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Espresso help

Every discussion (not just coffee) overemphasizes the tools. Silvia isn't regarded as finicky for no reason. You do have to know what you're doing with her. That said, good tools do make the job easier.

That said, a good grinder is a must if you didn't get the idea from reading the thread. Good beans are a must as well. No amount of skill is going to compensate for either of these.

The Rancilio Silvia (along with the Rocky grinder) is a classic example of marketing push
Not really. Back in the day -- when I bought mine for $450 -- it was a good machine for the money. It's just that the dollar has weakened and the price of the Silvia has gone up quite a bit over the years. At current prices it's not the deal it used to be. None of this has anything to do with Rancilio's marketing.

There are, however, as you said, better options for the money. The Lelit PL041 is frequently recommended to those who are shopping for something like the Silvia in its day.

I was also hearing good things about a Rancilio but a friend has it and I never had a good espresso from that machine.
That probably speaks more to your friend's abilities than the machine's limitations. Though many find if trickier to get good results with the Silvia than other machines (namely compared to E61 HX's it seems).

I've had countless terrible espressos from many La Marzocco Lineas. They're certainly not bad machines either.
 
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The adage "the problem is usually attached to the handle end of the portafilter" is quite true, though you do need a minimum standard of machine to even produce a good shot. As was mentioned, Silvia used to be a much better deal than she is now.
 
There are 5 things that are recommended (some required) for a good Espresso. The first 2, in my opinion, are a must, the rest are in no particular order:

  • Good burr grinder.
  • Fresh, good quality beans.
  • A decent + machine
  • Knowledge
  • Technique

Take away either of the first 2 and you're toast. (Again, my opinion.)

As a minimum, a Sylvia or one of the Gaggia models, like Baby, Classic, etc are required. (Note there may be numerous machines comprable to these.)

There's a combination of the bottom three items on my list that are required to make good coffee.

Knowledge does not equal technique (it helps, yes) and vice-versa.

Basically, no pro Barista will make good coffee with a $90 Krupps "steam toy", neither will a "Village idiot" make a decent brew with a top of the line machine.

Somewhere in the middle, there's a wide range of functional combinations that when combined with a quality grinder and good fresh beans, you can produce a coffee you'll be proud to serve your guests, and maybe more importantly, yourself.
 
Here are two of the best no-nonsense articles I've come across about (a) domestic machines (excluding double boilers etc) and (b) domestic grinders. They come from Australia which along with NZ has a very strong espresso "coffee culture" and have been written by a guy who services machines for a living. A few years old now but still very relevant.

Espresso machines
Grinders

I'm a fan of the Rancilio Silvia and actually love its quirks. Yes it does take a while to get used to it (and I pulled some horrible shots when I was starting) but once I climbed that learning curve it has given me some of the best coffee I could wish for. After all, isn't mucking around with fiddly inexact things in a search for the perfect result half the reason why many of us are on B&B?

The biggest improvement I have made to my Silvia was to wire a k-type thermocouple directly to the boiler. The wire runs out the back and plugs into an inexpensive digital thermometer which now permanently sits next to my Silvia. It enables me to constantly monitor the temperature of the water and removes the vagaries associated with "blind" temperature surfing. It was also a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a PID unit (about $40 vs $300) but still leaves me in control.
 
I can vouch for the quality of Rancilo. It is a GREAT machine; with the right technique it produces GREAT espresso. However, you must dedicate a couple weeks (or 2-3 hours for a couple days) to getting the correct grind, correct tamp to get a good shot. When dialed in, the Rancilo makes excellent espresso. Another machine that is good and a little less expensive is the lelit.
 
Here are two of the best no-nonsense articles I've come across about (a) domestic machines (excluding double boilers etc) and (b) domestic grinders. They come from Australia which along with NZ has a very strong espresso "coffee culture" and have been written by a guy who services machines for a living. A few years old now but still very relevant.

Espresso machines
Grinders

I'm a fan of the Rancilio Silvia and actually love its quirks. Yes it does take a while to get used to it (and I pulled some horrible shots when I was starting) but once I climbed that learning curve it has given me some of the best coffee I could wish for. After all, isn't mucking around with fiddly inexact things in a search for the perfect result half the reason why many of us are on B&B?

The biggest improvement I have made to my Silvia was to wire a k-type thermocouple directly to the boiler. The wire runs out the back and plugs into an inexpensive digital thermometer which now permanently sits next to my Silvia. It enables me to constantly monitor the temperature of the water and removes the vagaries associated with "blind" temperature surfing. It was also a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a PID unit (about $40 vs $300) but still leaves me in control.

Great articles, thanks for posting.

Can you please expand on the statement I bolded above? Surface or immersion? (Obviously immersion has a faster response to water temperature changes.) Mind posting pics or part numbers?

Thanks in advance.

Jim
 
Great articles, thanks for posting.

Can you please expand on the statement I bolded above? Surface or immersion? (Obviously immersion has a faster response to water temperature changes.) Mind posting pics or part numbers?

Thanks in advance.

Jim

Surface. Of course immersion would be faster and more accurate but the Silvia has a sealed pressure boiler and you run the risk of damaging the seal if you try to get a thermocouple into its interior. I placed my thermocouple (just a simple wire k-type with a bead at the end) under one of the mounting screws of the thermostat furthest from the cold water input. I sandwiched the bead under a a small piece of very thin copper plate to ensure a good connection to the boiler.

The procedure has become very common in AU where it has become known as "gronking" after the pseudonym of the person on the Australasian "coffee snobs" forum who popularised it (though the forum is anything but snobby).

See here.

I pull my shots with the boiler measuring 115 degrees celsius (sorry i don't understand fahrenheit :001_smile) on a reverse surf (i.e. when the boiler is coming down in temperature, not warming up). By the time it hits the coffee puck, the water is down to an optimum 92c.

Gronking hugely improved the consistency of the coffee coming out of my Silvia at minimal cost. I know a PID kit would make the procedure less fiddly, but the quality of the coffee I'm getting is such that I don't think a PID would really improve matters beyond the convenience factor (and they aren’t cheap).
 
I too will also speak highly of the Silvia + Rocky combo. This is what i started off with and my experiences were both fun and fantastic. Most people consider the Silvia to have a learning curve but i personally think most espresso machines under 7k to have a learning curve. I myself have upgraded to a Quickmill Anita and it too had a slight learning curve. Luckly enough for me, and others, there is plenty of information out on the web to reduce the curve in your favor.

By far the best thing i did for the Silvia was a PID kit by Auber Instruments. Once the grinder was dialed in to the bean i was using, and i set the temp to where it needed to be, the shots were almost a no brainer. Over all i found my experiences with Miss Silvia to be both fun and tasty. :thumbup:

The biggest gain from an E61 style machine is the rebound (i pull consecutive shots every 3 minutes) and the fact that you can steam right away instead of waiting for the boiler to hit steam temps. For me this was a good upgrade since i pull 2 Cappuccinos every morning, and if i pull a shot later in the day, i am usually requested by my brother to pull him one as well.

**Side note**
I actually still own my Silvia after a year with the Anita. Hopefully one of these days i can get motivated enough to sell them :p

-Donovan
 
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