Yeah that is a new addition! I thought Barb would have sent me an e-mail considering how many times I have nagged about that seal.

Well it is on order now so thanks Yac. That should bring the little Pep back up to fully new factory functioning condition! Now the real question is will it do more than blow milk bubbles? With just the 700W element I may get more bubbles if I am not holding my breath.

-Cecil

I'm glad I posted then, Cecil. It must be pretty new, they've revamped the La Peppina page to include the instructions at the top of the page, I like that. I put in my order for seals and O-rings for the La Peppina so I'll have them on hand when the originals fail.

I must admit that I consider the vaporizer accessory to be pretty gimmicky and I committed cappuccino sacrilege last night by preparing my Wife's soy by heating it in the microwave followed by whipping it with a battery operated milk frothing wand I found in a thrift store in Paso Robles on my trip back from camping in Morro Bay. The foam was pretty bad, stiff like meringue, but as I was in the middle of trying out for the first time Sweet Maria's espresso workshop #8 and trying to dial it in when the Wife calls for coffee, I decided to just make her a quick cap instead which she said that she really enjoyed. Boy did it stretch the milk, though, I had foam for days. I know that there's threads on the coffee forums regarding ways to improve on committing milk frothing sacrilege, I'll have to study up.

When I bought the La Peppina, I showed my wife that it could steam milk and put the DeLonghi pump toys in the garage to justify the purchase, and it does steam milk, (I've got the 1100 Watt version), but it's kind of a pain to switch back and forth. The really interesting trick that it does is when you unscrew the milk frothing wand from the outside and screw it into the threaded hole on the inside of the cap, you now have a way to dispense hot water from your kettle using the steam wand as an intake for Americanos, hot water on demand, etc... so, where was I going with this?

Oh, yeah, I guess I was going to say that I think it's worth it to get the gasket to bring your machine up to full functionality, even if you don't use it. I'm not saying that I won't use the vaporizer accessory again, but if I did find a good deal on a stovetop steamer (and the market is ripe right now with all the Mypressi Twists being sold) that I'd go for that and until then I'll probably refine my alternative milk frothing techniques using frothing wands, press pots, and any other cheap gimmick I can find.

Did you end up staying at the campground back by the marina and the natural history museum, or did you say out at Montana De Orro?

-C

We stayed near the marina and the museum, on that end of the campground, in fact. We enjoyed it so much we'll be going back this summer.

Bringing this back on topic somewhat, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't bring my La Peppina camping, even though we've got a tent trailer and the option of an electric hookup. If it were an RV with more space and less people sharing the site, I bet I would. I'll have to try out the GSI camping moka pot I got at, yes, a thrift store. Scored two generic light green tulip demitasses today.

Some of my best sunset photos were from the north side of that sandbar just off that park.

I had a nice bracketed set on 35mm film there. Either way that is a nice little park, and I am glad you enjoyed the local charm. If you get a chance next time you get there check out the great little book store downtown.

Other than that head over to the south just a bit and check out the Sweet Springs Saloon. Great music on the right nights.

And If you like golf head onto the Sea Pines golf course just after the corner. My favorite local place to chase little white balls.

And a hike around Montana De Oro state park is nice. Pines, sea, rocks, and ofc water.

But the one I like a little better is just inland a bit on Los Osos Valley Road. It is called the elfin forest, a beautiful coast live oak grove. Soft, hushed, and amazing.

That should give you a couple of spots to check out next time you are there.

-Cecil

Bumping myself, but it is Orphan's fault. They have already gotten me the lid seal for the Peppina.

It is a very snug fit and there are a couple of hints I would pass on if you get to install one of these.

1. Unless you specifically are looking for it the slot in the seal that the lid sits in is invisible, it is just where you expect it to be but you may need to scratch at it with a fingernail several times before you catch it. Less a slot but more a shallow razor blade slice into the inside of the seal.

2. The stiffness on this seal is rather high, so it can be a bit resistant to work into place. I ended up warming mine up in hot tap water for about five minutes to get a bit of extra give.

3. I was able to get mine on just fine with out removing the handle or the steam wand, but as there are a number of lid designs, so this is a full on YMMV setup. The seal did not need any extra lube.

I just got the slot of the gasket onto the rim of the lid and worked with my left hand turning the lid while using my right thumb to press the next small section of gasket lip onto the lid.

Once you get about 80% of the gasket on this way the left hand stops the work of turning the lid and switches to stretching the final segment of gasket out while still pressing it onto the lid with your other thumb.

Total time with heating the gasket included was about 7 minutes. I am going to fire it up in the morning to try it out.

Go shots, go Saints.

-Cecil

Cecil,

So, how'd it go with steaming on your La Peppina? I've been experimenting with different techniques for cheating foam with soy in the microwave, but this morning I decided to treat my wife for Valentines with some good foam and used the La Peppina to foam the soy. It was tricky, but I got better results then with the microwave and a battery operated frother... ended up pouring in some cool water into the kettle after steaming to get the temp down under my PID setpoint so I could then pull the shot. I've got the 1100 watt heater, so it's no problem with steaming (though it was occasionally spitting water for quite a while).

I woke up early this morning (5 am, early for me) and after setting out the Valentines day candy for my girls started in on pulling 7g singles with the last of my Espresso Workshop #8 blend. I'm starting to like singles more then doubles now but when I started I couldn't pulll a decent single to save my life. The last two singles were really nice... I have a habit of grinding too fine and finally loosened it up enough to get a good flow. I also set my demitasse on my gram scale and was focusing on pulling 14 g shots. Now I've got to roast.

I'll be pulling some more shots tonight for a recipe I want to try for Valentine's day, Sautéed Grapes with Espresso & Red Wine to go with lamb, couscous, asparagus, and some garlic scones.

Update: The grapes were a big success, used a 1998 Bonny Doon Charbera for the recipe (and in the glass with the meal). As I had blown through my espresso blend, I was pulling shots on a Brazil Vargem Grande for the recipe and ended up making two cappuccinos to enjoy with the Wife after the meal... I'd roasted this bean for drip, but it pulls as all chocolate with no fruit for espresso, not bad. Ended up steaming with the La Peppina again... wasn't really planning on it, but it seamed easier at the time then messing with soy in the microwave.