Cool vid even though the shot doesn't look that great. I notice you also have a Pavoni... at the moment I'm using a Pavoni and a Mazzer but I've been offered a Cremina. If you want, could you please let me know what you think of the two in comparison? Is the Olympia worth getting over the Pavoni?
Thanks, the shot while being pulled was actually crema top to bottom with great color. You have to remember that there was periods of time missing between shots, so after the shot was pulled the next shot began with the crema settled out. There is no contest between the Cremina and Pavoni. Although the Pavoni is good, the Cremina is a vastly superior machine in every way. I gave my Pavoni to my son and sold my Gaggia Factory. I am currently using my Cremina and an Olympia Club spring lever.
@ladalet: Cheers... yea I watched the vid again and the shot looks much better than I initially thought.. probably just the last picture suck in my mind. Think I'm gonna get the Cremina then.. only thing putting me off is the price of spare parts. 60$ for a filter seems mad. But oh well. Looking forward to it. :)
Hey, cheers.. you tipped the scale and made me buy it and I really don't regret it... took a few weeks of rebuilding (still had asbestos on the boiler and probably hasn't been descaled since '72) but now it's good as new and I'm pulling beautiful shots. Gave the Pavoni to my gf.. I wouldn't say the Cremina "vastly superior" but it's definitely a much more reliable and stable (also temperature-wise) machine and the little more volume it produces does make quite a difference in the cup.
I also have a Pavoni Europiccola and I'm trying fellini move-preinfusion but I still get a smaller amount of coffee than expected (I use double basket and 16-17gr).
The Fellini move is very similar to my active preinfusion. Except the the Fellini move is done on a spring lever machine. When I saw the Fellini video on the HB website I got a chuckle that the action of the move was basically what I was doing but in reverse due to the spring movement being in reverse. I also have a Europiccola and do not get as much extra volume as with my Cremina. There seems to be an issue involving water pressure into the group after the initial infusion. Happy New Year.
In my humble opinion, no. I like to do everything I can to maintain freshness. exposure to oxygen and light shorten the freshness of the beans. I keep my beans in an airtight ziplock bag stored in a cool dark drawer. I only dose out what I need as I need it and reseal the bag and squeeze out the air before I place it back in the drawer.
Great video, the ONLY thing I can make a remark about is the tamper.. Now I could be totally wrong but a lever machine should use a flat tamper. Why? well if you think about about it pulling the lever up will create a vacuum in the portafiler and the grinds that you just tamped in the portafilter may get disturbed..
Most lever machines come with a domed or euro curve tamper. A domed tamper pushes the grounds towards to edge of the basket creating a better seal between the puck and the basket reducing side channeling. However, crema is sacrificed. A flat tamper produces the best crema. I am using and American curve which has a very slight dome. It does not seem to sacrifice crema, as you can see, and I do not have a side channeling issue. As long as the grounds are adequately tamped the grinds do fine.
Nice video and nice setup, especially the base the machine/grinder is on. Very informative and straight to the point with excellent results. I keep coming back to watch this particular video over and over. Later!
Wow. You are really into that. My Expobar Office Pulsar can pump out about six doubles in less time than that one shot - six that look exactly the same as yours.
But I like to drink espresso more than I like to make it.
Dude, you're missing the point. For alot of espresso lovers working for that sip is the most important thing and if you only have a few shots daily, why not use the best machine for that. I have a good semi-auto that will crank out shot after shot, but they don't taste as good as what comes out of my Cremina. Looks aren't everything by any means. Later!
Many thanks for this video! Having just bought a La Pavoni pro, it is very helpful to me. I think the Pavoni may benefit from pre-infusion since, in my pulls so far, I often get a bit less volume than I would expect. Will try it first thing in the morning.
I too vote for a video with your Europiccola, with a double basket if it is not too much to ask for :)
I am quite happy to see this video. About 22 years ago I bought a Cremina, but it has been in storage since newer and more modern gear has been in my kitchen. I am inspired to clean up the ole Cremina and give it a whirl. Thanks.
Hi ladalet,sorry to ask & ple teach:I have a 71 rebuilt C67cremina,why??when I did pre-infusion like you up & down the lever action.If I didn't do it I pull OK,after I did it every time:The lever makes me to pull it very hard,And I cannot have a 22-28 sec shot.40-80secs-if I did the up and down action.Anything I did wrong?What Should I do??Not to do the up and down pre-infusion?Some differences between our machine?Since I think 70's machine design,may be different?Please Teach.Thanks.
