Hi everyone at team Caravel.
Mine arrived safely from Italy today and I'm currently busy cleaning all the bits (filthy inside). I have a couple of questions I can't find answers to so I hope someone can help.

1. My basket appears to be punched so that it's permanently lodged in the PF. I can't move it at all. Is this normal or can others be taken out.

2. Underneath my drip grate there is just the orange body. I guess I'm missing a drip tray?

3. Is there a trick to getting the PF gasket out? It's wedged in there pretty tight and I'm afraid to damage it.

Hope someone can help.
Sam.

samgiles wrote:
1. My basket appears to be punched so that it's permanently lodged in the PF. I can't move it at all. Is this normal or can others be taken out.

2. Underneath my drip grate there is just the orange body. I guess I'm missing a drip tray?

3. Is there a trick to getting the PF gasket out? It's wedged in there pretty tight and I'm afraid to damage it.

1. My basket is the same and I've been meaning to drop an email to Doug at Orphan Espresso to ask about that. So at least we have a consistent sample of 2.

2. Yes. There should be a stainless drip tray.

3. I haven't had to remove mine yet, as Doug had reconditioned the machine, so I couldn't tell you. He does stock them, though, and you might want to get a couple as backups.

Thanks George,
Good to know. It's a real pity about that drip tray. The rest of the machine is all good. I'll certainly be ordering some seals from Doug and Barb and also a Penney tamper I've been looking for an excuse to buy one of those and now I have one. I spent the afternoon cleaning everything up and descaling the kettle. I've now re-assembled it with Dow 111 ready to start trying some shots tomorrow.
Sam.

samgiles wrote:1. My basket appears to be punched so that it's permanently lodged in the PF. I can't move it at all. Is this normal or can others be taken out.


Sam.

Glad you got your new machine. You are in for some good coffee. The basket sort of "screws" in. Try unscrewing it counter clockwise and see if that works.

mogogear wrote:That darned little o-ring... I see that small devil still is a problem in design...it needs a cylinder shaped or barrel shaped seal that sits in a deeper recess...

Cheers jack

One of the interesting differences with the VAM is that it does not have the o-ring, at lease mine doesn't. The other thing that is kind of fun is that there is a little lever on the fron that you push down and the top "pops" up. When you push the top down again it locks. Sure do enjoy these machines.

Thanks Hal,
My basket won't budge in any direction. I think it may just have to stay in there. Not to worry.
Sam.

Well, I've finally had a chance to make a short video of a Caravel extraction. It was a "no-warmup" and "no dial-in" extraction, but it went ok. The coffee is Cafe Musetti Espresso, commercial beans from Italia, roast date unknown. I've been writing occasionally that Italian beans, if properly sealed, can be surprisingly good. This bag of Musetti had great crema and taste, so maybe it was recently roasted. Anyway, it wasn't the best extraction, but it was ok, and provides a glimpse of that the Caravel can do.

http://video.google.com/videoplay...221098317624&hl=en

Enquiring minds want to know: Fellini? Pull and a half? Dosing? Tamp?

It seemed as if it was almost on the verge of choking with a very hard pull. Can't argue with the outcome, but since I'm still getting used to the Caravel, I want details.

Yes, it was a little too slow, I didn't have it exactly dialed in for the new blend. But, only a little too slow, I really like a very slow stream, imagine slowly squeezing the water through the puck.

Full basket, and I usually use the following:

1. Lift lever to fill
2. Knead the lever down to preinfuse, just till one drop falls
3. lift, and repeat,
4. lift, and begin extraction
5. when the lever is about at 3 oclock I judge from the color and speed whether I should relift and do another pull (if very slow) or just finish it off.

The shots are just so great these days, and very consistent between good and better!

PC

peacecup wrote:Yes, it was a little too slow, I didn't have it exactly dialed in for the new blend. But, only a little too slow, I really like a very slow stream, imagine slowly squeezing the water through the puck.

Full basket, and I usually use the following:

1. Lift lever to fill
2. Knead the lever down to preinfuse, just till one drop falls
3. lift, and repeat,
4. lift, and begin extraction
5. when the lever is about at 3 oclock I judge from the color and speed whether I should relift and do another pull (if very slow) or just finish it off.

The shots are just so great these days, and very consistent between good and better!

PC

No fair. I wanted to see the veins on your forearms bulge!
Good God, man, I could pull 3 shots on the Cremina in that time. 'Course, they'd all be crappy....haha
Actually, for technique purposes, I (and maybe others) would find it educational (if not time consuming) to watch the arm and lever in action...the result in the cup we can't taste, but that superb Jack Piccolo technique we could absorb.
Thanks for taking the time.
My pulls on my loaner Caravel looked sort of like that, just compressed to 30 seconds.