I have been struggling to get some consistency from pulling great shots out of my new Silvia. My coffee was so darn bitter most of the time, but what I did was blame my tools. “The OPV settings were too high, basket was too shallow, and (old) Tamper wasn’t good… bla bla bla….”
Anyway, after many trials and errors and changing quite a lot of variables I finally got it…. (I can say this since I have consistently in the past week pulled many yummy tasting shots. My gf also not complaining anymore LOL). :-* :P Lets share..
Let’s start with what I did wrong….
1) Coffee Blend: Since I came from a Breville background, the coffee from the Breville tasted pretty weak, no strong café alike taste, so after I got the Silvia, I went to buy the strongest Coffee Blend in the house.. Hmm.. no wonder it was bitter.
2) 30/60 rule (60ml in 25-30 secs). I did measure up roughly where in my coffee cup the 60 ml was at. It was no where accurate, so I guess, I didnt adjust my grinder properly! hmm..
3) 3 holes steam wand from the Silvia was causing me grave, the stream felt very soft. I did purge the steam until dry then start pulling shots. (I think the machine ran out of steam after purging hence the weak steam).
So the reverse of the above is what made my coffee so much better..
1) After changing the Coffee Blend to a not so strong blend, I no longer get the bitter taste…. (very important to find the blend that SUITS YOUR TASTE! IMO). Im now using the "Sweet Maria Blend" from Di Bartoli
2) Buying a proper measure cup really help! No more guess work, 60 ml in 25-30 secs otherwise, adjust the grind setting. (I think this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT analysis tool. A thermometer is also very important for a beginner for steaming milk.)
3) After purging the wand, I ran the water though the group head to fill up the boiler and until the boiler light turns on again. Now I’m getting sexy and powerful steam every time. Latte art also made easy!
Please share if you also have great tips for making great coffee...
Anyway, after many trials and errors and changing quite a lot of variables I finally got it…. (I can say this since I have consistently in the past week pulled many yummy tasting shots. My gf also not complaining anymore LOL). :-* :P Lets share..
Let’s start with what I did wrong….
1) Coffee Blend: Since I came from a Breville background, the coffee from the Breville tasted pretty weak, no strong café alike taste, so after I got the Silvia, I went to buy the strongest Coffee Blend in the house.. Hmm.. no wonder it was bitter.
2) 30/60 rule (60ml in 25-30 secs). I did measure up roughly where in my coffee cup the 60 ml was at. It was no where accurate, so I guess, I didnt adjust my grinder properly! hmm..
3) 3 holes steam wand from the Silvia was causing me grave, the stream felt very soft. I did purge the steam until dry then start pulling shots. (I think the machine ran out of steam after purging hence the weak steam).
So the reverse of the above is what made my coffee so much better..
1) After changing the Coffee Blend to a not so strong blend, I no longer get the bitter taste…. (very important to find the blend that SUITS YOUR TASTE! IMO). Im now using the "Sweet Maria Blend" from Di Bartoli
2) Buying a proper measure cup really help! No more guess work, 60 ml in 25-30 secs otherwise, adjust the grind setting. (I think this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT analysis tool. A thermometer is also very important for a beginner for steaming milk.)
3) After purging the wand, I ran the water though the group head to fill up the boiler and until the boiler light turns on again. Now I’m getting sexy and powerful steam every time. Latte art also made easy!
Please share if you also have great tips for making great coffee...


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