The first impressions from my La Peppina were that the shots had less body but flavors were easy to pick out. Is this due to the size / depth of the basket?

Less body then what? What machine are you comparing it too? I've been very impressed with the shots from my La Peppina.

Good point. I also use a mypressi twist. But also, compared to any coffee shop that makes good espresso. I should also note that I have a pressure gauge installed and usually pull at about 9 bars.

Also, I'm not saying its better or worse, just different. And I'm curious as to why.

Can you tell us a bit more about your prep technique? I can get decent body from a La Peppina depending on the coffee. However, the coffees I like don't have much body to begin with (light roasts).

Prepping the Peppina:

Grinder: Pharos or Porlex
Beans: Counter Culture Coffee Espresso Roasts (which ever the coffee shop is carrying, this month is finca el Puente)
Dose: Usually just go by volume
Shot Pull: Give the lever a small nudge to wet the grounds for a few seconds then up to 9 bar for the duration of the pull, about 202 degrees

The shots from the coffee shop and the mypressi both are a bit creamier / thicker. Again, not that they are bad from the Peppina, just different and I was curious as to why.

You didn't mention basket prep but let me make a suggestion anyways.

Dose higers: I use a modified Aeropress funnel to dose (take a dremel and make just a slight indentation as it almost fits a 45mm Peppina/Export basket). This funnel is a perfect for the tiny 45mm baskets. I can dose up to 18-19g with very light roasts and about 17g with medium or darker roasts. After I grind, I dose into my basket and funnel and WDT. Then I do a series of light taps on the counter with the basket and funnel held together. Depending on the density/volume/dose of the beans I might do lots/little tapping. Then I remove the funnel, groom the basket (if necessary, as in for really large doses) then pull my shot. The long tubelike part of the dosing AP dosing funnel works perfectly with the steep tubelike La Peppina baskets.

Another suggestion is to grind finer and 'assist the lever'--ie while holding the front of the machine with one hand, you can pull up on the lever to add pressure. You don't want to grind so fine as to choke the machine and pull so hard as to try to break anything. It's more subtle than that.

Try these tips and see if more body can be coaxed out of the shots.