La Pavoni PC-16 Professional Espresso Machine, Chrome

I have owned this machine (8-cup) for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they'll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two. If you aren't the kind of person who takes joy in mixing the perfect martini, making a risotto that whispers with flavor, or whipping a meringue to impossibly tall peaks, this probably isn't the machine for you.

The La Pavoni is for the person who will find tremendous joy in going to the lengths required to make a perfect cappuccino by hand everyday. (And don't bother using anything less than Illy Cafe coffee in it.)

I bought my La Pavoni in the summer of 1983 after high school. It was heavily used during college (especially finals week) and has made me superb espresso continually. This morning I made a spiced chai using it. I've been amazed with the quality of the unit. I unfortunately bought a model that had a brass and copper film that looked spectacular for about 8 months then began to peel off. It's now not terribly attractive but still pumps out amazing Java.

I estimate I've saved over $25,000 on espresso drinks while maintaining a level of quality beyond what one can get at Starbucks and similar cafés. Being from Seattle, there are now (finally) cafés and baristas locally that are passionate (neurotic) about making excellent espresso and I can match them. I'm very happy with my Pavoni.

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I have had this machine for a number of years, the upside is great coffee, downside are:

1. Finish poor, rust soon appears in the crome, the only saving grace is that it is mostly occurs under the drip tray out of sight.

2. It is too easy even after bleeding the pressure, to pop one of the seals when changing the coffee.

3. Descaling can be a real pain.

In short, when it works, great, but this isn't a low maintance product, a bit like old Italian sports cars

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After 15 years of near daily use, I thought it was time for me to relay my experiences and opinion on the La Pavoni PC-16.

This review is for the pre millenium model. The current production model does have slight differences with the group being slightly larger

I was a bartender and barista for about 3 years in a high volume cafe and bar, and believe that this gives me a reasonable level of proficiency in making espresso and espresso based drinks.

The La Pavoni PC-16 is a manual lever group and operates in a manner that is much different from automatic and semiautomatic machines. This must be appreciated and understood by the potential buyer, or it may cause dissapointment.

The concept of preinfusion is why a lever machine can produce a truly outstanding shot of espresso. This is where water wets the grounds prior to the applying of pressure, and this is what makes a lever group superior to other mechanisms in my estimation. The ability to preinfuse the grounds manually can drastically change the result of the shot. For example, the lever is slowly raised to a count of 5, and only then does the lever get lowered. Since this is a manual machine, this means that you alone are raising and lowering the lever, there are no pumps or springs to do the work for you. As the lever is raised, you will hear the water entering the group. This is when your count begins.

The amount of time that is taken to do the preinfusion step is what can drastically alter the result of the shot given that the grind, group temperature and tamp is identical.

Now I will decribe the various details that go in to the requirements for producing a quality shot from the PC-16.

The grind is what is the most difficult part to correctly apply when dealing with this machine. As perfect of a consistency is absolutley necessary with a fluffy grind, no clumping will be tolerated. You will need to judge this on your own, but a slightly finer than average espresso grind is what it takes to get thick crema with minimal blonding during extraction. I still wind up with the occasional sink shot because of this machines absolute sensitivity to grind quality.

I use a light tamp, about 10 pounds of pressure, leaving approximately 1/4" space from the top. Pay extra attention to acheiving a level surface. The Elektra Microcasa A Leva portafilter basket allows more coffee to be used than the PC-16's with far better results. Refer to Orhanespressos slap shot method.

Get a good tamper with 90 degree corners and a flat bottom. I use a custom fabricated stainless steel one, but there are many available online. Unit to unit variation means a standard 49mm tamper may not work.

Water quality. I prefer reverse osmosis versus other methods of filtration including various mineral waters. Experience has shown that r.o. has given the thickest crema and most complex notes. Distilled resulted in a slimy shot with various mineral waters giving a range of quality from good to poor.

It is best to avoid descaling, since it always affects machine performance negatively. Rather use water that is already softened.

Compared to a commercial machine, the PC-16 makes a much more intense shot with more clearly defined flavor. This can be a double edged sword, depending on what it is that you are looking for.

This machine gets hot quickly, and have found that more than 2 shots isnt possible without turning the machine off for a while. Do not flush or run any water through the group before pulling a shot. This will only raise the group temperature. I have discovered a pretty simple way of dealing with the excessive and destructive heat by placing clean and dry

portafilter baskets in the freezer and taking them out a minute before filling them with coffee.

With practice(a lot of practice), you can get perfect microfoam. Again this is very difficult and nothing like a commercial machine. When you first start, you can get a reasonable facsimile to the point of being able to do simple latte art.

There is no anti suction valve, the steam wand will draw milk back into the water tank. Pour out water and refill before turning on machine.

And lastly, make sure that everything is maintained. Generally just a matter of changing the gaskets every 2-4 years depending on use. Keep the machine off when not in use. If you arent comfortable working with tools, find a local tech that works with espresso machines. You can usually find one in most cities. Always respect the machine.

The La Pavoni PC-16 can represent a steep learning curve, but like me, you can be rewarded with outstanding espresso and enjoy the process.

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How can anyone who owns one of these machines not fall in love with them?

Yes, they are temperamental. If you screw up any part of the process, the Pavoni tells you by dispensing a lousy cup of espresso. Wrong tamp pressure, poor beans, incorrect grind (don't even think of using a blade), impure water, wrong pull and you get a bad shot. That's called HONESTY. But master all the above, and you get espresso ecstasy, pull after pull. There are plenty of guidelines available online, from CoffeeGeek to YouTube, to help you achieve your La Pavoni degree, and when you do, you'll not only be rewarded with ambrosia each morning, but you'll have developed a real skill, one that is Old School. And looking back, it's really not that difficult to learn. Use good water, quality fresh beans, and a good burr grinder (Rocky!), and you're rounding third base. Then it's just minor experimentation with the right grind, tamp and pull pressure to guide you home. All this and museum quality art on your counter-top to boot! I've got the gorgeous brass Romantica version with the dome top, and it really is a stunner.

Anyone out there who knows the difference between a flat and phillips head driver can repair this machine, INDEFINITELY. Although La Pavoni provides little help in the maintenance dept, online there is a wealth of info available to help you replace gaskets and the like. The Pavoni is built like a vault and simple to maintain, once you delve inside and see how it's built.

I still can't figure out why there are folks out there who don't like the auto-aerator. It couldn't be simpler to operate (dip tube in milk, open steam valve, admire perfect micro froth coming out every time). The standard wand works ok, but I replaced the 3 hole nipple with a single hole version much improved. But I still use the auto-aerator primarily.

By the way, the note below about using ice cubes on the group head to cool down the unit for subsequent pulls is GREAT advice. Wish I'd thought of that years ago!