Ah, okay, I usually do 2 fellinis and a 5 sec preinfusion, but only after initially getting the machine up to temp (heat, wait for element to go off, bleed off through steam wand until only wet steam comes out, wait for element to go off again, pull shot). Maybe I've been so scared of overheating the La Pavoni that I've not let it get hot enough.

180 degrees say

I have achieved the best results with a long preinfusion 30sec after the fellini stroke or a larger number, 4-5, of fellini strokes.

After reading this thread, I decided to pull out the one shot basket. I reduced my dose and coarsened my grind as suggested earlier in this thread, relative to my usual 2 shot basket of finer grind levelled at the top of the basket prior to tamping. For the first shot I used a brief pre-infusion and pulled a shot that was a bit watery and simple. Actually a bit sour as well. The next shot I pulled after the machine was to a better temperature, the grind somewhat finer but not as fine as my usual 2 shot grind. I kept the lever to the top until water was no longer dropping in the sight class (ie 20 sec preinfusion). Right at 30 mL the shot was blonded with no more tiger stripe and the complete volume was 40 mL. The flavor was rich without the bitterness I expected from the blonding, but next time I will waste the pull beyond 30 mL. The mouthfeel was not as syrupy as I get from use of the double basket but not thin. I will keep experimenting with the one shot basket (which in the life of my machine has probably been used less than 30 times.)

To get the volume, no fellini strokes were necessary.

I've been leaving the lever up for about 30 seconds for pre-infusion with much better success than I've had in the past. The grind is fairly tight though, so there is no dripping to start the shot before the pull.

1st post, here.

After a year of using my old La Pavoni (and reading for hours on this forum) I think I am back to square 1.
Is there anyone in the Minneapolis area willing to get together for a lesson in the minutiae of these machines?

In particular, I added the pressure gauge to the Europiccola. It also has the white switch and red switch, neither of which seem to want to light up as the temp rises. I'm trying to go by the gauge and pull shots at about .9 bar and then toggle the switches to try to keep the temp in range.

I'm at:

robkinghorn (at) msn.com OK to post home email I hope?

TUS172 wrote:You can use the setting II for initial heat up but stay close by because when it gets up toward temperature it needs to be turned down to setting I to make good espresso.

This was standard operating procedure for a long time. Now, we find we get better temperature control by turning the machine off 6-7 minutes after a setting II start-up.

New-to-me Europiccola!

I still do as usual on this unit. It may be that the roasts that I use or the temperature this unit reaches is somewhat diffferent... as I follow the same routine... but I get very satisfactory results. But this is just for one or two pulls at a time...
Others may have more distinct tastes or expectations than this old Vermonter that now resides in the Great Southwest...
Cheers!

I've had the Europiccola for more than a year now, and have done much experimenting. I have never gotten a decent shot using the single filter. Currently I've getting a truly great shot using about 14 grams of grinds in the double filter. I think this great shot is due entirely to the beans (Espresso Toscano from Counter Culture Coffee). This shot is slightly over 1 ounce. I've found this quite frustrating. Has anybody else had to use twice the amount of grinds to get a decent shot? I do not think this is due to grind, I am using a Rancilio Rocky set at 9. Would doing a Fellini solve this problem? I've never done it like that.
Thanks.

"There doesn't have to be a rush to start the draw, though once started it seems to pay to keep a flow going keeping an eye on the colour to determine whether to increase or decrease the stroke rate."

am i correct in thinking that, if i want a darker colour, then i need to make the stroke rate lower?

what exactly is the effect/result of higher vs lower pressure on the espresso?

John, there are a few things to bear in mind about the single basket: preparation is a bit more sensitive, especially levelling the grinds, but also removal of the tamper - it's easy to actually pull the cone of tamped grinds out inadvertently. A slow, gentle twist will leave it sitting in there nicely. In addition, you may well not want to complete the pull, removing the cup before the lever reaches the end of its stroke, upon blonding/thinning of the cone or whatever ends up delivering best taste/mouthfeel. Popping a little drip cup under there after the shot can be a good idea on the Pavoni with its small drip tray.

But some beans/blends simply prefer higher doses.

Gido, what makes espresso difficult in the beginning is getting a feel for how a series of different variables interrelate. But you are right that a slower shot will get you a "darker" brew. On the other hand, so will several other things, including a finer grind and higher water temperature.

Higher pressure at the beginning of a shot (assuming a little ramp up to avoid channeling/gushing) can help get the fats out more effectively, giving you a sweeter, richer shot with more crema. Tailing the pressure off towards the end will also reduce the amount of bitter solids extracted but can also give a slightly lighter colour.