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.