5 common mistakes on La Pavoni and how to avoid them. | La Pavoni Esperto Abile.

[@GeelongVic7140]

Jack, this is a delightfully concise, informative LaPavoni video. Like you I have added a Coffee Sensor digital thermometer, and additionally have added a Bong Isolator, to manage the group head temperatures for consistency on my Esperto. I agree with your long preinfusion times which you have mentioned before. As an aside I pull my morning medium or dark espressos on my R24 Spring Lever Londinium, but for my afternoon or evening shots, my LaPavoni is used for medium to light roasts. The LaPavoni is just such a fun, direct lever machine capable of delivering just amazing espressos....ah, but by requiring mastering of the steep learning process, but when learned the espressos are well worth it. In the future you might want to demonstrate your techniques for optimizing different types of roasts on your LaPavoni. Cheers.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching and for ideas for future videos. I would like to record something about Fellini technique I use, but need to find more info about that.

[@wakeawaken430]

I am watching the video right now My 2 cents: For gen3 and gen4 Boiler pressure 0.8 Group temperature 85°c stable (for most of the roasts, medium and light) Static preinfusion 3" 14gr in basket And now the last and most important: Active or static preinfusion may make the coffee with less acidity and sweeter, BUT, less acidity means less complexity Yes, dark roast can be acid also, the difference is that you don't taste it, but it is there It's a matter of balance So try first with only 3" static preinfusion to fill the chamber and then push hard to raise fast the pressure, AND THEN choose your profile, especially if you drink dark or medium roast, non acidic coffee

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you very much for the informations! Maybe I record a video comparing mine shot with yours and looking for the difference. What is your take on Fellini technique? I often use it after active pre infusion to get longer shot.

[@wakeawaken430]

@@mycoffeeshow111 i never do felini cause raises the temperature of the group(and destroys the extraction), and also the integrity of the puck, plus, makes the preinfusion longer Better put less coffee in the basket if you want bigger ratio, that's why I said for 14gr, cause at least you have 1:2 If you want bigger ratio, put inside 13gr or 12gr 😉 I am 100% happy with la Pavoni for home use cause i never do more than 2 coffees in a row, and i drink only espresso

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@wakeawaken430 Thank you again!

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Very helpful thanks.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@scottscottsdale7868 Thx for watching!

[@EricPetersen2922]

I bought my LaP machine in 1994. After many many years of practice and a good grinder I can get great results. It’s a lot of work and takes a very long time, but it’s well worth the effort and was fun to learn and re-learn how to use it. I’ve given it a break from using it sometimes. Nice video!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching. 100% agree, such a great machine to have.

[@EricPetersen2922]

@@mycoffeeshow111 It really takes skill & practice to squeeze a great shot with it, but when it’s good-it’s a very satisfying feeling. With a Sanremo Opera 2 it’s hard to make a mistake and takes just good puck prep. Not near as special of a feeling as a LaP shot.

[@faridessack]

Thanks to you I have a La Pavoni Esperto Abile coming later this week...and less money in the bank! Can't wait :)

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@faridessack congratulations! You will love it. Check this video as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmLVoZh4nc2ei6csi=UerMXGSdUfHrT8HS

[@troncaffe]

Thanks Jack, this machine always fascinates me. I wonder if it is relatively maintenance free compared to most other machines?

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching. At some point I will have to replace the O ring (maybe once every 2 years). The fork needs some lubrication and sometimes I tighten up the screws. That is pretty much it. I’m certain that with proper care it will outlive myself 😛

Regardless being "sort of an expert" at making mistakes on my LaPavonni, I am so looking forward to this one!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Well, don’t expect much 😛. If there is an appetite for that kind of videos I will record more.

On the top of mistakes you already mentiond, I sometimes forget about the preassure in the basket, left after the shot :) Indeed LaPavonni is such a wonderful macihine and those imperfections just make it so perfect. Will certainly use it even if I successfully upgrade my Gaggia Classic with Gaggiuino.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Yeah, that is a good one. What I love about La Pavoni is that although not every shot might be perfect, almost every one is tasty.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Great tips, I do a similar thing with a long pre-infusion (did you get that from me?) no pressure gauge on mine though so no clue what I'm doing pressure wise. I also don't pay attention much to shot timing. ONE thing I discovered is not to let go of the lever or lift up half way through a shot, just keep some pressure applied! You can adjust the top bolt and how far the lever goes which affects the max amount of coffee you end up getting, I think I adjusted mine (semi-accidentally) recently and have been getting 26g shots where normally I'd get around 30g, I do like the ristrettos but sometimes with a light roast I've gotten some sour shots as a result. I put in 16g coffee usually, but if you want to increase your brew ratio, you can also put in less coffee so you end up with more space for water to fill in and you end up with more espresso in the cup as a result.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching. I definitely stole this recipe from someone but mostly used Londinium profile on Decent as inspiration. If you don’t have pressure gauge, apply as much pressure as possible and that would be around 8.5-9 bars if your grind settings are correct. From there it is about building the muscle memory. I am thinking about that adjustment you mentioned but it is a bit more complicated with my pressure gauge on top.

