Hi All
after years of lovingly crafting shots first on a Saeco and then with my "Miss Silvia" (Rancilio) I had the unbelievable luck to rescue a very old (and rare) two group La Riviera from an Italian kitchenwares shop in Philly. Now living not far from San Francisco I was able to get Christopher Cara (who else) to put it back in working order. But, what a change! Alas, everything I thought I had learned has gone out of the window. Never having used a spring lever machine before I am burning through coffee getting 5 seconds dribbles instead of shots and leaving pressure built up in the group and clogged (sometimes dry at the bottom) coffee in the basket. Clearly I am getting my grind, does and tamp wrong! I need to get one right before I can fix the others. Should I be doing just what I did for years with the pump machines i.e. filling the basket loosely to the top, gently leveling with my finger and then tamping with the special (bevelled) tamper? If so, then if things go too slow I can adjust the grind. I suspect I am not getting the right amount of coffee in or allowing it to hold together because I am getting a short stream but then some coffee is dry and there is water left in the group as well as pressure. I'd appreciate help as this rare beauty needs to be loved but I am missing Silvia right now! Thanks
--TJS
PS a helpful poster on CoffeeGeek.com pointed me here (link)

Hi TJS,
The pressure build up you mention is probably normal, lever machines don't usually have the pressure release mechanisms that pump machines do.

If you have some of the puck still dry and a short extraction that sounds like bad channeling. How hard do you tamp? Try tamping lighter and grinding a bit finer.

I don't know Christopher Cara, but I'd suggest you talk to him about the problems. Presumably he knows the machine and could help you more directly.

Greg

FWW, YMMV
My daily squeeze is now an old Conti spring lever, rebuilt by bill. She is pernickity but really will show a few tricks to my Cremina.
Always keep the PFs in the groups! They really will pull the group temp down on those exposed big groups if locked in cold. Do a warming cup heating flush through the PF , dry, and fill quickly.

Pressurestat at about 1+ bar. The big group and small heater make it necessary to vent steam and then pull when the element goes off. The click of the ps will ( at least in my case) clue you when that happens.

Grind is about 4 above touch on a Rocky. Coffee beans at least 4-8 days old Full City, 17 +-.1 grams for the 58mm double basket. tamp hard. More coffee = stall; less coffee=splush!

I am just finally getting the knack. The spring only puts out so much pressure,, reducing in force. A long pre-infuse swells the puck and will stall the flow. too little grinds will channel like mad! For me it seems that the puck should just show a bit of the dispersion screen when it is removed.
Good luck, the old machines are really worth the learning curve. And plumbed in they are 24/7/355! Gotta clean them once in a while.
richard espressme

tjsimon1 wrote:Hi All
after years of lovingly crafting shots first on a Saeco and then with my "Miss Silvia" (Rancilio) I had the unbelievable luck to rescue a very old (and rare) two group La Riviera from an Italian kitchenwares shop in Philly. Now living not far from San Francisco I was able to get Christopher Cara (who else) to put it back in working order. But, what a change! Alas, everything I thought I had learned has gone out of the window. Never having used a spring lever machine before I am burning through coffee getting 5 seconds dribbles instead of shots and leaving pressure built up in the group and clogged (sometimes dry at the bottom) coffee in the basket. Clearly I am getting my grind, does and tamp wrong! I need to get one right before I can fix the others. Should I be doing just what I did for years with the pump machines i.e. filling the basket loosely to the top, gently leveling with my finger and then tamping with the special (bevelled) tamper? If so, then if things go too slow I can adjust the grind. I suspect I am not getting the right amount of coffee in or allowing it to hold together because I am getting a short stream but then some coffee is dry and there is water left in the group as well as pressure. I'd appreciate help as this rare beauty needs to be loved but I am missing Silvia right now! Thanks
--TJS
PS a helpful poster on CoffeeGeek.com pointed me here