La Pavoni

[hobiwankinobi]

Look at what I found at the Goodwill the other day!!

I am wondering if anyone out there has any experience with one of these?

So far I have descaled it with a vinegar/water mix and that's all. At first the water temp never got above 180, now as I was flushing out the water/vinegar mixture the water temp reached 190-194. I have very little experience with espresso machines, but I thought the water temp needs to reach 195-205 like coffee correct?

I still have 5 days to return this item to Goodwill if necessary and reclaim my hard earned 16.04$

I found this guy here who seems to be a fan of this machine. http://www.pavoniexpress.com/

I read some of what other people have said in the past by doing a search on GCBC but was just wondering if anyone else has anything else to say about this machine?

Steve

[garybt3]

Steve,
if you ever decide to part with her, I call 1st dibs!

Seriously, check out Home Barista, you may want to restore her.

Great Find!  :headbang:

Gary

[hobiwankinobi]

I did read a bit on that site, there seems to be a few people on there really committed to this machine. Maybe other levers too I am not too sure I only read a few threads on this one. Aren't thrift stores great? It looked like the site I linked to was another place/tool to help those less mechanically inclined like myself in the fixing of your machine.

[MMW]

$14.99?  YGBSM! 

Nice find...if it proves to be too much for you to restore, send it my way and I'll give it a go.  Return shipping may be delayed for a bit though 

[mp]

In case you're wondering if you got a deal or not check out what they are going for brand new:

http://www.wholelattelove.com/LaPavoni/epc8.cfm

Some people swear by them.

In a nut shell for making good espresso you need good temp (good temperature range is 196 to 204 deg Fahrenheit),  good fresh beans (the fresher the better the taste), a good grind (very important to extract decent crema ... don't skimp on a good grinder), a good tamp (generally believed to be 30 lbs of force), and 9 bar of pressure setting for the espresso machine.

This article will go into it a bit more.

Congratulations ... great find.

 

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/03/making_perfect.html

[ButtWhiskers]

Wow!!!  That is undoubtedly the best Goodwill score that I have ever seen!

If you ever decide that you'd rather have 30# of greens than that machine, let me know...   

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

~~sigh~~ why don't they give stuff like that to my goodwill?!?!?!

even on ebay they are all triple digit

I have had a lot of luck descaling with citric acid... I take the big can of grapefruit that the food pantry cant seem to give away... put it through a filter to get the chunks out and thin it down a little to soak the coffee maker or parts in...

[hobiwankinobi]

OK I did look at a google shopping search so I did know they were going for a lot of moolah bucks brand new. I am pretty sure I am going to need to "restore" this thing though, I read somewhere that when it gets up to temp there will be steam coming out of this particular part (which I forgot what it is called at the moment) so when I leave it on for a bit there is no steam coming out anywhere, hang on, I will find the thing I am talking about. well this guy has a pre millennium La Pavoni because he has two switches on the side so I have no Idea if that makes a huge difference or not.



at 2:45 and 3:05 he warms the portafilter and cup with steam that is escaping from the part (whatever it is called) sooo mine had no steam coming out of it like that one does.

Oh and thanks for the link mp, I have the beans (here) and the grinder (Macap M4 from chris here). I just need the knowhow now...

Steve

[mp]

Oh and thanks for the link mp, I have the beans (here) and the grinder (Macap M4 from chris here). I just need the knowhow now...

Steve

No problem Steve.  Yes ... you have a great start with the beans from here and a great grinder.  You are also in the enviable position of having to restore your machine.  You will know a huge amount about your machine once you complete your task.  I am sure you will be pulling great shots in no time and especially with this machine as it allows you a great deal of freedom to control all the factors.  Welcome to the wonderful world of espresso.

Incidentally I found a manual on the Pavoni which you may want to save to your computer:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/pavoni/europiccola.pdf

Enjoy!

[FinerGrind]

That was a great find!  I love thrift stores - it's like panning for gold; you never know what will show up. 

I found a new steam toy yesterday:
http://www.orphanespresso.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=24&chapter=40

It's an AMA Milano "espresso machine", really I think it's more of a moka pot.  I'll give it a try soon, but hey, you finding a La Pavoni at thrift store is the bomb!

[hobiwankinobi]

I waded through the "show off your espresso machine" thread yesterday and saw that you (finergrind) had found that Elli for 6$ !!! That was a good find too my friend!!

I have found quite a lot of great stuff at thrift stores. My SC/GG and my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, Its too true that you never know what you'll find.

Steve

[bunnysandefur]

That little darling has been on my wishlist for 2 years now. It's a good thing I'm too lazy to figure out where you live