hm my basket is normal, like all others from the machines I have. But if you look at the Gaggia Gilda photos of OE, the Gilda's basket is some kind of thick and yellow. Maybe you got something similar?

yakster wrote:I'm going to try a Bellman CX-25 on the stovetop... instead of using the microwave and a frothing wand.

espressme wrote:The Bellman is a great steamer! -Richard

I did finally pick up a Bellman on fleabay, but one without the coffee brewing parts and gaskets that was billed as a setup for steaming which is what I want. I found that without the gaskets, it would leak and not build up good steam pressure, but I tried using a gasket from an Italian storage jar and it seems to work better. I think next time I'm going to pre-heat the water, and I've ordered some more gaskets so I don't have to steal one from one of the jars I'm currently using (and replace some of the older gaskets in our kitchen that've dried out). I'm having a little trouble getting micro-foam yet and getting a whirlpool going and end up with a "cotton ball" in the center, but it's better then the microwave / whip method I was using. I think that it might be marginally better to steam with the La Peppina steam lid, but more trouble then it's worth to switch from steaming to pulling shots... maybe if I had two La Peppinas I could steam with one and pull with the other... but no, that's just silly.

This, along with the Baratza Vario, has made it more convenient to make my wife capps. The Vario is really improving my other coffee prep methods (Chemex, syphon, CCD) and the spent grounds look quite different then from my old grinder. It's also great to be able to grind espresso on demand and saves a few minutes with the hand grinder. I've got the 45 mm dosing funnel / ring from OE that makes it nice to grind right into the portafilter.

I still need to look at rebuilding the La Peppina with gaskets, as I've had a problem with water on the counter if I don't empty the kettle, but I've been pulling the dispersion screen/block more often to clean it and after the first challenge of removing the original screws (and having to drill one out and re-tap the group first with SAE then correcting it with the right metric thread) it's actually not too difficult to remove with a stubby screwdriver on the counter without even flipping La Peppina upside down.

So, lately, I've been trying to pre-infuse to the point right before any coffee comes out of the portafilter, and I'm finding that a challenge. I do a couple partial pulls until I start to feel the back-pressure of the water against the puck and I aim to stop just before coffee comes out, but I usually get past that point and get not just drops of coffee but the start of a flow. Any tricks for doing this? I like to fill the puck with water and pull the lever down and wait a ten count before I extract into the cup. I'm sure that it'd be easier to do this bottomless (see the beading start on the screen).

Fww, this site has most of the gaskets for Bellman type machines:
here
~Richard

I had checked that site out, but it looked like I'd need the brew basket and reducer pieces in order for the gasket to seal; since I picked up the Bellman sans these parts and I needed more jar gaskets anyway, I tried a used on out and it seemed to make a good seal. I'll just have to make sure that the gaskets I get don't melt.

I still need to practice steaming on the Bellman, I haven't picked up the knack yet.

Hey everyone, this is my first post and I hope the answer to my question is not out there already. I have just ordered a peppina and it is enroute but I'm gonna assume that it will need new washers. So my first question is in regards to the washer. I read somewhere that if the washer is too stiff, it won't seal properly. This makes sense. If the washer is too thin, it will flap and let water escape. This makes sense. If the washer is too soft it will cleave to the piston head. What does this mean? I was thinking that the softer the rubber, the more it would suck into the holes and the better the seal. Also, I'm gonna need a step up transformer and was wondering if 750 watts is enough as I am getting the 700 model. Would the heating element create a big enough surge that I would need a 1000 watt transformer?
-Thanks in advance for any answer received

Don't worry about gaskets, just order them from orphanespresso. Their gaskets are good.
I have no idea about transformers since I live in a country with 230ac/50Hz as standard.

Okay, I'm off fitting a La Peppina drip tray drain. Shuffling a container back and forth is a pain in the ass that's soon to be history.
I will keep you posted

--Okay, it kinda works. The original drip tray grate is a pretty sh**ty design that doesn't really drain well. Water just flows over it if you pour too fast. I'll figure something out.

Picture!

A 6mm hose crammed through a 5.5mm hole. I've left enough space for a nut if I ever want to plug it up again.

I'm not clear why you have so much water in the drip tray? I keep a black bar washcloth on top of the grate and a small stainless bowl for catching the cleaning pulls (I pull a cleaning pull before and after each shot). If I pull the shot before it is done, I use the same stainless bowl to catch the blonded coffee. So, my drip tray never gets wet. The bar towel might get a few drops on it, and I throw it in the wash now and then.

You can see the towel (and the naked PF here):



Dan, if you're reading this, I rotated the image in Photoshop to get it right -- it looked right on the screen. Looked right in Preview. Is wrong here. Sorry for the stiff necks. This seems to be an iPhone problem and I wish it was easy to fix.

dan

Yeah, now I can forgo the towel and the small bowl to catch the cleaning pulls and blonded coffee. I didn't like the hassle with the small bowl. So no I don't have to anymore.

I've kinda solved the whole non-draining drip tray grate issue by removing it altogether and using drill bits to put the cup on. I'm thinking of a better solution, but for now, this works pretty well.

Roeland,

I'm afraid I can't sit by and watch this horrible abuse of a La Peppina and I require you to box that up and send it to someone who can take proper care of the machine. I'll PM you my address. But I'm just kidding you.

You must be pulling shots in a room without a sink, because I never find I have that much water in the drip tray, only a few drops, but I do use a Fire King bowl with a handle for flushing the group head into and catching the tail end of a pull after it starts to blond.

When I make the Wife Long Blacks (Americanos) I have to remove the drip tray to get the cup under the portafilter so the bottom of her cup sits in the drip tray, I wouldn't want to have it dirty for these tricks.

Here's a picture of the bowl, but you can't see the handle for the squeeze bottle I'm using to rinse off the dispersion screen.