Silvia PID temp set?

[kimwroble]

I've read that the temp of water should be at 195-200 F for espresso. with a pid I've read the boiler temp should be at 228 F to get this 200 F at the head. Ah! but I also read the machine should be warmed up for 40-50 minutes to get everything between the boiler and the head up to temp.
My question is...
1) If you get to 228 on the PID in say 10min, then run 1/2 cup water through the head to warm the head first (and your cup) then wait 2min for the boiler to get back to 228F..Do you think the head is warmed up enough?
I really don't want to run my Silvia 1hr every time I want a shot..
2) Should I just do the above and check the water at the head? If it drops from the head @200F am I good to go?

 

[CCafe]

You don't need to wait almost an hour. It amazes me the amount of people who write about the Silvia and act as if it is heat exchanger based machine. Heat exchangers require additional time after the boiler has finished pressuring up. That is the nature of all heat exchanger based machines.

The Silvia is not a heat exchanger based espresso machine. The Silvia's boiler is about as bigs as your fist. To keep costs down Rancilio designed it to make espresso from the same water you steam with. This is why you are required to make another espresso every time you steam milk. So after it has heated up you need to wait about 10 minutes or possibly a little longer so that heat will also bring your portafilter up to temp.

Besides the Silvia makes a nice shot of espresso without all the modifications. Its human nature to tinker with how things work. So people are going to modify everything but that doesn't mean you have to as well. Rancilio wouldn't release a machine that produced crap espresso. Those Italians would have nothing to do with it then. So your fine if you follow the instructions that came with your machine.

 

[kimwroble]

CCafe.... Thanks for your input.. I did a test myself and found to get 200F out of the head, and in a cup running water through w/no coffee The temp has to be 228F on the pid. I don't know if the info I've read, or the temp graphs I've seen are correct, but they say the temp varies + - 20F with the out of the box Silvia. Hmmmmm? I dono?
So I went for the PID in the beginning. I'm sure it works fine without the add on but I'm not sorry I have it.
So! OK...Is 200F supposed to be the accepted correct temp for water through the coffee?
Or is 180-220F all good ?
And...Does all that brass have to be up to temp? or why can't I adjust the pid to deliver the temp I want to see at the head. I mean if the head needs to be heated because it cools the water too much just put hotter water through it. Right ?
Just a student here..Thanks

 

[shadow745]

Most home machines will benefit with at least 15-20 mintues of warm up time. Also run a few blank shots through to superheat everything. I know nothing about PIDs so can't comment. If you're getting water temps. around 200 right from the grouphead (not in the cup) then that's a good starting point. The digital thermometer/styrofoam cup test is fine for this and works well.

I agree that the Silvia out of the box is as good as any home machine and is great just the way it is. Follow this link and watch Mark Prince very closely. He knows how to tame Silvia. Later!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhxvDusY ... =1&index=5

 

[kimwroble]

I've had my Silvia for 3 yrs now and am nuts about it. There are caffe con leche shops all over key west . Theres even one that uses a Silvia and runs the crap out of it day in and day out.
Not for the milk though..She has that all heated up in one of those big cylinder coffee perkulators.
I just fuss about the whole thing from roasting my own, resting , grinding/tamping/timing each shot and after all this fussing and time gone by I still had some questions about the temp thing.