I've read and re-read all the posts and am thoroughly confused. Is the Elektra basket (double) you put in your Pavoni Pro 51mm or 49mm? I have an older (orange base, but repainted) LP that I've been using and working on for a few years, and it's 49mm basket size. I'd love to try a deeper basket, but your LP pro is the newer 51mm isn't it? Help.
mbach

mbach wrote:Is the Elektra basket (double) you put in your Pavoni Pro 51mm or 49mm?

Steve borrowed my Microcasa for his comparison. It has a 49mm basket.


Europiccola and Microcasa double baskets

Ladalet, I apologize for not seeing your post. Just getting back in the game. On the Pavoni I bring the first pull down until it is about 1/3" from stop and then back the to top. I continue the second pull until I see blonding. With the larger Elektra basket, I simply do a single pull for a great ristretto. The improvement on the Olympia are the 4 magic little holes and the construction of their gaskets that allow them to for a strong seal on the downstroke and relieve pressure on the upstroke. This alleviates some of the issues that folks have on the second stoke with levers.

With regards to the larger basket, as Dan said....I have a pre-2000 machine. 49mm.

The plastic tamper supplied by Pavoni with my recent Europiccola (still 49mm despite the move to larger group) drove me mad. I sent my single basket over the pond to Reg Barber who made a 51.5mm base to fit and with the separate handle choices I can indulge some fashion changes over the years. I went for the gloss black this time. It is good to enjoy a tactile and perfectly fitting tamper for the first time.

My digital scales tell me that I consistently use about 15g in my double basket and this naturally seemed small at first compared with my 58mm Gaggia. However, the intensity of the shot means I'm not actually using that much less milk in my Capps and I'm not finding flavours smothered. This is of course in the context of finding that more delicate coffees are somewhat lost (wasted probably) in a Capp.

Quick anecdotal story though. My Mother called in last week about 5 months since the last visit. iRoast, Macap 4 and Pavoni well installed and dialled into my daily routines by now. Like many people she had never seen a green bean before. 30 minutes later she had seen roasting, grinding, examined a handful of roasts at between 1 day and a week old and finished a Capp. The following day within seconds of picking up a Capp she remarked that this was a different bean, wasn't it? Despite a lifetime of granules yes she was right. The supposedly small shots from a Pavoni do not it seems mask the flavours from coming through. The 3rd visitor in a fortnight to make similar comments.

I had to believe that this topic is just a joke......to compare Europiccola with anyone of Elektra machines.....i'm sure it's a joke........
La Pavoni is just the history of ITALIAN LEVER ESPRESSO MACHINE!!!!
We all cannot compare these two brands...LaPavoni is uncomparable and we can say everything about filters, boilers, prices.....but there will be alway a big big hole between LaPavoni and others brands....

I don't understand your style Internato - perhaps it's meant to be humourous, I hope so. In 6 months in coffee world I have not seen the kind of flaming which is commonplace in autos, audio, photography etc.

I love my Europiccola and it's hard to imagine wanting a different machine but we never know where life takes us next. This aside, I would not dream of knocking any other lever choice. This is a pretty small community and we're all allies on here right?

If your post was serious, damn that's a shame. In which case I shall at least sit back and enjoy the detailed technical arguments and learn more about Pavoni and other lever machines in the process.

Internato, while I really appreciate your enthusiasm for the La Pavoni brand, I don't appreciate your style and approach of your post. In starting this forum, the desire at HB was to build a community around these machines and not start factions within that community. Your passion goes without stating; reading your posts...and I would almost question whether you are being paid by Pavoni by the strength of your statements promoting their new machine. As Paul says, you should use your enthusiasm to help educate others. Me personally, I am just fascinated by these machines, and am fortunate to have access to Pavonis, Elektras and Olympias. I write about them to share back what others have taught me. As such, I would suggest that if you are interested in being part of this community that you become an active citizen and look for constructive contributions.

I like this thread, it's fun!

I would like to put a wagon of water over the fire that i unintentionally start here.
A member just asked the better machine between a LaPavoni and an Elektra...i believe that everybody, before replying, in his mind answered that the "better one" (not considering the price, and the difficult of making great espresso with LaPavoni) is LaPavoni.
My post was only an opinion, just considering the reputation of these two brands here in italy.
I didn't want to be humorous or serious, i just wanted to say what i think.....

srobinson wrote:I am trying to convince the wife that this should go on this year's Christmas card:

What kind of demitasse is this and where can I get one! lol