Hello All,

This topic has been treated in some other thread but I have not really seen a comprehensive discussion on the root causes of this matter, so here we are

After looking at endless threads on how to pull the perfect shot with a La Pavoni Professional (or equivalently Europiccola), what I found is that nobody seems to dose less than 12 grams of coffee for a shot, with 14 grams being a very likely option.
It also seems that the single basket is pretty useless, so it's double baskets for 99% of the La Pavoni aficionados.

However, the master rules of espresso making give a maximum of 9 grams for a single shot (also reported in Illy's book of Espresso).
Moreover, whenever I go to Italy and have an (exceptional) espresso in one of those bars in Naples (all equipped with lever machines), it seems to me that they use much less coffee than 12-14 grams per shot.

So the question to those more expert than me is whether I should completely give up any hope of being able to make a good cup of espresso out of my La Pavoni Pro with a "normal" 8-9 grams dose of coffee.

Is everybody dosing up because it is in the end easier to produce better crema and a more intense flavour?
Has anybody out there managed to make a nice cup of espresso with 8-9 grams of coffee in the small single portafilter? And if yes, how???

I must say, the main reason of wanting to make a good espresso with less coffee is that one can only drink that many 14 grams espresso in a day before starting to itch into nervous spasms ...and usually that number is less than I would love to drink.......

Any opinion is welcome and appreciated.

Angelo,

Just got a Gaggia Factory (La Pavoni Pro) and have only pulled doubles so far as I'm just starting out, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to pull a good single from the La Pavoni.

I'm used to pulling doubles and singles on the La Peppina which has a 45 mm basket, I'd do 12 - 16 g in the double and 6 - 10 grams in the single. Usually only dose as high as 10 grams in the single when that's all I had left of a bean and there wasn't enough for a double. I completely agree with you regarding the benefits of pulling six single espressos versus three doubles, it's much more fun to pull multiple shots and maybe play with the grind, dose, temp, etc. before you get over-saturated with coffee.

I found that the trick to pulling a good single on the La Peppina was to skip any sort of pre-infusion, otherwise I got an over-extracted shot. Once I did this, I was as happy if not happier with the singles on my La Peppina as the doubles. I fully intend to learn how to pull a good single on the Gaggia Factory, just haven't gotten there yet. I'm still trying to get the grind / dose / pull right with the Tin Man for doubles.

Good luck!

Hey Chris!

It is encouraging that you managed to pull some good quality singles.

Did you have to go to a coarser grind when passing from doubles to singles? I read that the single basket of the la pav needs a much coarser grind otherwise the machine gets chocked much more easily.

Anyway, I will experiment and let you know the results...

Angelo

I started just pulling singles because my La Pavoni was missing it's double portafilter when I bought it. I've since bought a double basket and have been ignoring the single basket since then.

The tamper I bought didn't fit the single basket very well, it tapers much too quickly so it was difficult to get enough coffee in to be able to tamp and still be able to lock in the portafilter...so using the single basket was quite finnicky. In contrast the double basket gives me a lot more flexibility to change my dose.

I was able to get good shots from the single basket...I believe I was grinding slightly finer than I am now using the double and they tended more towards the lungo end of the scale while my doubles are around the normale/ristretto border.

The main reason I switched is that the double basket is quite a bit more flexible and easy to use, especially with the size tamper that I have...but I'm also liking the taste of the more ristretto shots too.

So, I got out the single basket tonight for a little espresso session (excepting the one double I pulled for my Wife's Americano). The seven grams I dosed for the first shot looked pretty small in the single basket, so I upped it to eight grams which looked about right. Trying with little to no pre-infusion resulted in no volume in the shot, the Gaggia Factory fills quite a bit differently then the La Peppina so I had to do a double-pull for the first time. I'm thinking that 8 grams and holding the lever up for about four seconds to fill the portafilter is a good starting point. I used a grind about as fine or maybe a tad finer then I'd use for doubles on the Factory.

