When the thermostat works its worth having. Its a simple mechanism, but surprisingly functional. It keeps the kettle within a couple of degrees C of brew temp. I like to pull shots when the kettle is around 90C, not greater. But thats with a northern Italian blend I use, Musetti, commercially roasted in Italy.

I do like to brew with a very full double basket. Just today I demonstrated this to myself again. I pulled a very nice shot with the basket full to about 1-2 mm below the rim. Later, when I pulled the next shot, I filled it full level with the rim. The second shot was exquisite - it did not blond throughout the entire 1 1/2 pull pour. The first shot did, and needed to be cut a little short.

Let me explain - the double basket holds up to 16g of my usual coffee - that is too much for just one pull - it would yield only about 20 ml or less, too great a brew ratio (16:20). When I've tried lowering the dose, I always get early blonding - I can feel the lever resistance give way about 3/4 the way down. And the shot goes bad. I attribute this to the puck failing in some way, but not really sure.

Anyway, with the full basket this does not happen, and I get these great 16g:30ml shots, true 50% brew ratio double ristrettos, and they are out of this world.

Often for my evening espresso I'll use a 1/2 demitasse spoon of sugar - tonight the sugar sat endlessly upon the thick, fine-bubbled crema, waiting patiently for it to part, so it could slowly sink and dissolve into the black abyss below. My only regret is that it's nearly 7 PM, and I need to wait till tomorrow to pull another shot...

PC

That's interesting, because I never used more then 10g of coffee in the double basket, however it is also full to the rim and then I tamp it lightly to be the coffee like 2mm below the rim, or so. But I use much finer grind and then short preinfusion - I raise the lever and leave for some 2 seconds, then pull. The best shots I had (very recently): the lever goeas down 1/4 or 1/3 the way and then stays there while I pull - it only slightly starts to move and then first drops appear in the glass, and then lever goes down and coffee pours, and in the completely down position it still feels some pressure and last drops of coffee appear in the glass.
But ok - now peacecup has me trapped - I have to grow up and pull double.
And I promise tomorrow (for now it's half past seven where I live - too late to work with photos, but not too late to have a coffee for me) I will put the pictures (since I am in a trap, I may very well make the best of it )

Yeah- I am with the double pull crowd on this one. I tamp the basket virtually right to the brim- leaving perhaps one mm only. I generally grind as fine as I can before the shot would choke. I raise the lever- hold and jiggle for 4 to 10 seconds and then slowly pull down- quickly raising and jiggling- then the second pull.
You know when you have the grind/resistance ration perfect- but the perfect black and tan all crema shot.

mmm, mmm.

Ok so I pulled a double. Unfortunaly, battery in my camera has died just when I was pulling so the promised photos have to wait.
I coarsed grind full two steps and put 15g of coffee to the basket. I must say, that's crazy idea to put so much coffee there! If I did not know it's possible, I'd have had given up. I had to compress the grinds into the basket. Then I tamped some 2mm down and had the go: 4 seconds of preinfusion and then pressing on the lever without any motion, and then first so so brown drop, and then some reddish crema and I was thinking it won't go but ... the lever started going down!!! (I could have loosened the grind setting a bit more) and after going full down I lifted and made the second pull - much less pushing was needed and at first the stream was very light color, but then nice brown again. The shot was very tasty - a touch of bittery at the very first sip, but then full fruity complex aroma with creamy honey-like sweetness. Compared to the Vivaldi some kind of smoothness was present in the taste, and none of the chocolates was there (though it was my first shot made that way on Caravel, so hard to compare much).
Next time I will follow peacecup's routine in details.

A question: why use a fellini preinfusion on Caravel? From my experience (consistent - the same in the beginning of me using machine and now) it makes the shots taste weak, crema thin. With a larger dose and coarser grind it is better, but still not really comparable to my 10g, 2 seconds preinfusion, one pull shots.

Have yet to check a 15g double-pull with no fellini, but that's a job for tomorrow - if I recover I'm in a need for a quick de-coffeination Had something similar when I got Vivaldi, but I remember having more shots then to get to this state

Looks like watering the grinds yields out more coffeine. I am definitely espresso-addict, but not coffeine-addict.
Aargh!

and a p.s. I already wrote about it, but indeed sliding the lid left to lift up (in other words: to open the boiler) for lifting the lever and then closing for pull makes a visible change, however I don't know how comes, for I egzamined the cylinder closely today and conclusion is that even with the lid closed the air is able to get into the cylinder from top, only difference is in the closing and opening the boiler itself, so in fact - as the boiler closing is not hermetic in any kind (nor even really tight) - it looks like it should not make that much of a difference.

CoffeeOwl wrote:A question: why use a fellini preinfusion on Caravel?!

Having had this discussion before there are multiple interpretations of Fellini. But I agree with you - and my shots using the "Fellini" with a Caravel have been bad shots. Double pulls even worse. In my opinion the "Fellini" is a technique that was desgined for spring levers and is not appropriate to the Caravel. All my good Caravel shots have been obtained approximately the way you describe - one pull.

I lift the lever, and press the first water into the puck until 1 drop falls into the cup. I believe this prepares the coffee for a proper extraction by even wetting it. I don't know why. But I do remember a coffee gourmet telling me to do this with a Melita filter once.

Then I refill the cylinder, and press the lever till its parallel to the table. This yields about 10 ml. Then I lift and pull the full shot.

Why? Because I like to use a full basket, and this takes 15g. One pull produces a brew ratio that is too high for my taste with a full basket.

I'm sure Hal pulls great shots with one pull - he is one of the few long-time lever posters left here on HB, and has probably pulled 10x as many shots as my 5,000 or so! How much coffee do you use? How hot is the water? And how much pressure do you feel?

One thing to note is that I am using older, commerically-roasted N. Italian beans, and my method may be best only for these?

PC

Is simply raising the lever really pre-infusion on the Caravel (or any open boiler, non-pressurized machine, for that matter)? To me, pre-infusion implies that you're wetting the whole puck, not just the top of it, and without some pressure, you're not really pre-infusing. Which is why I'm in Peacecup's camp here. I've gone back and forth on two full pulls, versus a partial pull followed by a full one. I'm going to do some more experimentation here today. One full pull vs. pre-infusion partial pull then full pull vs. double pull with no pre-infuse. That's three more doubles for me today, then. Heck, somebody's gotta throw themselves on the grenade.

I don't think it's a question between 1 or 2 pulls, it's clear to me that if many of the variables are changed that both types can be great shots. One is just best for certain coffees in my opinion. However it's interesting to note that between 1 and 2 full pulls there isn't much that I've found that can really hit the mark as these two (or in the case of 2 pulls meaning, 1 full pull and then cut whenever 2nd goes blond).

But really a single pull is quite microscopic even to a low volume coffee drinker like myself.