As I've gotten more settled into a working technique, I've found the biggest difference is the quality of the coffee I'm using. And Christopher agrees, emphatically saying, "It's the coffee"!

Yes, the coffee makes a big difference, as does the freshness of the beans. Originally I was using LavAzza and Miscela d'Oro. However, since those require mail ordering, I recently switched to using beans from Peet's coffee. I've had real good luck with their Major Dickason's blend. I've bought the latter both from the local stores (very fresh) as well as from retail stores (in the vacuum packed bags). Both work really well and have excellent flavor and crema. My most recent success has been with the Major Dickason's blend.

The reason I switched to the Major Dickason's bean was because I had a single shot of espresso a while back from the local Peet's coffee here in town. It was the best shot I had ever had in my life! 10 out of 10. Since then, I have switched to those beans with very good results. Not saying I don't like other beans, but the Major Dickason's is really nice.

Now that I have my technique back under control, I'm going to explore some other beans again, including the LavAzza. I've had shots of espresso using LavAzza beans (at restaurants, etc.) which were very smooth and enjoyable. Miscela d'Oro also makes a really nice blend (and wonderful smelling bean), so I'm going to give them another shot as well.

I wonder if you're getting too elaborate here, when what you're aiming at is temperature control. Of course, the proof is you're getting good results. Christopher recommends bleeding off false pressure using the steam wand, as you do. But for temperature control the method I use is so much simpler, which is to run the portafilter through cool water, radically cooling it down before locking in. Have you tried that? I get very consistent results and good temperature control without having to turn the machine off and wait, and I can it on all day. But you may not be able to get as much of a cooling effect if you're using a naked portafilter, which has less mass. Also we don't know other differences between your Pavoni and mine, which is a Millennium model modified with a brass piston. The temperature setup may be different from yours, and the pressure setup certainly is, since you've modified yours.

I try not to get too complex with anything. I think it's easy to get lost in a lot of fine points that, often times, don't have much impact on the final product. For example, the tamper face profile, etc. I don't think much of that matters really. With the temperature, I just try to avoid too hot. If it's too cool and the shot is a bit sour, that's okay with me, because I like shots that run sweet/sour. If one comes out sourish, then I will flip the machine back on for a couple of minutes.

Also, as you correctly note above, because I have cut my - already rather small - 49mm portafilter handle, there is hardly any mass left. The only thing I do is wash out the basket between shots (and sometimes cool down the portafilter "ring" that holds the basket to the group head O-ring).

You also say you use a fine grind and don't pay much attention to shot timing. These things are consistent with what many lever owners say they do, and me, too, compared to how I operate my E61 pump machine.

I go more by look than anything else. Time isn't a factor. What I want to see is that the shot starts out dark, turns brown (with good lines coming into the center). No foam during the extraction, etc. Then I cut it off a little bit into the blond part. Usually that's near the end of the pull anyway. Since I tend to keep the temperature low on my machine, it doesn't phase me if the shot takes 30 seconds or 90 seconds. As long as it's extracting with the correct look (good color and thick like butter), then I will keep the pressure on with the lever and keep pulling until I start to see it change into a blond color. That's when I start pulling back on the pressure and inspecting to see how the shot is looking in the cup, etc.

Do you ever pull the handle all the way up to infuse more water into the coffee puck?

I have tried doing a 5 or 10 second pre-infusion in the past. However, these days, since the extraction takes 30 to 60 seconds typically, I don't bother with the pre-infusion. My feeling is the water has plenty of contact with the grinds. Also, since the extraction time is longer, I want to sort of get the water (and coffee) out of the machine as much as possible. Additionally, one thing I have found that seems to help is to initially sort of "bang" the water down into the puck (as opposed to starting off slow). Nothing crazy, but what I'm trying to simulate is the initial kick a pump driven machine would expose the top of the puck to. In the past, I would start the pull very slowly. These days, however, I tend to sort of give it more of an initial jolt to get things going, then try to keep the pressure on. Once the show is on the road, then I will vary the pressure on the lever based on how the extraction is looking. If it's coming along okay, I will keep it steady. If it seems like the flow needs a pick-me-up, then I will lean on the lever and try to increase the flow rate and thus the extraction of the grinds.

