The Manual Espresso Machine

I have been making great shots of espresso with my manual La Pavoni these days.  I purchased a new grinder several weeks ago, and the Rocky Rancillio grinder makes all the difference in the world.  It is unbelievable how fine this grinder can pulverize the coffee.

For those of you who don’t know a manual La Pavoni does not have a pump.  The shot of espresso is a result of the heating element warming up the water, and creating pressure in the tank.  Once the machine is up to pressure you insert the portafilter with ground espresso.  Lift up the lever, hold it there for about 10 seconds for preinfusion until a small amount of coffee starts to drip out.  Then you slowly pull the lever down to get a great shot of coffee (this is where the phrase “pulling a shot” originated).  If you have all the right conditions, good coffee, right grind, correct amount of tampering, and nice form on your pull, then you will have a wonderful shot of espresso.  It is truly a thing of beauty.

These days I repair espresso machines, and I specialize in repairing the La Pavoni machine.  They are beautiful works of art.

You can check out my repair website:  www.kanencoffee.com