Learning how to pull a shot on a La Pavoni

A few weeks ago I borrowed Sister #2's La Pavoni espresso machine.  Keep in mind up till this point I've only been reading about the in's and out's of making espresso, but now I finally have the equipment to apply that knowledge.  The La Pavoni is manual espresso machine which means that it does not contain a automatic pumping system which pumps the water through the portafilter.  Instead it has a lever attached to front of the machine that you manually raise to allow water into the group head and then lower to push the water through the grounds in the portafilter.  This design gives a barista the ability to better control the shot by applying more or less pressure on the lever when pulling the shot.  It is a learning process to determine the correct grind size and tamp pressure so that when you pull the lever it has some resistance when pulling down but not so much your going to rip the group head off the machine and not so little that lever has no resistance whatsoever.  What you need to do is find a nice balance where you have enough resistance for a steady pull for about 20 seconds.

My process:
1) Fill water reservoir with filtered water
2) Power on machine and make sure the heat switch is set on high.  Make sure the steam knob is closed.
3) Once you hear steam escaping from the pressure release valve open the steam knob to release any false pressure (about 5-10 seconds).
4) Close the steam knob
5) Once pressure builds back up and you hear steam coming from the pressure release valve set the heat switch to low.
6) Grind the coffee, pack the portfilter, tamp, and put portfilter on group head.
7) Pull lever up slowly so that it takes about 5 seconds to get the the top.
8) Once at the top you can hear the water filling the piston in the group head. Wait about 5 seconds for pre-infusion.
9) Start to pull down on the lever. You want steady resistance and a good flow coming out of the portafilter. Ideally from top to bottom should take 20 seconds.


Words of caution
If there is too much resistance (as in you have to use both arms to pull down the lever) stop immediately, turn the machine off, and open the steam knob to let the pressure. Once all the pressure is releases, lower the lever, slowly take off the portafilter and start all over put with a coarser grind or easier tamp.

Also when taking the portfilter off the group head do it slowly to make sure all the pressure is released properly or you will have hot coffee grounds all over the place (happened to me twice).

The La Pavoni I am using to does not have a good temperature regulator so it just keeps heating the water and after about 4 or 5 shots I have to turn it off to let it cool down.  Also the whole thing is made of brass and gets very hot, so watch where you put your hands when operating it.

Summary
I really liked learning how to pull shots on the La Pavoni and it gave me perspective that a semi-automatic machine could not.  The more I use it the better I'm getting and the shots are tasting better and better.  However I seem to pull a bad shot for every 3 or 4 good ones.  It seems to be because my tamp gets harder and harder the more shots I pull, but that's a personal issue.  Other then that it's a great machine that I would recommend to anyone who loves espresso and wants to learn the craft.

Coffee Shop Review - Sambalatte

I heard about Sambalatte about 2 months ago.  At that time it was still not open but they had a teaser Youtube video of the layout of the store that intrigued me.  From the short clip you can tell this unlike any other coffee shop that Las Vegas has seen.  It's located in the Boca Park shopping complex in Summerlin and has been open about a month now.  It's a two story store with the lower floor containing several tables and a few lounge chairs in a very lounge type setting.  The second floor contains more seating and a small library of books.  The decor is beyond your typical Starbucks or Coffe Bean and strives to be upscale but casual at the same time.

However their focus on the decor did not take away from the quality of the coffee that they serve.  They use beans from Colorado Roasters in Boulder City and serve everything freshly ground.  They only brew coffee one cup at a time and use either a siphon pot or a pour over into the cup.  This gives them the ability to offer beans from many different regions and you are secure in the knowledge that the cup of coffee you are drinking was not sitting in a brew pot for an hour.  They also serve pastries, sandwiches, smoothies, and gelato.  All of which looked really good.

Overcome with the amount of choices offered I only ordered a cappuccino because I figured if I didn't like the way that was made it would be waste of time to try anything else.  After ordering I sat at a table to take in the decor and watch the barista prepare my drink.  I was very happy too see that she knew her way around an espresso machine.  The cappuccino was served on a tray with a glass of water and a little biscuit (very posh).  The cappuccino was well made and tasted good.

Overall I am very impressed by Sambalatte and look forward to my next visit to try more of what they have to offer.  I just wish they weren't located all the way across town.

My thoughts on the Hario Skerton Hand Grinder

One of the most important factors to brewing a good cup of coffee or pulling a good shot of espresso is how well the beans are ground.  This is the one fact that everyone seems to agree on.  As far as I know there are only two types of grinders - blade and burr.  Blade grinders are pretty much frowned upon by any respectable coffee connoisseur, however they are very cheap and for most drip coffee drinkers in the world they do the job adequately.  Burr grinders are the de facto standard in the gourmet coffee drinking world and is the only acceptable way to grind beans fine enough for espresso.  The reason why burr grinders are preferred over blade grinders is that the fineness of the grind is consistent.  Burr grinders crush the bean between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface to achieve this consistency and the fineness is controlled by how close the two pieces are to each other.  Blade grinders  use a spinning blade to chop up the beans and the only way to control the fineness is by how long you let the grinder run.  This not only causes uneven sized grounds but also heat (which effects the taste) and static electricity (which makes the grains stick to the grinder). The  uneven sized grains can range from big chunks to smaller grains.  Bigger grains will be under-extracted while the smaller grains will be over-extracted, resulting in inconsistent taste from pot to pot.

It goes without saying that for my adventures in coffee I would need to purchase a burr grinder.  If it were only that easy.  First off there are two types of burr grinders - conical and wheel/flat.  Where both types will produce a consistent grind, the conical burr grinders are preferred because they allow for slower grinding speed which will reduce the amount of heat during the grinding process. Then there are other considerations such as the speed, dosing capability, the type of grind adjustment available, and of course the price.  In my current situation, price is the most important factor to me.  Unfortunately a good entry level burr grinder costs at least $300 which is out of my price range (at least for a few months).  Of course those are all electric grinders with motors in them, so take that out of the equation and you have something that I can afford.  Enter the Hario Skerton Hand Grinder:

There seems to be a consensus that this is the best grinder on the market for the price (at least at the time I bought it).  I got it from reseller at Amazon for $45 and couldn't be happier.  And you will have to take that with a grain of salt as I have nothing to compare it to except a cheap ass blade grinder that I was using previously.  I've only used it for pour over brewing but have tried multiple grind sizes.  I have no concerns that it can grind fine enough for espresso once I start using my borrowed La Pavoni.  It has a very solid construction with ceramic burr's and it is easy to take apart to adjust and clean.

The ceramic conical burr's produce a very consistent grind and don't float as plastic burr's on cheaper grinders do.

The bottom of the glass container has a rubber ring around it to prevent sliding while grinding, which is very handy and it comes with a screw top lid if you happen to grind more beans then you can use.  The handle is sturdy and the ergonomic design makes it easy to turn.  I only grind about 10-12 grams of coffee at a time and that only takes me about 1-1:30 minutes to grind with the Hairo.

If there is one thing that I don't like about this grinder is that there is no way to determine the grind size without actually experimenting with the manual adjustment to see what comes out.  It takes a few times to figure out not only how each turn of the manual adjustment affects the grind size but also the speed at which you turn the handle to ensure consistent sized grains.

Overall I'm very happy with this grinder but can't wait till I can save up enough to get a Baratza Virtuoso Preciso.