Ponte Vecchio Lusso - advice please?

Brett_H

conikal wrote:

There are lots of grinders that can grind coffee enough to "Choke" the PF, ..but ,..they wont all be able to grind coffee for a "good" espresso. I have choked my m/c using coffee ground in my wifes "spice grinder", ( yes desperate men take desperate measures in times of crisis !)..... but dispite many attempts, i was never able to make a half decent shot using it , nor indeed when trying a cheap electric burr grinder ! God knows its hard enough on a modern grinder with stepless adjustment and precision internals, never mind a hand grinder with old cast burrs in "sloppy" support bearings ! From your link... Im sure you are having a lot of fun with that beautiful Spong, but at your stage with a new espresso machine, i think i would be trying to eliminate any unknown variables ,...and stick with a proven grinder set up. more power to your elbow ! ;D

This is an excellent post! Thank you! :thumb:

conikal

Moon wrote:

Keep in mind I drink Lattes ..

Coffee Confucius he say .... " No way to make silk purse Latte from sows ear Espresso shot " .... ...but i know what you mean !

Moon

Edited .. not sure how outrageous we can get around here? 🙂 Suffice to say .. us Latte drinkers are generally easier to please .. than those seeking the 'God shot' espresso. In my case .. I'm very happy with a coffee I rate 8/10. A 9 or a 10 is just adding the marshmallow. As much as it may horrify the Scotch Whisky purists .. I like mine with ice & cola. Different strokes for different folks n all that. *Ordered some different beans from Jeff @ mycuppa (Crema forum sponsor) as well as some from elsewhere. Will be interesting to see/taste the difference using beans roasted by the professionals .. rather than the green I've been getting .. and roasting myself in a Popper? The journey of discovery continues.. :coffee2: ps. And yeah .. conikalmate .. will be getting back into using the Compak.

Brett_H

Moon, we get pretty outrageous and outraged around here :thumb: I too am a latte drinker but am rally fussy about the shot. I do drink plenty of long and short blacks because I can!! What a great hobby. Continue and enjoy the research Moon! You're well on the way!

Ol_Grumpy

Moon wrote:

<snip> ... us Latte drinkers are generally easier to please ... <snip>

Clearly @Moon.... You haven't met my wife.... who happens to be a Latte only drinker.... : tongue They say, "Happpy Wife... Happy Life" Suffice to say the mood of the day is often determined by the first brew of the day... It really pays dividends to make it a good one..... : Lol3

Moon

[quote author=Brett H link=topic=5026.msg42577#msg42577 date=1383967695] Moon, we get pretty outrageous and outraged around here :thumb: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok .. filter is off. I was thinking those after the 'God shot' must be into the multiple orgasm thing .. one being during the foreplay when anticipating the tiger stripes .. this is the teaser .. another when it starts dripping from their 'naked' porta-filter .. this is when the oohing & aarring begins .. and the climax when they get to consume it. I reckon these blokes must think it's better than sex? On the other hand <--- perhaps wrong choice of words here? .. I'm quite happy with only the one .. and whatever I happen to end up with (in the cup)

Moon

[quote author=Ol Grumpy link=topic=5026.msg42579#msg42579 date=1383970377] They say, "Happpy Wife... Happy Life" Suffice to say the mood of the day is often determined by the first brew of the day... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe this to be true Grumps .. only I wouldn't know .. having never been there. Sounds like a pretty tough gig though .. having to produce your best straight after waking up. You're obviously a better Man than me.. 🙂 If I hadda gotten Married .. my wedding gift to my wife would've been a paid ticket for a Barista course. There's something quite romantic about being brought a nice cup of coffee upon waking in the morning. :lamp: ps. Haven't got the quoting worked out yet?

