# La Pav EP crema problem?



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi guys, I've recently bought a pre-millennium EP (1978) from @ coffee chap and absolutely love it.

I exclusively use Coffee Compass espresso blends and really like cappuccino or milk based drink however I do like the odd espresso.

My grinder is a La Cimbali Magnum and I grind pretty fine with a light tamp.

My routine is 13g into the double basket with a ten sec pre-infusion and pull around 25/30 secs and end up with about 35/40g of espresso.

Now when I started using the machine a month or so back I was getting a nice crema on top of the coffee and it was pretty consistent and of course the coffee was excellent with hardly any rubbish shots but recently I've noticed that the crema is practically non existent on the coffee now and in fact it sort of breaks up and ends up on the side of the mug when I either put water on top (Americano) or milk however when I pull the shot I can see plenty of crema in the pour but the resulting espresso looks a bit rubbish in the cup however it tastes fine and I don't think it's burnt and it doesn't taste burnt but I've never tasted burnt espresso to my knowledge so it may well be burnt.

I have checked the temp of the water coming through the grouphead and the best that I can get the temp of the water up to is about 84 degrees and about 83 degrees in the cup but I've no idea how hot the water is behind the piston but from recollection when I had an Expobar DB with the PID set to 94 degrees C the coffee was roughly the same temp so I'm not convinced this is a temperature issue.

I've also tried using smaller cups and espresso cups but the espresso still looks the same regardless of which type of cup I use.

Initially I put this issue down to the beans I was using which where Cherry Cherry but I'm now on Brighton Lane and the coffee looks exactly the same in the cup as it did with the Cherry Cherry however the BL coffee tastes fantastic in milk, wasn't to keen on the Cherry Cherry as it is a wee bit too fruity for me and a bit thin but it did actually taste fine in milk or with hot water and a dash of milk.

Thanks in advance for and advice or comments.

Tony







icc


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Try a little finer on the grind, which will mean more pressure needed but that should do the trick, however if the shot is tasting great I am not sure why you would want to change?


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## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

coffeechap said:


> Try a little finer on the grind, which will mean more pressure needed but that should do the trick, however if the shot is tasting great I am not sure why you would want to change?


Thanks [email protected] chap, yes coffee tastes great, best and most consistent coffee I've ever made since I got the La Pav but it does look a wee bit messy in the cup, I certainly wouldn't be pleased if I was served it in a cafe for example.


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## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

I don't tend to get much crema with the la Pav, but going finer does usually result in a bit more.


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## jtldurnall (Mar 16, 2015)

I also find I get a lot more crema with a darker bean. You changed up? Could also add water before your pull to maintain the crema you do get in your Americanos.


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## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

jtldurnall said:


> I also find I get a lot more crema with a darker bean. You changed up? Could also add water before your pull to maintain the crema you do get in your Americanos.


Thanks never thought of adding water first, I'll give that a try.

I'm not too keen on really dark beans much prefer the chocolate/nut types but deffo not keen on the lighter/fruity ones.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

Mine's a bit that way lately, but I've been mucking about with different roasts so I'm not really surprised. E.g. I just pulled a shot of Sidamo roasted medium rare on 23rd April, got about 4 mm of crema which collapsed and buggered off to the perimeter in about 30 seconds. Good flavour though.


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## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

Vieux Clou said:


> Mine's a bit that way lately, but I've been mucking about with different roasts so I'm not really surprised. E.g. I just pulled a shot of Sidamo roasted medium rare on 23rd April, got about 4 mm of crema which collapsed and buggered off to the perimeter in about 30 seconds. Good flavour though.


Thanks, glad it's just not me, I can relax now and enjoy the coffee.

BTW, I had Brighton Lanes previously when I had the Expobar and it was good but this time it's absolutely fantastic, don't know wether that's down to my grinder, which I didn't have with the Expobar, the beans this time or the La Pav but I'm delighted with these beans.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

i had disappearing crema and very little crema even with freshly roasted beans. As others have said a finer grind and a harder pull will get you more crema but it's not something to be worried about if your shot is good and balanced.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

I don't get much with mine either, so I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe a bottomless pf would help (if you can find one! I can't.. not cheaply anyway)


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## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

Thanks guys, I tightened up the grind a touch and there was some more crema, not much but a wee bit however the coffee is just bleeding fantastic so I'm happy.

Tony


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## Maz100 (Jan 7, 2013)

Hi, I came across this thread as I was having similar problems. I eventually sorted it out by adjusting the pressurestat. I recently took the whole thing apart to change the seals as the quality of the shots had gone downhill and I figured it would help. I also discovered that the plastic piston had failed so I replaced it with a brass one. Whilst putting everything back together I knocked the wheel on the pressure stat. I had no idea where it had been but there was a white mark on it that I assumed had been the factory setting so I put it back to that.

Well, the shots were sour with little crema. The beans, grind and tamp were all good so I was worried I'd broken something, then I remembered the pressurestat setting. I removed the base and set it a lot higher. Shots tasted better but still no crema to speak of. Today I spent the afternoon making various adjustments (lower) and the improvement is like night and day. I've never had such good results, not just the crema but most importantly the taste, and I'm going to tinker a little more. The crema was nice and thick and even after leaving a shot for 5-10 minutes (I couldn't drink them all) it was still intact and hadn't really changed.

I had read that the factory went through a phase of setting the pressurestats to a lower temperature in response to reports that the machines were prone to overheating so I'm assuming that's why the factory setting was too low on mine.

I am noticing holes toward the edge of the puck after the shot, not quite sure what is causing that so still got some work to do. Never a dull moment with a Pavoni.

I hope that helps!


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