Hey

* I edited my whole post because I'd just rather not try to explain my initial post below and have my header read something completely irrelevant to what I'm asking... Nicholas is referring to a 'wordier' post.

I'm not even talking about flavours of espresso. I'm talking about drink texture which I think has to do with the hardness of my water. Would 'proper' espresso soft water give the espresso a smoother/velvety texture? This is something apparent on a lot of pro machines at cafes. OR Is the less delicate mouthfeel a product of the machine? I don't even think I can explain what I'm talking about. I use filtered water with an in tank softener on the line into my boiler...

The second thing was my Eric's thermometer doesn't seem to be jiving with my water temp. I'm not sure how I would check if it's correct or dislodged and giving bad readings. I used to flush to 189f and pull and it'd be fine ... not even with my pstat way down to .7-.8 I still can't fight a quick escalation to too hot... it's just weird.

Tony, I think you're asking a lot of questions for very few details that you've provided.

You're dropping numbers on your shot temperatures like you know what you're pulling shots at, but it's not clear where you're getting them. It sounds like you're concerned about your flush technique, but you never really say what it is. Can you walk us through what you do to pull shots in some more detail?

Also, if you like the shots at a cafe better than what you get at home, can you get the beans they use and query them about any details you can get about the coffee and how they pull it? If you can't get a decent shot on a La Valentina, there's not an upgrade or change on the planet that's going to fix your problem—it's almost certainly a mano issue.

Post a pic of the thermometer install looking at the machine from the side.

What does the thermometer read when the machine is FULLY warmed up (and idling) and what is the MAXIMUM reading on your boiler pressure gage at this point? I certainly defer to Dan when it comes to this but "typical" operation of La Valentina would have the boiler pressure go from 1.00 to 1.15 and you would flush to ~ 205 and pull the shot, i.e. flush-n-go.

At the boiler pressures you are reporting (say 0.75 bar MAX), steaming any milk would be a challenge but pulling a shot would simply entail a cursory 2 second screen flush and pull.