# Longtime lurker showing his face...



## GlenW (Sep 7, 2013)

Hello from a long term lurker - a positive side-effect of being stuck at home is I've dragged the La Pavoni out from under the stairs and given my whole setup a spruce up!

2 weeks ago I built this coffee bench which sits in the dead space above our kitchen bins - a big upgrade from trying to steal some counter space.









The shelves on the right were my project for this weekend - really chuffed how they turned out. Unfortunately the ply wasn't great quality so the finish isn't fantastic, but it's what I had to hand. Feel like I've brought some order to the chaos. Putting the tamper or v60 in their respective holders is very satisfying.









The La Pavoni is a Millenium with Brass Piston bought ages ago from ebay. Last week I drilled out the portafilter to convert it into bottomless, and gave the whole thing a good clean and lube. It's not exactly the quickest way to make a coffee, but I do love the tactile nature of a manual lever, I just wish it had a bit more temperature stability. I'm getting pretty good at judging how long to hold a wet rag on the group head to cool kit down. It's much easier to dial it in with the consistent grind from the HG-One vs the Iberital MC2 I used to use. (I've leant the MC2 and an aeropress to a coffee-fan colleague who's stuck at home)

I actually bought the HG-One grinder on this forum a few years ago and I've just given it a good clean and lube. This is my favourite possession, using it just makes me happy. (Actually it's a pretty close competition between this, my bicycle and my camera). I've just bought one of the Tenura sticky mats to go under it which is awesome - makes a big difference, you can almost grind espresso one handed. It's pretty quick swapping between Espresso and Filter. I just wish they used numbers and not Braille dots to denote the grind settings, figuring out the Braille alphabet before coffee is not my strong point









Really enjoying getting into espresso again after relegating the Pavoni to storage for a few years due to the faff factor. Making lots of notes on grind settings and dosing (sticking with a 14g dose). Did a bit of a cupping exercise which I'd not done before which was fun - I think my palate is pretty unrefined! (Also have been binge-watching James Hoffman's YouTube channel - I think my wife is getting a bit jealous of all the attention he's getting)

One day I'd love a Londinium - but can't really justify it at the moment. Back in the day as a student I actually helped Reiss @ Londinium put together his first big roaster - would love to go full circle and have one of his machine.

Next things I want to try are more beans - after something chocolatey for the espresso and lighter for the v60. On the Pavoni I'd like a stainless steel grille for the drip tray and a single hole steam-tip. I don't really drink milk drinks but feel like I should have a go at this steaming thing.

And thanks to everyone for all the info I've hungrily consumed from the forum!


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## GlenW (Sep 7, 2013)

...and looking at the pictures reminds me I really need to sort that power cable out. Some kind of notch at the back to thread it through. A notch is easy but I need a neat notch - I'm thinking drill a 10mm hole and then cut a slot to it


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## Joe shorrock (Nov 18, 2019)

GlenW said:


> ...and looking at the pictures reminds me I really need to sort that power cable out. Some kind of notch at the back to thread it through. A notch is easy but I need a neat notch - I'm thinking drill a 10mm hole and then cut a slot to it


 Love the set up mate! So neat hanging the stuff up aswell! How you finding the HG-1?


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## GlenW (Sep 7, 2013)

Joe shorrock said:


> Love the set up mate! So neat hanging the stuff up aswell! How you finding the HG-1?


 Cheers!

I really enjoy using the HG-1. I just find it a very different experience from any other grinder I've tried (which isn't a very long list). I tried and returned a baratza sette 270w before this and I think they are literally the opposite ends of grinder experience. The sette is fast and easy, full of electronic goodness, plastic casing and sounds like someone shaking a tin can full of ball bearings as if life depended on it. The HG-1 is manual, sturdy, you need to weigh out your dose, it sounds like you're really crunching through beans and you earn your coffee. Plus if there's a nuclear apocalypse, my building will be reduced to a pile of dust and in the middle will be standing the HG-1 totally unscathed and ready to grind flour in single doses for another millennium.

As for the grind quality - I think any expensive grinder is probably good enough that it's my skill that's the limiting factor. I just enjoy using the HG-1. When my wife makes coffee from the other side of the flat I can hear the sound of the blind tumbler ringing as you empty it and it sets up a Pavlovian response of coffee anticipation.

On one hand I love the manual coffee experience - on the other hand I'd love to try a Decent Espresso machine. (And I actually lost a load of money backing the Kickstarter project which eventually resulted in the Decent machine)


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## THR_Crema (May 20, 2019)

Very nice setup ?


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