I quickly realized that the problem as to why my action was different than the peacecup video was because I assessed it as such with no grinds in the PF. That's b/c I spent a lot of time flushing it before I ran my first shot b/c of the old metal smell inside....and then flushing the vinegar after that. So I asked this w/o having grinds in there. Of course, when I ran my first real shot (I did a few with old/crappy beans just to help sugar/season the group head after as a final flush after the vinegar), it operated as it should. And actually it was a great first shot. I made a cappa b/c I wanted to test it all and wasn't using the best beans so I needed to mask it a bit (and I wanted to check the foam). In other words, it was a lousy crema but i did sip it before adding the milk and it wasn't very bitter at least which was nice. There's about 5 reasons why I didn't get good results on the espresso itself:
1) Old beans
2) Bad tamp (my tamper is too small... What's the correct size tamper to get for this mini PF??? )
3) It channeled b/c of 2 above.
...and a few others I can't think of right now.

I was very impressed with the foaming ability. After 10 years of using a krups toy, I got pretty good with it so I think learning on that was a good way to jump the learning curve with this more serious one. But I do have a few questions for you seasoned pros (see below).

YES...It was the brown one on Ebay. It is beautiful. Better than the pics. This was clearly a wedding gift that never got used or very rarely a long time ago. The cord had some electrical tape right near the base (which was annoying b/c the seller didn't mention this which you'd think would have been something to obviously disclose) but I can cut and rewire and only lose a few non-vital inches. The release valve works great with spring and plunger mint. I thought at first maybe the tank leaked a bit from the bottom and I'm still not 100% sure but I think it's just that I over filled and didn't notice and it leaked out at the base from inside...from the overfill. I also bought a Cremina and I'm gonna do my own comparison and then resell the lesser machine of the two. I like figuring it out for myself. If I let myself be biased by what I read and sheer volume of mentions, I'd pick the Cremina but so far I'm impressed with the Sama. It's is very attractive to boot.

SO, questions: What size PF is it actually and is it possible to get these anywhere? Through Ponte Vecchio? I only have the double which is all I need but if i could get another I might drill it naked to learn better/faster.

2) again, similar and I asked above, what size tamper therefore. Might be the same answer I realize but might be slightly different.

3) I assume the tank is brass, but I just want confirmation it's not aluminum. Can't totally tell just by observing b/c it's not "brass" colored, it's more typical silver color.

4) any good recs for cleaning the inside. Just want to try a little more to get rid of that musty/metal smell from the inside. I bet it sat on a shelf for years with a little moisture on the inside. No rust or scale comes out when I flush it or turn it upside down but the smell could be better. I think I improved it but was debating trying alka seltzer or denture stuff as they'd be "food safe". I wouldn't run them through the PF, i'd just soak and dump out the top. Also thinking about trying this with baking soda. (I dont' like using nasty chemicals).

Thanks for the tips. Having a ball with this here in Cleveland where it's really tough to find it good w/o making it yourself.

M.

Welcome markmosk.
For the last couple of months I have been enjoying my Ponte Vecchio Export which is a remanufactured SAMA. I am not an expert but like you am enjoying experimenting.

You need a 45 mm tamper and most people seem to agree that a flat bottom one is best at least to start with.

Thor Tampers crafts some loverly wooden ones Thor Tampers
Les Albjerg
541-679-4672
http://www.thortamper.com/45mm.html
He also sells them with an external ridge to help with correct tamping.

Vaneli's sells one with a rosewood handle and stainless steel base
866-482-6354
http://www.vanelis.com/

Reg Barber in Canada
250-544-1778
http://www.coffeetamper.com/

I would suggest that you work with the double filter basket during your grinding and tamping experiments because it seems to be very forgiving with these variables. The single basket in my experience is not. Others may be able to help here?

You may be able to purchase a porta filter from:
The Good Coffee Company in Seattle
206-622-5602
They do not have website and only take phone orders paid by check. But do not let that bother you for doing business with them is a coffee experience in itself and they are extremely honest and trustworthy.

The boiler on my PVE is brass and I think nickel plated which makes it look like steel or aluminum. Yours is most likely the same. Check for a scratched area that shows the brass below the plating.

Sorry I cannot advise on boiler cleaning.

Your first post concerned me because it was not impossible that you machine had a coincidently malfunctioning pressure - stat and safety valve creating a boiler over pressure that was forcing water thru the grounds and a potentially dangerous situation. From your most previous post is seems that this is not the case. But just to make sure, have you checked both?

Good luck and enjoy.
Geoffrey

Peacecup. Good to hear from you.

Sorry that you still do not have the PVE but hope that you have found some enjoyable local alternatives.

Geoffrey

thanks GB and all for your help.

-mark

peacecup,

I just want to say how much I enjoy this video, and a lot of the others on this site as well. Yours was simple, well edited, very informative, and had very nice music. I appreciate the extra effort you took to blend information with pleasant entertainment. You, and others, are doing a very nice job of taking some of the enigma and apprehension out of coffee-making for us newbies.

Thank you and keep up the good work.

I thought I'd post a video of my La Peppina (spring lever) pulling 14 g of Sweet Maria's Liquid Amber I roasted up in the Behmor. I'm starting to get consistent results and really nice tasting espressos so I thought I'd document what I'm doing. On the other hand, I tried two different vac pots of a Yemen / Sulawesi blend I roasted this weekend and got stuck pots both times... at least the espresso was good. [Stuck pot problem since solved with grinder upgrade, now I siphon coffee almost every Sunday]

Pardon the crude video, it's my first attempt. Enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed the last video, I just uploaded a video of a 7 gram single for contrast, again using my still camera for a video camera so pardon the video quality.

This is 7 grams of the same roast of Sweet Maria's Liquid Amber in the single basket. When I first stated pulling singles, they tasted horrible until I changed up my technique from what I use from doubles. You'll see here that there's very little pre-infusion compared to the double and I let the spring do the work without any assistance, otherwise it over-extracts. I made a mistake on this pull of letting the extraction go too long. I just found larger square shot glasses at the thrift store that I used for the first time with this pull and this threw me off.
I love how quiet a lever machine is.

Chris, no need to apologize for your videos. They were more than fine!

Jack's video likewise, and watching his was deja vu, as it appears we have the same grinder, or at least nearly the same.
I have 2 KyMs, one with the dovetailing, one without, both # 9315 on the bottom.
Chris, I'll PM you regarding the stuck vac pots