# La Pavoni Europiccola owners - how many shots can you pull with a full boiler?



## Nad (Feb 11, 2021)

Hey everyone

I'm tempted by a La Pavoni Europicolla. From what I've read it looks like a minor issue is that refilling the boiler is a pain while pressure is built. From what I can see, the boiler capacity is 0.8L, which should be enough for 8 shots.

Does that match your experience in use? How often are you refilling your boiler? Would also be interested to hear from those making flat whites and cappuccinos.

Cheers


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## Cooffe (Mar 7, 2019)

I think the question you should ask is how many shots can you get before it gets too hot.

I think with proper purging/pressure release etc. I get about 5 from a normal europiccola without steaming milk. The professional I think is double the size.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

@Nad - I had one for a couple of years - or was it one year? I can't remember. Anyhow, I used to fill the boiler up every day, usually in the morning before I turn it on.

- I never drew water from the group to warm up the machine. 
- My experience shows that you can have a maximum of 4 shots (mine used to yield 15g in -> 32g out). This is when you'll see the water level indicator very, very low.

Just because the boiler is 800ml it doesn't mean you can have 8 shots. 8 very small single shots (4x15ml shots split doubles - not worth IMO) - but that's pushing.

1- You never fill the machine up to the brim. In the sight glass (water level indicator), you want it to be approx. 3/4 or 7/8s full for best results). Any more than that the machine will start spitting water through the vacuum breaker/safety valve.
2 - You need to keep the heating element covered at all times.

In my experience, when the water level indicator is right at the lowest point, you still have approx. 300ml-400ml inside the machine.


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## Nopapercup (Nov 6, 2016)

If you're looking to make more than two shots in a row on a regular basis than you're better off with a different machine as these overheat really quickly. There are mods to improve this but they're still not ideal for multiple shots.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

The above is a very good point. I forgot to say that I had one coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon. It's perfect for one person for the sporadic coffee whenever you fancy. Now, this is not the machine you want to be confronting on a dinner party or at breakfast time for your family. Don't forget the boiler is exposed and the machine is incredibly hot. I wouldn't even consider - well, I never did! - trying to serve coffee to guests after a dinner party and a few drinks. It's a dangerous business!


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

It's perfect for me as a solo drinker, I'd usually fill once or twice a day, usually after 3 coffees or so as others have said to keep it topped up. It heats and cools fairly quickly. As others have said I wouldn't do multiple drinks at once, you can get two in but by then it's so hot...


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## Nopapercup (Nov 6, 2016)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> The above is a very good point. I forgot to say that I had one coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon. It's perfect for one person for the sporadic coffee whenever you fancy. Now, this is not the machine you want to be confronting on a dinner party or at breakfast time for your family. Don't forget the boiler is exposed and the machine is incredibly hot. I wouldn't even consider - well, I never did! - trying to serve coffee to guests after a dinner party and a few drinks. It's a dangerous business!


 Good point, I have a nice scar on my forearm from my Pavoni and I hadn't even been drinking.

As the others have said it's perfect if you're making drinks for yourself. I've been using mine for nearly 5 years averaging 3 espressos a day and for that it's been great.


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

@Nopapercup - I do love my Pavoni but it is an unforgiving hard machine! 😭🔥

A poster a while back wanted to get one for his work's office to use by colleagues. It made me do a double take as in theory you could just unscrew the cap at full boiler pressure or grab the hot boiler body to move it if you didn't know better. It would give my H&S person a conniption...


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

@Nad I can get 5 out of mine in terms of water, but that is espresso only with either much cold tea cloth faffing or using a heat sink.


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## haz_pro (Apr 4, 2013)

The most I've done is 4, but to be honest the second shot is best and its downhill from there!


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

Sorry to go off topic a bit but in a previous what machine thread, some said you could directly compare a la pavoni to a dual boiler machine,

Just reading the above surely shows there totally different does it not?


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Cuprajake said:


> Sorry to go off topic a bit but in a previous what machine thread, some said you could directly compare a la pavoni to a dual boiler machine,
> 
> Just reading the above surely shows there totally different does it not?


 Yes. Totally different in every single aspect, apart from the fact that steaming is readily available on both. That's about it. Where's this thread? (Maybe on the thread you refer to there was a different context which made sense for comparison purposes).


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