Since the boiler holds so little water to make benefit of these mods, have you thought about modding it to be plumbed in?

RayJohns wrote:Thanks for the comment Gary!

I've noticed my coffee seems to improve after I have had it (and opened it) for a bit. I need to find a coffee I like more. Some of the beans I have been using produce a very sweet espresso, but I'm after something which has more of a smooth coffee flavor, but without quite as much sugary flavors. I had a very good espresso a while back at the local California pizza kitchen (of all places), so I may stop in there and ask them. I also had a very good espresso on Catalina Island some months ago and I believe they were using LaVazza beans (although I'm not sure which one).

Anyway, I'm going to order up some fresh beans soon here I think and see if I can find something with a more mild coffee flavor. I'm trying to find something more along the lines of how coffee ice cream tastes, but in espresso form.
Ray

Ray,

Try "Friendo Blendo" from Four Barrel Coffee, a local roaster: https://fourbarrelcoffee.com/shop/blend ... -espresso/ It's similar to the famous Stumptown Hairbender, which is also in that direction but much better than Lavazza: http://info.stumptowncoffee.com/coffee/hair-bender/. And if you find these too chocolatey, try Counter Culture's Espresso Toscano: http://counterculturecoffee.com/rustico ... gory_id=11 . These are all balanced espresso blends, sold online, and they arrive very fresh. Hairbender is top rated on this site, and slight differences in brewing bring out different, very nice flavors. At this stage of my learning experience, I'm enjoying sampling different coffees to see which ones are to my taste. You may also find yourself interested in a varietal that is "brighter" in flavor if these are not "dry" enough (in the wine-tasting sense) for you. The Rustico is a little dryer than the first two and the complexity and almond tones of the first two are wonderful.

Also, I almost forgot the obvious. Once you've got a fresh, quality coffee, try Jim Schulman's Espresso 101 tips if your pulls are too sweet, because you can do a lot to adjust flavor with barista skills. See: Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste

KnowGood wrote:Since the boiler holds so little water to make benefit of these mods, have you thought about modding it to be plumbed in?

No a bad idea at all. However, I usually only use bottled water in it, so that might be a factor.

Ray

Thanks Gary! Awesome links.

Ray

The replacement Auber RTD sensor arrived today. So I may see about installing that this weekend. I like the idea of having an RTD sensor with a probe that sticks into the water, as opposed to the one I'm using currently, which basically measures the temperature of the brass fitting that bolts through the hole in the boiler.

Speaking of brass fittings... some of my bar stock also arrived the other day. I bought some 3/4 hex brass and stainless bar stock (pictured below) for use in fabricating up the gauge adapter:



Once I get my lathe setup, I plan to turn some gauge adapters for the La Pavoni. I'm not sure how many I will make, but if anyone is interested in purchasing one, let me know. I'll probably make a few extra ones just for fun and offer them for sale to fellow La Pavoni owners.

I won't have my Taig lathe up and running for a bit longer (I'm lagging on that project), but once I do, then I will see about making some adapters.

Ray

Installed the new RTD sensor this morning:



I used the OE wrench to tighten the base also; it sure works nice! I also installed a fresh O-ring on the heating element plate, as well as a fresh gasket between the base and the boiler.

I had to run the auto tune function on the PID controller again (due to the change in the RTD sensor). This sensor stick into the water (whereas the old one just bolted to some brass that was in the water). The new RTD sensor seems to give a more accurate temperature reading, as well as faster feedback on the actual water temperature.

Using this RTD sensor, the PID controller seems to be able to keep the machine within about 0.2 to 0.3 degrees of the set value.

BTW, I checked the water temperature out of the group head again. With the machine running at 230 degrees, the water out of the group head (after pulling two shots this morning), was a solid 195 degrees as it hit the measuring cup below the group head (as read by the instant reading thermometer).

Anyway, that's the latest. Everything is working great. In fact, I almost achieved some latte art this morning! I steamed the milk up to 140 degrees and the micro foam was absolutely amazing. I've been working on my milk steaming and it's starting to pay off. I just need some better cups (i.e. wider mouths) to practice on

Ray

Good deal on the lathe. You will love it... Ive got a mill and lathe, cant imagine being without them

What do you have (brand/model wise)? I haven't even gotten my Taig up and running and I'm already thinking about getting a Southbend heavy 10 & a Clausing 8520 or 30

Ray

Well my lathe is an older imported generic 12x36 geared head. It became available locally at a real good price and I couldnt pass it up.

You can adorn everything with little billet fittings when you get one, need a custom tamper? no problem.

Many many non coffee related possibilities as well if youre so inclined

I'm inclined

Yes, everything should be billet!

I'm actually heading down to the hardware store right now, so that I can fabricate up some sort of simple wood base to mount the lathe and motor on (just to get it operational and to dial in the PWM controller, etc.). I have a nice aluminum base designed in my CAD software, but that probably won't be milled for a while (and I also need to weld up the table the lathe is going to sit on). For now, I just want to make some sort of temporary base so I can use it here and there.

Ray