It just arrived. I think I might have scored a winner at $255 for this Millennium Europiccola...

1) It was cleaner, shiner, and tighter than the ebay pictures made it look
2) It heats without leaking and I pulled a shot as expected without any leaks or drips
3) It steams without leaking
4) The portafilter disassembles properly without being corroded anywhere: the stud comes out of both the metal and the handle with just a light "dusting" of gray oxidation
5) It needs descaling, and some espresso detergent to get rid of some coffee residue

Portafilter disassembled, just light dusting in the middle of the stud. The portafilter came with the standard double spout... I just forgot to include it in the picture. It came apart easily:


One side:


Other side:


-Peter

Very nice indeed. Congratulations!

Congratulations!

I think the original spouted portafilter is very important to keep the group temperature stable during the shots as well.

Sticker under the base says mine is a 2004. It also has metal nuts at the top and bottom of the sight glass... I didn't know millenniums came that way.

As to not start what may be a redundant thread, what is the general, "no thermometry" method of pulling the first shot with a millennium?

With my pre-M, by the time the pressurestat cut off the heater (my pre-M, is a 2000 build), and I bleed off steam and do a quick short flush of my group and by then the temp would be about right.

On this millennium, I've only pulled one shot in the less than 24 hours since it arrived, and now its apart for cleaning. That one shot was cool.

What's a good routine for a first shot with no thermometry?

-Peter

pcrussell50 wrote:On this millennium, I've only pulled one shot in the less than 24 hours since it arrived, and now its apart for cleaning. That one shot was cool.

What's a good routine for a first shot with no thermometry?

Since warm-up times and ambient temperatures differ as do flushing and pump routines, I don't know of another way than testing with a temperature strip or at least very briefly touching the group with your hand to see if it's hot. Once you get to know your machine you may arrive at a routine. Thermometry makes it very much easier, so there's no hit or miss anymore.

Excellent deal. Get the thermometry attached. A cheap k-type probe will do it.

I have a Type K on the side of my group head as well, but sometimes the battery goes out .. Mine is 2014 Europiccola. Without a temperature reading you should get a decent shot using the following routine:
1. fill with water about 2/3 way up the sight glass.
2. attach portafilter without coffee so it heats as well
3. set a cup on side of machine under the steam to warm
4. turn on machine and let it warm up till bottom light goes off
5. Release some pressure 5sec from the steamer..hold your cup under it and pour it out
6. Pull 4 oz or so into a another larger cup to pull hot water into the group head
7. Grind, fill filter basket, and tamp coffee
8. Attach portafilter
9. lift handle very slowly,
10. hold handle at top for 10-15 sec (i sometimes get drops before 10 but prefer not)
11. pull firmly (hopefully for another 10-15 seconds ) and enjoy
I'd start like that...then taste the espresso and adjust the warmup time and how many flushes you do. This should get you some decent shots assuming your machine is functioning similar to mine. if they taste way too hot/bitter then turn the machine off and let it cool a bit and apply a wet washcloth to the group head if i'm really impatient...but off time works as well for me as anything to cool it. tasting is the most important part, but temperature reading of some sort will be a big help for consistency and making fine adjustments. There is a lot of great advices and videos, and I'm sure others can give you their routines. I didn't suggest times since your machine is going to be different. This all assumes you have fresh coffee and have the grind dialed in, know how to tamp, etc. Congratulations and enjoy!

Got my inner sleeve removal bar from Stefano. It goes without saying, but I'll say it again that he is a major class act, and a hugely valuable resource to us Pavoni heads. He handled a minor order snafu with class and great customer service.

So the final step in my cleaning of this Millennium, new addition to my Pavoni stable was to remove the plastic group sleeve and clean it. It came out easily with Stefano's tool (I didn't even need a pair of pliers in the end), and was surprisingly clean, but not perfectly. This is probably a silly question, but is there any reason I can't soak the sleeve in the same, just-off-the-boil water that I soak the metal parts in, along with my Cafiza espresso detergent? Given the heat of boiler water, I don't see why it should be a problem, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

-Peter

pcrussell50 wrote:Got my inner sleeve removal bar from Stefano. It goes without saying, but I'll say it again that he is a major class act, and a hugely valuable resource to us Pavoni heads.

Sure agree with that. He (and Kathleen) have been really responsive and helpful to me for my old E-61 as well as my Pavoni.

pcrussell50 wrote:t is there any reason I can't soak the sleeve in the same, just-off-the-boil water that I soak the metal parts in, along with my Cafiza espresso detergent? Given the heat of boiler water, I don't see why it should be a problem, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

That Ryton PPS sleeve is resistant to heat and chemicals. And it sees hotter-than-boiling water in normal use, so I see no problem with a boiling hot cafiza soaking and cleaning.