Moon

Went down to the local deli and bought 200g of NZ brand 'Supreme' beans while I wait for my new shipment to arrive in the mail early next week. Used my Compak grinder (conicalmate will be happy) to grind the beans and went through my standard process, only opted for the medium pressure tamp. There was no crema and I had to restrain the lever spring from returning to its finished upright position .. as it was pouring too quickly with not enough resistance. I then adjusted the grinder a little finer .. and will tamp a little firmer next time. It was still smooth and a nice tasting coffee .. but lacked body. * I purchased a fresh celery stick and some carrots for the juicer. I figure I'm going to have to flush my system out soon to remain in peak form to continue my coffee quest. If you are into Eastern Chinese Acupuncture .. you will probably know that the eyes are connected to your Liver and your tastebuds/tongue (front 2/3) are connected to your kidneys .. so we need to replenish them with some kindness every now and again (same for consumers of lots of alcohol) Coffee connoisseurs need to make sure their senses of sight , taste, and to a lesser degree smell .. are all in top form for full appreciation of the good brew. My new Doulton water purifier and ceramic cartridge arrived yesterday, so I have already replaced the tap water in the boiler with the purified water. I like my caffeine pure .. and without chemicals ;D

mycuppa

Some methods of purifying water result in less than ideal espresso extraction. In fact, it can ruin an espresso.

Moon

Howdy mycuppa .. if I end up pulling a sinker .. or 2 or 3 .. we can now point the finger at the water filter as the culprit? Nice .. I like it. Takes the heat off me :laugh: You've got me curious? Can you perhaps elaborate on this? I've only heard that the coffee can be less tasty .. and some prefer the addition of dirt, chlorine, heavy metals, Guardia (protein), e-coli .. and whatever else it strips off say 70 yo water pipes as it passes through? They say we shouldn't be living in a sanitized bubble .. so a little sludge and a few bugs is a good thing to assist in building up our immunity. I kinda get it ..only I need more convincing that I should have all this in with my coffee? When I'm having my cuppa .. I like to feel relaxed .. and not living on the edge worrying about what may have made it into my cup. Call me boring. I just don't like the idea of possibly harmful additives causing a distraction from enjoying my lovely coffee and a cigarette. 8)

mycuppa

Google is your friend - there is plenty of content already available written by others - no need to re-invent the wheel. I did not say filtration was a bad thing - some methods are less ideal.

Lacehim

Moon wrote:

I just don't like the idea of possibly harmful additives causing a distraction from enjoying my lovely coffee and a cigarette. 8)

:rofl: :laugh: 😃 :rofl: :thumb: Best giggle I had all day! 🙂

Moon

Ahhh .. just pulled my first cafe quality latte. Used the bought NZ Supreme roasted beans with a finer grind setting on the Compak. Filled the basket half way, tamped firmly with plastic supplied tamper.. then filled up using the rest of the 19g of beans. I looked in my pantry for a solid spice jar for the final tamp .. ending up using a pepper grinder ceramic head which was rounded/convex. Pulled the lever down to pre-infuse and upon releasing could feel the strong resistance of the spring immediately. The pour was slower than previously .. and although not even from the two spouts .. it produced more crema this time .. yet still less than it should. Still a way to go .. but wow .. what a nice coffee that was. Micro-foam was perfect .. and gotta say .. i'd be happy making this quality coffee each time. ^-^ Cheers to conical for getting me back on track sooner rather than later :thumb:

Moon

Interesting round this one. After I turned the washing machine on in the laundry .. thought I'd switch on the Lusso for another brew. This strange sound came out of the machine. Best I can describe it is the sort of sound you might expect from an almost empty boiler with about 20ml of water left in it .. with the cap off. I was thinking wtf is this? .. and wondering whether it was going to explode? Then I thought .. maybe it's on the same circuit as the washing machine, so I turned the coffee machine off .. and then turned the washing machine off just in case it was starved of power? I then turned the coffee machine back on and it started making the same sound. I knew there was plenty of water in it and checked again .. 3/4 full... same as the first time I looked. No surprise there. Turned it off .. unscrewed the boiler cap .. and poured more water in it until it was full. Screwed the cap back on and turned it back on. its tantrum was over and boiled up nice and quietly. Must have felt dehydrated even though it had plenty of water in it. Go figure? Ok .. ground the beans etc .. and screwed in the PF. Pulled the lever down for the pre-infusion .. couple of drops came out from each spout and let the lever go to allow it to pour .. well .. it flowed continuously from one spout only .. nothing from the other .. lever halfway up and did the Fellini move by pulling it down again and releasing. The spout that had been pouring stopped completely .. and the other flowed continuously. Crikey .. so much for the effort I'd put in to get the grinds in the basket nice and even. I'm at a total loss as to how this happened? All I can think of is that the first spout that was flowing along nicely caught wind of doing all of the work .. and after taking a breather during the Fellini move thought .. stuffit .. your turn. ps. In the cup, the coffee wasn't as nice this time. I'm putting it down to the possibility of some internal bitching going on during the process .. and the boiler having a bad hair day? It's no secret those Italians can get pretty fired up at times. 😉

littleroundman

Sounds basic, but did you remember to bleed off the false pressure in the boiler after you switched on and before you attempted a pour ??