Here I wonder whether you are actually risking breaking your machine. Christopher warned about that, and whether or not you agree with how he pulls a shot, he has been fixing Pavonis for decades. Also, in another thread, Doug Garrott of Orphan Espresso warns people off a Cremina on eBay because he sees in the seller's photos that where the lever pins secure the lever to the grouphead, the metal is bulging and about to break through. Once that happens the grouphead is shot and you've got a parts machine, and he's seen that a number of times.

That's certainly something to be concerned/aware of. In fact, I just installed bronze bushings on my machine, because the rear holes in the lever were starting to elongate and show signs of stress, etc. Here's my recent post about that:

Bronze bushings for worn La Pavoni lever - DIY

When you come to the point you feel like you're pulling way too hard and are about to break it, have you tried backing off to steady pressure that is still limited by a nice, tight grind? This is something I adopted from using an AeroPress where at a certain point, the density of grind almost stops you.

Yes, I experience the same thing here. Sometimes the extraction will stop (regardless of how much pressure is being applied). But, if you back off (or even lift the handle up a bit), it seems to break up the traffic jam and allow the extraction to continue again with a subsequent down stroke. As you mention, I think it's a function of the relatively tight grind clogging things up; it's a fine line between a great extraction and being dead locked with a pressurized group head, no?

What coffee beans were you using when you were thinking of selling your Pavoni on eBay?

They were actually LavAzza beans - their Top Class bean as I recall. The issue wasn't in the bean though, I think it was all in the technique and temp of the machine. I think part of what was occurring was - due to the high pressure & high heat - water was blasting a hole into the top of the puck. This, in turn, was promoting very heavy channeling. I could see the channeling start right away due to the naked portafilter. I'm sure it was also a function of the specific beans (as everything plays a role). However, I think a bigger factor may have been trying to dial in the shot with too much emphasis on doing a ~20 to 25 second pull (not to mention having the machine super heated with too much pressure).

As soon as I started aiming more for a 30 to 60 second shot (and keeping the machine cooler at the time of the pull), that's when it suddenly went from doing terrible shots to doing amazing shots.

On a side note, I have been giving some thought to ridding up a variac to my machine, as this would allow me to dial down the input power to the boiler and effectively give me sort of a manual temperature "PID" of sorts. The only issue is that my variac is only rated at about 2.5 amps and on the "II" switch setting (which I like to use for heating the machine up more quickly), it pulls closer to 10 amps.

For right now, I'm just happy that I don't need to sell the machine in disgust on ebay

I do have my eye on the Izzo Alex Duetto II, however!

In any event, thank you so much for posting this thread. Trying different methods is what makes owning a Lever action machine so much fun. And with so many variables, it pays to try radically different approaches and learn from each and every outcome.

Ray

RayJohns wrote:Also, since the extraction time is longer, I want to sort of get the water (and coffee) out of the machine as much as possible.

Ray

You'd think you would want to get it out as quick as possible - not 10 seconds quick, but quicker than 90 seconds.

You'd think you would want to get it out as quick as possible - not 10 seconds quick, but quicker than 90 seconds.

That's what you'd think right? But the longer extractions at lower temp seems to produce a much better shot of espresso - at least on my machine.

Ray

Get ready for much better espresso! You're still not using really good beans. Peet's over-roasts to the point I find it almost undrinkable compared to local third wave roasters, like Blue Bottle and Four Barrel. Have you seen the thread here on favorite espresso blends reviewed by some of the top tasters on this site? See: Favorite Espresso Blends 2010 . I've started ordering these coffees online and am really enjoying it. The mailing cost is cheap and they get to you quickly. I especially like Stumptown Hairbender and Counter Culture Espresso Rustico. Others on this site have recommended a portal for good roasters called Roaste.com. To select among those roasters, check out the thread on this site about favorite roasters here: List of our favorite Roasters

Thanks very much. I'll have to check some of those blends out. I'm always on the lookout for new beans to try. I'll check all the links out in a bit and maybe order up some beans to try.

Also, when I was suggesting raising the lever all the way to the top to introduce more water to the puck, I was suggesting the Fellini Move because you might want to experiment with that. It's not just a simple pre-infusion at the start. See: Fellini does espresso ... .
Let us know how it goes!