[@lostboy8814]

Top advice as always.....good on you Jack 👍

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching!

[@DominiquePoulin-sh9er]

AAAAh, un aficionado ! Un connaisseur ! Bravo Jack.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thx for watching!

[@zachb.6606]

Great video, thank you for sharing!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@zachb.6606 thx for watching!

[@ihavenospacebar231]

Using the ice to cool the group is an interesting idea, I had always been concerned about over temp shots on these.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

I must have stolen it from someone. This machine does not overheat that easily so you only ever cool it if pulling multiple shots. Thx again for great coffee. It was truly delicious on La Pavoni.

[@matthewhoffman6868]

I don't have a pressure meter but what I do is start the pull with fair resistance and ease off as the puck deteriorates, trying to keep the flow looking steady.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

With a bit of experience, you can pull great shots this way for sure.

[@cedric7049]

Coffee flowing during preinfusion is not necessarily a sign of future bad extraction, It's something you can do on purpose when aiming for a turboshot (fast shot with more yield in the end than the traditional espresso recipe) which is a great way to extract medium to light roasted beans.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

You are absolutely right. I was thinking more about the style of shot I was pulling. La Pavoni is very forgiving machine. If I notice my coffee is too corse I do indeed ramp up the pressure to 6bar and pull turbo style. If it is too fine I just extend the pre infusion.

[@dammitman1664]

I always go with the Italians with 9 bars of pressure. Also maybe if the grind is a little too fine I don't pack it down as much and adjust the grind as well. But the bean...change coffee and adjust again if needed. Difference between dark roast and medium can create a change.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thx for sharing. I usually go up to 8 bars, sometimes less than that for a different style of extraction. Do you use long passive pre infusion?

[@JoseFlores-nq7bi]

Thank you for the 5 tips. I can start all over again correctly.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thx for watching. You can also check out this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmLVoZh4nc2ei6csi=ajRoeKJGdRsTcM7X

[@lorenzseitz5419]

"...because frustrating it can be" :D ... Quite so, quite so. I love and hate that machine. Nice work, man. Was a pleasure watching you. BUT... The worst mistake one can make with "the italian diva" is of course using to old or pre-milled coffe beans. There is no way this mistake can be anyhow be reparated. Get good quality, fresh beans and grind them freshly, then proceed with eliminating all other common mistakes you mentioned and you will handle your pavoni the right way and get good, consistand shots out of it.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you very much for watching. Agree with you, good beans are essential if one wants good coffee.

[@pthai88]

just received my La Pavoni Esperto Abile and will apply your suggestions

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Congratulations! Let me know how it goes.

[@averagefreak]

Nice personal insight - I came across your channel after noting your eBay listing for your K-Max, unfortunately I already have one, so... Don't have A La Pav though, haven't quite dipped my toes in to espresso as yet, but I would want to "Go Lever" if & when I do ;)

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you very much for watching. I sold K Max today 😁 I might be selling my La Pavoni at some point to fund something else.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Hi thanks for replying to my response. Sadly for me one of my great coffee espresso experiences was going to Cerini Coffee in the Bronx to get my Dedica repairs a few months before Covid lock down. But wow that one shot I pulled was unreal. It was just regular Italian espresso because they are an in taliban food retailer. Fantastic in the Bronx. But they also sell Olympia products. Wow. I guess my question is have you ever tried one as compared to your Pavoni. I mainly am a 4/5 espressos every morning.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for responding to my reply. Not sure if I follow. So you went to taliban shop to get italian espresso from Olympia Cremina? I never tried Cremina myself, too expensive. There is a Cremina profile on Decent but I don’t like it. So you drink 5 espresso every morning? Wow. You can easily pull it on La Pavoni. You just need to keep an eye on temperature.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

The Cerini coffee on Arthur Boulevard is an Italian food store in the new little Italy in the Bronx. But they also sell and repair espresso machines. My Delonghi Dedica pump broke and Inwas directed to Cerini for repair. It was about $100 US in total. They had a Olympia Cremina for demo as they are a major Olympia retailer. It was bad because it ruined for good coffee. I think I prefer level machines to get the most out of the coffee. I currently am in Madagascar and they have unbelievable fresh roasted arabica coffee her. It is really not possible to get in Europe or North America. It is a nice sweet fruity bourbon. I guess I need to forget the Olympia as it is too expensive.

