Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Revisiting my options for an espresso machine.
Last summer I made my mind up to buy a Rancilo Silvia with Rocky grinder. Then I decided to wait on the espresso machine since I didn't think I would it use it enough for th cost involved. I drink a lot of coffee but, 1-2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon but mostly only when I'm in the office. I would love a good espresso in the morning but tend to stay in bed until the last minute then get ready and leave in 20mins- no time to let a machine heat up.

In the mean time I have been using a a Moka pot and grinding small amounts of beans in the supermarket. This mornings saw an add for a refurbished Gaggia classic for $299 and I got thinking again. I had ignored the Gaggia classic because the Silvia got much better reviews, looked to be better made, has a12oz brass boiler instead of 3.5oz alu, commercial parts easily repaired, etc. but it is much cheaper, 300 refurbished and 400$ new vs 650 for the Silvia (not seen any refurbished).

Also looking at grinders again and seen many people recommending Barrista Vario against the Rocky. The rocky is around $350 and the Vario about $450, worth the extra?

Would a refurbished Gaggia classic plus Vario be the best bang for buck with the option of replacing the classic in a few years? Or should I stretch to Silvia with either a rocky or Vario?
 
first things first - change the beans & get a grinder - pretty much any supermarket beans will be pretty damn old and probably badly roasted. I'm guessing your in the US from the use of $ so hit up somewhere like http://stumptowncoffee.com/ or sightglasscoffee.com (there are many many more... just do some googling for third wave coffee roasters).

Grab a ginder - the Barrista vario is fine, but the Rocky will be better - and your Moka pot will improve vastly. If you want a new toy to go with it then grab an aeropress, they are so cheap and make great coffee :)

Classic vs Slivia unless your going to do a load of coffee back to back or make mainly steamed milk based drinks the boiler won't make a significant difference. The silvia is a better machine but if you can justify the extra cost then the classic will serve you well for a good few years

On that note i just checked and i bought mine for my birthday in July 2006, its almost seven years old and still going well with minimal maintenance (although it does need a new portafilter seal when i think about it!) - infact this thread is over 5 years old!
 
The Gaggia Classic has more than made its money back for me (vs going to Starbucks). I've had it for at least 5 years now and still working fine. I've changed the shower head rubber seal once and is probably due for a new one soon but apart from that, it's great.

I am lucky I live in a soft water area so even though I use tap water I have zero limescale in the machine.
 
Siliconslave said:
first things first - change the beans & get a grinder - pretty much any supermarket beans will be pretty damn old and probably badly roasted. I'm guessing your in the US from the use of $ so hit up somewhere like http://stumptowncoffee.com/ or sightglasscoffee.com (there are many many more... just do some googling for third wave coffee roasters).

Grab a ginder - the Barrista vario is fine, but the Rocky will be better - and your Moka pot will improve vastly. If you want a new toy to go with it then grab an aeropress, they are so cheap and make great coffee :)

Classic vs Slivia unless your going to do a load of coffee back to back or make mainly steamed milk based drinks the boiler won't make a significant difference. The silvia is a better machine but if you can justify the extra cost then the classic will serve you well for a good few years

On that note i just checked and i bought mine for my birthday in July 2006, its almost seven years old and still going well with minimal maintenance (although it does need a new portafilter seal when i think about it!) - infact this thread is over 5 years old!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the quick reply.

The grinder I was referring to is the Baratza Vario http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/baratzavario

On a few forums people have recommended this over the Rancilio rocky but if I haven't confused you with the name Barista Vario instead of Baratza Vario then you are suggesting the rocky is better?

The Rocky sells for $350, the Barista Vario for $450, do you think the Rocky is the better buy?


As for beans, supermarkets in the US are very different to the UK. Where I usually shop the coffee is relatively fresh, the beans I buy are actually roasted locally in a small artisan shop which is where I would go if I was to avoid a supermarket anyway (and where I go to drink coffee). But certainly if I buy an espresso machine I will be taking more care of where I buy my beans and their freshness. There are a few places in town that roast there own beans daily and sell bags.


I know fresh ground is better and test this regularly I buy small amount of coffee which I grind in the shop, the smell is amazing so when I get home (usually within 10 minutes) I make a coffee in the moka pot, and then a second one with the old grinds to compare. The fresh is better but it is still a long way from a good espresso shot. Which is why I am having a tendency to believe the importance of an espresso machine is a bit understated relative to the needs of the grinder and bean which is reinforced by every coffee geek until the cow come home. The quality of the beans and grind I believe in but not matter what I don't think I can get a good espresso form a Moka pot so when making a purchase I will need to factor in the cost of both a grinder and espresso machine.


Thinking of going with a Gaggia over the Silvia and putting the money towards a better grinder which is why I mentioned the Barista Vario for an extra $100.
 
