I'm using a La Pavoni Europiccola Post Millennium machine in this post.
Everyone says this is a hard machine to master, but I think with a bit of trial, error and experimenting you can get great shots.
Lever machines like the Europiccola require artistry.
Pressure Profiling machines allow more tweaking of parameters like pressure, temp, flow rate, etc. These machines try to turn coffee into a science.
Each shot can now be reproduced consistently in terms of water temperature, pressure, and volume every time. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with this method. I'm in the process of modifying a Gaggia classic into one of these (more about that later) pressure profiling machines.
If the aim is to achieve perfection every single time, its really the only path to take. But that human element is disappearing bit by bit. Taken to the extreme the barista can be eliminated with a robot.
It's the reason I still visit my local barista. She is a professional making probably hundreds of coffees a week. You can get really good with that amount of practice.
Lever machines are a challenge, and each shot you make will be unique. There is something magical about getting a perfect shot ...the unpredictable human element is always there. .... like perfectly taking a corner in a manual car or getting a hole in one on the golf course.
You know you will probably never replicate it, but it will live in your memories forever.
Temp is I think impt though not critical. This lever will never replace a modern PID equipped Espresso machine in a barista competition. The La Pavoni is more Art than Science. The temperature (on the La Pav) constantly changes. I think its interesting to know how they work but I don't think the idea is to pull consistent 9 bars.
That's for commercial machines.
BTW I'm getting great tasting shots with longer brew times ... sometimes up to 40 secs. Maybe, the lower pressure makes a difference. ???
I'm happy with around 10 sec of pre-infusion and 6 bars.
But to start exploring you can first buy a thermometer strip. I found these difficult to read but I know lots of people love them. I've gone the electronic thermometer route.
Much more accurate.
On the La Pav, if you get the group head to about 80-85 c, and keep the boiler pressure at an average of 0.5-0.7 bars , then the water in the group head should be around 93C.
Remember to depressurize the boiler before pulling the shot.
(this also stops the temp from creeping up and instead makes it decrease over time).
I de-pressure by purging air with the steam wand.
I purge steam until about 1 bar of pressure is left in the boiler.
Some models of the Pavoni are equipped with a boiler manometer. This allows you to estimate the water temperature
according to the boiler pressure. The documentation indicates that the boiler pressure should range be between 0.6 and 1 bar.
A good standard boiler water temp will be about 94 °c.
I use a digital thermometer with it's sensor attached on the outside of the group-head. This tends to indicate a lower temp ... usually about 80 - 90C than I would expect when brewing --- I think the reason for the difference is the cooling of the metal outside of the group. To get a more accurate brew temp the sensor needs to be inside the group head, in the puck.
Before you brew, let the machine get to the target temp area.
You can try flushing the group head 1 to 2 times till you reach 90C. Try your best to economise with water. esp if you're using a Europiccola with it's small 0.8L tank.
To not use any water, try to dry pump the lever (by raising the lever to the point just before the first drop of water enters the group). Do this about 5-10 times, until the La P has reached the temp you want.
I adjust the temperature setting down by sometimes dipping the portafilter in water or raising a cup full of water to immerse the group-head.
Target:
80-87C dark roast;
85-91C medium roast;
89-93C for light roast
I read somewhere a study done by Bong Juachon in which he tested Gen. 1, Gen 2, and Gen. 3 machines.
The results were as follows:
Group Head Pull Temp Gen1 Gen2 Gen3
75 - 95.3 -
80 92.8 99.2 84.9
85 98.7 102.9 91.9
90 - 107 98.7
I have a Gen 3 machine, so my aim is to get the GHP Temp somewhere between 80C & 86C.
Part No. 327053 - For Post 2000 models, the outer diameter is 60 mm, internal diameter 53 mm,
holds 14 to 16 grams of coffee and fits a 51 mm tamper.
Single shot
This takes 7-8 grams
These doses are for medium roasts.
For lighter roasts (which are a little harder to extract), I like to use less coffee.
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Ratios:
The ristretto shot is also known as a restricted shot,
and typically features a brew ratio between 1:1 and 1:1.5.
A traditional espresso is typically 1:2-1:2.5A
A lungo, or long shot, is usually about 1:3 to 1:4.
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Method (double shot):
The normal double basket output from a La Pavoni is between 26 and 30 grams or mls (when the group is at the correct temperature).
Aim for 1.5 grams of espresso for every sec of brewing.
Thus 26g of espresso should take about 17 secs.
I like a shot pull time to be between 20 to 25 secs
Alter the dose to get the flow time and lever resistance that you want. When you have that, experiment for flavour by altering the tamp force and grind, but always changing them in tandem so the flow rate and lever resistance aren't thrown off.
Grind size for light roast: 3 (Vario VS3 grinder).
Light tamp. 16g in, 32g out. 8sec pre infusion, 25secs total.
Grind size for dark roast: 3.5 (Vario VS3 grinder).
Light tamp. 14g in, 32g out. 8sec pre infusion, 25secs total.
The easiest way to do this is to put 30 grams (mls) of water into a glass before ever making single shots.
Mark the outside of the glass with tape. This is the target amount.
If you always use the same glass you will quickly learn the proper depth. Too long a shot will be bitter.
