I upgraded from my trusty Silvia to a new Giotto PP this week, keeping my Rocky until I can persuade my wife that a better grinder will produce even better coffee.
I've been really happy with the shots so far, either the Giotto is incredibly forgiving or my skills have improved considerably since I first started using a Silvia 3 years ago. Probably the Giotto covering my shortcomings like modern golf clubs improve my swing.
But there were a few unexpected issues:
A complete state of bewilderment over workflow. Like most Silvia users, I had my workflow down pat. Of course I expected to rejig my workflow with a HX, but it's hard to get out of the Silvia mindset of having a minute or so while the steam is heating up to fill the jug, etc. I find myself staring at the machine in disbelief that it's ready to steam or pull a shot whenever I want. No steam switch, no temp surfing. No thinking 'did the light just go on and off when I wasn't looking? I'll just surf again to be sure'.
The left sided steam wand is challenging. Again I'm amazed at how forgiving the Giotto is, a couple of times I thought I'd ruined the milk, only for a bit of swirling and tapping to produce half decent milk. But I've got a lot of work to do to get the left-sided steaming working for me.
When you look at the Giotto in the shop it doesn't look that big, so you think kitchen space won't be an issue. You get it home and realise the width isn't the issue, it's the depth. From front to back its a lot longer than the Silvia. Luckily my wife drinks coffee so she's understanding, but only a little.
Warm up time seems to be a lot longer. I used to turn on the Silvia, have a shower and get dressed, do a quick flush and she'd be ready, I've now put in a timer switch to give the Giotto over an hour to warm up. Is there a 'cheating mr Giotto' anywhere?
But none of this is buyer's remorse, it's an awesome machine and I love it. Luckily a great deal came along and I was able to justify the expense.
Cheers
Jonathon
I've been really happy with the shots so far, either the Giotto is incredibly forgiving or my skills have improved considerably since I first started using a Silvia 3 years ago. Probably the Giotto covering my shortcomings like modern golf clubs improve my swing.
But there were a few unexpected issues:
A complete state of bewilderment over workflow. Like most Silvia users, I had my workflow down pat. Of course I expected to rejig my workflow with a HX, but it's hard to get out of the Silvia mindset of having a minute or so while the steam is heating up to fill the jug, etc. I find myself staring at the machine in disbelief that it's ready to steam or pull a shot whenever I want. No steam switch, no temp surfing. No thinking 'did the light just go on and off when I wasn't looking? I'll just surf again to be sure'.
The left sided steam wand is challenging. Again I'm amazed at how forgiving the Giotto is, a couple of times I thought I'd ruined the milk, only for a bit of swirling and tapping to produce half decent milk. But I've got a lot of work to do to get the left-sided steaming working for me.
When you look at the Giotto in the shop it doesn't look that big, so you think kitchen space won't be an issue. You get it home and realise the width isn't the issue, it's the depth. From front to back its a lot longer than the Silvia. Luckily my wife drinks coffee so she's understanding, but only a little.
Warm up time seems to be a lot longer. I used to turn on the Silvia, have a shower and get dressed, do a quick flush and she'd be ready, I've now put in a timer switch to give the Giotto over an hour to warm up. Is there a 'cheating mr Giotto' anywhere?
But none of this is buyer's remorse, it's an awesome machine and I love it. Luckily a great deal came along and I was able to justify the expense.
Cheers
Jonathon

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