# New member with a La Pavoni



## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Hi, i am a new member and this place seems to have lots of information for me to go through and learn how to make good coffee.

I have a hobart e3020 coffee grinder and a copper/brass la pavoni professional millennium.

At the moment i am looking to find a place to buy some nice coffee to make my espresso's and I am also hoping to buy a used 51mm la pavoni portafilter to make a bottomless one out of it.

Due to the age of my machine i am also looking to buy a full set of seals to refurbish my machine in the near future.

Any help is welcome


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Welcome!

I also have a la Pavoni millennium. A great machine when paired with a good grinder.

Do research and read through some of the posts. Lots of info and documented experiences there.

Let us know how you are getting on, plenty of people here who can help.


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Yeah this forum seem to have lots of information so i can see me spending this weekend on here. I need to find a place to buy some nice blend and start the learning process. Do you guys buy your coffee blends online or is it something i can find in supermarkets?


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Neversleep said:


> Yeah this forum seem to have lots of information so i can see me spending this weekend on here. I need to find a place to buy some nice blend and start the learning process. Do you guys buy your coffee blends online or is it something i can find in supermarkets?


Online mostly.

There's a page on this forum with a list of them all...

Rave Coffee and Coffee Compass are favourites. But there's Foundry, Casa Espresso, Has Bean, Coffee Real, Square Mile.... a lot.


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

No not supermarket beans with a la pav (or anything else). Rave are as good a place to start your journey. Once you establish what flavours you like, there's loads of roasters to try. Exciting times, and expensive, lay ahead!


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Brilliant thanks, i will spend some time on the forum them


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Jacko112 said:


> No not supermarket beans with a la pav (or anything else). Rave are as good a place to start your journey. Once you establish what flavours you like, there's loads of roasters to try. Exciting times, and expensive, lay ahead!


Oh yeah i realised that my new hobby aint going to be cheap :/


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

Neversleep said:


> Oh yeah i realised that my new hobby aint going to be cheap :/


It's a slippery slope.. I have a La Pavoni one minute, the next I have a Speedster.. What happened in between I don't know, it's still a bit hazy..


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## slamm (Nov 26, 2016)

Hi and welcome. If you want to save yourself some time and effort I recently got the 49mm version of this and I'm very happy with it, happens to be the cheapest I found online too.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bottomless-Portafilter-PAVONI-Espresso-Machines/dp/B07B8KGDND/

Beans yep online unless you have a local roaster.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Welcome, for pav seals there are lots of different places try https://www.theespressoshop.co.uk/en/gb/La-Pavoni-Spare-Parts/cc-36.aspx

for quick delivery and no hassle if you order a wrong part - also worth buying some citric acid to descale with - ebay

A naked portafilter is a must

Be very careful about which videos and guides you watch to using a pav on you tube as they are mostly pants - ask questions here is your best bet

Im not sure about the Hobart grinder and if its up to the job, (it may be great) will depend about its condition and burrs, you might want to think about something more controllable, the pavs are quite grind sensitive.

All in all pavs are a lot of fun once you get a good technique going. also post up some pictures as you go, they always help


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Brilliant, thanks for the info. I ordered some coffee from Rave espresso blends so when the arrive i will be able to compare them with the product that my hobart grinder can give me.

i am wondering if i really need a grinder if them online shops sell the blends i need already down to the right size?

i think i ordered too much coffee, 2kg, what's the best way to store it?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Rave are great for beans but you will need to use whole beans and adjust the grind to get the right consistency - the beans should be ok to use from about 10 days after roast date for about 30 days after that, but its better to freeze the beans you don't need, just Sellotape over the air valve before freezing.

The grind of the beans effects the flavours and taste and typically the grind is adjusted slightly as they age. you will need scales that measure 0.0g to start getting consistent results , I use 14.0g exactly for a set of cups that are identical, it sounds a bit retentive but the consistency lets you adjust the grind for flavour and extraction / lever pressure. Pavs are ultimately rewarding to use as they are more involved than most other machines, but some find the palava a bit much.

The best thing to do is do a 1/2 day quality barista / espresso course to save a lot of time

cheers Jim


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

Thanks for the advice Jim, I am completely new to this and I am sure it will take time, so is it a bad idea to use coffee blends that have already been grounded for espresso coffee? I am only asking as I ordered some from Rave blends and it will be pre-grounded for espresso.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

If you ordered them last night contact them now and ask for whole bean, rave blends are great, just not pre ground. Rave will understand.

The signiture blend is a good starting point

Jim


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Ps: in Espresso world, there's no such a thing as "one size fits all" in terms of pre ground coffee. A minor tweak in the grind setting, or a change of environment humidity can make a difference between a great shot or a disaster.

Hence the need for a good grinder. As you read on on the forum, you'll often find that we talk more about grinder rather than machines. We tend to share a view here that the machine is the accessory to the grinder, and not the other way around.


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Ps: in Espresso world, there's no such a thing as "one size fits all" in terms of pre ground coffee. A minor tweak in the grind setting, or a change of environment humidity can make a difference between a great shot or a disaster.
> 
> Hence the need for a good grinder. As you read on on the forum, you'll often find that we talk more about grinder rather than machines. We tend to share a view here that the machine is the accessory to the grinder, and not the other way around.


I had a look on the grinding section and I can't find a guide. Is there a guide on the forum to learn more about grinding for espresso coffee?


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

jimbojohn55 said:


> If you ordered them last night contact them now and ask for whole bean, rave blends are great, just not pre ground. Rave will understand.
> 
> The signiture blend is a good starting point
> 
> Jim


Thanks Jim, just spoke to them, order changed to whole beans. I ordered 2kg, what's the best way to store them?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Neversleep said:


> Thanks Jim, just spoke to them, order changed to whole beans. I ordered 2kg, what's the best way to store them?


Good that you've contacted them in time to change to whole bean. Rave are a good bunch and do some great coffee at a nice price. If you've ordered 2kg that would last someone who drinks 3 shots a day (me) 6-8 weeks, so l would recommend taping over the bag valve, putting the whole bag inside a freezer bag or sealed tub and freezing about 1.5kg.

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## Neversleep (Sep 27, 2018)

hotmetal said:


> Good that you've contacted them in time to change to whole bean. Rave are a good bunch and do some great coffee at a nice price. If you've ordered 2kg that would last someone who drinks 3 shots a day (me) 6-8 weeks, so l would recommend taping over the bag valve, putting the whole bag inside a freezer bag or sealed tub and freezing about 1.5kg.
> 
> ___
> 
> Eat, drink and be merry


ok thanks


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