end up with a wetter puck. If you do a double-pull you'll have water on top of the puck even if the puck beneath is well-defined and holds together on the rails of your knock-box.


Happy experimenting.
Regards
Timo

[timo888]

A Happy Peppina with no water distribution problems using only one thin EPDM
backflow prevention washer in the piston chamber and another single EPDM washer
in the group

Here she is in all her high-res if slightly out-of-focus glory:
http://www.aimsdata.com/tim/espresso/Peppina/HappyPeppinaShower.jpg

Regards
Timo

[ghal]

The Peppina has a steaming attachment which works for the 1100 watt models, but is too anemic for the 700 watt ones. I don't use mine.

Jim,

How can I tell if mine is the 700 or 1100 watt model? Thanks!
-Gene

[timo888]

The back of the machine will have a plate that says 1100W 110V -- near the electrical plug.
Regards
Timo

[timo888]

I would use the steamer with caution, however. It can chip the enamel on the inside of the kettle at the top if tightened with too much force.
Regards
Timo

[mogogear]

Jim,

How can I tell if mine is the 700 or 1100 watt model? Thanks!
-Gene

Glad to see you made it to H-B!!!!!

[Huskyfox]

Hi all, I posted this in a couple other threads, but this seems to be the largest.

I just received my first lever machine today, and I'm very surprised with the condition! I really lucked out, found someone who had hung onto this for 25 years, and only used it 4 times during that. She got it at an estate sale. I haven't tried pulling a shot yet, it needs a good cleaning out, (it even had a dead spider in the element area.) so I ordered what I need. I did some basic cleaning for now, and ran water through it, everything seems to work great.

Here are some pictures:

http://www.onestopcomputercenter.com/espresso/Peppina/

[timo888]

That's a nice machine. Enjoy the espresso

I'll pass on some good advice given to me: when pulling the lever down with your right hand, always hold firmly onto the portafilter handle with your left. There's enough force on the lever to tip over the machine with a kettle full of scalding water.

Regards
Timo

[Huskyfox]

Yike, that would be terrible. I read someone else making that warning, very good advice, thank you. Anyone know if a Riviera PF or any other 45mm PF's are compatible with this unit?

[mogogear]

Yike, that would be terrible. I read someone else making that warning, very good advice, thank you. Anyone know if a Riviera PF or any other 45mm PF's are compatible with this unit?

Don't worry the PF will not hold you back from making a good shot- but nope...... , no other PF fit this little gal except mayne a Comocafe- they are just about as rare. We do have a sculptor in the group in Toronto and he can custom cast you one. Probably cost you more than your machine is worth... He does great work. I would just focus on seeing how you feel after dial in your grind and technique.

happy shots!!

[timo888]

Don't let Peppina reach a full boil. If you forget and leave the water boiling, the electrical plug will dislodge by design (EXPULSORE AUTOMATICO) but it is possible to overheat the piston o-ring and the washers if the machine gets too hot, and they will perish.

Because the water temperature is where it ought to be and not super-heated, a lightweight portafilter and group are appropriate, as they won't take much heat from the water. FE-AR went to lightweight metals long before the makers of tennis rackets did

Regards
Timo

[Huskyfox]

Interesting! That makes sense. I guess I just have a hard time getting used to the cheap-feel of a PF like this one. But if the shot is good, I will be happy all the same. The bronze PF is tempting, but I have no idea what he will charge for that.
Looks like I will have to go with a wooden tamp, it's the only one I see that's decent and readily available. I haven't been able to try my machine yet, I took it all apart, cleaned it up by hand, but I am waiting for some food-grade lube and cleaners to come in via UPS from espressoparts. I wiped away a lot of the piston's and cylinder's old, black grease, I hope that's ok.. I intend to replenish it with "Sanitary Petrol Gel Lubricant" from espressoparts, hope that works out. Thanks for the replies.

[happytamper]

The Peppina portafilter is now encased in rubber. At the next stage I will pour waxes into the rubber mold and then decide whether to keep the original design or model the wax and have a different looking portafilter.

Hey Mogo, I am from Montreal.

[ghal]

The back of the machine will have a plate that says 1100W 110V -- near the electrical plug.
Regards
Timo

Timo.
Mine does not have that plate. The one "clue" I do have is that on the power on/off switch built into the power cord (Fulgor - Made in Italy) I see "10A" over "250v". Thus my suspicion it is the 1000 watt model.
-Gene

[timo888]

Mine does not have that plate. The one "clue" I do have is that on the power on/off switch built into the power cord (Fulgor - Made in Italy) I see "10A" over "250v". Thus my suspicion it is the 1000 watt model.
-Gene

If you take the machine apart, some of them have this information stamped into the calrod. There is a very high resolution pic of the calrod so marked earlier in the thread.

Regards
Timo
P.S. To examine the calrod, you can remove the center rod from inside the kettle with a little nail or hex wrench to get some leverage to turn the rod counterclockwise to unscrew it. See the Packaging La Peppina for Shipment thread for pictures. Gently lift the kettle from the base. When tightening the rod again after replacing the kettle, take care to hand-tighten the rod and do it gently. Overtightening the rod can crack the kettle. You need only establish sufficient compression against the o-ring at the base of the kettle to form a watertight seal. A little no-melt food-safe lubricant on the o-ring can help.

[Huskyfox]

Finally got what I needed today (food grade lube and cleaners) and fully reassembled the machine. I didn't have any fresh espresso beans on hand so I opened a container of Illy, but found the fine grind was not fine enough for this machine. Otherwise all seems great, except I noticed chrome on the top rim of the PF is coming off. I can't remember if it was like that before I started using it or not.. I hope it's not going to start flaking/peeling more on other areas too, like the ears. I'll have more pictures soon.

[Presso]

The Peppina portafilter is now encased in rubber. At the next stage I will pour waxes into the rubber mold and then decide whether to keep the original design or model the wax and have a different looking portafilter.

I'd be keen to see your results!