Silvia Single Shot Basket

[wattgn]

Hi:

I went back to this beast after using the double shot basket. The first shot was too long as I was using the same grind as for the double. I backed Rocky off one notch, filled the basket to the brim again(the Silvia baskets need to be filled right up for the best results). This time a perfect shot with lots of crema.

It seems to work just as well as the double provided it is used right.

Grant

[robusto]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Silvias single basket is such a tempermental apparatus I really try to avoid it. It is so unforgiving when it comes to over-filling. I find that if its filled a little over the brim and then tamped -- as you would the double-shot basket-- the portafilter will not lock on the grouphead.  Underfill to compensae and you have a watery brew with very blond crema.
By comparison, the double is very, very giving, and can take much, much overfilling before Silvia decides enough is enough.
Packing in as much coffee as possible is a consistent way to get good, viscous, oily espresso with the tell-tale dark crema. BBut the single basket wont allow it.

[wattgn]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

I agree with what you say.

I looked at the Gaggia basket again and the basket is deeper with a gradual slope down the basket to the mesh at the bottom. THe Silvia has almost a horizontal ledge in comparison. It is just bad design.

Ok, so the Silvia is just ALMOST perfect.

Grant

[Fresh_Coffee]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

You have to go back to first principles to understand whats going on.

Amost all espresso machines (99.9% of them built in Italy) are designed for the Italian market. Most of their coffee in the "home" market is atleast 65% robusta at best, and 100% robusta at worst and from Rome downwards, its roasted to a black, oily, smokey conglomerate.They brew an ENTIRELY  different coffee, espresso size only. The robusta blends add lots of oil and body & they dont need to use other than the small filters as supplied with the silvia.

Enter all us colonial johnnycomelatelys with the audacity to buck the system and use 100% arabica blends or blends with only very small proportions of robusta which by their very nature, have less oil and body (but far supperior overall flavour characteristics and an unsurpassed  aroma by comparison...but try telling that to an italian coffee company representative).

So, the small standard filters are not good enough for our market due to the above, and need to be changed over to the larger filters the Italians make for our kind of arabica using infidel markets.

Get rid of the small silvia filters and replace them with the larger generic filters used commercially over here and you will triple your drinking pleasure.

However, if you fill the small filter to the correct level with correctly ground coffee it should still make a reasonable brew, it will just be lacking....

Regardz,
FC.

[poundy]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

FC, well said. Long die the single shot basket !!!

Wattgn, I think you should try ristrettos. Load up the double basket, and cut the shot short. Sure, it uses another 8gm of coffee, but in the scheme of things this is a small price to pay.

[Boris]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Wattgn,
Early on I used the single basket because I was the only one drinking coffee. I struggled to get consistent results, though technique played a large part in that. :P

These days I only use the double because its easier. If friends come over (and that seems to have increased as the technique improves) everyone gets a standard shot.
If Im on my own, I used to make two lattes, but found I was drinking two cups when one was enough.

These days I still have a latte but use the fantastic double ristretto base. I can manage on about 5 a day. Like FC said, use a double basket and turn off the pump after you get 30 ml (ish - 40ml, so what, its your drink) in the bottom of your cup and then add milk. So much more flavour, depth and body in the mouth.

Double ristretto - the ultimate latte! ;D

Boris

[Dimal]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Hi All,

I thought the Ristretto technique was to identify a grind setting that produced a half volume shot in the same time, i.e. 30ml for a double in 25-30 seconds?

This is what Ive been doing for the past six to nine months anyway and would never go back to a standard double or single. The flavour is much more intense, sweet and rich in the mouth. I find that if I grind for a standard shot and then pull it up short, the flavour profile is nowhere near as intense as when using the ascribed method. :P

Maybe Im missing something in the translation somewhere? :-/

Cheers,
Mal.

[TC]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Nope- not if youre making it to Aussie standards.....grind should be similar to espresso and you should be aiming for a similar pour rate.....so...given that espresso should be around 30ml from 7 or so gm in 30 sec (inc 5 sec pre-extraction) it would generally be around 18 sec for a 15ml ristretto. Literally- it means a restricted (cut short) shot...containing mainly sweet, top notes.....Ultimately though, let your palate decide. There are many ways to pull a good/god shot ;D

[Dimal]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Nope- not if youre making it to Aussie standards.....grind should be similar to espresso and you should be aiming for a similar pour rate.....so...given that espresso should be around 30ml from 7 or so gm in 30 sec (inc 5 sec pre-extraction) it would generally be around 18 sec for a 15ml ristretto. Literally- it means a restricted (cut short) shot...containing mainly sweet, top notes.....Ultimately though, let your palate decide. There are many ways to pull a good/god shot ;D

Hi 2MC,

I wasnt aware that there was an "Australian" standard that differed from the "Classical" standard. Sure makes life slightly more complex than it needs to be when people do something differently and still refer to it as a so-called standard that turns out to be vastly different to the Internationally accepted one.

I think Ill continue to pull my Ristrettos in the time honoured Classical method, like I said, the short standard shot (that is what it is after all) is a little bland for my tastes, I still prefer the intensity of a fully timed "Ristretto" shot. Each to his own I guess but a pity about the Standard.... http://tinyurl.com/a2k4w
Then, theres this.... http://tinyurl.com/99ypo

Cheers,
Mal.

[wattgn]

Re: Silvia Single Shot Basket

Hi:

Back on thread again. Yes, I am not using the single basket. I agree with a lot of what has been said.

It funny isnt it that a basket worth a few bucks is likely to have more impact on coffee than whether you have a small single boiler machine or a La Cimbali DT1.

True though isnt it? I mean espresso is just water at a certain temperature and pressure passing through the filter cake of coffee. Change the surface area and depth and the physics changes quite a lot.

Grant