Just for fun I pulled five shots in succession with my Ponte Vecchio, to see if I could overheat it. I'm not sure if I did, because I find it hard to tell what an overheated taste is. I almost always brew one, or at most two, shots from a cold start-up. They are always crema-laden, and a drinkable temperature right after the pour. The crema is always uniform lighter brown, with little speckling. Shots 3-5 had the more commonly sought after dark speckles. The crema was thinner and shorter-lasting, and the temperature to my palate was too hot. I didn't notice a strong burned taste, however. How do you know when a shot's too hot?

shot four:



shot five:




PC

peacecup wrote:How do you know when a shot's too hot?

Accentuated bitterness, lingering on the roof of the mouth, along with thin, dark brown crema. Unless there's a problem with monitor's gamma setting, the shots you posted look like they qualify.

If you look at the left side of shot 5 you can see some very dark crema around the edge of the cup. That tends to be a tell tale sign of a scorched shot. A little tiger fleck crema is a good thing, but when it makes up 50% or more of the crema surface and is very dark, it could be burnt. The real test is in the taste, a shot that runs too hot gets a bitter and burnt taste.

peacecup wrote:Just for fun I pulled five shots in succession with my Ponte Vecchio, to see if I could overheat it. I'm not sure if I did, because I find it hard to tell what an overheated taste is. I almost always brew one, or at most two, shots from a cold start-up. They are always crema-laden, and a drinkable temperature right after the pour. The crema is always uniform lighter brown, with little speckling. Shots 3-5 had the more commonly sought after dark speckles. The crema was thinner and shorter-lasting, and the temperature to my palate was too hot. I didn't notice a strong burned taste, however. How do you know when a shot's too hot?

Peacecup,
Your first two shots, let alone the 4th and the 5th, are already on the hot side of the spectrum. There is a quite a difference between the taste and feel of the espresso my Caravel produces at < 200°F and the espresso the Cremina produces on, say, the second of two singles, even when the Cremina's p-stat is turned down. The Cremina is not my machine of choice when I want to pull a shot on the cooler end of the spectrum. Once your tongue has tasted espresso from the cool range, there would be no question in your mind about the differences between a 198° shot and the 4th or 5th shots in a series from your Ponte Vecchio, or my Cremina, assuming we've done nothing to cool the group.

Regards
Timo

Peacecup,
I acquired a knee-eque grinder for my Caravel. It is a Lehnartz, that is 3"x4.5" but none of that nice curve that is on the Zazz knee grinders. She sure produces some nice consistent fodder for the portafilter!! and a steal of a deal for $20. I'll have to send a shot of it to you.

Any news on your future job location??

I've been keeping an eye out for a good deal on a Lehnartz - hope that little red rooster's not too lazy to crow for day. I've seven of these classics already, so I'm trying to limit myself. I've a few with curves, and a few without, and I don't find much difference in function or comfort. As I grind, I really enjoy thinking about craftsmen who built these little pieces of functional art, and I love the wood grain. Most are beech, but I have one that's some type of fruitwood. I've gotten one or two in new condition and found that if I set the burrs to just where they meet, they wear just slightly to produce a very even grind. In fact, my choice for the daily grind is a 1940's mill that produces a near-perfect grind, and will go fine enough to choke any machine. These things basically last forever. I was watching the video of Dave pulling a shot with the Achille, and he walked over to the counter - suddenly this deafening noise! Then I realized it was just his grinder. I must admit I've grown very accustomed to the complete hands-on and silent approach.

After careful consideration I think I'd like to find a Caravel for my second lever. I think I'd like the open boiler, because of my preference for cooler temperatures. I'd had my eyes on a few back before they found their way to HB, but I never wanted to take the plunge. If you ever hear of one please give me a heads up - not sure I'd want to buy one from Italia, but I might.

I struck out on Switzerland but have a proposal in for Sweden. We won't know until March.

We're planning a trip to the real world in January, including Seattle, and possibly Portland/Corvallis. I'm hoping to see a few sights (i.e. lever espresso makers!) on my journey.

PC

Peacecup says:

because of my preference for cooler temperatures.

I like the cooler temperatures, too. My favorite shots result when the group is warm, but cool enough to be able to leave your hand on it comfortably for some time. This creates such a subtly velvet texture, and delicate sweetness. I served such a shot to a connoisseur this past weekend, a former barista trainer, and it received his nod of approval.

I recently lowered the pressure on my unit so the heater kicks on at just above 1 kg/cmsquared. This has kept the group cooler. The steaming power is adequate for steaming milk for the daily cappuccino. If you steam much of the time, the higher pressures makes for incredible steaming power. I am trying to optimize for pulling shots.

I was wondering how you, Peacecup, would lower the pressure on the Export, and know where you were with regards to pressure, without a pressure gauge. I moved the adjustment screw counter-clockwise, approximately 15 minutes on the clock, to make the change.

peacecup wrote: After careful consideration I think I'd like to find a Caravel for my second lever. I think I'd like the open boiler, because of my preference for cooler temperatures. I'd had my eyes on a few back before they found their way to HB, but I never wanted to take the plunge. If you ever hear of one please give me a heads up - not sure I'd want to buy one from Italia, but I might.

I struck out on Switzerland but have a proposal in for Sweden. We won't know until March.

We're planning a trip to the real world in January, including Seattle, and possibly Portland/Corvallis. I'm hoping to see a few sights (i.e. lever espresso makers!) on my journey.

PC

You better look me up if you get to town. And Hal or Dr Jim if you drop in to Seattle... We would be proud to do some hosting , go to Stumptown and have a shot and look for a really nice microbrew.... Mi casa, es su casa. Que ricco cafe' !!

You better look me up if you get to town. And Hal or Dr Jim if you drop in to Seattle...

I'll be traveling with the family...you'd have to make a couple of cappucinos as well (one a Shirley Temple).

I was wondering how you, Peacecup, would lower the pressure on the Export, and know where you were with regards to pressure, without a pressure gauge. I moved the adjustment screw counter-clockwise, approximately 15 minutes on the clock, to make the change.

I would like to get hold of a gauge that I could screw to the filler cap - Gene at Vanelis calibrates them that way before shipping. I think I set mine back 1/4 turn too, but I don't recall exactly. It has the same Pstat as the Lusso.

The issue with reducing the pressure is whether or not the piston will fill sufficently when the lever is depressed. I've been thinking about trying it with the boiler full and the cap open (i.e. open boiler) but have not gotten around to it. I'm not sure what kind of mechanism they use to fill the piston (one way valve or not?). I do know the filling hole inside the piston is quite small, from someone's earlier posts with photos.

PC

Photos of the inside of the PV group:

How to lube Ponte Vecchio Export piston for smoother movement