H'mmm.. this is interesting. I thought exposed, unplated, uncoated brass was supposed to potentially impart a taste to food and drink more so than many other metals - and this is why unplated brass eating utensils were often frowned upon - even though they are readily available as gift items, etc. in parts of Asia & elsewhere - and look wonderful... I thought that was a major reason for the plating of brass cooking & eating utensils etc... (with chrome, tin & nickel being three of the most common of brass plating materials). Again, I was under these assumptions separate from any particular coffee/espresso applications...

So, does any of this mean it is safe to break out and use that solid brass "silverservice" [sic ] set for 18 we were given many years ago by friends returning from a trip to Thailand? That set has sat, unused in its large wooden case for years, because of concern about using unplated, uncoated brass utensils...

r-gordon-7

Last thing on this one: when water starts to boil, I usually get 4 drops of water from the safety valve and a couple from the steam knob. Should this concern me at all? many thx again,

Panos

Hello all, I'm new on this block.

@r-gordon-7:

Most of all plated brass is just for the benefit of cleaning, acid resistance an last but not least, the looks! There are not many of us having the copper and brass machines with the wooden handles. A beauty to look at but the stains after using it....

A good lead is the use of copper in plumbing and for your heating element. So we want the copper inside and the chrome plating outside and that gives you enough cleaning to do. In an earlier reply there was the question about the inside portafilter. Mine has been pearled to remove the chrome plating and polished inside, giving it a nice shiny touch. That will last not forever and should be done as much as desired.

@Panos:

you should not be concerned about drops of water and steam at the beginning. This means your Pavoni has reached her working temperature. Unleash a little by your steamwand and use it to warm your cup. And for your first shots......ayayay, I heard someone else say: practice, practice, practice and if you reach a certain point of frustration, get the cable out of the wall inlet, take a soft piece of cloth to clean your mean machine, put it on a nice and sunny place in your living room to enjoy the looks of it and take a hike to exercise a little and go back to ...practice!!

Don't give up! You'll end up with a machine that last's forever, will never be boring to look at, and the nicest tasting cup of espresso you'll ever taste! (except at the house of your fellow pavoni barista of course, and maybe even that will take a turn:-)

Good luck with your one-armed bandito and enjoy!
Greetz, Boy

PS feel free to correct me, I'm not a native speaker and always eager to learn...

I had a similar experience with a company called Seattle Coffee Gear and ended up getting hosed. It is hard go wrong with a tried and true companies like 1st-Line or Chris Coffee. If you use other online sellers, you are taking a risk.