Hi all. This my virginal post!
I have been visiting good coffee shops for years - ones that have award winning Baristas. I finally decided about 2 years ago to get an espresso machine at home. After doing some research I decided that a kettle machine might be the go. However price was a consideration. Then I stumbled onto the Sunbeam Ristretto - claimed to have 15 bar and and an italian designed and made pump and a boiler!! for about $100. I mucked around with pre-ground coffee from Merlos and then got more serious after reading many posts on this forum and got a DeLonghi KG100 - ie Solis 166 (couldnt justify a Rocky at the time).
It made a big difference. The little machine makes a really good cup. The crema is first rate - It is huge and thick - great colour and I have dropped 2 sugars in my coffee at home because of the sweetness of the crema (I have milk). I am really impressed. I have been grinding my beans (Merlo) on the third finest setting - finer stalled the machine. Over the last couple of months I have noticed that the machine is struggling to push water through the head - I have had to ease off the tamping. I have stalled it a number of times lately with the same grind. You can hear the pump working and then going quite quiet as back pressure must be building up.
I think that the pump must be on the way out - I have regularly cleaned with de-scaler etc and the water flow is powerful with the head on or off - but tamped coffee strains it. I have I think a machine on the way out ..any thoughts or similar experience.
I think I have concinved myself to get a Rancilio Silva - they retail in Brisvegas for $719 from Cerebos (Mocopan).
Funny thing is, that I just tweaked the grinder following that British blokes instructons and now have 2 finer grinding positions in effect (in prep for Miss Silvia). I then, for fun, ground on the finest setting which is now fine and put it in the group. I tamped only very very lightly - ie a pound or so just to smooth really. I then ran it up and wow!!! Crema so thick it could be porridge! Made a great cup and no stall. Good extraction time - about 20 secs!!. But alas, it may not work again that way because the machine is playing up - intermittently.
It shows that for beginners the group set up to percolate and extract the crema actually works.
I guess that I will have to learn all over again on the Silvia - and tamp properly? Also, does anyone have a Silvia being fed by my style grinder with the tweak (or without) - how does it go; do you get good extraction time and a good cuppa?
Thanks all :-?
I have been visiting good coffee shops for years - ones that have award winning Baristas. I finally decided about 2 years ago to get an espresso machine at home. After doing some research I decided that a kettle machine might be the go. However price was a consideration. Then I stumbled onto the Sunbeam Ristretto - claimed to have 15 bar and and an italian designed and made pump and a boiler!! for about $100. I mucked around with pre-ground coffee from Merlos and then got more serious after reading many posts on this forum and got a DeLonghi KG100 - ie Solis 166 (couldnt justify a Rocky at the time).
It made a big difference. The little machine makes a really good cup. The crema is first rate - It is huge and thick - great colour and I have dropped 2 sugars in my coffee at home because of the sweetness of the crema (I have milk). I am really impressed. I have been grinding my beans (Merlo) on the third finest setting - finer stalled the machine. Over the last couple of months I have noticed that the machine is struggling to push water through the head - I have had to ease off the tamping. I have stalled it a number of times lately with the same grind. You can hear the pump working and then going quite quiet as back pressure must be building up.
I think that the pump must be on the way out - I have regularly cleaned with de-scaler etc and the water flow is powerful with the head on or off - but tamped coffee strains it. I have I think a machine on the way out ..any thoughts or similar experience.
I think I have concinved myself to get a Rancilio Silva - they retail in Brisvegas for $719 from Cerebos (Mocopan).
Funny thing is, that I just tweaked the grinder following that British blokes instructons and now have 2 finer grinding positions in effect (in prep for Miss Silvia). I then, for fun, ground on the finest setting which is now fine and put it in the group. I tamped only very very lightly - ie a pound or so just to smooth really. I then ran it up and wow!!! Crema so thick it could be porridge! Made a great cup and no stall. Good extraction time - about 20 secs!!. But alas, it may not work again that way because the machine is playing up - intermittently.
It shows that for beginners the group set up to percolate and extract the crema actually works.
I guess that I will have to learn all over again on the Silvia - and tamp properly? Also, does anyone have a Silvia being fed by my style grinder with the tweak (or without) - how does it go; do you get good extraction time and a good cuppa?
Thanks all :-?



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