Moon

I have been .. but when is the best time to bleed the false pressure.. while the pressure gauge is rising or wait until it reaches its max 1.1 bar and switches off? Bleeding when rising sets it back a little .. whereas bleeding at max has dropped the pressure back to zero and it has to start again? I open the steam wand to release a little steam. I'm thinking using a dodgy makeshift tamper is a definite weak link in the process.. well, apart from my obvious lack of skills. To remedy this .. I've emailed Jack from Sorrentina about getting a correct sized metal tamper for the Lusso. I'm thinking it's channeling due to uneven distribution of grinds and incorrect tamping? It would be helpful to have a naked Porta-filter so that I can see what the pour from the basket is doing? Suppose I already know it's swinging to one side .. eh? :tear hair: * Don't you worry folks .. there'll come a day when Moon is pulling his tiger striped God Shots .. and will be sitting back laughing at some n00by going through the motions I'm going through now. :thumb:

Moon

I skipped the halfway tamp, backed the grind off to a bit coarser and did a medium tamp .. resulting in a better pour, although still uneven. Channeling was probably due to the water having to find the path of least resistance .. being tamped too tightly. When first pulling the lever for the pre infusion .. I also waited longer until the first drips appeared as I was releasing the lever too early before the grinds were completely saturated. Had to change tac .. as I had pulled my first sinker .. oh no .. I'm going backwards ??? Also, the microfoam hasn't been as good the last couple of times. Drats .. that perfect cuppa I made yesterday at lunchtime must have been a fluke? 😢 Oh well .. at least I now know what to aim for 8)

Lacehim

Moon, they never poured even on mine. It's the spouts fault! Get them made into a nakid handle, easier to clean up afterwards, you'll never need to split a pour either. If you know someone with a lathe you'll get a neat job. I've got a contact here in Brisbane that might beable to help if you want it. He did mine for me, and did a great job! 🙂 PM me.

littleroundman

Lacehim had the same experience as I did, in that I have never been able to get an equal pour from both sides of the group handle. My routine evolved to being: half fill the basket two settling taps on the bench fill (I have a Cunill Tranquillo grinder, so it is 2 X timed doses to full, with settling taps between doses) a "polish only" tamp with an Orphan Espresso close fitting tamp As far as the false pressure bleed, I let it come to full pressure on the gauge, when the light turns off, then bleed, which normally takes the gauge back to about 30% pressure and I can see steam before it begins heating again

Moon

Cheers little .. i shouldn't be too worried about that aspect then... which is good. As for a Tamper. The PV Lusso is supposed to have a 45mm basket .. yet my measurement from the insides is 47mm exactly, which means a 44.5mm or 45mm tampers available are a tad too small. It needs to be at least 46mm so as to not have too much movement .. to prevent the hassle of having to move the tamper around to compress the edge. I figure .. anything over 0.5mm on each side is getting sloppy. I'm kinda liking the idea of a convex tamper as opposed to a flat one. My personal theory .. let's call it a hunch, is that by having the edges turned up .. it prevents the water from seeking the weakest point to channel itself.. which, according to my 'hunch' .. is the outside circumference where the rounded grinds meets the flattish metal, especially if the tamper is not a perfect fit. I prefer Stainless steel over aluminium. I'm sure the negative publicity surrounding the use of aluminium saucepans for cooking has influenced me here .. or is it that SS is just more solid, smoother to the touch and more shiny? I feel somehow it will be difficult enough to get the right size tamper without being too fussy about the metal it is made of. I checked out Greg Pullman's site. He deals only in the flat tampers. It seems that the Lusso will only require a light to medium tamp .. rather than a heavy one .. where the more solid Stainless steel would be an advantage. What do people use for their PV Lussos? .. are you happy with it?.. and where did you get it from? ps. Haven't had a coffee all afternoon. Had a pizza with anchovies and olives for lunch .. and been drinking orange juice all afternoon.. which is good ... there's my healthy flushout. :thumb: Is it ok to mention drinking orange juice instead of coffee on this forum?

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