I've just gotten a La Pavoni europiccola and I'm having some problems getting a proper crema. I'm not getting much resistance when I pull down on the lever. I don't feel much resistance till about half way down the pull. I'm thinking this is due to my grind not being fine enough I currently have the lowest end solis maestro. At the finest setting it has I cannot choke the machine. I'm wondering if I sould consider a new grinder if this one is not up to the task. I've also tried some illy coffee but that doesn't give much crema either but I've heard that could be due to the age of the coffee.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Eric

I have a Gaggia Factory 16 cup (a "clone" of the La Pavoni Pro) and have TRIED to use a Starbucks Barista Burr grinder (Solis 166 re-badge) with no luck. The Maestro IS capable of grinding fine enough BUT does not have the adjustability that you really need for espresso (from any machine). You MAY be able to improve yours by following the "calibration" instructions at the baratza web site, but you'll not have the fine adjustability that a better grinder will give you. I upgraded to the Le'Lit PL53 stepless, doserless grinder from 1st-line (http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/lelit/PL53.htm) and couldn't be happier! RIGHT Now it's $199 but Jim over @ 1st-line HAS said that price was for a "limited number of grinders" (and it'll go up to it's regular price of $229 once they're sold). Stainless Steel, small footprint (about what the Baratza/Solis grinders take up space wise), practically INFINITE grind adjustment...

Just my $0.02 worth...

Hey Eric,
I have been where you now are and can "feel your pain". I own a Gaggia Factory, which is pretty much the same as your La Pavoni. Before I bought the Gaggia, I got a Baratza Maestro to go with my Estro (pump machine). The Maestro worked great with the Estro, but I never could get one single good shot using it with my Gaggia Factory.

I knew I needed to upgrade the grinder, but I also had a cash shortage (and a skeptical wife!). My next step was a quality hand grinder (Armin Trosser), which I picked up on Ebay for about $15 (a steal). The Trosser was a major improvement. I had crema! The Trosser also took about 2 minutes of grinding for a double, which kind of became a pain.

Early this year I found a sale on a Rancilio Rocky and bought it. I love it. It grinds finely and consistently (though a little clumpy) and makes GREAT shots on my machine. I still use the Trosser for press pot coffee. They are both great grinders that I use regularly.

So, I am afraid that you will need to upgrade your grinder. There are some users who will swear by a new grinder by Le'Lit. You can find information on that in the "Marketplace" forum. It seems to be a low price option.


Good luck!

.... and welcome to the forum!

As I recall I was only using the last three setting on my older, rebadged Starbucks grinder. I have an 07 Maestro on which I use the middle settings for my LP. The lowest setting on my newer model make Turkish powder. The burrs actually lightly touch!

I would contact Baratza via email or phone call (I found both to be extremely helpful) and see if you can mod your current grinder. (this thread jogged my memory on that point.) Perhaps adjusting the zero point will help. They were very helpful and generous when I talked to them.

Again, I'm happy to send you some ground stuff from my machine so you can see what it looks like.

How old is your Maestro? If it's been used for a while, it's possible that the burrs need replacing.

When I got my Gaggia Factory, I had a Maestro Plus that I had been using daily for about 2 years to grind for French Press. On the finest setting I was unable to choke the machine, but after replacing the burrs, I was able to choke it no problem.

However, even though I was able to grind fine enough with the new burrs, I found another issue that led me to abandon the Maestro Plus as an espresso grinder: the grinder does not hold its setting. I found that even if I found a setting that worked for one shot, the next shot I ground might be too fine or too coarse. I believe this is caused by the nylon burr carriers that allow for some degree of play in the burrs even when the grinder remains on a given setting.

On the bright side: the Maestro is a good grinder for all applications other than espresso, so it makes a great companion for a stepless grinder (such as the Le'lit, at the lower end, or a Macap M4 at the high end) that you can dedicate to espresso only.

I had this problem until I upgraded to a better grinder. Currently using the Le'Lit pl53 that is on sale w/ 1st-cup for $199. It's worth every penny and I've been pulling shots that look like a glass of guiness beer ever since.

Well it does sound like you could use a better grinder as everyone else is saying. I did want to chime in though, just to say that you must use fresh beans. I never quite understood the importance of this until I got my Europiccola. My previous pump machine would cope with old beans reasonably well but lever machines are very unforgiving. With fresh beans and a good (fairly tight) grind, you should get pretty good crema. You should feel a fair bit of resistance on the pull. With old beans, you can grind really finely and still get little resistance and no crema. Conventional wisdom says beans should be no more than 7-10 days past roast. So, once you have a good grinder and fresh beans, the rest is a long, enjoyable but sometimes frustrating learning curve.
Good luck.
Sam.

I have three europiccolas, usually, if I get little resistance until halfway through the pull it is because the piston shaft seal is shot. Did you buy the machine new or used?

ericmorgan56 wrote:I've just gotten a La Pavoni europiccola and I'm having some problems getting a proper crema. I'm not getting much resistance when I pull down on the lever. I don't feel much resistance till about half way down the pull. I'm thinking this is due to my grind not being fine enough I currently have the lowest end solis maestro. At the finest setting it has I cannot choke the machine. I'm wondering if I sould consider a new grinder if this one is not up to the task. I've also tried some illy coffee but that doesn't give much crema either but I've heard that could be due to the age of the coffee.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

A better grinder is in order. In the meantime, you might try switching to the single (conical) basket, since the single basket takes a slightly coarser grind than the double, especially if you dose around 9-10g.

Also, please confirm that the coffee you're using was roasted in the past week. You're not buying a package of whole beans off the shelf, are you?

Regards
Timo

I roasted the beans myself so they were probably about 4 days after roast. This is my typical time for resting. I'm definetly looking into a new grinder or at least refurbing my curret one. I'm thinking the burrs may be worn thus causing the inconsistent grind.

Any know of a hand grinder I could possibly use.

Thanks

Eric