This method completely infuses the puck with water causing more expansion and a tighter seal. 1) over dosing: the puck is expanding into the screen causing more compaction. After you have pulled a shot, remove the portafilter and place a penny in the middle of the puck, lock it back into the group and then remove it. If at least half of the penny is not above the puck surface, you are overdosing. 2) Try grinding a little coarser when using active pre-infusion.
Great routine! But I agree with ladalet in that the pf was out of the group for way too long! If the video was in real time, it was out for about two and a half minutes! But I love those lever machines and it's fascinating to watch them used!
I just want to identify an error I made in this video. I should have left the portafilter in the group until I was ready to dose. You really want to minimize the amount of time the portifilter is out of the group. Laying it on the tray, as I did in the video, allows it to cool unnecessarily .
Thanks for your intrest. I will be posting a video using the Europiccola soon. I was planning on using a double basket. Is there any reason for requesting a single basket? Do you have any other requests for the video?
Thanks! The shot looks delicious. The preinfusion step is especially interesting. I am just starting out and had no idea how to begin, now I have something to emulate. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, what's a video worth?
Cool vid even though the shot doesn't look that great. I notice you also have a Pavoni... at the moment I'm using a Pavoni and a Mazzer but I've been offered a Cremina. If you want, could you please let me know what you think of the two in comparison? Is the Olympia worth getting over the Pavoni?
dergitarristde 1 year ago
Thanks, the shot while being pulled was actually crema top to bottom with great color. You have to remember that there was periods of time missing between shots, so after the shot was pulled the next shot began with the crema settled out. There is no contest between the Cremina and Pavoni. Although the Pavoni is good, the Cremina is a vastly superior machine in every way. I gave my Pavoni to my son and sold my Gaggia Factory. I am currently using my Cremina and an Olympia Club spring lever.
ladalet 1 year ago
@ladalet: Cheers... yea I watched the vid again and the shot looks much better than I initially thought.. probably just the last picture suck in my mind. Think I'm gonna get the Cremina then.. only thing putting me off is the price of spare parts. 60$ for a filter seems mad. But oh well. Looking forward to it. :)
dergitarristde 1 year ago
@ladalet
Hey, cheers.. you tipped the scale and made me buy it and I really don't regret it... took a few weeks of rebuilding (still had asbestos on the boiler and probably hasn't been descaled since '72) but now it's good as new and I'm pulling beautiful shots. Gave the Pavoni to my gf.. I wouldn't say the Cremina "vastly superior" but it's definitely a much more reliable and stable (also temperature-wise) machine and the little more volume it produces does make quite a difference in the cup.
dergitarristde 10 months ago
very instructional for newbies like me.
I also have a Pavoni Europiccola and I'm trying fellini move-preinfusion but I still get a smaller amount of coffee than expected (I use double basket and 16-17gr).
Could you also make a video with your La Pavoni ?
Happy new year to everybody!
dimogrec 2 years ago
The Fellini move is very similar to my active preinfusion. Except the the Fellini move is done on a spring lever machine. When I saw the Fellini video on the HB website I got a chuckle that the action of the move was basically what I was doing but in reverse due to the spring movement being in reverse. I also have a Europiccola and do not get as much extra volume as with my Cremina. There seems to be an issue involving water pressure into the group after the initial infusion. Happy New Year.
ladalet 2 years ago
Thanks ladalet.
Is there a way to get more volume with Europiccola? I mean getting 35-40ml (about 1.3oz) or more of coffee using the double filter?
