Well figured that I would document my first pulls from a complete "newbie." Hopefully you guys can speed up my learning process a bit

Coffee-Red Bird Espresso, Northern Italian Roast and roasted on 7/19. Great company to work with by the way. Roast is also probably a bit fresh but I was anxious.

7/22/11
First time operating espresso machine aside from some horrible attempts to create microfoam with the steamarm. Bought Pasquini Livia 90s used and backflushed(using cafez and pallo cleaning tools) machine. Steam wand and portafilter sat overnight on 7/21/11 in citric acid bath.Shot yr old beans through machine to pick up any residual cleaning agent. I may descale after my first pound of beans.

Machine sat heating ~1.5hrs. Pasquini Livia 90s
I did not concentrate on hx flushing because I wanted to focus more on loading the portafilter correctly and tamping, one thing at a time. Warmed shot glasses and portafilter and then loaded 22.0 grams on Vario hopper. Ground with macro setting at finest notch and micro setting nine notches from coarsest setting. Brushed excess off with finger and lightly placed tamp on portafilter and proceeded to twist slightly. Lifted tamp and it was clearly not level. I then gave the tamp a good bit of pressure realizing that it was not level but struck it up to me just needing practice. I then loaded portafilter and then unloaded to see if I could see the screw mark in the coffee portafilter basket. Due to the uneven tamp their was a bit of clumping of coffee clumped to the grouphead screen and a big ole pocket in the portafilter but alas I locked and loaded(remember this is my first shot ever). 10 seconds go by and no espresso so I stopped the run and decided to try less coffee.

17.7g
I used the same grind(probably needed to go more coarse but only wanted to change one variable) with slightly more level tamp but still visibly uneven. Tried again to place portafilter in and then out to see screw mark. Same result with clumped coffee on group head but a fair amount less. I still attribute this to a piss poor tamping job. Pulled shot and espresso started to flow around 4 seconds and also blonded for a bit at the end. I stopped the shot at 26.9 seconds. Sink shot.

Between each shot I am doing a portafilter wiggle and cleaning the clumped coffee with pallo tool(necessary with my ugly barista skills).

3rd and final try for today and hopefully with a video if I can embed it properly. Looks like I will try to edit in the video

17.6g used and I adjusted the grind one notch coarser on the micro setting side.
I tamped lightly and got a pretty even surface from the naked eye view. I then used a much slower tamping speed but ~ same pressure which hopefully helped with any air pockets. I did not remove the portafilter this time to check for screw mark. This shot ran for ~45 seconds but may be slightly off as I was running video.
The first two pucks where pretty much garbage to look at but the third puck was at least worth diagnosis. A few pinholes and probably channeling as well.

I am a bit unsure what size basket came with my machine but I am assuming it is a double. I may end up getting a naked portafilter and will probably get some VST baskets simply because they have some good recommended gram dose ranges that would be one less variable while I am learning.


3rd shot video and images.
you can see the holes etc.


Pressure must be high as you can see it bleeding out water in the background.Going to go more course next time.

Yeah way more coarse, the water couldn't comfortably move through the puck so it channeled. It's crazy that it was choked for a while before shooting out the first bit of espresso really quick. Don't be afraid to make big adjustments, look at some stellar pull videos that are around, and keep those in mind when you are watching your own streams.

"Lifted tamp and it was clearly not level."
This is a big problem too. Once you compress the coffee unlevel, it can't be fully corrected after. Focus on pushing straight down on an even bed of coffee. Using your fingers around the edge of the tamper to judge evenness can help.

Focus on making your current equipment work better. It can definitely be a lot better than what's in the video, even without extra gear.

Have you checked your pump pressure? When you start the shot you can see water running out of the release valve into the drip tray. That is the pressure release valve. It prevents the plumbing from exploding if there is some kind of catastrophic pressure ramp in the system. They usually open around 12 bar. For it to be dripping while you are pulling a shot your brew pressure must be super high. That or there is something unique to that machine, have not used one so I cannot say.

7/23
edit: on last video towards end of shot my machine cut off due to low water levels:p

Thanks for the help guys! Yes, I have been a bit apprehensive of big grinder adjustments but I did some today.
Cannonfodder- It did appear that the pump pressure was a little high ~1.5bar and I adjusted it to ~1.1-1.2 bar. I found some old posts here on HB where pasquini livia users after some amount of pressure release per shot(not sure if this is normal or not and will do more research!).

17.8g with the macro adjustment set to 3 from finest(big adjustment) and micro at 6 up from coarse. The shot was fast and it was a sink shot. The puck was nice and dry though.

17.7g macro set to 2 from finest and micro 6 up from coarse. Tasted pretty good. I thought flow was too fast? also some pretty big holes in the puc. you can see my temperture/ pressure seem to be better after adjustment!


17.5g macro set to 2 from finest and micro set to finest. way to slow and almost choked machine. big holes in puck.

