If it is taking 1 minute 20-seconds, as you stated, to pull a shot ... therein might be there reason for the sugar cubes . Get the grind & dose to play ball at 25-30-seconds @ 50% ratio to start (i.e. 15-grams in / 30-grams out) and I think you will see significantly reduced bitterness and increased sweetness.

This is one of my favorite photos in quite awhile! Thank you for posting it.

drgary wrote:This is one of my favorite photos in quite awhile! Thank you for posting it.

Yeah. It is funny now!!

spressomon wrote:If it is taking 1 minute 20-seconds, as you stated, to pull a shot ... therein might be there reason for the sugar cubes . Get the grind & dose to play ball at 25-30-seconds @ 50% ratio to start (i.e. 15-grams in / 30-grams out) and I think you will see significantly reduced bitterness and increased sweetness.

That was more due to doing the video and all that...

Pulled another just now and it was done in 30 seconds...



And gone in about the same time, lol

Well....I blame all of you...in a good kind of way

Going Naked!!! Woohoo woohoo! Look at what arrived today. And before anyone asks, I could not decide on the gauge...

This also came in. Thank you Gary!!







And the needle bearing also came in today. It is 1 mm shorter that the original (12 mm vs 13 mm). But should work fine.

Everything now installed!!

The new piston seals I had purchased, got installed with the naked piston.



No way I could have guessed what 9 bars felt like...or maintain it. So cool to be able to maintain desire pressure while pulling the shot. Two shots in a row (yes, father-in-law was right next to me waiting for his shot ) Both came out great.

That's a fancy looking Pavoni! You're gonna have fun with that.

Your La Pavoni is absolutely great! I love how you jumped in and got all the great mods at once. I wish I could do the same with mine.

wachuko wrote: No way I could have guessed what 9 bars felt like...

I'm curious, does 9 bar feel lighter or heavier than you expected?

jbenson4 wrote:Your La Pavoni is absolutely great! I love how you jumped in and got all the great mods at once. I wish I could do the same with mine.



I'm curious, does 9 bar feel lighter or heavier than you expected?

Heavier...but also maintaining it without the gauge, for me at least, was not possible... when I remember how I made the pull prior to having the gauge, there was no comparison.

Thank you all for the threads and recommendations...you have allowed me to enjoy this machine with no frustration. Love the simplicity of the machine, the aesthetics, and now also the ability to make an espresso that comes out great!