by Danomar » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:37 pm
A La Pavoni Europiccola was my first lever machine. It is a beautiful, temperamental beast. It took me a few years (yes, years) to figure out how to get a good shot from it, but that was before internet espresso forums existed.
The La Pavoni seems more sensitive to grind than most already-sensitive lever machines. Make sure you have a good, consistent grinder before trying anything with it.
Except for Millennium machines (which have an insulating spacer between the boiler and the group) and later, the La Pavoni group easily overheats. Wrapping a wet towel around the group is a simple, effective manner of cooling it off between shots or to get the temperature right.
A handy item to have is a temperature-sensitive strip that you can stick on the group directly.
Newer La Pavonis have (I am lead to believe) plastic pistons that are not as consistent as older brass pistons. Be sure your piston seals are in good shape, of course!
Ensure that your pop-off regulating valve is clean and letting pressure off the boiler at the right pressure. Pressure gauges on the sight glass are very, very useful!
I found that doing a shot to clear the group and then waiting right before the pop-off valve opened again worked reasonably well with mine. You have to figure out the routine for yours. The biggest liability to getting good shots from a Europiccola or Professional is consistency. The machines' behavior is always slightly variable, sometimes unpredictable.
To put it in perspective, when I finally got a new Olympia Cremina in 2005, I was pulling fantastic shots within a few tries. The Cremina is famous for its stability and consistency, things the La Pavoni lacks.
I have to admit that I would rather own a La Peppina than a La Pavoni. Sorry. At least the La Peppina is reasonably consistent.
My current collection includes a vintage Cremina, two Arrarex Caravels, a Conti Comocafé, and a Bruni Brunella. The Caravels are very impressive machines—especially the older versions—but their shots are ristretto-sized. Fine for me most of the time, but perhaps not for others. The shots are nearly as good as those from my first Olympia. I got rid of my La Pavoni several years ago. I stopped using it once I got the Cremina. The "Chrome Peacock" is a beautiful machine but you might go you crazy trying to get consistent results from it.
HTH