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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/01/25 19:16I placed this article in the wrong forum again. While doing research on my Silvia on the web and I have put in many,many, many hours into this and while looking up backflushing as I am going to be using the Urnex Cafiza Powder for this purpose I found on the instructions related to backflushing with this product that you apparently must remove your filter basket and put in it a backflush disc also called a blind filter. Then, of course, on the first step you put 1/2 a teaspoon of the Cafiza powder into your portafilter holding this disc and begin the first step in the backflushing process. I am wondering how to obtain the disc. Is it sold separately from your backflush cleaning agent? Have not seen it sold with the cleaning agent.
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/01/25 21:34Sorry -- that did not come out the way I intended. What I meant was: Backflushing regularly does not harm the Silvia OR any machine with a 3-way solenoid.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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colin
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/01/25 21:52Oh yea. Regarding my laughter at Australians.
I used to pick on Australians all the time on the coffeecrew website.
One day I stopped. and People e-mailed me begging that I start picking on the Australians again.
Can you imagine? Being begged to pick on Australians...
So. Ok. I am now ready to pick on them again from time to time.
heh-heh titter. tee-hee. Ha, ha.. Bwah. Ha. Hahaha. Heheheh Hohohohohoh. Bwah. ha. hahahaha.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Machiatoto
User Junior Barista
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/02/07 19:26Thanks for the great Rocky & Silvia write up. It was highly anticipated, for me. I'm still in love with my Silvia and Rocky.
Still practicing a nice micro foam, i'm humouring myself by mimicing latte ART.
Future Articles: It would great to hear about hidden coffee shops/cafes hole in the walls. Where people had great coffee with friends and atmosphere. Different stories from everyone that reads... What do you think of that idea?
Thanks again for a great site...
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colin
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/02/07 21:56Machiatoto wrote:
Future Articles: It would great to hear about hidden coffee shops/cafes hole in the walls. Where people had great coffee with friends and atmosphere. Different stories from everyone that reads... What do you think of that idea?
Thanks again for a great site...
Working on it. Thanks!Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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hanielc
User Coffee Lover
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/04/06 06:29Dear espresso friends,
It seems that I have been cursed by the espresso witch - either that or Murphy came shipped with my machine. Since my trip to Italy three years ago I completely fell in love with espresso drinks and in particular the artistic aspect of making a cappuccino. So last August, as my wedding gift, my brother bought us the Rancilio Silvia and Rocky combination (what an awesome brother, wouldn't you say?) Since then, however, I have been struggling with creating a good shot and had little luck. I am taking as many of the steps as possible:
* preheating the machine for half an hour or more * preheating the cups * grinding the coffee based on instructions provided here * use fairly fresh beans (a month or so old) * add about 15 grams of coffee grind into the portafliter * tamp it using a 58MM Reg Barber tamper or equivalent * grind my coffee right before I use it
However, it seems that no matter what I try, I get a shot with very little crema that disappears in a few seconds and the taste (and smell) are almost always bitter.
I have even thought of having a barista come over to my house to show me how it's properly done but was not able to locate on in Toronto. Any suggestions are really appreciated.
Regards, -Haniel
P.S. Could the water have anything to do with it? The water in our house seems to be a bit on the heavy side, but we only use Britta filtered water when we make espresso.
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Bert
User Coffee Lover
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/04/07 20:49For Hanielc; I have the Silvia/Rocky combo - 2 months now. Have used coffee from 3 different roasters and got good coffee all the time although crema was moderate.
Two days ago I got a half-pound of Etiopian Yergicheffe from Cafe Fantastico, roasted on April 3. First time to Cafe Fantastico for me but that is where Colin buys all his coffee so I thought I would try it. All other factors remained the same to see what I would get. WOW. A "god shot." Each shot glass got 1 and 1/4 ounces in 25 seconds - flowed like a light honey with lots of crema and 3/8 inch of reddish-brown crema on the top after the shot was settled.
I add twice the water and a touch of cream - an americano I guess. It was the best ever - smooth, full-bodied - not a hint of bitterness or burntness.
So I am thinking from what you wrote that the "coffee" you get might be worth a look. One other thought could be the cleanliness of the machine which you didn't mention. Do you follow Colin's recommended cleaning? If it is not squeaky clean it is probably hard to get good results.
Best regards, Bert
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lock_load
User Junior Barista
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/04/13 19:22Hanielc, I've been using the Rocky/Silvia aka Lucy for about 7 years now and thoroughly enjoy the machine. If you think it's your water, you should try using distilled water from the store and see if that makes a difference. The brita is only a charcoal filter and only helps with some of the taste, it won't filter minerals, chlorine, etc. Make sure to run enough distilled water through it to clear out what's already there. It's also possible your brew thermostat is not correct. These things are not precision components, they were built with a wide temperature range to prevent the boiler from constantly cycling on & off. It sounds like yours might be too hot. To check, you need to get everything up to temp and pull a double shot of clear water into a preheated cup with a thermometer in it. It should be around 200f +- 5 degrees or so. If it's out of spec, new ones are about $15 or so and are fairly easy to replace. If your machine is new enough, you might be able to get a warranty repair.
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:Living with the Rancilio Silvia - 2008/04/14 12:55Using distilled water under any circumstances with any coffee brewing method is a bad idea.
You need some minerals in the water for the flavor components in the coffee to attach themselves to.
It is that simple. Distilled water = flat tasting coffee.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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