Ok. Good to hear. Will keep at it.

Can I use any quality coffee beans, or should I stick with ones sold as espresso ? We don't have a lot of local roasters in Baltimore, but there is one called Zekes that I will try.

You can use any beans. I prefer beans that aren't oily, and super dark. I roast my own, although we have quite a few good roasters in our area.

If you get the beans from a coffee shop just ask them for the coffee that they use for espresso. You could even have a shot to get some idea of the flavor for comparison.

Thanks jtrops.

Well I got two really good shots of espresso. Went to the #2 setting on the grinder (Pavoni PGB) leveled it and tamped. Didn't flow like before and just a drip before I started my pressure stroke.

Keep working at it but very happy. Means so much more since it was my brother in law's machine before they passed.

I started with that particular grinder and burned the motor out, as it's not truly an espresso grinder.

The Pavoni Pro is capable of giving absolutely world class shots. It's simply a matter of practice. You will, however, need to invest in a more capable espresso grinder and a really good tamper. Many here, me included, and without investing a huge amount of money, would recommend a Baratza Vario or a Eureka Mignon for espresso grinding. Baratza sells rebuilt grinders on their website at a nice discount.

Bcolonna wrote:Ok. Good to hear. Will keep at it.

Can I use any quality coffee beans, or should I stick with ones sold as espresso ? We don't have a lot of local roasters in Baltimore, but there is one called Zekes that I will try.

One of my favorite roasters is from Baltimore! Try out Ceremony coffee! They have a huge range of coffee products ranging from more traditional blends, my favorite of which is the Destroyer blend, but they also have very fruit forward coffees. In fact, the best shot I had in 2015 was from Ceremony coffee!

They probably are more then willing to give you help as well with your machine.

As many others have mentioned, good espresso costs money in equipment, great espresso even more so. Definitely look into getting an espresso grinder - a good one can be had for approx $500 (although keep reading around here and you should eventually settle on one you like!) Also, you will probably want a scale. It seems rather pedantic, doesn't it, to measure how much coffee you are using to a tenth of a gram? But trust me, it will make your espresso not only tastier but much more consistent from day to day. THIS is kind of the standard scale to start with and it's really incredible for the price. It's not waterproof, so you'll want to be careful with it, but the little guy can definitely take a beating. Lastly, you'll probably want to get a tamp. If your machine is a "pre-millenium" IE: you bought it used and it's before the year 2000, you'll need a 49mm tamp. If it's newer, you'll need a 51mm tamp.

As far as pulling shots, just check out this thread to check out some videos about pulling great espresso!

Welcome to the journey of chasing the perfect shot, I'm sure it seems daunting, but it's really easy once you get a hold of all the concepts. I find it rather therapeutic in the morning to dial in my espresso and take that first delicious sip.

ilVecchio and Rand-

Thanks so much for the information and encouragement.

Will run my grinder for awhile while I research more about the good ones.

Will definitely check out Ceremony Coffee. There is one about 40 minutes from my house.