What’s on your coffee bench?

[LongtailRider]

Originally Posted by jh_on_the_cape

How tough was the install?

Install was maybe a beer and a half. No soldering was required as piggyback connectors are included in the kit. The hardest part for me was getting a screw into a blind nut inside the machine to secure the solid state relay.

[LongtailRider]

Originally Posted by johnnylarue

Attachment 1698018601

Gorgeous machine!

[tctyres]

... a bomb-proof old ‘79 La Pavoni Professional I scored for $200 on craigslist and a manual grinder. I’m a huge fan of the quietness, control and easy maintenance of the manual lever + grinder combo, and the results in the cup speak for themselves.

Anyway, I don’t really need to pull more than a couple of shots a day anymore, and this handsome old codger handles the task with aplomb.
Attachment 1698018601

Nice CL score!

What is your grinder? About how long to make a shot's worth of grounds?
TIA.

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by LongtailRider

Gorgeous machine!

Yeah there are technically better performing levers out there (like the increasingly absurdly priced Cremina) but the classic La Pavoni still wins in the looks department IMO. (Okay, the Elektra Micro Casa a Leva is no slouch either, I admit.)

Originally Posted by tctyres

Nice CL score!

What is your grinder? About how long to make a shot's worth of grounds?
TIA.

I sing the praises of this grinder every chance I get: it’s a 1ZPresso JX-Pro. About $150 direct from the company. It’s not perfect (takes about 30 seconds of brushing to clean out grounds after every use, the casing is heavy but easily dinged soft metal, and it’s best suited to medium-large hands) but it’s very well built and punches far above its weight class.

Takes about 30 seconds to grind 15.5g, give or take, about as efficient as it gets when it comes to hand grinders in my experience. Zero grind retention and the grind quality is easily on par with what you’d get from a $600-$700 electric grinder. Ideal for making coffee for 1-3 people, might get hard on the rotator cuff for dinner parties unless you get the guests to help out.

[Tim Porter]

Originally Posted by johnnylarue

Yeah there are technically better performing levers out there (like the increasingly absurdly priced Cremina) but the classic La Pavoni still wins in the looks department IMO. (Okay, the Elektra Micro Casa a Leva is no slouch either, I admit.)

Super nice Pavoni right there! I have to agree that the price is high on an Olympia Cremina but we have had one in almost daily action for over 34 years without a hiccup except for replacing a few o-rings and gaskets . . . . We moved it to a vacation home and bought a new one for every day--crazy but we love it.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Originally Posted by LongtailRider

Install was maybe a beer and a half. No soldering was required as piggyback connectors are included in the kit. The hardest part for me was getting a screw into a blind nut inside the machine to secure the solid state relay.

Ok thanks. It's on my list of things to do

[mwynne]

Swapped in a new base for funsies this past week - pretty sure the red makes it go faster. Waiting on some custom woodwork (including a shift lever steam tap) to finish it up...

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by Tim Porter

Super nice Pavoni right there! I have to agree that the price is high on an Olympia Cremina but we have had one in almost daily action for over 34 years without a hiccup except for replacing a few o-rings and gaskets . . . . We moved it to a vacation home and bought a new one for every day--crazy but we love it.

I’ve missed more chances at buying Creminas for $750 or less than I can count. (Actually I count them all on a regular basis ) The way prices on used machines have skyrocketed this year, buying a new one is nowhere near as crazy as it used to be. I’ve made peace with the situation, though. I’m confident I’m pulling Cremina-grade shots on the Pavoni—I just can’t do more than three in a row before the grouphead overheats. At the moment that’s a limitation I’m willing to live with.

Originally Posted by mwynne

Swapped in a new base for funsies this past week - pretty sure the red makes it go faster. Waiting on some custom woodwork (including a shift lever steam tap) to finish it up...

That’s a great colour. Water will definitely reach a boil faster in that thing now, guaranteed. Look forward to seeing them wooden bits!

I was initially devoted to keeping my machine as ‘stock’ as possible given that it’s a slightly rare breed, but I got a bottomless portafilter in my stocking for Xmas and being able to cram an extra 2g of coffee in the basket has really changed the game. The OG pf only comes out for photo shoots and the odd after-dinner ristretto now.