I think maybe I have sort of being doing what you are talking about - with regard to this Fellini move.

What I have been doing (perhaps as a byproduct of using a finer grind) is this: I will lift the handle up to the top to introduce water into the group head. I will then start the extraction (no real pre-infusion). The extraction begins (i.e. droplets form on the bottom of the portafilter basket / screen - mainly around the outer edges and then slowly into the center). At this stage (I suspect due to the finer grind I'm using), the extraction sort of "locks up" and halts. You can apply a lot of pressure, but you start seeing diminishing returns for your efforts.

When this occurs, then I will sometimes lift the handle up a couple of times; not all the way back up, but just enough to take some of the pressure off the puck and maybe attempt to "suck" some of the pressurized mixture in the basket backwards (sort of to dislodge things a bit maybe). Then I will start applying firm pressure again and see if the extraction is developing more body under the basket/screen of the portafilter. Sometimes that's all it takes.

In other cases, I have to repeat (and this is why the shots take longer than 25 seconds also). At some point, the show gets back on the road and I start to see a beautiful extraction forming. Interestingly, by reducing the pressure on the lever (at this stage of things), it will often cause the extraction to increase, as opposed to decrease. This is usually when everything coalesces into a nice steady stream in the middle of the portafilter screen. Then over the next 10 to 15 seconds (roughly), the lever comes all the way down, the extraction looks amazing, sounds amazing and is full of different colors and crema, etc. By the last 10% of the lever's travel, the pull starts to turn blond and that's usually about where I let up and halt the shot.

The result is an amazing shot, 9 times out of 10 (which is in stark contrast to my previous 1 good shot out of maybe 5 or 6 attempts).



Ray

While I know there is an ongoing disagreement about this, I believe that the "Fellini move" was basically designed for spring levers and has received far more notice than it deserves. It appeared, after all, as an observation by Dr. Jim on a brief scene from a movie where it was used. FWIW my experience is that one straight down stroke is preferable with manual levers, and that everything from "puck shattering" to a more watery and bitter/sour taste results from the extra pumping. That said, there are many people who I respect on this list that swear by it. I don't even use it on the spring machine and Dr. Jim trained me how to do it. Particularly as you are seeking to refine your shots I would leave the "Fellini" to be the very last thing you try.

I've not been following this thread, but now that you've got to the point of maximum resistence, I suggest a slightly coarser grind will result in perfect flow.

If you're using the "fellini" to more or less make a too-fine grind work, you may be damaging the puck. If the results taste good, ok. But you may still want to grind just a little less fine.

I use to fellini to pre-infuse the puck, but not because I've come to the point of too much resistence.

PC

I've not been following this thread, but now that you've got to the point of maximum resistence, I suggest a slightly coarser grind will result in perfect flow.

Yes, I tend to agree with you here on this also.

Ray

drgary wrote:Ray,

Get ready for much better espresso! You're still not using really good beans. Peet's over-roasts to the point I find it almost undrinkable compared to local third wave roasters, like Blue Bottle and Four Barrel. Have you seen the thread here on favorite espresso blends reviewed by some of the top tasters on this site? See: Favorite Espresso Blends 2010 . I've started ordering these coffees online and am really enjoying it. The mailing cost is cheap and they get to you quickly. I especially like Stumptown Hairbender and Counter Culture Espresso Rustico. Others on this site have recommended a portal for good roasters called Roaste.com. To select among those roasters, check out the thread on this site about favorite roasters here: List of our favorite Roasters

Also, when I was suggesting raising the lever all the way to the top to introduce more water to the puck, I was suggesting the Fellini Move because you might want to experiment with that. It's not just a simple pre-infusion at the start. See: Fellini does espresso ... .

Let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the link(s) there Gary. I've been reading through the reviews of different blends.

I'm thinking about trying a few blends from the list above, but I don't really know where to start (short of trying them all

Myself, I usually like a rich, sweet / chocolate flavor espresso, with a hint of sourness. Or sometimes a very smooth "coffee flavor" espresso - almost like a warm cup of "coffee ice cream" flavor perhaps. Can you make any suggestions - along these lines - as far as beans to try?

Thanks!

Ray