Rancilio Silvia sensitivity

[acsmith7511]

I just got a Silvia but am having some trouble with the brew and crema. From what I can tell this problem comes from either a weak tamp or a course grind. This problem doesn''t seem to change with tamp pressure so I''m guessing it is the grind. However, EVERY coffee shop seems to grind on the \"3\" setting of their grinders (locals and Starbucks) but my espresso is weak no matter what source.

Can someone comment on this? Should I be asking for them to grind on the 2 or 1 setting of their grinders? Does anyone else have experience with this happening with the Silvia who could share some advice? (and no, buying my own grinder, Rocky or other, is not an option just yet).

Thanks for your help.

 

[CCafe]

Well I guess your SOL then because there is no point in buying a Silvia and not getting a grinder to complement it.

Its kind of like buying a home entertainment system with no speakers.

The problem is with the grind of the espresso. You have to make a lot of little adjustments to get it just right. Go to a coffee house and I guarantee you that you will see an espresso grinder next to a traditional machine. You won't see a bulk grinder and that is what they are grinding your espresso with. Bulk grinders differ vastly from espresso grinder.

Unless you have a really high end bulk grinder (Ditting, or a Mahlkonig) your never going to come close to the type of grind your going to get with even a Rocky.

So you might as well give it up or give in and buy a good espresso grinder.

 

[shadow745]

Dude, don't be so ruthless. This guy may be a noob, but he's just asking. That's where we all were at one point. At least he is asking for help. And he didn't buy some steam machine and then expect for awesome results.

True you do need a good grinder to really dial in shots, but I surely don't recommend going out and spending $300+ for a grinder. Yeah it'd be nice, but not totally necessary. It really depends on how much you can afford and how serious you are about good coffee. A grinder like the Solis Maestro or Capresso Infinity will give you decent results without breaking the bank and will last for years if you maintain it. I bought a KitchenAid Pro Line grinder on sale for $120 and IMO it will go head-to-head with any grinder costing as much as $300. It's not perfect out of the box, but with a few simple mods it's a killer grinder and looks the part as well. Later!