The machine is working!!!
It is a bit funny how it whole gets so hot, sooo hot everywhere and then the water starts rolling. It's wonderful! I'm so happy with the light shining!
I have a question how you operate the lever, somehow I'm unable to reproduce what I did the first time
When you raise the lever do you have the boiler closed or opened? I found that with the boiler opened while raising and at the top and then closed for the pulling I produce more water and a way stronger stream then when I raise the lever with boiler closed.
Probably this post could go to the techniques thread, together with a few more posts on pulling..?

It has never occurred to me that there could be a difference with the cover on or off, but with a Caravel, anything is possible. Peacecup has made the most thorough study of technique. I generally raise the lever slowly to the top when the water burbles into the cyloinder then do a few short wiggles to make sure as much of the air is out as possible, then allow the lever to "sit" against the puck pressure....feeling this is a preinfusion step, then raise again to full height to fill the cylinder one last time for the pull, then pull straight through to the bottom of the travel, calling this a single pull. I pull the cup and place a drip cup under the pf. You may notice the handle bouncing back up a bit from the bottommost position then it slowly falls back down as the pf drips into the catch cup.
You can also try double pulls (with the double basket of course), down to the bottom stop then back up for a second pull to the bottom.
There are likely as many ideas of technique as there are Caravel users, so soon you'll have the CoffeeOwl technique and it will likely be a good one. When you get that god shot make sure to remember exactly how you did it so you can tell us all!

I think the water lever in the kettle (how full it is) means more than whether or not the lid is open. I don't think there is enough of a vacume to impede flow into the cylinder. I use a full kettle of water (careful not to pull it over on yourself!). I pull the lever up slowly to the top, let the water fill (bubble sounds), press it down against the coffee (usually no drops appear) then slowly pull it up again. All in about ten seconds. Then I pull the shot in about 20 sec. I usually grind fine enough so that the shot is quite difficult to pull, and comes out just as a very slow stream.

When you are playing with so little coffee and water, small changes in grind, dose, tamp, and pull techinique can make bigger changes in the cup than they might in bigger machines.

Try keeping everything consant that you can, and only vary one thing at a time.

Again, with such a small shot, everything in the cup becomes big. Fresh beans of a good espresso blend can make OUT OF THIS WORLD espresso as a found last week. I mean espresso syrup, with layers of gooey crema. Possibly one of the best shots I've ever had.

The commercial Italian beans I've been using a lot also taste good, because they're well blended and roasted. But they are older, and don't produce the same crema. But even with these I can notice small changes with the Caravel.

PC

A bit conclusive post after my first impressions and having the machine rolling.
First let me express BIG THANKS! to all for the kind responses that helped me along the way.

I reread the other threads on Caravel* and now I know that the suction cups in Doug's post were actually what I referred to as dirty legs . I'm going to replace it with the legs of the style of the red machine. I noticed some differences between my model and other grey ones, like: the clip holding the dispersion screen (but I did not try yet to remove the screen from its place) and thermostat (tiny - no big knob).

In the end - no stormy waters, just beautiful sunny sky adorned with clouds and good nice wind blowing in the sails - I managed to pull good shot again Ha!

One last question, out of curiosity - how long does it take for yours to get the water to boiling?

Thanks!
... and meet some joyfull dolphins on your journey
Pawel



*links available in the posts on the first two pages so I don't put it here again

Just so ya'll know, I packed the Caravel basket right to the rim with some fresh espresso roast (Underdog, Stockholm) today, and pulled one of the best shots I've EVER had. Not that I'm an expert, but I've been drinking about 3 shots per day the past 5 years, so that's around 4,000 shots to compare it with.

PC

Jack, Amazing!!..you're still alive! (4000 shots)
I hope this isn't a hijack, 'cause you did say to post MY Caravel experiences.
I have a "borrowed" Caravel, the model with the suction cup feet. They(the cups) actually work pretty well.
I was a bit surprised that even with the 220 plugging into my 110 socket, it did heatr up, a bit faster than I though. My technique was to boil an oz or 2 of water, turn on the machine, let it get somewhat hot, pour in some just boiling water into the "kettle", grind beans in my PeDe, turn off the machine, check temp of water with my thermoprobe. Next,With temp around 201 for homeroasted melange(1/2 city, 1/2 just to 2nd crack) of Ethiopian Koratie (blueberry and caramel-ish) I loaded the tiny basket and pf (after previously pulling 3-4 blank warming shots), lightly tamped with the back of a stainless measuring cup just to 2mm below the rim.
Locked in, raised lever slowly, heard the water enter, lower a 3 inches, raise again to allow a bit more water in, then slowly but evenly push down on the lever..love that double handle...when it stays in place.
I estimate that for my best shots, I was exerting about 15lbs of pressure...andy mnore, and I saw leaking around the gasket. I was told there might be a small "nick" on the lock in side of the gasket, but the leaking is uniform, but only when the grind is too fine, the tamp is too hard, or the pull is too aggressive...whew.
For a 'simplistic" machine, several variables come into play, not even counting a good distribution.
Still, the shots have a very clearly defined taste. My best shots had decent mouth-feel, and were about 25ml (3/4oz). My contribution to this fine thread would be that anyone contemplating the purchase of a Caravel(even a present time lever owner) allow themselves a bit of time to settle in with it. A full basket, no more than about 2mm from the top edge after a light tamp really helps give body to the shot.
The design of these things is so mechanically well thought out, and easily transportable.
I will say that a hand grinder is almost a must. There is just too much wasted coffee using the SJ, and somehow, the organic nature of the process suffers. Doug and Barb (Orphan Espresso) kindly offered the temporary usage of this Caravel, and now my duty is to send it to it's next destination, Richard Penney (our own "espressme") for some design work on the lever and such. Having Richard's "Newd" pf, I know the Caravel will be in capable hands.
Thanks to all previous posters on this thread!