D.P. said:
Thanks for the quick reply.

The grinder I was referring to is the Baratza Vario http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/baratzavario

On a few forums people have recommended this over the Rancilio rocky but if I haven't confused you with the name Barista Vario instead of Baratza Vario then you are suggesting the rocky is better?

The Rocky sells for $350, the Barista Vario for $450, do you think the Rocky is the better buy?
Click to expand...

arr, yes, sorry! Totally confused it with one of the other Baratza grinder! :eek: In some respects the Rocky is still a decent buy, the Vario gives you the digital timer and a more modern look/design.


D.P. said:
As for beans, supermarkets in the US are very different to the UK. Where I usually shop the coffee is relatively fresh, the beans I buy are actually roasted locally in a small artisan shop which is where I would go if I was to avoid a supermarket anyway (and where I go to drink coffee). But certainly if I buy an espresso machine I will be taking more care of where I buy my beans and their freshness. There are a few places in town that roast there own beans daily and sell bags.
Click to expand...

I've not been in a US supermarket for years so made a bit of an assumption there, Good to know :)


D.P. said:
I know fresh ground is better and test this regularly I buy small amount of coffee which I grind in the shop, the smell is amazing so when I get home (usually within 10 minutes) I make a coffee in the moka pot, and then a second one with the old grinds to compare. The fresh is better but it is still a long way from a good espresso shot. Which is why I am having a tendency to believe the importance of an espresso machine is a bit understated relative to the needs of the grinder and bean which is reinforced by every coffee geek until the cow come home. The quality of the beans and grind I believe in but not matter what I don't think I can get a good espresso form a Moka pot so when making a purchase I will need to factor in the cost of both a grinder and espresso machine.


Thinking of going with a Gaggia over the Silvia and putting the money towards a better grinder which is why I mentioned the Barista Vario for an extra $100.
Click to expand...

I know allot of people love their Silvia, its a great machine and doesn't suffer anywhere near as many problems with heat fluctuation through the cycle, having said that they both really benefit from the addition of a PID (or temp surfing).

I think that the silvias a better buy if you love your lattes, the classic can drop too much temp when steaming, but its allot of money to spend for that feature alone!
 
Thanks for the reply. Will still think about the setup. I can afford the Silvia plus Baratza Vario but it is more of a question of how much use I will make out of it. Might do it in phases.


Is either the Classic or Silvia better for beginners?
 
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Morning all coffee addicts
I have few questions to ask if I may :)
how much coffee you use to make espresso ? I have read somewhere that it should be 7g ?
then how much water you add ?
anyone able to post a photo of their espresso in espresso shot glass ?

and how much coffee you are using for a cappuccino etc ? same amount as per espresso but just with milk ?

any good but cheap coffee grinders out there ? was given 1kg of Segafredo but need to grind it.

am using Gaggia Dose Baby but have a feeling it is not too good...maybe pressure is to low ?
but it might be me doing something wrong;)

Thanks
 
read my OP, check back a few pages for various images and refer to this very helpful chart:

extractionratios-2.png


or 7grams dry weight for a single or 16g for a double

for an espresso you should be pushing about 30ml water through for a single and twice that for a double.

photos (from various people in the thread, these aren't all mine):
coffee_zps9bcdb05d.gif

DSC_0971.JPG

IMG_20130120_202306.jpg

Q3YLm.png


and ratios for various drinks:

1OCjkJD.png
 
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Quink said:
Quick descaling question - once every 6 months I wazz a sachet of Puly Caff Baby descaler though my Silvia. Is it safe to add a few drops of food colouring to the mixed up descaler so I can when it has started to come through the group-head and steam wand?

I think this is a good way to ensure both complete saturation and elimination of the descaling mixture from the boiler/group-head/steam wand.

Any thoughts? Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Anyone? :)
 
bastic said:
thanks for charts and photos..
I don't get any crema on top ...what can be a cause of that ?
Click to expand...

When do you not get crema? Do you mean when pulling a shot, or making a long black?

If when pulling a shot then maybe stale beans or incorrect grind. How long is the pour taking to reach 1/2 ounces?
 
haz_pro said:
When do you not get crema? Do you mean when pulling a shot, or making a long black?

If when pulling a shot then maybe stale beans or incorrect grind. How long is the pour taking to reach 1/2 ounces?
Click to expand...

while doing esspresso shot

as for second question, need to check that - shall I check that with coffee in or with empty pod ?
 
even by looking on this gif :
coffee_zps9bcdb05d.gif


when making espresso on mine machine, you can see that coffee is coming out and not crema - not sure if it makes sense lol...
I get black liquid instead of creamy brown as on gif...
 
ok I do get small amount of crema...
this took around 13-14sec from pressing the button
according to scale it is 1 fl.oz
9041614444_916cdc7c1d_z.jpg
 
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