Lever pull basics

[mp]

How do you like the steam capability on the Vechio?

It's like a 20 megaton steam bomb.

The machine design of keeping the boiler (3 litre) at steam temp gives you an absolutely irresponsible amount of steam. 

Yeah ... that's like my Isomac Tea ll.

What I do to control it is to keep it at minimum volume.  If I let it go full steam I have no hope of controlling it.

 

[mp]

Sounds like you guys need the perfect accessory, the Rexroth Steam Wand powered cleaning brush to use all that steaming power on your dispersion screen.

The dispersion screen is a snap to clean up.  A little soap and water and viola.

 

[John F]

- Very light and even tamp, approx 3-5lbs.
- With the PF out of the grouphead pull the lever down about halfway (prior to any water coming out) then insert the PF gently and lock as you are pulling the lever slowly all the way down and listen for the water draw.
- Hold the lever down for 3-5secs and then let the lever come up gently.
- As the first couple of drops tumble out, pull the lever down again very gently to the bottom of its travel and release, this will be known as the first lever pull which will produce approx .5oz of espresso.

I have found that adding a step has had a major impact in my shots.

If I do the initial 3-5 second pre-infusion but instead of letting the lever up for a few drops I let it up about 1/4 travel, go right back down and then let the lever go I get something that looks and feels very "right".

Without this extra lever action the travel/shot is faster. WIth the extra 1/4 pull everything tightens up considerably.

[staylor]

Now what did I say... Not until at least 100 shots.

[John F]

Now what did I say... Not until at least 100 shots.

I didn't find it....it found me.

[grinderz]

Why Does It Have To Be Wrong Or Right

 

[staylor]

Now what did I say... Not until at least 100 shots.

I didn't find it....it found me.

;-)

[John F]

I've been having an ongoing issue with the second pull/Fellini move.

I'm just not happy with it.

I don't like how the coffee looks, I don't like how the mechanics and feel of going in for a second pull feel, and I have growing doubts that it's adding anything more than shot volume.

I'm going to start experimenting but has anybody gone to single pull (doubles)?

[Ascholten]

sounds to me like your machine might be inferior.  Better send it to me, ill take care of it for you since I am inferior in my technique... it'd be a perfect match 

Aaron

[John F]

sounds to me like your machine might be inferior.

Impossible....PVL is mighty, like Godzilla.

[staylor]

Just so we are clear...

If you do a preinfusion pull, that water volume gets eaten up in the puck (pretty much) and so that pull doesn't count as part of the shot volume creation. The next pull creates approx .5floz and if you didn't pull again that's pretty much all you would have in the cup... ok there would be some minor fluid addition from the preinfusion pull, so maybe .6floz.

Another pull will bring your in-cup total to approx 1floz or a touch more (or less) depending on how much the coffee puck in the PF holds on to as a saturated mass.

Personally I don't think a 15gm dose resulting in a .5floz cup is the way to go with the PVL.

Maybe try capturing the first .5floz in a shot glass and then switching to another shot glass for the other .5floz. Taste them side by side and of course they will be different. The key is... the two cups require each other to create a balanced cup. And by balanced I don't mean in the SCAA sense, I mean in the 'what the espresso can offer' sense.

What is it that you don't like?

[John F]

Just so we are clear...

If you do a preinfusion pull, that water volume gets eaten up in the puck (pretty much) and so that pull doesn't count as part of the shot volume creation. The next pull creates approx .5floz and if you didn't pull again that's pretty much all you would have in the cup... ok there would be some minor fluid addition from the preinfusion pull, so maybe .6floz.

Another pull will bring your in-cup total to approx 1floz or a touch more (or less) depending on how much the coffee puck in the PF holds on to as a saturated mass.

I need to do some measuring and check back.

[staylor]

Don't get super crazy on the measuring, each coffee will be different based on grind and age and all the usual suspects. You might get a bit more in the preinfusion pull if the grind is loose and the coffee is older, etc.

I think the key is... for the PVL you get approx .5floz per lever pull. All the usual rules apply, manipulate the stream based on what you see and kill the shot based on what you see.

[staylor]

Pre-infusion pumps aside on my La Peppina, I just do a single pull on both the La Peppina and the Gaggia Factory and I believe that the espresso brew ratios are close to 50 % (28 g espresso for 14 g coffee).

Did you mean 2 x 14gm dosed PF's for a total of 28gms dosed, or are you saying the La Peppina (which I know nothing about) will accept 28gms in its PF? Which sounds like time and space is being folded in that PF.

[Warrior372]

I've been having an ongoing issue with the second pull/Fellini move.

I'm just not happy with it.

I don't like how the coffee looks, I don't like how the mechanics and feel of going in for a second pull feel, and I have growing doubts that it's adding anything more than shot volume.

I'm going to start experimenting but has anybody gone to single pull (doubles)?

Do you always do 2 full pulls? I have always found that 1.5 pulls always gave me the best results with my MCaL and currently give me the best results with the Peppina. I pre-infuse, let it get about 50% of the way up and go back down. Give that a try and see if you like what you get better. Every machine and everyone's palate are a little different, so you might think the results of a 1.5 pull are even worse. . . who knows.