Hi Folks,
After a long hiatus away from owning an espresso machine I've gotten another Silvia, albeit a v3 rather than the v2 I had many moons back. Now I've no false perceptions that at present I'm by FAR the weakest link in the chain. However with a view moving forward I was interested in what other Silvia owners & others feel are the tweaks/mods/add-ons that work best in improving the Silvia's performance - I think it's also important to highlight that with any of these I'd also weigh this benefit vs the cost/hassle of doing them - so a 'bang for buck' type assessment.
Just to highlight in advance the stuff I'm already doing (buying top quality green beans from CS!!!, roasting myself in small batches, grinding with a Compak K3 Touch, using a good mid-range exact fit tamper, using digital scales to ensure to the gram dose, keeping machine very clean, measuring shot volume/time.
Whilst this thread is primarily seeking the feedback of others to assist me sorting fact from fiction but I've had a quick squiz at several other sites as well as reading reams of Silvia threads here and in no particular order my thoughts on the things I've found are:
PID: Clearly one of the biggest aids possible BUT the total cost of one as a new kit is almost what the entire Silvia set me back! So makes zero sense for me as my opinion is it'd have been more sensible to buy a new machine that comes with a PID installed (thats just for me, others can get them if they like the cost/look etc) + hassle of installing. FWIW I've decided to go with the very poor man's version of a PID (and I know it's actually nothing like a PID but rather a temp aid) - and bought a thermocouple thermometer to 'Gronk' the Silvia.
End Assessment: Not viable - cost/hassle.
Insulation: Seems to go hand in hand with the PID and that seems logical - however if you're resigned to temperature surfing (as I am with the aid of the Gronk mod) I can only imagine that the boiler insulation as well as being a bugger to fit will just make the boiler cooldown cycle that much slower....which though at first glance positive could be a PITA if having to force a recycle etc. So I'm unsure if thats worth insulating to see a benefit (plus it looks a PITA job).
However I would think that insulating the steam arm would be of use - as though you pre-warm it and bleed a couple of times prior to using you're always going to get condensation in it as the steam cools on the colder metal on route out....but insulating it SHOULD diminish this significantly. Keeping steam hot is a good thing. Plus it is very easy to access & do with a number of easy enough to get materials being likely good enough for the job e.g insul-bright, crinkled aluminium foil, hot water pipe foam wrap from Bunnings..?
End Assessment: Viable only for the steam arm.
Bottomless portafilter: These get very good reviews for feedback on what you might be doing wrong with your shot. I'm going to borrow one of a friend for a while to trial. Hopefully that will assist me in correcting any identifiable issues but for long terms use not a great fit for our house as we usually just drink a double shot split into two drinks (pathetic I know) and as such the dual spout portafilter is more convenient.
End Assessment: Will use a trial handle but unlikely to buy for long term usage.
Superior filter baskets: The v3 comes with the apparently vastly superior 40-100-102 14g basket (which I find really only likes 14-15g MAX dose still a work in progress for me to balance dose, grind size & tamp). BUT I'd find it very handy to have a couple of ridgeless double 14-17g baskets on hand in case of guests or if we have our coffees of a larger size - as the 14g basket is a tad limiting.
Not trying to start the whole VST/Synesso/Precision discussion but seems merit to these over the stock baskets, even the newer 40-100-102 14g one. So this seemed a good idea to me - also helps my workflow as I can grind, tamp etc the baskets and pop into the portafilter at the last sec, minimal hassle between shots.
End Assessment: Seems like a good idea. VST too expensive for me but others like Precision or La Mazocco(which come in a 17g ridgeless version) look viable for better coffee and less hassle in prep.
Flat screen/bolt-screw replacement: Seems that Rancilio have either deliberately left that big screw head as a visual feedback aid on loading your basket post pull or it's a brain fart as you'd think pushing it into your nicely prepped basket each time AIN'T going to help (and I know you're generally only meant to have a quite small indent). But even though the rewrd/benefit of replacing seems low I figure the cost/hassle of replacing is also very low (as it's just as simple as getting a suitable length+gauge flat headed screw in a suitable material....?
End Assessment: If it's as easy as putting a different screw in then why not?
And I think thats kind of about it.....I know there's other lil tweak like replacing the portafilter spout, water level indicator etc but i don't think any of them are really worthwhile.
On the technique front I'm currently trying a 'pre-infusion' technique (for for ~1.5sec, then off for 4-5sec then normal extraction) which I'm finding kinda questionable - and PIDSilvia (which I've read over extensively) says kinda the same.
Anyway if anyone has any feedback on the above or other aspects of Silvia use I'd greatly welcome them.
Cheers and thanks in advance,
Nick
PS. And I say this purely as an observation and NOT to offend or heckle anyone but it's curious to me that the Silvia is kind of the go-to espresso machine for people to pimp/mod but on a massive scale - like the gallery shown over at PIDSilvia - appears they've spent many fold more on the mods ALONE than the actual OEM Silvia - which very much reminds me of the guys who buy very cheap cars and then plumb thousands into modding them - and you wonder if they'd have just been better off buying a better car to start with!?!
