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For the amount of espresso made in this household I'm not ready to plunk down two grand for a rotary pump HX or DB machine, and the Silvia can make decent shots from time to time. It occurs to me that using the Weiss Disribution Technique in a Synesso double basket and tamping with all my might (while blaming the old grinder for the need to do that!) for years was providing a lot of coverage for any deficiencies. The grinder is no longer a source of inconsistency, and tamping the fine, fluffy, fresh coffee at 30-35 lbs should at least get me close to a nice, long pull. Rather, I'm getting channeling and micro-jets, and it pours at close to gusher rates.

I am now wondering what the GH pressure is during a brew. Another couple hundred for a pressure gauge and (while I'm in there) a PID should at least eliminate the equipment as sources of problems and inconsistency, and leave the operator as the main variable in the system.
 
Yeah, still tweaking that, but I'm already almost as fine as the Vario goes (1-H this morning).
 
Come to think of it, Vin, I put away my yogurt container upon acquiring the Vario, figuring the new grinder would solve several problems off the bat (uneven grind, clumping and distribution). I suppose I should fall back to it temporarily to see if that is indeed needed until I can get more proficient with Schomer or Stockfleth and the fluffier grind. A good pull using my old method would (at least temporarily) delay more expense in the form of a pressure gauge, but I really want temperature stability. Surfing is for kids. :)
 
Channeling is almost always caused by uneven distribution in the filter or tamping too hard. I have seen so many Barista's learning and torquing down on the tamp that is creates this problem. It is like honing on a fine stone where you go too hard it may bite in and get gouged by the knife, but not enough pressure and you receive no results.

Update:
VST basket 20 grams: Not sure I am really liking this basket. It makes really nice even espresso pulls and I totally am impressed with the technology. However I think I am missing the triple shots so a 22 gram may be on order. :)

As for the 25-34ish second pulls. This is just a guideline, abet a decent one. When you start going larger doses, like triples this may change. Oddly single shots pull around the same time :/ When we where testing out various roasts (fresh with in a few days) on the triples we often found shots did not fully develop to 45 seconds :eek:
 
SameGuy said:
Yeah, still tweaking that, but I'm already almost as fine as the Vario goes (1-H this morning).
Click to expand...

There were some beans and roasts that I couldn't get slow enough, even at the Vario's finest grind setting. I agree with Wildboard -- keep going finer. Also, having beans in the hopper really helps a lot with getting consistent grinds.
 
vinster said:
There were some beans and roasts that I couldn't get slow enough, even at the Vario's finest grind setting. I agree with Wildboard -- keep going finer. Also, having beans in the hopper really helps a lot with getting consistent grinds.
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If you have to keep going finer, or too fine then it can also be the beans are not fresh enough, or over roasted. The darker the roast the more likely it is you will need to go finer.

This shot I did with a less fine grind, on the old triple basket. Decent crema, decent flow, not too light either, although its a tad lighter than the phone picked up. Also a big factor I found was to take the temperature down on my machine as it was pushing 1.5+ bars on the boiler. I still need to adjust the brew pressure but have not figured out how to do this in this specific machine.

tripple-naked.jpg
 
Looks nice. I had struggled with my HX Anita the last time I tried, shots were way too bitter. I wish I could just get a PID'ed dual boiler machine, that seems so much easier. When I move again in a couple of weeks I can get it out of storage, set it up and dial it in again from scratch. I'll probably fly in a few pounds of roasted espresso beans for that, not yet sure what the best one would be. I liked the Sweet Maria blend and also remember Vivace fondly. Any other recommendations for beans that are more on the chocolatey side?

Stefan
 
Note on the hopper: I only make 1-2 double-shots per day, so keeping enough beans in the hopper to help with the grind was not really an option. Plus the cabinet above was too low to allow the grinder to be pushed back enough from the front of the counter. So I removed the hopper, and whenever I go to grind I load beans in the throat of the grinder and then put a metal tamper into the throat to keep the beans weighed down. This method works really well, assuming the throat of the grinder is big enough. If you are having to leave a lot of beans in the hopper and they are getting stale, you will constantly be tightening the grind and may eventually reach a point where it is not possible to get the extraction time you want. But by then the espresso won't be tasting all that great anyway.
 
