Espresso: Lever Espresso Machines La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I? Screen Door Espresso Stone fruit and molasses with hints of bitter cocoa and a buttery mouthfeel. caffedbolla.com   Not Logged in: log in updated topics   new posts   new unanswered   search   faq   sign up   Discussions > Espresso > Lever Espresso > La Pavoni...   view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics showing page 1 of 2 last page next page Author Messages NickK1066 Senior Member Joined: 21 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Bracknell Expertise: I love coffee Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008, 6:19am Subject: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Hi all, I suppose this is a "do I / don't I" type of post - I've seen this and I'm (a) looking for a experiences of Pavoni in general, (b) looking for any thoughts from those that have switched to levers.. I'm a coffee obsessive (actually that's also wine and other things!). I do love the hands on things and will quite happily spend time getting something right. I've not jumped at this before because of time (to do something right takes the right time). However I'm now hotdesking and spending a large portion of time working from home. The net effect is that I have time to spend in the morning and afternoon making a good cuppa :D. I can't see it taking much longer than a normal semi-auto, the difference I can see is the time it takes to "master" it (understatement). My plan is to go with pre-ground in the meantime and then at christmas go for a better grinder to get the best out of the PDH. Nick. back to top xdavez Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 589 Location: USA Expertise: Professional Espresso: La Spaziale Vivaldi II Grinder: Mahlkoenig K 30es, Mazzer... Vac Pot: none Drip: Technivorm Posted Sun Jun 22, 2008, 11:13am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   backwards. you need a great grinder  first!!  expect to spend $300 +  for one. THEN constider the brass and wood thing!  It is VERY difficult to get good ouput from an LP lever, period. get a Silvia   (it has 9 lbs of brass, you just can't see it)  and a wood handled tamper. or other good single boiler machine dave back to top aribica59 Senior Member Joined: 6 Feb 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Mexico Expertise: I love coffee Posted Sun Jun 22, 2008, 11:26am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Go for the Pavoni! I'm sure the advice to buy a good grinder upfront is valid, but if you have to choose one or the other immediately, well, you can't brew coffee in a grinder. If you're a hands-on type, you'll get the grinder soon enough! The Pavoni makes wonderful espresso and are readily available used. The learning curve, for all the talk, ain't that steep...if you have a good grinder. :-) - matthew back to top NickK1066 Senior Member Joined: 21 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Bracknell Expertise: I love coffee Posted Sun Jun 22, 2008, 2:02pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Fair points. I'm currently looking at the Ascaso iMini due to it's compact size compared to the majority of grinders. I want a doserless as I don't have the throughput of grinds to keep them fresh in a doser. back to top rgordon7 Senior Member Joined: 30 Mar 2008 Posts: 23 Location: Seattle, WA Espresso: Gaggia Factory 106 (two of... Grinder: Ascaso i-Mini, Zassenhaus... Vac Pot: None Drip: None Roaster: Nesco Posted Mon Jun 23, 2008, 5:16pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   I have the Ascaso i-Mini , which I use exclusively with my Gaggia Factory G106 lever espresso machine. (The Gaggia Factory is almost identical to the La Pavoni Professional). Anyhow, I've found the i-Mini to be a very capable espresso grinder - so much so that I've just bought a second i-Mini for use with my second Gaggia Factory G106 for our other house... With the i-Mini, with any of the beans I've tried, I've been able to "overgrind" (to the point of choking the Gaggia Factory) - and I've then been able to back off the grind a bit and dial-in just the right grind. The infinitely adjustable worm gear assembly makes this degree of dialing-in quite easy. It also makes the grinder less than ideal for use with other types of coffees, as there are simply too many turns of the knob to go from one type of coffee to another and then back again  - especially as there is no counter for the knob - but this is something that is common to all of the stepless grinders - not just the less expensive stepless grinders such as the i-Mini. The important point is the i-Mini is indeed capable of grinding sufficiently consistently and consistently fine to work very well with a lever espresso machine. When the beans are right and the i-Mini is dialed in properly for the particular beans, i-Mini does an excellent job. In adition to the i-Mini being reasonably priced, it is fairly compact and is very nicely designed and made, with an all cast metal exterior in either black or polished aluminum (I'm partial to the former...)  My only two complaints are that I wish it had an on/off switch in additon to the button switch "behind" where you hold the portafilter, as keepiing the portafilter pressed against that slippery little round button while trying to dose properly is harder than it would be if the switch were located elsewhere on the i-Mini. The other complaint is that the button is a slippery chrome plated plastic that mars easily when pressing the portafilter against it.. Would be nice if the button were made of metal of a quaility to match the quality of the i-Mini's body. Other than that, it's one great grinder in a very compact, affordable and attractive package. Should make a good companion for your La Pavoni. rgordon back to top orphanespresso Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 65 Location: Troy Expertise: Professional Espresso: Cremina Faemina Microcimbali... Grinder: Hand Grinders Posted Sun Jun 29, 2008, 12:11am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   If you are ready to take the time for an "artisan" espresso experience, you really can't go wrong with a La Pavoni, but I would add that you really don't need the Pro, a regular europiccola will do just fine.  