Incidentally, I was gonna get red tires for my Look 585, but my wife says I’m already biking too fast for her liking. (It took some doing not to turn that into a bedroom performance joke.)

[mwynne]

Yeah, a Cremina (or like a Ponte Vecchio Lusso) would be nice for the higher volume, temperature stability, and repeatability/ease of use of the spring lever. But it would absolutely be a sidegrade - the Europiccola works so nicely. Not something I'd pick up without it being a good price.

I've also used a bottomless portafilter since day one, but no other major mods otherwise (some small improvements like roller bearings in the lever, nylon shims in the handle, IMS basket and screen, steam wand tip). I get WHY everyone pushes for boiler and grouphead monitoring and PPKs, but honestly... I like the shots I get with my workflow, I don't feel a need to complicate what I have right now. I'd love to use a machine with those tools so that I know what the various metrics look and feel like, but for my day to day, it doesn't feel necessary.

Cannot wait for my woodworker to get some things underway - he's just waiting for some parts to arrive. It's gonna pop.

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by mwynne

Yeah, a Cremina (or like a Ponte Vecchio Lusso) would be nice for the higher volume, temperature stability, and repeatability/ease of use of the spring lever. But it would absolutely be a sidegrade - the Europiccola works so nicely. Not something I'd pick up without it being a good price.

I've also used a bottomless portafilter since day one, but no other major mods otherwise (some small improvements like roller bearings in the lever, nylon shims in the handle, IMS basket and screen, steam wand tip). I get WHY everyone pushes for boiler and grouphead monitoring and PPKs, but honestly... I like the shots I get with my workflow, I don't feel a need to complicate what I have right now. I'd love to use a machine with those tools so that I know what the various metrics look and feel like, but for my day to day, it doesn't feel necessary.

Amen. It’s cool that these machines can be modded to do stuff “Father Pavoni” never intended, but it’s easy to forget that they can make amazing coffee in their original state with only a token amount of care & technique. (Brewing traditional Italian espresso on this thing can be brainlessly easy.)

[tctyres]

Question for moka pot users: Do you have tips on technique or relevant links?

I'm referring to Bialetti style moka pots.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by tctyres

Question for moka pot users: Do you have tips on technique or relevant links?

For me the key was always to watch it like a hawk, and remove from heat immediately when coffee first begins to flow from the spout.

I would not "tamp" the coffee, but did use fingers to smooth and compress grounds ever so slightly for a little bit of backpressure.

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by goonster

For me the key was always to watch it like a hawk, and remove from heat immediately when coffee first begins to flow from the spout.

I would not "tamp" the coffee, but did use fingers to smooth and compress grounds ever so slightly for a little bit of backpressure.

Moka pot coffee gives me panic attacks these days but my move was always to put it on low heat and bring it to a boil as slowly and gently as possible. Presumably this minimized the burning of the grounds, though the coffee is still being brewed at too high a temp any way you slice it.

Fwiw, for a $20-$30 investment, I think an Aeropress makes vastly superior coffee (though the process can be slightly more involved.)

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by johnnylarue

Moka pot coffee gives me panic attacks these days but my move was always to put it on low heat and bring it to a boil as slowly and gently as possible. Presumably this minimized the burning of the grounds, though the coffee is still being brewed at too high a temp any way you slice it.

Fwiw, for a $20-$30 investment, I think an Aeropress makes vastly superior coffee (though the process can be slightly more involved.)

Agree on Aeropress, but you can still make some really great coffee in a moka pot still. The most important thing is: put boiling water in it and use a tea towel to hold the base and put the lid on as it obviously gets hot to touch. If you use cold water, you're burning the coffee grounds as you heat the water up.

This link is good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyBYuu-wJI

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

Agree on Aeropress, but you can still make some really great coffee in a moka pot still. The most important thing is: put boiling water in it and use a tea towel to hold the base and put the lid on as it obviously gets hot to touch. If you use cold water, you're burning the coffee grounds as you heat the water up.

This link is good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyBYuu-wJI

Oh yeah! I forgot about the pre-boiled water thing. It’s been so long.