The tamper serves a similar purpose, and that's actually what I do with my current grinder. But when I had the Vario, having beans to keep an even flow of beans to the burrs seemed to make a big difference in consistency. I didn't keep the hopper full -- just enough beans in the hopper for 2-3 days of drinks.
 
apicius9 said:
Looks nice. I had struggled with my HX Anita the last time I tried, shots were way too bitter. I wish I could just get a PID'ed dual boiler machine, that seems so much easier. When I move again in a couple of weeks I can get it out of storage, set it up and dial it in again from scratch. I'll probably fly in a few pounds of roasted espresso beans for that, not yet sure what the best one would be. I liked the Sweet Maria blend and also remember Vivace fondly. Any other recommendations for beans that are more on the chocolatey side?

Stefan
Click to expand...

I enjoy Counter Culture Tuscano and Rustico at my house but if there is anything else fresh roasted at the local shops I usually grab that and branch out.
 
apicius9 said:
Looks nice. I had struggled with my HX Anita the last time I tried, shots were way too bitter. I wish I could just get a PID'ed dual boiler machine, that seems so much easier. When I move again in a couple of weeks I can get it out of storage, set it up and dial it in again from scratch. I'll probably fly in a few pounds of roasted espresso beans for that, not yet sure what the best one would be. I liked the Sweet Maria blend and also remember Vivace fondly. Any other recommendations for beans that are more on the chocolatey side?

Stefan
Click to expand...

Red Bird would be perfect.
 
Thanks guys. I will also eventually scout the local roasters but for value Red Bird seems hard to beat if I want to use a lot to dial in the machine. And I had always wanted to try it, anyway, so I see a 5 pound bag in my near future.

Stefan
 
rahimlee54 said:
I enjoy Counter Culture Tuscano and Rustico at my house but if there is anything else fresh roasted at the local shops I usually grab that and branch out.
Click to expand...
x2 on the CC blends.

AFKitchenknivesguy said:
Red Bird would be perfect.
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I just tried this a few months ago, and found it very, very flat in relation to the CC blends. I played with doseage, shot duration, etc. and nothing made much of a difference.

Took a page out of rahimlee's playbook and picked up a 5 lb bag from a fairly new local roaster/ coffee shop about 2 months ago. The price was higher then Red Bird, but a bit less than CC. Flavor intensity sits in between those two; has a decent amount of chocolate and citrus. Company is swingscoffee.com.
 
A blend I like is Redline from Metropolis. Their prices are decent and shipping is free if you spend 50 bucks (4lbs). There is loads of chocolate, particularly at finer grinds and lower doses.
 
WDT FTW! I tightened the grind a little (now 1-E, or five clicks from the finest), stirred and distributed, tamped to 35 lbs and let her rip. The result? One of the best cups I've ever brewed at home. The dark streams came together after about 8 seconds into a fine cone, followed by beautiful striping. 32 seconds to 50 ml with no channeling or micro-jets, and it was heavenly!

FWIW, I find Red Bird to be very smooth yet plenty interesting. True, it's not like the Black Cat of yore, but it has lots of subtle notes, great fruit or berry sweetness and excellent mouth feel. It makes great crema, though I find that the crema doesn't last anywhere near long enough for some reason, even three days off the roast. Then again, IC's prices have gotten insane, have you shopped them lately? For the price ($50 for five pounds, shipped) and Jeff's great customer service, it's truly hard to beat Red Bird.

Unfortunately, all the local roasters are out to lunch. Either they base their prices on IC's, or they produce a bland, uninspired Illy/Lavazza knockoff that is marketed specifically to the large, under-informed but patriotic Little Italy community here. Every time I discuss coffee with a local of Italian descent, they always say, "Have you tried 'Prima Goccia'? It's what I buy." Blech.

Thus my choices are rather bad: either spend silly money for good coffees like Black Cat, Saint Henri's God Shot or Pilot's Big Bro, or buy five pound bags of Red Bird, divvy it up into 8-oz packs (yes, I vac seal and freeze them) and deal with the consequences. I split a bag with my mom, and can go through my three pounds in about a month.
 
Great that your shots are turning out. I know when I started to get them tuned in that suddenly I made a very wise investment. I rarely go out now for coffee, but I will search or go to a few great places (around the world) just to search them out. It is like fine wines, or spirits where they are all different but good.

Here I only have one good roaster, but Berlin Bonanza Coffee Hero's does one of the Best coffees anywhere in the world with awesome machines. Used to be a Synesso then they moved up to the Kees Van Der Western Spirit http://keesvanderwesten.com/spirit-pictures.html. Also there is a great roaster in Hamburg.

