I have a Europiccola and an ascaso I-2, I am a beginner but I have seen a number of people saying that they can get good shots from their europiccola.

I would appreciate any advice, or links as I have been told from others that given time I can truly get good shots.

The main problem I see is the overheating of the group-head appears to be completely ruining anything that I pull through as it's over extracting beyond belief.

It does take a while to become as one with the Pavoni

Couple of things what sort of grinder are you running? The Pavoni is grind/dose/tamp sensitive compared to others and if you are trying to use the single basket and standard plastic tamper then stop it now both are horrid.

Have a read and a watch of the video of this technique http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-SLAP-SHOT-Espresso-Prep-Technique_ep_566-1.html With practice I am getting better results from the Pav now with a much finer grind and light tamp using a similar process to this (no funnel)

I've never tried a Europiccola, but ran across a site dedicated to the manual Pavoni's a while ago. Sadly, it looks like it's down, at least for now, but here's a link to the site through the Internet Archive: Pavoni Express.

Temperature seems to be the key to success and I've read reports where the first shot may be too cool and the 2nd or 3rd may be too hot, so you may want to check out this Group Head Strip Thermometer from OrphanEspresso that makes temperature monitoring and management easier. I picked up one of these for a friend a while ago and got positive feedback regarding using this. I considered getting one for myself, but since I have a PID on my La Peppina, there's little point (unless I go PIDless for some reason).

Good luck!

Are you sure your grind is right? Temperature won't be an issue for the first 2-3 shots. After that you'll need to rinse the portafilter in cold water and probably put a cold towel on the group head.

barista1892 wrote:I would appreciate any advice, or links as I have been told from others that given time I can truly get good shots.

This forum's FAQs and Favorites links several helpful tutorials.

barista1892 wrote:The main problem I see is the overheating of the group-head appears to be completely ruining anything that I pull through as it's over extracting beyond belief.

The grouphead is directly connected to the boiler; dealing with overheating is part of the ritual. You can time it such that you're done before the grouphead has overheated or apply a wet towel/lock in a cold portafilter to cool it. The links above offer details.

Depending a little on local voltage (heat up speed), bleed the false pressure at 8-9 minutes and pour at 14-15 minutes will get you in the ball park for a good shot temp. This can be rushed if you heat the group with some boiler water (empty shot) but I never bother. After 20-25 minutes forget about it you will be too hot!

beanflying wrote:Depending a little on local voltage (heat up speed), bleed the false pressure at 8-9 minutes and pour at 14-15 minutes will get you in the ball park for a good shot temp. This can be rushed if you heat the group with some boiler water (empty shot) but I never bother. After 20-25 minutes forget about it you will be too hot!

I'm curious. I always thought bleeding false pressure on a Europiccola was unnecessary because once the 1 bar pstat at the top opens it has already done it - because it stays open. On both settings.

And John - if you don't think too hard about the process and use an easy hand the journey becomes a lot more enjoyable. Ask me how I know.

beanflying wrote:It does take a while to become as one with the Pavoni

Couple of things what sort of grinder are you running? The Pavoni is grind/dose/tamp sensitive compared to others and if you are trying to use the single basket and standard plastic tamper then stop it now both are horrid.

I have an ascaso I-2 stepless grinder

Ok After a bit of a falling out me and my la pav are getting along fine, thanks to all the replies links etc I am getting there with it now though made a massive leap forward this morning and got a cracking capp for my efforts. Thanks again people