Hey guys, I just upgraded and got the La Pavoni Professional PPG-16. For those that have this machine (http://www.amazon.com/La-Pavoni-PPG-16- ... B0016OBCTC), what size tamper works best?

51mm

Oh and congrats. I love my la Pavoni. Seems finicky at first but after you get use to the little LP ritual routine, it will turn out fantastic shots. Make sure you have a scale and a very good grinder to go with it.

I'd recommend 51mm

See Best tamper size for La Pavoni Europiccola Millenium - 51.0mm or 51.5mm ? for a full discussion.

Note - Old (pre-millennium) Pro and Europiccola use a 49mm tamper, and the newer Pro and Europiccola use 51mm.

thanks guys!

This is really a neat machine. I believe its base is still being made from real brass instead of brass covered steel, this means you should not have the serious corrosion problems that the steel base models tend to have. Also it has nice rosewood handles instead of cheap plastic.

I agree that you certainly need a good weighing device and grinder. I have grown very fond of the Pharos. I modified mine a bit, and that has made me even more fond of it. (I added a locking threaded collar as the adjustment technique, and placed a small printed protactor on the HANDLE, not the body of the thing. This gives me precision control over grind.)

Electronic weighing devices are available for very low prices. However, you may also be able to find mechanical devices to do this. I have an old prescription balance a pharmacist gave me decades ago when laws went into effect forbidding the use of drams and scruples as units in pharmacies. I also have a laboratory "dial o gram" balance that I noticed in a dumpster one day. I took it home and went to work on it. It took some work, but I soon had it in perfect working order. This is my preferred coffee weighing device. (Used ones tend to go for about $25 to $35, new ones for perhaps $250.) Maybe you might notice one that has been discarded in a dumpster some day!

rpavlis wrote:This is really a neat machine. I believe its base is still being made from real brass instead of brass covered steel, this means you should not have the serious corrosion problems that the steel base models tend to have.

Plus, if it's a PPG I think it will be 18-carat gold plated.

I also have a PPG with 51mm convex and flat tampers. Lately, I like the curved surface. It seems like I get less channeling, but it probably doesn't make much difference. Forgeddabout the learning curve. It took me about a year to get consistent results and I am totally satisfied. A bottomless portafilter was a big help in that direction. Every morning I smile when I see that beautiful PPG waiting for me in the kitchen.

Just got a 51mm tamper and there's a little wiggle room in the basket. Feels like a 52mm might have been perfect. If anybody needs a 51mm tamper, send me a message. I got it off eBay and can't return it.

Don't give it away yet - wiggle room is fine, you don't want an interference fit. You may find you want to use a nutating tamp and you need that wiggle room to do that.