They heat up quickly, the group and portafilter is the same size, and both machines function is much the same way.  The pro is bigger and has more counter presence, plus a pressure gauge, but the EuroP really does all of the same things.      As far as grinders go, why wait until December, just get a good hand grinder for a fraction of the cost, order up some Intelligensia beans, single origins are great in the small levers, and you'll be all set.   The La Pavoni machines EuroP or Pro are not  designed to be high volume and if you are making 4 or 5 doubles a day then you really don't need an electric grinder to handle the task.    I agree, the learning curve is not all that steep,  and once you get your grind set and dial in the tamp it is very simple.   Preground will much disappoint you with a home lever.   And yes, you can get one used at a reasonable price, and if it needs new seals, they are not that expensive or difficult to replace.  La Pavoni has excellent parts support with many online sources for any part you need, including baskets and portafilters.   At current ebay prices (in a bit of a slump) you could be set up with a good Europiccola and a fine hand grinder for less than 300 bucks and have plenty of spendolas left over for some good fresh beans! Doug back to top rgordon7 Senior Member Joined: 30 Mar 2008 Posts: 23 Location: Seattle, WA Espresso: Gaggia Factory 106 (two of... Grinder: Ascaso i-Mini, Zassenhaus... Vac Pot: None Drip: None Roaster: Nesco Posted Sun Jun 29, 2008, 12:45am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Another money-saving possibility... Instead of the Pavoni Pro, look on eBay for a discontinued Gaqgia Factory G106 refurb from WLL (or contact WLL directly), as they often have Gaggia Factory G106 refurbs. The Gaggia Factory G106 is virtually identical to the Pavoni Pro (16 cup boiler, pressure gauge, etc.), except for a slightly different boiler screw cap and a conical pointed metal hat that sits atop the boiler over the screw cap. I bought a "new old stock" Gaggia Factory G106 from WLL earlier this year for approx. half the cost of a Pavoni Pro, and was so pleased with it I very recently bought a second one (this one a refurb - the non-refurb "new old stock" being no longer available) for even less. You can probably get one of these refurbs for even less than the price of a new Europiccola... rgordon back to top NickK1066 Senior Member Joined: 21 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Bracknell Expertise: I love coffee Posted Sun Jun 29, 2008, 2:57am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Thanks for your inputs. I did have a look at hand grinders too - they don't take up space which is a big attraction. You're both right - I don't do more than 2 cups a day so a HG and the Pavoni would be fine. I suppose it's the gauge-less makes me think it would be easier to pour knowing the pressure from the boiler but until they put a gauge on the group head pressure that's just for show.. I've put a bid down on eBay for an europiccola. The seller is also in the same town which surprised me. I'll see how it goes :D only about 8 hours left so I should know soon enough. back to top samgiles Senior Member Joined: 1 Oct 2007 Posts: 44 Location: New Zealand Expertise: I love coffee Espresso: La Pavoni Europiccola Grinder: Rocky DL / Zassenhaus 238... Posted Mon Jun 30, 2008, 7:25pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   Good luck on your bidding. I have a Europiccola and love it. I can't see myself ever going back to a semi-auto machine having learned to use the lever. There is a learning curve but it's worth it IMO. Regarding grinders, I have a Zassenhaus handmill which works beautifully. However, I also have a Rocky which I use most of the time because I'm lazy. back to top mwgrient Senior Member Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 12 Location: The Netherlands Expertise: Just starting Posted Wed Jul 2, 2008, 6:25am Subject: Re: La Pavoni Professional (PDH) Brass and Wood - should I?   I wouldn't do it. Dont save money on this and don't buy a Pavoni... I have had a Pavoni with all the bells, but didn't like the coffee from it. Adjusting the machine is a nightmare and the temperature difference from the first cup to the last, much (in my case). Another point is it's weight: to light to pull without moving the complete machine. And since you are most of the day at home, use a machine with a big boiler! I switched to Ponte Vecchio lusso, little bit more money but certainly worth it! Great coffee, also with pre-grounded Illy. But becomes perfect when you mill your own. Big boiler, all day long steam, hot water and coffee... Unfortunately hard to find second hand, but maybe posting in a local market place? back to top showing page 1 of 2 last page next page view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics Discussions > Espresso > Lever Espresso > La Pavoni...   updated topics   new posts   new unanswered     search   faq   sign up   Not Logged in: log in Discussions Quick Jump: Select Espresso Discussions --Espresso Machines --Lever Espresso Machines --Grinders - Espresso --Espresso Mods and Restorations --Espresso Blends --Questions and Answers --Latte Art and Etching --Barista Jams Around the World --General Discussion Coffee Discussions --Machines and Brewing Methods --Home Roasting Talk --Questions and Answers --General Discussion Columns, How-Tos, and Reviews --Holiday Gift List Feedback --CoffeeGeek Columnist Feedback --Detailed Review Feedback --Products First Look Feedback --Quickshot Review Feedback --Guide Article Feedback --How-To Article Feedback --CoffeeGeek Podcast Feedback Members Forum --Bug Reports and Suggestions --Buy, Sell and Trade --Retail Coffee Jobs Offered / Wanted Ads --Coffee Recipes --Cafe and Bean Reviews --CoffeeGeek Site Info and News --General Off Topics World Regional --United States West --United States Central --United States East --Western Canada --Eastern Canada --United Kingdom --Western Europe --Eastern Europe, Nordic Countries, and Russia --Central and South America --Australia, New Zealand and Asia Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit      = No New Posts since last visit     = Newest post Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. 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