Rancilio Rocky + Silvia v4

[Warhamster]

Hi all!

Long time lurker here. Finally took the plunge, and for my birthday I got a Silvia v4 and a Rancilio Rocky Doseless Grinder.

Loving the machine + grinder so far, but I'm not really happy with the quality of the shot. I've been playing with the grinder settings (ranging from 10-20 grind, with around 15-20g per shot), with a reasonably consistent tamp, but I'm still getting reasonably "burnt" tasting coffee.

Any tips from owners out there on getting the best shot out of the machine?

Thanks!

[rayuki]

Hi all!

Long time lurker here. Finally took the plunge, and for my birthday I got a Silvia v4 and a Rancilio Rocky Doseless Grinder.

Loving the machine + grinder so far, but I'm not really happy with the quality of the shot. I've been playing with the grinder settings (ranging from 10-20 grind, with around 15-20g per shot), with a reasonably consistent tamp, but I'm still getting reasonably "burnt" tasting coffee.

Any tips from owners out there on getting the best shot out of the machine?

Thanks!

I only got mine yesterday so take it with a grain of salt but my rocky grinder has to be set pretty damn low. I had it started at 10 and it was too corse, was getting way too fast of a shot. I've now found a sweet spot of around 7 is good enough to get a decent shot, however that could all change with new beans. I suggest going lower on your grind setting. Are you noticing your shots are coming out fast and blonding quicker?

[Dimal]

What's the bean/roast that you're using?

Also, don't concentrate on the index number that your grinder is set on.
What's important is the quality of the shot, and the grinder setting to get you there is incidental.

Great info to help get you started on Home Barista dot com, so definitely worth a read...

Mal.

[dumiya]

Use a measuring glass, time a double shot with around 30 ml in each glass in around 30 secs. Adjust grind to get this with a medium tamp. This should get you into the right zone for finer adjustments. Also remember the Rocky may need to be run in. That can take a few kilos and a few weeks.

[Dimal]

Also remember the Rocky may need to be run in. That can take a few kilos and a few weeks.

Never found this to be an issue with my Rocky mate.
Found that consistent dose and distribution to be much more important and influential on results in the cup....

Mal.

[kaitan]

As much as you say the coffee taste bitter, if the shot is pulled within the guideline of 30ml for about 28-32 sec then I think have a look at the type of coffee beans?

Also are you taking the coffee with milk or without?

[trentski]

Are you using beans roasted in the last couple of weeks?
You need to build a repeatable routine so you can change one variable at a time.
Google for Silvia temperature surfing, here's an every from the sweet Maria's website Mal posted a while ago.


From Sweet Maria's Website...

Turn on the machine and let it get to full temperature. (Make sure water tank is full! always leave it full from the previous session) Put the coffeehandle in the brew head to heat it up during this time. My machine takes about 20 minutes to get really hot, so that touching the bottom of the coffee handle (the spouts where the coffee comes out) is uncomfortable!Now, grind your espresso, dose it, tamp it, and load the coffee handle in the group head.With a receptable under the steam wand, open the steam wand valve and flip the Hot Water switch. I have a 1 quart Mason Jar I leave under the wand permenantly.When the orange light on the front comes on (meaning the boiler is starting its heat cycle), Do the following: start your timer, turn off the Hot Water switch, close the steam valve.After 1 minute has elapsed*, start your shot. Watch your timer for proper extraction time (I shoot for 20-25 seconds). Folks have experimented with varying times; 20, 30, 50, 50 seconds. I like 1 minute after the boiler light has come on, but almost everyone else seems to prefer 40+ seconds.The boiler light should go on for 1 minute to 1:30, so you can also do this without a timer by simply starting the shot as soon as the boiler goes off. *Note - I used to use a shorter interval, but after a lot of testing I like a longer 1 minute +, which according to my thermocouple allows the water to get up to true espresso extraction temperature.

[trentski]

Sorry for formatting above. On phone using tapatalk an can only see 2 lines at a time

[Warhamster]

Thanks for all of the advice so far!

The beans I've got at the moment are the Australian Mountain Top (just bought through a Merlo shopfront), with milk (although I've been tasting black to check the shot).

I've started experimenting with finer grinds - I think initially it was too fine, as there was nothing emerging ~10sec after hitting the 'go' switch. I've dialled it back this morning, and started timing the shot as well, and we're getting a bit closer. Is there a guide on how long it should take for liquid to start emerging?

Typically the machine is left to heat up for ~30min in the morning before use as well.

I'll take some time this weekend and measure the shot to see if I'm getting the 30ml and post back.

Thanks for the advice so far!

[trentski]

Start counting from when you hit the go button and you should see something around 5 seconds in.
Over extraction will be bitter generally.
Remember aiming for approx 60mls in approx 30 seconds. But more of less on either of those measurements should be ok depending on palate, beans,phase of the moon, and sunspot activity.