The picture I linked was on espresso almost a month old, so you should not be loosing crema that fast. Perhaps its time you became the next famous local roaster ;)

Cheers,
Shamus
 
Maybe I should come over to try them! I need some parts for my little smart fortwo cabrio, and have found them in Duisburg, Berlin and Stuttgart at less than half the price I can get them here!

For what it's worth, I am the same way: when I travel, I seek out the best local third wave coffee establishments, like Barista Jam in Hong Kong or Alen's Espresso in Brisbane.
 
SameGuy said:
Maybe I should come over to try them! I need some parts for my little smart fortwo cabrio, and have found them in Duisburg, Berlin and Stuttgart at less than half the price I can get them here!

For what it's worth, I am the same way: when I travel, I seek out the best local third wave coffee establishments, like Barista Jam in Hong Kong or Alen's Espresso in Brisbane.
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Once you been touched by the God Shots its always a quest. I got to say its really sad when your away, or abroad and can't get a good shot. France was one of the worst places I found coffee, and Copenhagen pretty much top quality across the board. Germany has a lot to learn though, but like Gin or Chef's when they are on it is absolutely top level.

Personally I been considering trying my luck at the roasting also, but so far I have not made the commitment.
 
I was able to almost choke the Silvia/VST 22 this morning with Red Bird (11 days off roast) with a setting of 1-C and 30 lbs tamp. 43 seconds to 50 ml, but really nice striping and good, lasting crema.

I ordered a full kit of goodies to mod the Silvia last night: liquid-filled pressure gauge and fittings, PID, SSR and thermocouple, silicone insulation for the boiler, group head and steam pipe, a new shower screen... I will also try to mute some of the noise it creates, using Dynamat Extreme and some foam soundproofing, both of which I already have from a long-ago automotive project. Along with the new cowling and a v.3 steam knob (for looks), I think this will be the last money I put into my coffee habits for quite some time.
 
Even though I rarely make milk beverages at home, I decided to order the v3 steam valve and wand kit, this time from JL Hufford. $69.95 and free shipping, it's cheaper than anywhere else. I figure with the much more consistent shots I'm getting now, plus with temperature stability with the PID, it will be less of a PITA to make milk drinks, so why not upgrade the wand, too?

This will definitely be the last of my investments in coffee gear for some time! I think I'm into the Silvia for close to a grand at this point, but for all intents and purposes it is now an upgraded v3 with PID, pressure gauge and naked v3 portafilter. Will it make espresso as good as a $3000 DB machine? Not likely, but it will be so close as to not matter. I'm already pulling better shots than anything I'm able to find in cafes around here, and it's costing me about 60¢ a shot...
 
SameGuy said:
Even though I rarely make milk beverages at home, I decided to order the v3 steam valve and wand kit, this time from JL Hufford. $69.95 and free shipping, it's cheaper than anywhere else. I figure with the much more consistent shots I'm getting now, plus with temperature stability with the PID, it will be less of a PITA to make milk drinks, so why not upgrade the wand, too?

This will definitely be the last of my investments in coffee gear for some time! I think I'm into the Silvia for close to a grand at this point, but for all intents and purposes it is now an upgraded v3 with PID, pressure gauge and naked v3 portafilter. Will it make espresso as good as a $3000 DB machine? Not likely, but it will be so close as to not matter. I'm already pulling better shots than anything I'm able to find in cafes around here, and it's costing me about 60¢ a shot...
Click to expand...

It definitely has the capability to make some great drinks, but the key will be you. More expensive machines just make it easier to make great drinks, but still won't with a barista and no skills.
 
...like at all my local coffee places (not to mention the all the chain places at the airport where I work).
 
I was weak and bought a new machine it will be here tomorrow, this is my last machine ever haha. I'll throw up a pic tomorrow evening or early Wednesday morning.
 
Hehe. I feel that. I'd have to sell my car to get the machine I want...
 
Aw, man. I even keep forgetting about the Speedster. See? My dreams are actually down-to-earth! LOL

Nah, I just want a DB QuickMill. But that's still two grand for a one-double-a-day habit. And after I've spent maybe a grand on a souped up Silvia.
 
I have pretty much just sat down had to drive a decent ways to pick it up. This was a review for a local coffee forum, the guy that runs the place wanted to keep it but with his already great setup couldn't justify the money so I got a new machine at an incredible price. I didn't think I'd ever have anything at this level but I couldn't resist it.


La Marzocco GS3

IMG_20130910_220321.jpg
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