Haha so all respect and appreciation to them but that type of modding etc isn't anythng I'm interested in. Simple, cost effective stuff only. :-)
After a long hiatus away from owning an espresso machine I've gotten another Silvia, albeit a v3 rather than the v2 I had many moons back. Now I've no false perceptions that at present I'm by FAR the weakest link in the chain. However with a view moving forward I was interested in what other Silvia owners & others feel are the tweaks/mods/add-ons that work best in improving the Silvia's performance - I think it's also important to highlight that with any of these I'd also weigh this benefit vs the cost/hassle of doing them - so a 'bang for buck' type assessment.
Just to highlight in advance the stuff I'm already doing (buying top quality green beans from CS!!!, roasting myself in small batches, grinding with a Compak K3 Touch, using a good mid-range exact fit tamper, using digital scales to ensure to the gram dose, keeping machine very clean, measuring shot volume/time.
Whilst this thread is primarily seeking the feedback of others to assist me sorting fact from fiction but I've had a quick squiz at several other sites as well as reading reams of Silvia threads here and in no particular order my thoughts on the things I've found are:
PID: Clearly one of the biggest aids possible BUT the total cost of one as a new kit is almost what the entire Silvia set me back! So makes zero sense for me as my opinion is it'd have been more sensible to buy a new machine that comes with a PID installed (thats just for me, others can get them if they like the cost/look etc) + hassle of installing. FWIW I've decided to go with the very poor man's version of a PID (and I know it's actually nothing like a PID but rather a temp aid) - and bought a thermocouple thermometer to 'Gronk' the Silvia.
End Assessment: Not viable - cost/hassle.
Insulation: Seems to go hand in hand with the PID and that seems logical - however if you're resigned to temperature surfing (as I am with the aid of the Gronk mod) I can only imagine that the boiler insulation as well as being a bugger to fit will just make the boiler cooldown cycle that much slower....which though at first glance positive could be a PITA if having to force a recycle etc. So I'm unsure if thats worth insulating to see a benefit (plus it looks a PITA job).
However I would think that insulating the steam arm would be of use - as though you pre-warm it and bleed a couple of times prior to using you're always going to get condensation in it as the steam cools on the colder metal on route out....but insulating it SHOULD diminish this significantly. Keeping steam hot is a good thing. Plus it is very easy to access & do with a number of easy enough to get materials being likely good enough for the job e.g insul-bright, crinkled aluminium foil, hot water pipe foam wrap from Bunnings..?
End Assessment: Viable only for the steam arm.
Bottomless portafilter: These get very good reviews for feedback on what you might be doing wrong with your shot. I'm going to borrow one of a friend for a while to trial. Hopefully that will assist me in correcting any identifiable issues but for long terms use not a great fit for our house as we usually just drink a double shot split into two drinks (pathetic I know) and as such the dual spout portafilter is more convenient.
End Assessment: Will use a trial handle but unlikely to buy for long term usage.
Superior filter baskets: The v3 comes with the apparently vastly superior 40-100-102 14g basket (which I find really only likes 14-15g MAX dose still a work in progress for me to balance dose, grind size & tamp). BUT I'd find it very handy to have a couple of ridgeless double 14-17g baskets on hand in case of guests or if we have our coffees of a larger size - as the 14g basket is a tad limiting.
Not trying to start the whole VST/Synesso/Precision discussion but seems merit to these over the stock baskets, even the newer 40-100-102 14g one. So this seemed a good idea to me - also helps my workflow as I can grind, tamp etc the baskets and pop into the portafilter at the last sec, minimal hassle between shots.
End Assessment: Seems like a good idea. VST too expensive for me but others like Precision or La Mazocco(which come in a 17g ridgeless version) look viable for better coffee and less hassle in prep.
Flat screen/bolt-screw replacement: Seems that Rancilio have either deliberately left that big screw head as a visual feedback aid on loading your basket post pull or it's a brain fart as you'd think pushing it into your nicely prepped basket each time AIN'T going to help (and I know you're generally only meant to have a quite small indent). But even though the rewrd/benefit of replacing seems low I figure the cost/hassle of replacing is also very low (as it's just as simple as getting a suitable length+gauge flat headed screw in a suitable material....?
End Assessment: If it's as easy as putting a different screw in then why not?
And I think thats kind of about it.....I know there's other lil tweak like replacing the portafilter spout, water level indicator etc but i don't think any of them are really worthwhile.
On the technique front I'm currently trying a 'pre-infusion' technique (for for ~1.5sec, then off for 4-5sec then normal extraction) which I'm finding kinda questionable - and PIDSilvia (which I've read over extensively) says kinda the same.
Anyway if anyone has any feedback on the above or other aspects of Silvia use I'd greatly welcome them.
Cheers and thanks in advance,
Nick
PS. And I say this purely as an observation and NOT to offend or heckle anyone but it's curious to me that the Silvia is kind of the go-to espresso machine for people to pimp/mod but on a massive scale - like the gallery shown over at PIDSilvia - appears they've spent many fold more on the mods ALONE than the actual OEM Silvia - which very much reminds me of the guys who buy very cheap cars and then plumb thousands into modding them - and you wonder if they'd have just been better off buying a better car to start with!?!
Haha so all respect and appreciation to them but that type of modding etc isn't anythng I'm interested in. Simple, cost effective stuff only. :-)


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