The shots weren't fantastic, but I think with some practice I can get even better shots going. Most of the shots were 49th Parallel Epic Espresso, but the last and best shot was a Novo Coffee Ethiopia Amaro.

Took another whack at singles this morning after getting a double Americano out of the way for the Wife's morning coffee. Dosed 8 grams of Handsome Coffee Roaster's espresso blend and used a group head fill time (held the lever full-up) for about four seconds. I'd say that the shots were pretty good, but a bit hot. I need to work more on my temperature technique, but the temperature strip on the nose of the Gaggia does help.

Grind, grind, grind - and it has got to be fine. Choke it, then dial back. Fresh coffee. I usually played with 8-9 grams in my single basket for the Pavoni (my daily needs are now, recently, met with my Gaggia Achille). If all goes well, you may find that what is a proper grind for the 7-9 grams, chokes at 14 grams. Oh, and play with a few seconds of pre-infusion.

-phillip

it's all about the grind

Oh, and it makes sense that not only do you want to pre-infuse less with a smaller single dose, but you also want to pull at a lower temperature because there's less coffee to absorb the heat. I've read this before on the forums, but don't have the reference at the tip of my fingers. I think that this is why the single shots are tasting hot when I'm aiming for the same pull temp as I was using for doubles.

I pulled a couple singles this morning before work, pretty good tasting singles. Pulling at a cooler temp seems to have really helped.

I filled and fired up the Gaggia Factory and set my stopwatch for a twenty minute warm-up while I got ready for work. It took me closer to thirty minutes, so the machine was well warmed up by the time I was ready to pull some shots. I got my Wife's double Americano out of the way first and then proceeded to cool the group by a combination of dunking my chopped portafilter / filter basket in an ice water bath and locking it into the group as well as wiping the front of the group with a damp towel and periods of turning off the machine. I pulled out the portafilter, dried the filter basket, and ground eight grams of an accidental mix of SO Colombia San Augustin I'd roasted up along with a Nicaragua Nueva Segovia I'd accidentally put in the same bag when I was loading up coffee for my Kauai trip. I used a fine grind, as fine if not finer then what I use for a double. I then lifted the lever and allowed the boiler to fill the group for about four seconds before starting the pull. This resulted in a nice, sweet shot without being overly hot or burnt.

I repeated the procedure with additional ice baths for the portafilter and cool, damp rags for the group head and pulled eight grams of Handsome Coffee Roaster's espresso and was rewarded with another nice, sweet shot. After this, I cooled down the machine and cleaned up to leave for work, though I was left wanting more espresso (two doubles would have been nice). I wouldn't say that the taste of the singles is exactly the same as the doubles, but the singles tasted good, probably with a little more clarity then a double.

For me, the key points for pulling a single are:

• Around eight grams of finely ground coffee
• Around four seconds fill time before starting the pull (minimize pre-infusion)
• Cooler temperatures then used to pull a double since there's less coffee mass to absorb the heat
• Use whatever means necessary (portafilter ice or cool water bath, damp, cool rag on group, turning off machine) to maintain temp control
• Pull the cup when it blondes, it's a smaller shot and blondes quicker.

Angelo, let us know how your making out with your singles.

Wow Chris, you have put a fair amount of effort in making those singles nice and sound!

I only managed to have a couple of singles shots, but so far it wasn't a very successful experience.
Basically I used the same grind as for doubles. I am now using a Colombian mountain arabica, quite rich and punchy. I think I have overdosed my singles filter as the machine was pretty chocked both times...I need to go down the 8grams dose as you suggested but I do not think I will be able to use a finer grind...let's see.

Main reason I am so slow in pulling these shots is that I m fixing some other issue with water coming out too fast when I lift the lever. This burns out the puck and although it is probably only marginal I cannot stand the burnt flavour even slightly.
Anyhow, I think I have solved the issue and will be getting on with pulling shots when I am back end of next week (out on business).

By the way nice pictures!

Cheers,
Angelo