17.5g macro set to 2 from finest and micro 6 notches from finest. This was a bit slow and had holes in the puck.

17.5g macro set to 2 and micro 4 notches from coarsest.



Overall still feeling a bit lost. this last video was a sink shot as where most all of them except the first video. I think I need to get somewhere at macro 2 with micro between the first video and second video. It is easy to see how beginners get so lost in all the variables. I do think my tamping is night and day better than my first day making shots but probably still has a long ways to go but I do believe it is getting pretty level.

I will try to add some thoughts if I missed something in a bit. thanks for the help guys and glad I adjusted pressure!

17.5g macro set to 2 and micro

jmreeves wrote:7/23
Cannonfodder- It did appear that the pump pressure was a little high ~1.5bar and I adjusted it to ~1.1-1.2 bar. I found some old posts here on HB where pasquini livia users after some amount of pressure release per shot(not sure if this is normal or not and will do more research!).

The 1.1 to 1.5 bars are boiler pressures, they relate to how hot your boiler is. And 1.5 does seem high to me, it will take longer cooling flushes to get down to a good temp.

I'm not sure if your machine has a gauge to show the shot pressure, 9 bar is considered the standard for shot pressure, although I'm set a little lower myself, around 8.5 bar.

I think you have a vibe pump, and there is a OPV inside your machine to set this pressure.

Randy

hi Randy, i did adjust the opv about a quarter turn counterclockwise but i must have mixed up my termonolgy posting. thanks

Don't worry so much about exact dosing yet. Put a nickel on top of your tamped puck, lock in the portafilter, remove it, and see if there is an impression of the nickel in the puck. If there is, use less coffee. Your pour looks too fast, so grind finer. Dave (cannonfodder) has a post on it somewhere. Don't worry too much about keeping track of the exact setting of your grinder because it will change between different coffees and as a coffee ages. Try to get 1.5 to 2 ounces of liquid in about 25 seconds and go from there.

Well I am just about done with my first pound I did veer away from some of the precision and focused a bit more on the timing of the shot. I also think I may be working with a triple basket here and ordered a double just to be sure what I was working with.

Here is a post from another_jim in 2005 on the Livia

"First off, get a deeper basket -- the LM doubles are apparently best for this machine -- the Bezzera baskets are very shallow and sensitive to overloading. Alan Frew in a long test found that many so called machine differences were really differences in basket size. There needs to be ample headspace between the top of the puck and the screen, since there is no room behind the screen for water to steep. Even after the puck has expanded, there should be no shower screen marks on it after the shot. This also means you'll need to tamp very meticulously, so the puck doesn't disintegrate.

The Livias have a high water debit and large gicleurs; therefore they are quite sensitive to grind. You may need to do in-between grinds on the MDF, either by holding the setting wheel between two stops, or by starting the grind at the finer stop, and clicking it to the coarser one half way through.

The thermal setup on the Livia is a largish 6 ounce or so heat exchanger in a vertical boiler, with much of the stored water in the steam, feeding a light weight brew head bolted to the boiler. The brewhead will run about 10F to 15F too cool on idle. This design is sized so that the flush of overheated HX water will heat the head and cool down the HX at the same time -- it requires the famous "blank shot," a 1 to 2 ounce flush rather than the extended ones used by the E61s. This is actually more convenient for the first shot from idle; although the design is not as temperature stable for a long series of shots. The cooling flush may only take 3 to 6 seconds -- all the water dance stuff described for the E61 machines does not apply. Use a measuring cup to find out how long it takes to get this amount of water.

There's lots of consumer reviews of the Livia up on the coffeegeek site; some have user tips."

So for my final video post, I do believe the timing is pretty good. I still probably need to get a slightly finer grind to help slow down the pour just a bit and I do believe it is blonding a bit early. I did enjoy the mouthfeel the most on this shot whereas the taste has been slightly better in a past shot but not by much. It was a pretty good shot taste wise atleast for my newbie taste buds. I ground 21.0 grams and I did have a slight screw impression with the dry puck when done so it was a bit overdosed according to jims post above. I have found that my channeling problems and pinholes have pretty much disappeared. I think I am still unlevel with my tamping though and I am sure it will come with practice. I believe distribution and my technique are hindering my progress on fine tuning the grind. I was also able to do a 7g single shot that ran around 28seconds but also stuck to the filter screen at the end so possibly overdosed. I have ordered two more pounds of redbird and a pound of counterculture apollo for my next and hopefully easier training experience!

21gram shot, no channeling or pinholes but suspect overdose and possibly to coarse.

Apollo counter culture roast only a couple days old.

