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 critical. You can 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.
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.
Flush the group head 1 to 2 times till you reach 90C.
Try your best to economise with water
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.
Before you brew, let the machine get to the target temp area.
I adjust the temperature setting 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
Part No. 327053 - For Post 2000 models, the outer diameter is 60 mm, internal diameter 53 mm,
holds 16 to 18 grams of coffee and fits a 51 mm tamper.
Single shot
This takes 7-8 grams
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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 35 and 40 grams or mls (when the group is at the correct temperature).
Aim for the shot pull time to be between 25 to 30 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. 18g in, 36g out. 5sec 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. Lock in the portafilter and completely raise the handle.
I then wait seven or so seconds. This is the Pre-infusion.
Then I gently lower the handle until the first drop of espresso appears.
Pre-infusion is ended. .... this is usually around a quarter off the top position on the lever's stroke.
3. Now lift the lever back to the top slowly, and perform the main pull.
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 17g in, I'll aim to get 25g 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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