[@lgreen666]

Great to see the La Pavoni again - how often do you use it vs the Decent? I’d buy the Decent in a heartbeat if I could afford it but there really is something magical about the times you get a really great cup from a lever machine (just like using a manual Leica vs a fully computerised Fuji)… don’t suppose you can be persuaded to try out the new Niche Duo?

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thx for watching. I use it every morning b4 I go to gym. For the rest of the day I use Decent. My kitchen is small so I might need to sell it but haven’t decided yet. As for Niche Duo, I was going to make an official announcement next week, but yeah, I preordered it already 😁. I am selling my Niche Zero and some hand grinders to fund it.

[@dammitman1664]

I turn off my machine after every use, the warmed up water heats up fast for the next cup without overheating the shower head. Try it, by the time I get the portafilter and milk ready, the machine is ready!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

I only use LP once a day, for my first, morning shot b4 the gym.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Funny I had a Normcore (v4 I think) for the 51mm Europiccola and it didn't fit that well, I mean it's acceptable but it wasn't like super precise / tight fit that it left the edges of the basket nice and clean, think the Europiccola is actually closer to a 52mm I think I read some people use a 51.7mm tamper (if you can find someone to make them that precisely measured, Happy Tamper does custom sized bases for example), I was a little cautious and got a 51.5mm and I wish I got 51.6 or 51.7mm instead, still fits a bit better than the Normcore did for me though! I had a Similar experience with the '58.5mm' v4 Normcore tamper, it seemed like a loose fit (more like the typical acceptable 58.3mm) but the previous V3 normcore I had was actually 58.5mm and fit tight / precise! Why did I sell it and get the v4!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Interesting. When I was looking for Amazon affiliate links for this video I noticed Normcore sells 51mm and 51.5mm so maybe that is why mine fits nicely.

Just got another idea for your new LaPavonni video :D Does piston preassure bar really matters? I have a Flair with preassure bar and a LaPavonni without but (I think that I) do not miss it on LaPavonni. Does it really help that much or at all once you have the muscle memory covered? Cheers!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you. I have noticed that, as long as the grind settings are correct, if I apply max pressure I am comfortable with, it is around 9 bars. Having said that, especially at the beginning I found that pressure gauge very useful.

[@giuseppeabbonizio7976]

Hi Jack I have a similar machine , mine has spring inside, my problem is I can't get the sweetness and the entire flavours of the coffee , overall the coffee is pretty good but something is missing... my porta filter is 45.5 mm (smaller than other machine , the quantity for a single shot is around 7 gr , temperatura on the head ,after few shots, is between 80/84 'C . I think that I'm pretty balanced between grinding and quantity , the puck are not too wet and not too dry , BUT I'm not 100%happy with taste result of my coffee. I also tried different brand and different type of roasted , the results are pretty much the same . Whats your advice to improved the taste of the coffee . Thank you for your help

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thx for watching. One word- experiment. Not sure about the level of control you have over the pressure on your machine, but if you always pull 9bar, try 6bar top. It should give you more sweetness. If you always pull 1:2 ratio, if possible try 1:3 and see how you like it. You can also attempt to pull a turbo (fast flowing shot, 6 bar top pressure. Good luck

[@giuseppeabbonizio7976]

@@mycoffeeshow111 thank you for the prompt reply, my machine has the spring inside the head so I have no control for the pressure , what’s the the temperature on head during the brewing that you recommend? Thanks

[@igorprzybylo1532]

Thank you, but how much cafe did you put, grams?

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@igorprzybylo1532 Thx for watching. I usually went for 17g , sometimes more, sometimes less, depending which basket I used.

[@greynand]

I dont have Pressure on my la pavoni

[@mycoffeeshow111]

You don’t need pressure gauge to pull great shots but it definitely helps when you want to play with different styles of shots.