The boiler pressure & temperature will effect the pre-infusion stage (in addition to grind size, Tamp, roast degree, etc)
The water in the Europiccola boiler is at a much higher temperature (around 120°C) than that required to extract the coffee (90-94°C). It cools as it leaves the boiler & comes into contact with the grouphead.
Pre infusion should last between 6-10 secs... depends on your taste preference.
It can be varied even more if you add pressure (active vs passive).
Thus the 4 main types of prefusion available are:
a. short (6 -10 secs)
b. short + pressure
c. long
d. long + pressure (15-20 secs)
If you are adding pressure to your pre-nfusion, its useful to add a pressure gauge (to the grouphead).
Usually a short pre-infusion is preferable when you want to accentuate the acidity but at the expense of body. With a long pre-infusion instead, the acidity is usually softened and the body will benefit.
Note: Lighter roasts need longer pre-infusion.
Light roast: 8-15 sec pre-infusion.
Medium roast: 6-8 sec pre-infusion.
Dark roast: 4-5 sec pre-infusion. (If you grind coarser it should still extract in 25-30 secs)
My method:
1. Wait for the critical thermometer reading that you have noted to give good brewing in the past, then insert the basket.
2. raise the handle to just under the point at which water is allowed into the brewing head. This is your pre-infusion point.
I then wait seven or so seconds.
You can give it a gentle pull (about 2 bars) until the first drop of espresso appears.
This is the Pre-infusion.
3. When the coffee begins to drip I usually raise the lever again (Fellini move) and begin the main pull,
applying about 6-9 bars .
The amount of force will depend on the grind size, roast of coffee, etc
Extraction must be between 25 and 30 seconds (with preinfusion).
On professional machines, it is recommended to extract the coffee with a pressure of 9 bar.
I tend to use a lower 6-8 bars which gently descends to 3 or 4 bars.
Another method is to do just one pull.
Softly at first until the first drops come, then full pressure down.
The nice thing about these manual levers is that there are infinite variations to coax the best flavors from your coffee.
I aim for the shot to pull between 25 to 30 secs
My fav ratio is 1:1.5
So for 14g in, I'll aim to get 32g out in 25 to 30 secs
A common profile would be relatively low pressure (1-3 bar) preinfusion for 10-30 seconds,
followed by full pressure (6-9 bar) for 20-40 seconds.
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Single shot
I think the La Pavoni single basket is designed for a long shot style 1:3 espresso.
6.5g-8g load in and about 21- 24g out.
Or
with a 1:4 ratio 7g in will get 28-30 g out (still aiming for 20-25 secs).
If you aim for a 1:2 ratio you will still get a respectable 14 to 15gm out from 7g in
in 20 - 25 secs (experiment with a finer grind size)
Experiment of course.
Works great with dark roasts.
I love pulling espressos, so if i can master using the smaller basket, i can pull more shots per day and not overdose on coffee.
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I have a old elektra lever machine.
The Elektra has a larger group head ( thus it has better heat dissipation and temperature stability between shots). The metal mass between the two is very high.
One advantage of the Pavoni is its small size & fast warmup.
The Gen 1 (from the 1960s) had a brass sleeve in the group head and was water heated (boiler water fills the grouphead).
The Gen 3 (Post mill) Pav is essentially the same ... it has an internal group head sleeve that circulates hot water from the boiler with dry pumps. This allows much faster warmup without the need for a water flush.
The Gen 2 (up till 1999 Pre-mill) Pavoni doesn't have an internal sleeve but it has the group head directly connected to the hot steam from the boiler.
Thus you'll experience a very fast warmup but also a risk of much higher overheating.
One final note... if you are measuring the temp of the group head from the outside with one of those stick on or electronic thermometers , the internal puck temp and group head temperature will be different .... by roughly 10°C.
So if you suffer from OCD ;-) , you will need to place your sensor inside the puck.
'
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Trouble shooting
If you've got too much bitterness in your cup chances are you've
ground too fine, or brewed a bit hot. So grind coarser, or drop the temp.
If you've got too much sour, ... well the opposite.
Grind finer and go a bit hotter.
Aim for 1.5 grams of espresso for every 1 sec of brewing.
(divide weight out by 1.5)... error +/- 3 secs
7g in, 14 g out , 9 secs
13g in , 26 g out, 17 sec
14g in. 28 g out, 18 secs
16g in , 32 g out, 21 sec
18g in, 36 g out, 24 sec
20g in , 40 g out , 27 sec
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Europiccola evolution
Generation 1
Year 1961 EN (sn 218) (v. 1.0)
Year 1961 EN (sn 1012)(v. 1.1)
Year 1962 EN (sn 2259)(v. 1.2)
Year 1963~1964 EN (sn 4253)(v. 1.3)
Year 1964~1968 EN (sn 7556)(v. 1.4)
Year 1968~1970 EN (A6137 )(v. 1.5)
Year 1973~1974 EN (sn 50116 )(v. 1.7)
Generation 2
1975-77 EN(9/77) (V.2.0)
1978
1978-83
1984-91
1991
1991-1993
1993-1997
1997-2001 (V 2.6)
Generation 3
2001-2007 (v 3.0)
2007 - present (V.3.1)
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