Thinking of the plunge into a Rancilio Silvia

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by floydpink

hmmm, I can't remember ever having ground coffee from the day before.

If it is left in the grinder and I'm not using it within 20 minutes, it's going into the sink.

When you say the Silvia needs calibration every day, I am wondering if you mean the Rocky needs calibration every day.

Silvia= espresso machine
Rocky= Grinder

Essentially they are a pair (grinder and espresso machine). Since he has pre-ground coffee, all he can do is adjust the tamping or “machine”. So yes, I also mean grinder, but the grinder is in response to how the machine is working since we have a base adjustment we start off grinding from.

I try not to grind more than I need, but I am not tossing anything left over and I never put coffee grinds in the sink.

I don’t time my shots. If it comes out angel hair thick streams, it’s going to be on time. Having two thin even streams and puck that did not crack is what I look for.

[Blueface]

Let the games begin.
Now to read up on this pup and go pick up some distilled water.
Rocky should be here in 3 to 5 days.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Let the games begin.
Now to read up on this pup and go pick up some distilled water.
Rocky should be here in 3 to 5 days.

The distilled water is not necessary. You can descale the machine quarterly and you'll be fine. You will need the descaler and Cafizza coffee cleaner for the group head and handle. A good group brush is mandatory as well.

You'll be amazed how much water goes through the machine and how futile using bottled water becomes.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

The distilled water is not necessary. You can descale the machine quarterly and you'll be fine. You will need the descaler and Cafizza coffee cleaner for the group head and handle. A good group brush is mandatory as well.

You'll be amazed how much water goes through the machine and how futile using bottled water becomes.

Man, I hate to be confrontational, but living in Florida, the tap water will eat up an espresso machine in very little time.

I've replaced just about every faucet and shower head in my house due to the scale buildup from the city water.

I've put a whole house water softener in recently and still wouldn't put tap water anywhere near my machine.

I've noticed a huge difference on my skin, clothes and spots on the shower, but not enough tolet water that comes through a limestone aquifier in Florida into the boiler and plumbing of my investment.

A gallon of drinking water is 75 cents and a very good investment considering the money spent on a good espresso machine.

But hey, that's just me.

There's people who drink the water here from the sink but again, that's there plumbing, not mine.

Congratulations on that shiny new machine Carlos and may it bring you many years of coffee bliss.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by floydpink

Man, I hate to be confrontational, but living in Florida, the tap water will eat up an espresso machine in very little time.

I've replaced just about every faucet and shower head in my house due to the scale buildup from the city water.

I've put a whole house water softener in recently and still wouldn't put tap water anywhere near my machine.

I've noticed a huge difference on my skin, clothes and spots on the shower, but not enough tolet water that comes through a limestone aquifier in Florida into the boiler and plumbing of my investment.

A gallon of drinking water is 75 cents and a very good investment considering the money spent on a good espresso machine.

But hey, that's just me.

There's people who drink the water here from the sink but again, that's there plumbing, not mine.

Congratulations on that shiny new machine Carlos and may it bring you many years of coffee bliss.

Sounds like you are in an extreme water situation, if that is the case, then ok, you need filtered water via inline or just bottled water.

How much water do you think the machine will use in one week? Over a half gallon would be my guess.

Boston (and NYC) have good tap water.

[Blueface]

Must take getting use to but not too thrilled right now.

I wait for the light to go off and if I run water through no portafilter, it comes out blazing hot.
I wait for the light to go off again and brew my coffee and the temperature is vastly cooler on the brew.

Also, perhaps being Cuban, use to strong brews, not impressed with the watery consistency of the coffee, without even making it to two thirds of the way of a small expresso cup.

Trying to get tech support to see what it is I am doing wrong.
You would think making espresso now for almost 40 years, I would know how to work this thing.

[Blueface]

Just learned how to temperature surf and seems to have helped.
I have such a buzz right now from so much coffee sampling.
My heart is racing.

[germantown rob]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Just learned how to temperature surf and seems to have helped.
I have such a buzz right now from so much coffee sampling.
My heart is racing.

LOL, I remember that well after I got my espresso machine! I did not sleep well for 2 weeks. Enjoy!

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by germantown rob

LOL, I remember that well after I got my espresso machine! I did not sleep well for 2 weeks. Enjoy!

I just tried talking to my dog.
He shook his head left and right trying to figure out what the heck I am speed talking about.

[mosesbotbol]

Run the machine with the portafilter attached first. You want to heat the portafilter so it is super hot when you pack the coffee into it. There must be some good you tube's to watch and well worth it. You can waste a lot of money on coffee with just trial and error.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Sounds like you are in an extreme water situation, if that is the case, then ok, you need filtered water via inline or just bottled water.