Edit...it is red.

Rob, glad you got to post here - all Caravelers welcome. I was even luckier than you, because mine is on PERMANENT loan from a certain very kind HB (seldom heard from lately!).

After "settling in" I have come to fill the basket right to the top - there is almost no headroom needed, and with a Fellini or two I like to have the puck very stable. I do tamp rather harder than "light" myself, and I consider a firm tamp very important for all espresso, but that's a different topic...

I think the leaky group head gasket is a major problem on these or any machines - when mine is sealed tightly I can really lean on the lever, and the shots are amazing. Occasionally mine leaks, and the shot suffers. I still need to replace my gasket, which Doug sent me a while back.

I have to say the first weeks with the machine my results were variable, but mostly good. Lately I've really gotten it dialed in, and the results exceed my expectations. I've had a couple of more 1-in-4000 shots lately (does that make them 1-in-1000?).

All you Caravelers out there keep posting!

PC

RJ, now you have let the cat out of the bag....that was a surprise for Richard's 30th birthday!!! Clarabelle is really getting around. So far, Italy to Idaho to Tennessee and now to Wisconsin. Does she get frequent flyer miles?

But let me tell the whole story. A couple of months ago we rebuilt RJ's Cremina and then a few weeks ago it just went wacko. No steam from the wand, and IMAwritier suffered in silence as we tried to email back and forth with some specific instructions to fault check the whole thing and slowly eliminate what the problem WASN"T to try to get it figured out just what the problem WAS. This was going on while his car was dangling from the back of a towtruck doing the traveling tranny routine all over Nashville with the attendant big shock at the last tranny shop of the trip.

At some point it became clear that the problem wasn't the 20 bucks shipping but the not having an espresso machine to groove with, albeit a wacko Olympia Cremina, so thnce came the idea of the loaner so RJ could stop fiddling with disaster (the mechanicals are not his strong suit......give him some beans a grinder and a machine and STAND BACK, but a wrench and a multitester....well, no

Enter the traveling Caravel. Arrived from Italy packed in a couple of sheets of newspaper with a broken handle strap and much dented bottom aluminum skirt, and yes, dirty feet. New gaskets and I turned the pf gasket over instead of replacing it, works fine, but the paint is a little dingy, not to mention some parts high graded to other machines. The handle is a copper tube held together with some rubber bands. Once Richard gets a load of that handle, our theory is that some black walnut chips will be flying....did I say theory? With espresseme it is pretty much a done deal since he likes things to be just so. Who knows where Clarabelle will go from there, since after all, he may fall in love and she will live in Wisconsin forever or maybe she'll just keep traveling around.

By the way, the Cremina came out fine and hopefully is sitting in Tennessee just cycling up to 1 bar, down to .75, then back up again, constant as a swiss watch.

BTW coffeeowl, I like the black feet too, and there sure are a lot of them on that red machine.
Doug

Doug said....."give him(Rob) some beans a grinder and a machine and STAND BACK, but a wrench and a multitester....well, no "

My answer to that?
I RESEMBLE that remark!
Or should that be re-assemble?....NOT.
I am better with a Phillips head than slotted. The jury is still out on hex wrenches.
I'm sorry I let the cat out of the bag regarding "Claritin's" next destination. (Doug, betcha you thought I ran out of name twists, eh?)
And, the gasket DOES leak, so THERE.
Doug has replaced the faulty seal on my Cremina in the steam assembly with a new, longer lasting version.
So, not Orphan's fault, blame it on the rubber industry.
Whoops, did I say that?

orphanespresso wrote:... the traveling Caravel. Arrived from Italy packed in a couple of sheets of newspaper with a broken handle strap and much dented bottom aluminum skirt, and yes, dirty feet.
... a swiss watch.

BTW coffeeowl, I like the black feet too, and there sure are a lot of them on that red machine.

mine arrived the same way - in a yellow box wrapped in some newspapers, with dirty suction cups.

swiss watch - I have one from dad (sorryyy I just had to mention it... it's so nice, I think I'll post some pics soon, not necessarily coffee-pics)

mine is grey, I'll need to apply mutli-legging to it to prevent it from running around on the counter (that is crazy, more legs less running? )
and ya, I prefer firm tamping too. I have transformed Vivace Ergo Packer to Vivacissimo, with a help of a gentelman operating big green russian machine - that was amazing to watch, really!

When I have strong arise of patience (usually on evenings) I turn on the Caravel, wait this 17 or so minutes and go rocking it to the cup and I do my best not to wait some more for another try he he he.
Anyway it is rewarding experience!