My first shots seem to be the best, second and third less so. After the light goes out I pull the first shot when the group head gets hot to the touch. if needed I'll do a couple of half pumps to circulate hot water before the first shot but by the third shot everything seems pretty hot. I read some folks, for subsequent shots, dip the portafilter in cold water. Is temperature critical to the portafilter or group head or both? I bought one of those little temp strips and attached it to the group head just above the shoulder but since I'm red/green colorblind it's pretty useless.

Also by the third shot the portafilter can be hard to insert and twist into the group head. It's like there's expansion going on.

The temperature of the group is critical. Adding Thermometry to a La Pavoni Europiccola The portafilter has been much less important in my experience but I always have it in then ramping up temperature.

If yours isn't damaged I would imagine it feels harder because coffee beans are getting stuck in your rim and gasket area, suggesting maybe too high or low a dose?

Thanks, I'll read those pages of posts.

As far as dosing goes, I fill to above the rim and then level it so it's even with rim. After tamping there's about 1/8" gap from the rim to the puck and I make sure the rim is clean of grounds. between shots I wipe the shower head and run a brush around it to remove grounds.

Thanks again.

That dosing seems a bit high. You might try about 1/8 inch lower from the rim after tamp. Another way to arrive at rough dose without weighing is if it's hard to turn in, shave off some coffee with the edge of a spoon and tamp again.

That method won't fine tune shots nearly as well as dosing by weight. Generally 14 - 16 gm in a double basket is a good starting point. You'll want to grind for a decent flow rate.

To your original question measure temperature on the group. Locking in a cool portafilter can reduce group temperature if needed.

Yes I was dosing at 19 gr but last night tried it at 16 gr and a group temp of 180 F per my Thermapen. Much better shot so we're making progress.

Many thanks.

Group temperature should be much hotter unless you're using a dark roast where the beans are shiny from oil released. Toward the back of the group it should be at least in the low 200's F.

Got it. I was measuring in the front on the top flat underneath the lever Next time I'll measure in some different places and go for the higher temp.

Thanks again.

Of course what REALLY is important is the temperature of the espresso as it emerges from the filter basket !!!! One might argue that this can only be an "ex post facto" measurement. However, it is valuable information for improving subsequent shots.

I have used two different methods to do this measurement: (1) I made a special brass spout for an intact portafilter that had a thermometer well in it. I can put a fast reading thermometer probe into this and read the temperature as the espresso emerges. (2) I read the temperature of the espresso emerging from a bottomless portafilter with an infrared thermometer. (Water is HIGHLY infrared active.) As the shot proceeds the temperature will rise. To me the best shots have final temperatures close to 93degrees. However, some coffees are better a bit higher or lower.

I seem to have a very different opinion of normal vs bottomless portafilters than many. I like to have BOTH! I like to use normal portafilters for first shots, and I leave the portafilter in place whilst the machine is warming up and during the bleeding operation. When ever I make espresso where things could be stained by spurting coffee, I never even consider using the bottomless one.

I essentially always use the bottomless one when I am making subsequent shots when there is no danger of damaging things from flying espresso. In reality flying espresso is a rare thing, but it is silly to take chances. I sometimes put the bottomless one in ice water between shots. (Doing this with a normal portafilter results in cold espresso in my experience.)

Temperature probes sound good but way beyond me for a while. Infrared might be worth looking into though. I also have the two portafilters and use the bottomless most of the time. The dip in cold water is a good idea.

Thanks!

For pulling shots at a useful brew temperature, all you need to do is measure the starting temperature on the outside of the group as indicated in the La Pavoni thermometry thread linked above. That is sufficient for me to pull consistent shots on a Millennium La Pavoni Europiccola.