Firstly, I am totally new to not only using a lever machine, but espresso making in general. Having read and watched a million things on how to perform this art, I've come to the realization that I need to ask some very strange questions. Some of them that come to mind are:

When tamping for a lever machine are you still trying to follow basic principles like 30lbs of pressure on the tamp?

Does the collar/sidewall on your tamper play in part with your tamper piston height? I noticed that the Richard Penney tampers have 5mm collars/sidewalls for "perfect headspace", but measuring my head and a puck with a dime, both measurements are 9mm. How much head space is needed and should there be any space at all? I assume you don't want the grind to touch the screen, correct? If it doesn't touch there must be some space.

I've pulled about 20 shots with it in the last 24hrs, and they all seem to be somewhat the same. I get OK crema, not a lot, but nothing like some of the youtube shots I've seen performed with this machine. The biggest problem I'm facing is that I don't know anyone that could taste said shots and give me an honest answer if they are alright or not. Without some critique, the only thing that I can think of at this point is that the beans I bought weren't as fresh as they lead me to believe. My grinder could somewhat be the culprit, but I did manage to choke the machine. I am thinking that if it is, it is on a small scale. Any and all info is greatly appreciated.

Hello KnowGood,

Welcome to espresso made on a lever machine.

You have a Europiccola, right? I have a Ponte Vecchio Lusso, which is spring driven. What follows is what works on my spring lever, and some of it might work for you, too.

I tamp light, about 5 pounds, and grind fine enough that my espresso flows out somewhere between drips and a flow, as this seems to taste best. I adjust the grind with as the beans age and as they age.

I find it critical to use super fresh beans, in most cases up to 7 days old, sometimes longer depending on the beans and how they were roasted. I roast my own. To start, you want super fresh beans, and this will make a nice, tasty pull much easer.

With the right tamp and grind, set for an easy dripping slow flow, it is within reach to get espresso shots with a persistent head of cream, with all the body filled with bubbly espresso body. This seems to taste great.

Fresh beans, light tamp, even quality grind adjusted to get the flow you desire—this makes for quality results.

I adjust my dose so that it does not touch the screen in my machine.

I have a Pavoni on the way, and am looking forward to using this machine, also.

Hi...choosing a lever as your first(?) machine is brave, indeed.
#!)...are yoiu grinding your beans fresh?
If not, THERE'S your answer.
A dedicated espresso grinder and fresh beans (meaning roasted within the week, day 3-12 post roast date for drinking is usually best)
Pre-ground beans will not give anything close to big bodied crema, and pronounced fruit tastes.
If you have a grinder, which one? Whirly blades and cheap burr grinders such as a Braun, etc are only adequate for drip...if that.
A finer grind/lighter tamp is generally the better way to go. I'm down to a 15# tamp with a light polish.
I own a Penney and a Reg, love them both, but find with the smaller PF's (49mm/51mm) the Penney's reduced piston thickness allows me to get a better feel for leveling, as I can use the basket sides as a guide. Highly recommended, as is his "Newd PF."
My last 3 words, GRINDER, GRINDER, GRINDER.
Good luck.

Lyndon,
You don't say whether you like the coffee that you are making. Crema doesn't guarantee taste.

There aren't a lot of undisputed basic principles. Different people tamp differently but the major factor for me is the relationship between extraction time and grind fineness/coarseness. For my Elektra I half fill the group handle, tamp lightly, then fill and tamp lightly again. I never get a lot of crema and I don't really care provided that the coffee tastes good. My wife wants crema but she wants to make patterns with it. Its basically about the taste. Sometimes I need to adjust the grind, tamping pressure and quantity of coffee (three dimensions) to get the optimum cup, and that can mean going from a finer to a coarser grind or from a coarser to a finer grind depending on the beans. As the coffee ages I think it needs either to be finer or more heavily tamped.

Headspace, like tamping and a lot of other things, has different people with different opinions. Find an approach that works for you. In the case of my Elektra there is not necessarily any headspace but some people find it important.

Fresh beans (I am ok with beans up to a couple of weeks old) ground as needed by a decent grinder are critical. Its possible to get something acceptable out of somewhat stale beans but its more effort and more likely to produce a bad cup. Getting something nice out of preground coffee is even more difficult/unlikely.

Greg

A finer grind/lighter tamp is generally the better way to go. I'm down to a 15# tamp with a light polish.

Just for reference, this is more of a moderate, not light, tamp. The light-tamp folks are in the 5 lb range. Remember, not long ago 30# was considered "normal" or "standard".

Most important is to try to keep everything the same, i.e. grind, dose, tamp. And use fresh beans, also the same each week until you develop a routine.

Lastly, and especially with the Pavoni, develop a very regimented and standard shot routine to control the temperature. That is, start the machine, grind and be ready when the machine is ready. Pull one short "blank" of hot water through the PF (you can even skip this if you want cooler shots), then fill it and pull the shot. Shot temperature will increase with each successive shot, and after 3-4 max the Pavoni group will be too hot. You'll need to cool it down or turn off the machine and wait.

Once you've gotten where you want to be within the set routine, you can vary one thing at a time (beans, dose, temperature) to see what you like best.

PC

IMAWriter wrote:#!)...are yoiu grinding your beans fresh?

I am led to believe so. I went to a local shop and asked for the beans they use for their espressos. Since they go through so much, it should be somewhat fresh, correct?

IMAWriter wrote:If you have a grinder, which one? Whirly blades and cheap burr grinders such as a Braun, etc are only adequate for drip...if that.

I have a Kitchen Aid A-9 classic burr grinder that I modified.

I went to a local shop and asked for the beans they use for their espressos. Since they go through so much, it should be somewhat fresh, correct?

Many shops have coffee beans that are roasted long before they are used, beans stored in vacuum bags with one-way valves. This may help the coffee keep longer, but is no substitute for freshly roasted beans to be used on a lever machine.

Thinking way too much about this, but on a tamper that has a particular piston height, with a proper dose, why not put a lip on it so that you get the same results? Am I wrong in thinking this, and if so why?

Thinking way too much about this, but on a tamper that has a particular piston height, with a proper dose, why not put a lip on it so that you get the same results? Am I wrong in thinking this, and if so why?

This would work for the height, but would not allow control of the tightness of packing, based on volume, fluffiness of grind, age of beans, and so on. Both are important.

Hey grong, thanks for the solid replies. Do you use a scale when dosing by any chance? Should I?