# So my coffee journey begins



## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

It started with having a double espresso at The Grind, Stratford and I was hooked and a little obsessed, with achieving the same results at home. So it brought me here to the coffee forum UK and within a short space of time I now have sitting in my Kitchen a La Pavoni Europiccola and Mazzer Super jolly, well they're actually next to the kettle and the Kenwood food mixer much to the annoyance of my better half, who to be honest, has been quite sympathetic with my coffee obsession but I've promised to rejig a little to make it look a bit more kitchen friendly.

So now I have brought home some of Rave's Italian Job espresso itching to get going, but before I begin I wanted ask some you leaver lovers how fine to go on the Mazzer ? Is it all the way, nearly all the way ? I've already been told the tamping has to be light but the grind fine, but how fine to go....


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## iroko (Nov 9, 2012)

Nice set up, I don't know how fine to go on the mazzer, all I can say is grind fine and tamp light, you'll just have to mess around a bit, to get the grind

right.


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## GS11 (Feb 20, 2013)

Soll said:


> So now I have brought home some of Rave's Italian Job espresso itching to get going


nothing stopping you using your beans straight away but ideally you want to be resting rave beans for 10 days+ after roasting date to allow them to de-gass.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Tried Italian Job recently, really enjoyed it.

Ok it's not the most complex bean but I thought it was good made with an espresso machine and the Moka pot. Great value buying it by the Kilo.

I did find grinding it finer got better results with a light tamp.


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Hi Urban what leaver do you have ?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Hi Soll

i have a L1 ( a lever but different you yours ) , with a lever i would grind finer and tamp lighter , how much will depend the extraction you are trying to get and the taste - restretto etc ) .

Start by making sure you dose the same each time, 14-15 g for your type i lever i think &#8230;.. ( use jewellers scales ).

Levers respond better to having a finer grind , which in turn means taming less hard than you would with a pump machine ( normally referred to as 30lbs )

Coffechap he be the lever legend, and can give you more specific advise for your machine re dose and output to aim for and how many pulls of the lever etc.

Mr Chap? Advise?


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Finally got to use my La Pavoni and wasn't expecting any drinkable espresso to begin with, just want to play around and get a feel if her. First shot, way too quick and hardly any pressure on the leaver so I set the mazzer to 9 and that was too fine and I couldn't budge the leaver at all.

I will try again later on and adjust the grind level somewhere between 8 and 9


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Were you using a consistent dose each time you changed grind ( weighing it ?)


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Yes, 15g each time


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Soll said:


> Yes, 15g each time


Great are you using scales that got to 0.1 g or scales that go to the whole gram only ?


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

ah! No it's only the gram showing, I'm shopping with the misses today so I'll look out for them. There Jewellers scales right ?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Yeah loads on ebay for 5 quud. So dont overspend. You could br dosing more than your15g which might lead to choking when you changing your grind also.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

If my memory serves me correctly I think that using 15g isn't your best idea I seem to remember Coffeechap saying 14g should be the max and 12g was most likely the best dose with these.


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Thanks Charlie I'll give both of those doses a try


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

Hey sol, nice setup pretty much identical to mine, and I'm running Italian job Actually I've got a bit of a difficult as Welles the moment, at 14g, the other beans I 've had have been a bit darker and been running them at 13g


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

Grinder set to this if it helps


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Hi Orangertange, thanks for the grind setting:good: Is that 3 notches after 5 ? A bit difficult to see !!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Be careful as the setting will depend on the burr wear


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Yep numbers won't be the same on each grinder unless the zero points on the grinder are synchronised. ( they won't be ) .....

Be warned....


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Soll said:


> Hi Urban what leaver do you have ?


Sorry Soll, only just saw your post. I don't have a lever (although I wish I did), I'm still on the Gaggia Classic.


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> Yep numbers won't be the same on each grinder unless the zero points on the grinder are synchronised. ( they won't be ) .....
> 
> Be warned....


So I have to just tinker around until I get THE SHOT ! Hmmm! I believe the burrs have been replaced but haven't got a clue if they're synchronised


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

No worries in wasnt very clear myself , I mean that - 5 on your dial grinder will be different to 5 on someone else's . The number don't necessarily mean that same thing on the same grinder ....

Keep dose the same 14 g and keep playing you'll get there .


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## dogday38 (Feb 15, 2012)

Soll I would say for my machine it definitely helped replacing the seals and doing a descale before starting out, yours may well be fine, or even new but mine was 15 years old so gave it a new lease of life. I use 15.5gms, and as you already have been recommended a light tamp.


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

dogday38 said:


> Soll I would say for my machine it definitely helped replacing the seals and doing a descale before starting out, yours may well be fine, or even new but mine was 15 years old so gave it a new lease of life. I use 15.5gms, and as you already have been recommended a light tamp.


I was lucky enough to find one that was hardly used and since I've had it I'm slowly getting to grips with it and producing some decent coffee at last. My only concern is the overheating issue which I'm sure you're aware of, after 3/4 shots they just don't taste the same, which is very frustrating when you have guests over. The same can be said for the steaming, the Europiccola is just not geared up to multiple shot after shot.


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## dogday38 (Feb 15, 2012)

That is the major issue, but day to day suits my needs as I'm the only coffee freak in the house. When people are over I have to resort to filter. To get a lever with multiple shot stability would unfortunately price me out in this lifetime, or maybe on my last legs anyway. Love that italian job by the way.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

i will post some picks up of the heat dissipater that i am getting for my 1960s la pavoni once it gets here as these are brilliant at solving the heat issue..


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Is it easy to fit on the Pavoni ? I don't mind tinkering a little bit to solve the heat problem. Anyway, over the holidays I paid a visit to Claudette at BB mainly to look at the Bezzera Strega which has intrigued me somewhat after reading about it on all the forums. I read your review as well Dave but after playing around with it, which Claudette kindly obliged, I slowly began to have a feel for her. I found it to be a most forgiving machine unlike La Pavoni which as you know, has to be spot on for that perfect shot. Well, as it was within my price range, in the end I bought it, as it was their last one I had a nice discount to. So now I have 2 machines to play with...


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