hodgy0_2

I know snetter’s like coffee machines and like rebuild projects – so here is my rebuild of our 1988 La Pavoni Europicola

I did give it a “top end” rebuild about 10 years ago, but though it was time for a full refirb

It had been making superb coffee right up until the day I stripped it down, although was obviously in need of a bit TLC (and my brother in law Cathal, was constantly whinging that it was not working as well as his, whenever he and his family came to stay)


So here it is looking a bit worse for wear



notice the calcium build up on the pickup




and the heater element – I am surprised it worked tbh




so once I had taken it apart – every nut, bolt, gasket, into its constituent parts

I set about ordering replacement parts for damaged bits together with a complete gasket set (I was unable to save the base, and had to order a new one)

This is all made easier, as every replacement part; from a washer to a boiler unit is available online.

So once they have all been cleaned – I set about the rebuild

Boiler unit and base ready to go




Group unit ready to go (quite a tricky part to rebuild and is not shown in pic)




Boiler, heating element and wiring complete




Group and steamer valve connected



Front view – notice I still have the level indicator and Group lever to do




side shot - with level indicator fitted




and here it is – pretty much complete




and in the foreground in HA (high availalbility mode) – I could not be without coffee during the “offline” rebuild!!, so had a hot spare

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

wow thats a smart looking machine, what would one of those set you back to buy? ile bet the coffee is to die for isnt it?

davyboy

Cathal?

Dingdongler

Funnily enough I hate coffee and never drink it. I've never understood why the world is obsessed with drinking bitter tasting water

Turbohot

I like the smell of coffee, but I don't like drinking it. When I walk past Costa coffee place in Chester or Cheshire Oaks, the smell of it makes me wanna buy it. But if I buy it, I waste most of it. Bitter tasting water in combination with some suger and little milk does help reduce my fatigue after a long drive, and keeps me awake through the meetings etc. So, it has its uses, but obsession could be simply to make the heartbeat less optional (ref: Bigsinky @ another thread. ).

Very impressive rebuild effort there, hodgy 02.

dpb

Cant you get a man in ?

hodgy0_2

pronounced Karl/Carl (Irish spelling)

and I could get a man in, but I enjoy it -- sort of mans work

takes me away from my job

and agree, coffee is like marmite and I too wish it tasted as good as it smelt

(but it does taste good)

Suresh

Good work. I have one of these idiot-proof things, which is quite low maintenance thankfully as I wouldn't know where to start. I think it has to go back to the factory every few years. The display will say when..

The coffee it makes is quite delicious

Jamz3k

Are you sure about that? I know many Cathals and none of them pronounce their name like Karl.


My names C*nt but its pronounced James.

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

I often think about buying a decent one of these (had a few cheap ones in the past) but I always find they are a right pain in the *** to clean!
I drink too much coffee, i'm on it all day at work.

hodgy0_2

off course you are right, to say Cathal in the proper oirish, is different from the staight forward Carl in English, but I though close enough

my audience is Snet afterall, so did not want to complicate it too much

Jamz3k

Ah, understood!

Leslie

You must live in a hard water area with all that limescale, even after such a long time.

You have certainly made a good job of the refurbishment anyway.

Les

Luan Pra bang

Good coffee is not bitter. Bitterness is usually the result of incorrect water temperature or too much pressure applied to the ground coffee.

Funkii Munkii

+1

And anyone who add's sugar to coffee, you've just killed it !

Leslie

I disagree, that must be only because you don't like sugar. I would not like coffee without it.

Les

hodgy0_2

I think they retail about £400.00, the coffee is very good too


What I love about the Pavoni is that it is such an “analogue” experience, the coffee making is half the appeal, plus it looks fantastic too (it is the journey as well as the destination that's is important)

But you can muck it up, and I still do even after 20 odd years


agreed, when made right, it is as smooth as hot chocolate

Funkii Munkii

Les

I do take sugar in Tea, albeit half a spoon and I have a massive sweet tooth for biscuits, Choccy, cakes and sweets, you name it !!


I find if you add sugar to coffee it starts to mask the flavours in the beans, and totally disrupts "my" drinking experience, I like to blend different varieties of beans.

I think you will find a lot of coffee drinkers feel this way, mind you if you're drinking Gold Blend the it wont make a blind bit of difference what you add to it, it will still taste rancid.

Suresh

Well I'm a bit of a philistine like Les in that case. I like my coffee with half a spoon of sugar and a splash of coffee milk too. I usually put Bravi Caffee 100% arabica beans into the grinder set to fine for a full-flavour shot. I worked at home today and had at least 6 cups. It worked for me!

Turbohot

That's a lot! A friend of mine drinks plenty of coffee. She says that her heart goes like a choo-choo train!

Fair trade Demerara sugar is the best one for fair trade coffee IMO. Raw sweetness in a bitter drink makes perfect sense. Both are as earthy as each other.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

Love the look of the lever machines Nice work on the rebuild.

I've just started on my real coffee journey with a Gaggia Classic. Spent a fortune on accessories and already looking to mod it

hodgy0_2

a friend has the Pavoni for home, but has just bought the Gaggia Classic for his surgery and says it makes fantastic coffee too

Leslie

Well we all have different tastes of course, I just prefer sugar in my coffee and find it improves the taste as far as I am concerned.

I have been experimenting recently with different makes of coffee and have found that the Arabica ground coffee sold in Lidls is particularly good.

Your unnecessary inference about Gold Blend was well off the mark incidentally.

Les

Funkii Munkii

As was your inference about my not liking sugar , but as you say we all have different tastes and Gold Blend is still rancid in my humble coffee drinking opinion.

BOB.T

I'd rather not bother than drink instant!

As for sugar, I prefer a syrup, I'm on Hazelnut at the mo'

Leslie

Then we should call it an honourable draw!

Les

Dr.No

I had a Classic for years - good little machine!

Mods - turn the pressure down from 15bar (which is necessary for 'pod' certification) to about 12 bar which will be better for properly ground coffee (google a bit and you'll discover how to do this). Secondly, change the steam wand for a Rancilio Silvia one - much better for frothing milk. Go further and PID it and it'd be an excellent machine (esp if you just drink espresso/Americano and dont need to steam).

To be honest, the biggest change to my coffee drinking during my Gaggia Classic ownership was down to the purchase of a decent grinder (Mazzer Super Jolly) - If you're using preground coffee or a sub £100 coffee grinder then do your tastebuds a favour and spend as much as you can afford on a decent grinder. eBay is your friend for grinders at a good price.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the tips My first mod is looking like the Rancilio wand, looks an easy swap. The stock wand seems to over stretch the milk, although that could be more down to my technique. Looking forward to my Happy Donkey tamper arriving

Grinder is certainly on the shopping list. I'm just using a Carluccio's Milano ground for my espresso and a decaf Illy ground for the OH's lattes. I'd love to eventually be roasting my own beans, but that's a little way down the line yet My ground is leaving the puck a bit overly wet though.

I'm brewing my double espressos into nice little Le Creuset cups at the moment . . .



. . . quite fancy some Bodum Pavina double walled shot glasses so I can see what's going on a little more.



Did you use a bottomless portafilter on your classic? I'm a bit reluctant to remove the spout from the stock filter.