I got a Silvia a couple of months ago as an upgrade from an old Krups machine and have been creating some great cappuccinos.
What I have been struggling with is extracting even amounts of espresso into both cups from the double spout. Ive experimented with all sorts of things, grind, tamping, declumping but the right cup always gets more espresso (sometimes significantly more so). In the short term Ive resorted to speeding up the extraction (coarser grind), as the faster the espresso comes out the more even the pour is.
So back to searching the forum where I first learnt about Silvia and came across someone who mentioned making sure the bench and machine were level. I checked the level of my kitchen bench. Fine. Checked the level of the machine at the top and at the drip tray. Both fine. I checked the level of the portafilter spouts when it is locked into the grouphead. Not level! The right hand spout is a lower than the left spout.
I took the portafilter out of the machine and placed it on a level bench, balancing it on its spouts. Measuring the top of the filter came back level. So if the portafilter and spouts are level, but unlevel in the grouphead ...
I checked the brass grouphead and sure enough, the left hand side is a couple of millimetres higher than the right! Is this supposed to be the case?
The brass grouphead is significantly more off level than the spouts when the portafilter is locked in. The tighter I make the portafilter in the grouphead the closer to level the spouts become. I suppose this has something to do with the thread angle, etc. But Im worried inserting the portafilter so tight is bad for the seals, plus it reduces the amount of coffee I can place into the filter basket.
Could some of the Silvia owners check the level of their spouts and grouphead for me? Is the grouphead supposed to be level? Is the level adjustable, or is this a warranty or service issue?
Thanks.
What I have been struggling with is extracting even amounts of espresso into both cups from the double spout. Ive experimented with all sorts of things, grind, tamping, declumping but the right cup always gets more espresso (sometimes significantly more so). In the short term Ive resorted to speeding up the extraction (coarser grind), as the faster the espresso comes out the more even the pour is.
So back to searching the forum where I first learnt about Silvia and came across someone who mentioned making sure the bench and machine were level. I checked the level of my kitchen bench. Fine. Checked the level of the machine at the top and at the drip tray. Both fine. I checked the level of the portafilter spouts when it is locked into the grouphead. Not level! The right hand spout is a lower than the left spout.
I took the portafilter out of the machine and placed it on a level bench, balancing it on its spouts. Measuring the top of the filter came back level. So if the portafilter and spouts are level, but unlevel in the grouphead ...
I checked the brass grouphead and sure enough, the left hand side is a couple of millimetres higher than the right! Is this supposed to be the case?
The brass grouphead is significantly more off level than the spouts when the portafilter is locked in. The tighter I make the portafilter in the grouphead the closer to level the spouts become. I suppose this has something to do with the thread angle, etc. But Im worried inserting the portafilter so tight is bad for the seals, plus it reduces the amount of coffee I can place into the filter basket.
Could some of the Silvia owners check the level of their spouts and grouphead for me? Is the grouphead supposed to be level? Is the level adjustable, or is this a warranty or service issue?
Thanks.


Comment