I'm not able to superate 28-30ml even if I use fellini move so it's very "ristretto" (and strong-bitter)
dimogrec 2 years ago
this guy pulls the best espresso shot on youtube...lots of crema and great looking color!!
macrino1 2 years ago
is it a good idea to keep the beans in the grinder's hopper for a week?
luongdung 2 years ago
In my humble opinion, no. I like to do everything I can to maintain freshness. exposure to oxygen and light shorten the freshness of the beans. I keep my beans in an airtight ziplock bag stored in a cool dark drawer. I only dose out what I need as I need it and reseal the bag and squeeze out the air before I place it back in the drawer.
ladalet 2 years ago
Great video, the ONLY thing I can make a remark about is the tamper.. Now I could be totally wrong but a lever machine should use a flat tamper. Why? well if you think about about it pulling the lever up will create a vacuum in the portafiler and the grinds that you just tamped in the portafilter may get disturbed..
please correct me if I'm wrong...
david2263 2 years ago
Most lever machines come with a domed or euro curve tamper. A domed tamper pushes the grounds towards to edge of the basket creating a better seal between the puck and the basket reducing side channeling. However, crema is sacrificed. A flat tamper produces the best crema. I am using and American curve which has a very slight dome. It does not seem to sacrifice crema, as you can see, and I do not have a side channeling issue. As long as the grounds are adequately tamped the grinds do fine.
ladalet 2 years ago
Nice video and nice setup, especially the base the machine/grinder is on. Very informative and straight to the point with excellent results. I keep coming back to watch this particular video over and over. Later!
spro745 2 years ago
Outstanding vid and good job on pointing out the thermal retention issue. :)
Buzzyroastguy 3 years ago
Wow. You are really into that. My Expobar Office Pulsar can pump out about six doubles in less time than that one shot - six that look exactly the same as yours.
But I like to drink espresso more than I like to make it.
chambersburgbiker 3 years ago
Dude, you're missing the point. For alot of espresso lovers working for that sip is the most important thing and if you only have a few shots daily, why not use the best machine for that. I have a good semi-auto that will crank out shot after shot, but they don't taste as good as what comes out of my Cremina. Looks aren't everything by any means. Later!
spro745 2 years ago
Many thanks for this video! Having just bought a La Pavoni pro, it is very helpful to me. I think the Pavoni may benefit from pre-infusion since, in my pulls so far, I often get a bit less volume than I would expect. Will try it first thing in the morning.
I too vote for a video with your Europiccola, with a double basket if it is not too much to ask for :)
CostasPilot 4 years ago
I am quite happy to see this video. About 22 years ago I bought a Cremina, but it has been in storage since newer and more modern gear has been in my kitchen. I am inspired to clean up the ole Cremina and give it a whirl. Thanks.
rudykazooti 4 years ago
Hi ladalet,sorry to ask & ple teach:I have a 71 rebuilt C67cremina,why??when I did pre-infusion like you up & down the lever action.If I didn't do it I pull OK,after I did it every time:The lever makes me to pull it very hard,And I cannot have a 22-28 sec shot.40-80secs-if I did the up and down action.Anything I did wrong?What Should I do??Not to do the up and down pre-infusion?Some differences between our machine?Since I think 70's machine design,may be different?Please Teach.Thanks.
jacksonkan 4 years ago
This method completely infuses the puck with water causing more expansion and a tighter seal. 1) over dosing: the puck is expanding into the screen causing more compaction. After you have pulled a shot, remove the portafilter and place a penny in the middle of the puck, lock it back into the group and then remove it. If at least half of the penny is not above the puck surface, you are overdosing. 2) Try grinding a little coarser when using active pre-infusion.
ladalet 4 years ago
Great routine! But I agree with ladalet in that the pf was out of the group for way too long! If the video was in real time, it was out for about two and a half minutes! But I love those lever machines and it's fascinating to watch them used!
Happy coffee!
xtophr 4 years ago
I just want to identify an error I made in this video. I should have left the portafilter in the group until I was ready to dose. You really want to minimize the amount of time the portifilter is out of the group. Laying it on the tray, as I did in the video, allows it to cool unnecessarily .
ladalet 4 years ago
I see also a Pavoni in your kitchen. Why don't you make a video like this using la pavoni and it's single basket? Thanks.
pablitocaro 4 years ago
Thanks for your intrest. I will be posting a video using the Europiccola soon. I was planning on using a double basket. Is there any reason for requesting a single basket? Do you have any other requests for the video?
ladalet 4 years ago
Simply because i use the singe basket using 7 grams of coffee and i'm trying to get the best from that. I have a Pavoni Pro latest model.
pablitocaro 4 years ago
Thanks! The shot looks delicious. The preinfusion step is especially interesting. I am just starting out and had no idea how to begin, now I have something to emulate. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, what's a video worth?
atlanticatlanta 4 years ago