I used the newly purchased double basket which has ridges that don't allow me to tamp all the way down it didn't appear to be an issue at 18g. I would like to go a bit finer but the volume and timing now seem to fall under "acceptable" times.
Any thoughts

Try to get your grind settings right. In addition to bean type and age, the best grind setting will also change with the weather. Be flexible with your first couple of shots, and willing to change the grinder. What you did yesterday may bear little resemblance to what you should be doing today.

You don't need to dose by weight. Slightly overdose the basket and use a finger sweep to level and get rid of the excess grounds. Whatever that is, it's the right dose in the stock basket. If you like, you can weigh the charge to see how consistent it is -- you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The Livia is not very demanding about tamps. Grind a little finer and use a lighter tamp than you might in another machine -- if that means anything to you. If it doesn't, just try and get your grind right and don't worry about it for a few months.

Yes, a level tamp will make a positive difference in the cup. After dosing your basket, very lightly tamp it just to level. Take a look to make sure, then give it your best "real" tamp. BTW, it can be significantly less than the supposedly ideal 30#.

There's nothing wrong with the stock baskets. You don't need an LM or Synesso to get great shots from the Livia. You might want to pull shorter shots though with the shallower baskets. Whatever you're using, don't overfill.

Okay, tamping isn't next to Godliness, BUT... For heaven's sake, get a tamper that's the right size for whatever basket you're using. That means one which will go all the way down to the coffee. What are you thinking with a tamper too big for your basket?

I bought my Livia in '88 along with a Pasquini Moka grinder, and used both of them daily for 22 years. For almost all that time, I "up-tamped" Euro-style on the tamper screwed to the Moka's doser. It was a lighter tamp and a finer grind than most baristas would use with a regular tamper, and it worked just fine. In case you missed it, the moral of the story isn't "up-tamping," it's how un-demanding the machine is in that respect and how much you can do with grind.

You want enough coffee in the basket for the size shot you've decided to draw. You want enough of a tamp to maintain headspace, keeping the top of the puck under the screen and out out of the works. You want a fine enough grind to prevent under-extraction and coarse enough to prevent over-extraction. Everything else is nuance. It is nice to use tamp pressure to help control flow rate -- but stay conservative and don't tamp too hard. Grind is your best source of control, your primary parameter.

If it's any comfort, you haven't stood still. Over the course of your ownership, your grind and distribution techniques have improved to the point where you're not starting with a complete clog or a gusher. That's very good.

At this point, the most important piece of advice I can give you is not to be afraid of the off switch. Turn the pump off when you get blonding, not by volume or because you're hoping to get close to a particular pour time. You're waiting too long.

Blonding is a clue. If the coffee blonds too fast, you want to make sure you're getting enough coffee into the basket, getting it in there evenly, and that it's ground fine enough. But more often than not, it's a sign that the fines are fully extracted. You can think of it as "not enough coffee," which is sometimes true; or as "too much water" which is always true. I'm not going to say that your shots are blonding too fast (they're not), but I am seeing too much blond before you turn off.

A lot of other things are clues too. So watch the coffee more than the clock, the dynometric tamper, the dosometric buttons, the gauge, the scale, or anything else you're counting on for "objective" or quantifiable certainty. The goal is coffee, not a set of numbers. Look, listen, smell, touch, taste.

Here's an example: Where in the cooling shot do you stop hearing steam sputters? What's too soon? What's too late? If you hear sputtering at the end of the shot, do you pull another blank? If the sputtering stops after the first couple of ml, do you wait a while before pulling the real shot to give the machine a chance to recover?

The biggest challenge with the Livia is temperature control. Your shot pull videos are very informative, but it would be interesting to see your pre-shot routine as well -- including dosing, tamping, and whatever "cooling shot" routine you use.

Use the tastes of bitterness and sourness as your primary diagnostic tools for "too hot" or "too cold." Pay attention to what you taste.

I know the drip tray is small and inconvenient, but be profligate with water. Lots of water is an HX's best friend.

Everything inside the Livia's group gets dirty very easily, and needs frequent and thorough cleaning. More than just backflusing, that includes regular removal of the screen and showerhead. Plan on: (1) DAILY brushing and backflushing the group, scouring the pf and basket, emptying and rinsing knock box and drip tray; (2) WEEKLY backflushing with a chemical cleaner such as Joe Glo or Full Circle, including soaking the basket and pf in a "wicked liquid" solution of cleaner and water for at least a few hours before scouring, wash the knock box and drip tray with soap and water or in the dishwasher; and (3) MONTHLY removal and soaking of the screen and showerhead. The Livia showerhead clogs easily, and is very difficult to clean if it does.

Also, keep the area around the Livia (including the knock box and drip tray) very clean. Old, smelly coffee will mask the new coffee's smells. Check under the machine every day by tipping it backwards, after you remove the drip tray. Wipe and/or clean as necessary. Wipe down your machine when you replace the drip tray after rinsing, it will help you spot problems before they occur.

The best and easiest way to keep things clean is to clean often.

Hope this helps,
BDL