are you able to get FULL doubles (at least 2 ounces) on your olympia cremina with a single pull?

I have found if I do too full pulls the 2nd pull blondes and watery... I can get about 1.5 ounces by pre-infusing as much water as possible as I've seen described here and usually call that good but wondering if I am missing something necessary to extract at least 2 full ounces?

I believe you'll find the cylinder is not large enough for 2 oz single pulls. 1 1/2 pulls seem to work best for me.

From my decade of experience with levers, first the europiccola and then the cremina, I think one should NEVER pull more than once. That is, they are one shot machines, since the second pull only adds dirty water. Thus they don't make proper doubles. For that you need a larger group and filter, equivalent to those used on commercial machines. The amount of coffee in the europiccola double basket (which I also use for the cremina) is exactly equivalent to the amount that fits in the la marzocco single that I used with my ex-silvia. What the europiccola and cremina so-called 'double' baskets produce are rich singles, far richer, to my tastebuds, than you get form the single baskets of the Silvia and prosumer HX machines.

That's my 2 cents worth. I realise it runs against the grain here since I notice lots of people advocate double pulls, double pumps and the like. Me, it is just once up, and once down and I get what I am given, which is usually the coffee equivalent of Chateau Mouton Rothchild (or since I'm in OZ, Grange Hermitage).

I consistently get 2 oz on a single pull after a couple of mini-pumps for pre-infusion using the Elektra MicroCasa a leva basket. With the stock basket the most I can consistently get out of a single pull is 1.5 to 1.75 oz. The stock basket does not hold enough coffee to extract 2oz consistently. The Elektra basket is a fantastic upgrade and will allow you to get 2 oz..

After much experimentation with a pre-M Pavoni, I have settled on a single pull technique. Considering that I use approximately 12 grams of coffee in the "double" basket, the resulting 1-1/3 oz shot seems about right. I used to coax a 2-oz shot by doing nearly 2 full pulls, but I really think this was turning my espresso into a cafe lungo. Also, I believe that a second pull probably siphons partially brewed coffee through the shower screen and into the group head.

Of course my shot volume still varies quite a bit. I'm sure that this has something to do with excess steam displacing the water in the cylinder.

ladalet wrote:I consistently get 2 oz on a single pull after a couple of mini-pumps for pre-infusion using the Elektra MicroCasa a leva basket. With the stock basket the most I can consistently get out of a single pull is 1.5 to 1.75 oz. The stock basket does not hold enough coffee to extract 2oz consistently. The Elektra basket is a fantastic upgrade and will allow you to get 2 oz..

nice! I need to get in order for one of the baskets.

SantaCruzan wrote:After much experimentation with a pre-M Pavoni, I have settled on a single pull technique. Considering that I use approximately 12 grams of coffee in the "double" basket, the resulting 1-1/3 oz shot seems about right. I used to coax a 2-oz shot by doing nearly 2 full pulls, but I really think this was turning my espresso into a cafe lungo. Also, I believe that a second pull probably siphons partially brewed coffee through the shower screen and into the group head.

Of course my shot volume still varies quite a bit. I'm sure that this has something to do with excess steam displacing the water in the cylinder.

I have reached the same result with my pre-M Europoccola. I agree that at 2oz you have what is effectively a Cafe Lungo.

The reason I am able to pull a larger volume double shot out of my Cremina with the 49mm Europiccola basket is that the group screen in the Cremina is a little higher allowing me to dose more coffee into the basket.

I have been attempting, in vein it seems, to answer this question of shot volume for all the lever machines in this forum by making a chart of the different lever machines and expected shot volumes in my thread "How many grams does your portafilter basket hold?

http://www.home-barista.com/forum...d-t3765.html#40629

This thread however is really better illustrating (empirically) the point I was trying to make in my thread.

dirtbikejunkie wrote:nice! I need to get in order for one of the baskets.

I PROMISE, that you will not regret the purchase. I am now completely 150% satisfied with my Cremina now that I can consistently get beautiful 2oz doubles with one pull--after active pre-infusion. I used to fancy getting a use commercial lever machine. Not any more.

Best wishes,
Lance

So Lance, is it your experience that you get longer shots on the cremina by using the smaller pavoni double baskets than the larger elektra double baskets. Because that is my experience. This being the case, I nomally use the pavoni double, and only use the elektra when I want a strong and thick ristretto since, unlike you, I don't normally get 2 oz from the elektra double.[/quote]

chopinhauer wrote:So Lance, is it your experience that you get longer shots on the cremina by using the smaller pavoni double baskets than the larger elektra double baskets. Because that is my experience. This being the case, I nomally use the pavoni double, and only use the elektra when I want a strong and thick ristretto since, unlike you, I don't normally get 2 oz from the elektra double.

[/quote]

No. What I was referring to is the fact that I can dose more coffee into the Pavoni basket in my Cremina that into the exact same basket in my Europiccola because the group screen is higher.


Using the Pavoni basket on my Cremina would consistently yield 1.5 oz to 1.75 oz doubles--1.5 oz with the most consistency.

Using the Elektra basket on my Cremina I consistently get full 2oz doubles. I can, about half the time, get about 2.25 oz if I wanted to. I choose not to.

I find that the 2oz doubles that I am getting are consistent in flavor volume, flavor depth, strength, and texture with shots that I pulled on a commercial machine at a local cafe using the same coffee. The only really observable difference has been less brightness and more sweetness with the shots pulled on my Cremina. This seems to be a characteristic of lever machines in general.