How much water do you think the machine will use in one week? Over a half gallon would be my guess.

Boston (and NYC) have good tap water.

Yep, extreme is correct.

Hotels and resorts here leave signs by the sink letting guests know the yellow water is safe and won't hurt you.

I pretty much go through a gallon of purified water every 3 days although Thursday, with company will go through a gallon in the day.

Carlos,

if you are getting watery shots, you are either tamping too lightly or need finer grinds. Your extraction is off.

watery is not something I would attribute to a proper shot, in fact syrupy is better.

this video pretty much shows what a perfect shot should look like in color, consistency and extraction....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6-BP...eature=related

[floydpink]

and just to prove my point, here is one of your machine doing it..

wrong language, but correct results

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4tMn...eature=related

[Blueface]

Thanks Pete.
Mine definitely not coming out like that.
Need to toy with it but enough espresso for one day.
Will try again in the a.m.

[Blueface]

Not sure what I am doing wrong. Need some advice/help before I decide to send this thing back.

I have watched all the videos out there.

My coffee does not come out hot enough and no matter how much I tamper it, still not anywhere close to what I see on videos. Mine is more watery.

Once in a while I can nail down hotter than usual but still not what I would expect out of this unit. I may very well end up with a PID at the rate this is going, before I decide to can this thing and go back to a $100 Krups from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Frankly, that made the very same coffee for a fraction of the cost.

Here is the one I have followed mostly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Bn5IjZht8

[ghostrider]

I may have missed it your posts, but what type of coffee/grinder are you using? You could have perfect technique, but without the right grind/fresh coffee, you're not going to get good results.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I may have missed it your posts, but what type of coffee/grinder are you using? You could have perfect technique, but without the right grind/fresh coffee, you're not going to get good results.

Yeah,
Thought that might be an issue but that would not affect the temperature in my mind.
I picked up coffee from a local roaster and had it ground fresh the day before by them.
Have tried two of their blends along with my regular espresso that works just dandy on the cheapo Krups.
One would think the fancier and more expensive unit wouldn't need to have its balls rubbed so much.
I get my Rocky on Monday and will give that a whirl before giving up on this thing.

[Blueface]

WOW!

What a quirky device.
FINALLY got a right brew, back to back.

Seems A, machine needs to be on for a bit.
B, when temp surfing, rather than how the video does it, I used my two cups to fill with hot water.
C, I waited for the light to go on, then off.
D, don't wait 30 seconds, instead, wait a minute.

Got two back to back great brews with good creme/head and right temperature.
FINALLY!!!
Who would have thought something so expensive needs such stroking.

I am walking around the house as if on skates from so much coffee tasting today.

[floydpink]

I never even attempt to use my machine without a minimum warmup of 30 minutes.

There's no harm in leaving your machine on before going to bed to ensure you have a hot machine when you wake up.

I rely very little on the light that says the machine is ready.

One way to tell if your machine is hot enough is to turn on the steam wand.

If it isn't blowing out steam, it is possible you have a boiler problem, which I doubt.

If your machine is hot, you shouldn't be having to do too much temp surfing unless you are pulling multiple shots.

Another possiblity is that whoever is grinding your beans, is grinding them for something other than espresso; perhaps drip?

Once your grinder arrives, you will have all kinds of newfound control over grind consistency and not be relying on someone's grinds.

If the grinds aren't almost powdery in consistency, that's your problem.

If it was easy, good baristas would be a dime a dozen.

One of the joys of home espresso machines is the hands on control you have, once you get past the learning.

My E61 machine is very finicky and pisses out crap unless I give it correct grind, perfect tamp pressure and distribution.

[mosesbotbol]

Once you get the grinder- then you are making espresso!

Floydpink is right about keeping the machine on. I have left it on for a few days at time with no issue. One time the "internal thingy" triggered, but it was easy to reset.

The secret is in packing the portafilter. It's worth playing around with a couple of pounds cheapest beans you can get. Work on getting consistent shops in the right time frame, even from both sides. Toss them out and keep trying.

I overfill the portafileter, scrape the excess off like measuring flour (back into ground coffee in grinder). Tap the portafilter lightly, tamp, tap off excess and clean around the portafilter rim. I know many like to hand pack the portfilter before scraping the excess.

[Blueface]

Tried leaving it on this morning for a couple of hours before brewing.
Surfed and all.
Did everything I have seen and read.
While noticeably hotter by surfing, I am still not happy with the temperature I am getting.
I like my espresso hotter.
I think once I recover from the Rocky expense, a PID is in my future.