I've been pulling shots on a millennium La Pavoni Pro for 6 months now, and I like the taste of my single shots at 9 gram and brew ratio 50%. Mostly I use full city or french roast, like the Caffé Molinari Oro, which always turns out great, creamy and chocolatey.

But lately I got a SO medium roast (Sumatra, Lintong Raja Batak), that I just can't seem to get right.. I notice that when I pull at my normal force, with 25 sec, it tastes flat and empty. The color and volume of the crema is good. I tried grinding coarser and the taste comes a bit more to life, but nowhere close to the potential of the bean and the shot runs through too fast IMO (I tasted it's full potential at the professional barista I bought it off, it should be bright and spicy).

Am I pulling with too much force? How much force is normal? I have no idea how pulling 9 bar feels.. Any tips for SO medium/high roasts?

I got the group temperature under control, that is, I can pull at any temperature after reading it off digitally, and my PSTAT is idling between .7 and .8 boiler 3/4 full. I always do WDT and there's no channeling. With my naked portafilter, the stream always comes out nicely in the middle and the color is light brown striped. After gently pulling the lever till some beads appear, I use around 4 sec preinfusion and then pull with one pull. I tried cool shots and hot shots, 7g, 8g, 9g the Sumatran SO just won't budge.

I'm saving up for the Strega, will that make things easier with diffent roasts and beans? Are there some things the Pavoni just can't do, what you can do with the Strega, or is it just about more consistency and convenience on the Strega vs Pavoni?
I only pull single shots at around 8-9 grams, but everybody seems to use 14-20 grams, will the Strega also do well with single shots? Any basket recommendations?

Secondly, now I'm using the Eureka Mignon as grinder, will an upgrade to the HG-One get more taste out of the bean?

Any help much appreciated!

Cheers, Hugo

Hugonl28 wrote:How much force is normal? I have no idea how pulling 9 bar feels..

To get an idea, pull a finely ground shot with your machine on a bathroom scale. Pulling 9 bar will show appx. 14 Kg on the scale. ( see Pulling force for La Pavoni Europiccola )

P.S.
Sorry I can't help much on your other questions - I never pull singles, never tried that Sumatra, and have not used a Strega. Hope others will weigh in on that. FWIW, when pulling bright and light SO's on my Pavoni (usually a Natural Ethiopia Sidama ) I think I do better when I grind and dose for a pull that is softer than normal, let it preinfuse long and let it take its time with a long slow extraction.

Flat and empty is pretty much par for the course for most Sumatras; changing your machine or grinder because of this is not just an overreaction now, but will also be a bummer later, when you get the same flat and coarse shots for several thousand dollars more.

Sumatras don't create as many fines as other beans when they are ground; so if you use your regular dose, you'll grind it much to fine, and get a blah shot. To get more out of it, you need to grind it coarse, pull out your double basket, and overload it like crazy.

Thanks, Pat and thanks Jim! I tried your suggestions and weighing on a bathroom scale, turns out I was indeed going full ape. Now with 14 grams in the double basket, a bit of a coarser grind and a softer pull I'm pretty happy with the result. I manage to get 26 grams of beverage, with one pull. Noticed with the coarser grind the bubbles of the crema are a bit larger compared to what I'm used to see.
I also need to do a quick flush before the pull to get the temperature high enough for the 14 grams...

The Pavoni is a very versatile machine... But can it do every bean and every roast?
I'd like to know, because if so, there's no need for me to buy the Strega.
I was almost going to give up on the Pavoni, but your always wonderfully realistic scientific view got me thinking otherwise, Jim, thanks!

Hugo

You likely wont regret upgrading to the Strega. It only hurts once.

Just a little update on this thread for anybody stumbling uppon it. I managed to get massive improvements on my single shots, by changing a few things.
Like previously, using 9 grams, a rather fine grind and hardly any tamp (just levelling and sealing) in the stock millennium single basket, but I now pull when the group temperature reads 87C, start with a gentle pull till black beads appear over the whole surface of the basket (bottomless), then keep the lever there for about 4 seconds to preinfuse (previously used to continue straight ahead with the pull), then ramp up really hard till a bathroomscale weight of about 18kilo/40lbs, and immediately ease-off for a soft sloping pressure to get a 25sec pull with 18 grams of beverage.

Before this my regular profile/ smooth pulls (and maybe too short preinfusion) were leaving out some details, the shots were flat and smooth but rather empty. Now the taste is massively more complex and i.e. fruits and herbs are jumping out. It's hard to believe these small changes have so much effect.
Such a waste of all the beans I sinked in the past.. But I guess that's part of the process.

Just wanted to share, cheers Hugo

Hugo, I too took a while to latch on to the manual lever, lessen the press pull.
In a not so small manner, this imitates the pull from a spring assisted lever.
On my cremina, I'd exert as close to a 9 bar pull as possible, then with the lever horizontal, I'd lessen the pull.
As another member here says, it's a bit of a "zen" thing. YouDO become one with the machine. I could lierally feel the liquid exiting the basket "calming down."