Replaced pressured basket with non-pressurized, but now I cannot pull a crema.

Hi if there is Vapor coming from the grouphead when the lever is down then I would guess there is a problem with the seals around the piston and possibly elsewhere. Here is a link to a goos site that looks at repairing La Pavoni lever machines. Good luck.
DIY

dr pavoni

Yes, the pressure gauge most definitely should move. The only reason it wouldn't move, assuming no fault, is if there is no resistance for the water between the pump and the outside world, which would be theoretically possible only if your coffee wasn't ground fine enough, or wasn't tamped at all. FYI, the pressure gauge on mine normally ends up at around 1/3rd to 1/2 way around the dial, depending on factors such as grind, tamping, freshness of beans, and whether I use the standard pressurized (dual-wall) basket, or one of the older non-pressurized (singe-wall) baskets.

Failing these obvious issues, you probably have a faulty or disconnected gauge. But how's the coffee?

Steve

The crema is created by reducing the grinding to more fine so the coffee will run slower around 20 sec. Inside the coffee bean container their is un adjust control and with special tool you can turn it to grind the coffee to more fine.

HI
Crema is created by pressurizing the grounds. The basket with the ring can create the pressure in the basket. If you don't have a pressurized basket, you have to make the grounds fine enough when compacted in the basket, to create the pressure. This is an art that can be mastered, but you need a real good grinder, and fresh coffee beans. Old beans won't give good crema.

Try grinding finer, then when tamping use about 30# of pressure, there is a line in the basket fill the basket to the top then tamp to line.

Hey Nashville,

I have a few suggestions/questions for you. I've had the Innova(Ascaso) Dream for several years now and use it at least twice daily. I would trust your own senses before sweating the gauges too much. If you're really worried about it being a temperature problem, my first question is whether or not the espresso is actually hot when it comes out.

But my best guess is honestly your beans and grinder (or lack thereof). The problem with using pre-ground beans is that even on the day you open the can, they won't be nearly as fresh as truly fresh ground beans you grind yourself. And the problem gets dramatically worse every day after they are opened.

The key to a thick, crema-laden espresso is very fresh beans that you grind right before making your espresso. You can certainly confirm that the machine is working with any old coffee grinder and a bag of *really* fresh beans from a local roaster.

You really need all the oils that come with really fresh-roasted and fresh-ground beans. And the beans really need to be ground very fine for espresso.

I keep a can of pre-ground Illy decaf beans around for the rare occasions I need to make a decaf, and it's like night a day between that and what I drink daily.

If you try the fresh beans and grind them yourself and can see the obvious difference, then you may want to invest in a good-quality burr grinder (as opposed to the spinning blade kind that most folks use for drip coffee). The reason is that with a burr grinder you can get consistently-sized particles every time. So once you get the setting right on your grinder you can keep pumping out the shots time after time. With a rotary blade grinder you get some big pieces, some little pieces and the water flows through too easily -- or you grind it longer and (1) burn the beans from the heat, and (2) end up with some particles that are just too small -- essentially dust, that will actually clog the process.

So, my best suggestion would be to find a local cafe/roaster and buy a half a pound of beans from them and grind yourself. If you don't have a grinder or want to eliminate a variable, ask them to grind it for you for an espresso machine.

Again, if you can see the difference (and I think you will), then you can consider getting yourself a good grinder.

Good luck!

Tony

The simple fact with any espresso making is that to get good coffee you MUST:

1. Grind your own freshly ground beans - grind matters alot. With a good grinder (a burr grinder, not a spice mill). This probably makes the most difference.
2. Pack the coffee properly using a solid heavy tamper (not the flimsy things you get with the machines)
3. Buy good coffee - shop coffee is old and stale. If you have to buy shop coffee get something like Illy - its much better than the others.
4. Ensure the machine is hot, and also that the portafilter is hot (leave it in there when not in use). Cold machine == sour coffee
5. Dose the coffee properly.
6. Adjust the above until the time taken to pull a shot is approx 23 seconds - you may need to 'sacrifice' some coffee to get to this point.
7. And in my opinion only use a double basket - single baskets are hard to use, don't pack well are weak, and inconsistent. A double basket uses more coffee but you get a way better result, more often.

Sounds like a lot of work, but the difference is huge. I used to use pre-ground coffee from a shop and it was prety bad. As soon as i took it more seriously and invested in the right gear and the right coffee - well i can make coffee at home that is significantly bettter than anything i get in coffee shops and restaraunts.

Are you tamping the coffee at all?

The ground coffee needs to be compressed, using a tamper, to form a hard puck that the water will then get squeezed through.

This has already happened to the ese pods so needs to be replicated in the portafilter when you place freshly ground coffee into it.

The plastic tampers provided with your machine are not fit for purpose and a metal tamper is highly recommended. The base of the tamper should be 58mm

Are you using the pressurized filter baskets? My 2 1/2-year-old SL70 recently started doing the same thing, and I think I have narrowed the problem down to the filter basket (it works fine with a non-pressurized basket). I've ordered a new pressurized basket. I can't guarantee that this is the answer, but you might try it.

It could be. Your grind should determine the amount of time that it takes the shot to pour. Standard is 18 - 30 seconds. I prefer 25. If it only takes 10 sec, your crema will be weak.
Are your beans fresh? Older beans produce less crema. By old, I mean more than a month if properly stored.
What is the temperature of you shots? The water coming out of the head should be about 195 F which makes the shots roughly 170-185. If it's too cold, you'll get worse crema. It's also possible to have mostly steam in contact with the grounds which will give the same results. Both indicate other problems.
Make sure your group head screen isn't clogged. And make sure everything is very clean, especially inside the handle (under the grounds basket - just pop it out with a screwdriver). Good luck!