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Other than aesthetics, is there a reason to go with the Rancillo Silvia over the Crossland CC1 at this point? The built in PID, timer, and thermoblock steamer make it look like a more forgiving machine for a beginner with enough settings to experiment once I get the basics down. (I'll still probably get the Silvia. I'm a sucker for chrome/steel and physical switches.)
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Sep 18, 2018 23:40
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I went against my better judgement and got a Rancilio Silvia before getting an espresso-centric grinder. Anyone here have luck getting a decent grind with a Lido 3? I've set it to barely above the point where the burrs rub, have dosed in 14 grams, and tamped with a calibrated tamper but have consistently gotten 45 ml out in about fifteen seconds. It doesn't taste terrible, but there's definitely room for improvement.
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Dec 4, 2018 23:37
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Ultimate Mango posted:Something seems off here. Forgetting about equipment for a moment, I believe 45ml is equivalent to 45 grams. Rule of thumb I use is a 1:2 ratio ground beans to liquid in the cup. When I do 20.2g in, 45g out doesn’t taste great (38-42 is fine). The stock Silvia double baskets looked to be rated at about 14g, and there's little headroom between the puck and grouphead when I try to bump the dose up to the 17ish range. I'll try increasing the dose tomorrow morning and checking out the spent puck for channeling.
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Dec 5, 2018 01:49
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Finally attempted to make some foam for the first time and got it half right. It needed a little more texture and heat but was serviceable enough after a stressful day at work. I did manage to catch my hand when purging the steam wand like a dumb rear end and should probably not do that in the future.
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Dec 11, 2018 23:30
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Splinter posted:I've been looking for a coffee storage container that can hold at least 28oz of whole bean coffee, and my research has pointed to toward the Planetary Airscape Kilo. Is that a good buy, or is there something else I should consider? I can't speak for the Kilo, but I've been using the medium Airscape for a year and some change with no issue. Just give it a hand wash/dry every once in a while in case it starts holding on to that old coffee smell.
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Jan 24, 2019 05:03
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I save the few remaining grams from each bag and throw them into storage for cold brew season. It's better than preground, but after cutting it with milk the difference isn't really that significant. e: I'm thinking of getting a dedicated grinder for espresso since the Lido is serviceable but a pain to adjust. Is there a sub-700 dollar automatic grinder that's quiet, low retention, and single dose friendly? The Ceado E5P looks close to what I want, but the on/off switch isn't friendly with bottomless portafilters. Spiggy fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Feb 5, 2019 |
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Feb 5, 2019 20:22
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ImPureAwesome posted:If i picked up a grinder, What kind of difference would those drips make over my current cheap drip? What makes them better? The SCAA certified drip brewers typically have more even water dispersion, better temperature control, and quality of life features compared to the cheaper drip brewers.
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Feb 23, 2019 20:31
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I use a Kinu M47 and it handles Turkish through pour-over pretty well, but I haven't read great things about French press. The travel version is $230 and the standard is $330. It may be worth checking out the Helor 101 since it comes with two sets of burrs for fine and coarse brews.
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Mar 24, 2019 19:59
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My local shop isn't very good, overpriced, and doesn't have a set roasting schedule. I'd love to have a place to buy local, but ultimately I'm saving money and getting better coffee with a subscription.
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Jun 1, 2019 16:18
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I'm one of those crazies that uses a manual grinder for espresso and I'll throw my hat in for the Kinu M47. If you're sane, a refurbished Ceado may be worth a look.
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Jun 18, 2019 20:19
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I'll second the above poster. I bought a Silvia because it's easy to source parts if something breaks, but I haven't heard of anyone unhappy with their CC1 purchase.
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Oct 21, 2019 21:11
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CopperHound posted:While we are recommending grinders: For home espresso is the Liddo-E my best option without going up an order magnitude in price? I'm biased because I hate the adjustment ring on the Lido series, but I would check out reviews for the Kinu Phoenix before committing to the ET. I use the M47 daily for espresso and it's much easier to adjust at the expense of being slightly more difficult to grind with. The Phoenix looks to be the same burr set with a lighter body and lower price point.
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Dec 4, 2019 04:47
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Supposedly the gasket can dry out and get damaged if the portafilter isn't stored in the grouphead. I don't know if that's true, but I haven't had any issues with locking in my portafilter in the last year+ I've had my Silvia.
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Feb 7, 2020 15:46
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aldantefax posted:Correction: it's fifteen bucks. Buy a digital timer to go with it and you just saved yourself something like 200 bucks. This is the correct take in my opinion. I've been using my phone's stopwatch and a $15 dollar, .1g accurate scale for almost two years without issue. Of course, if you're buying an Appartamento your financial situation probably isn't the same as mine.
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Sep 3, 2020 03:32
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Clever Dripper is most likely the one that your thinking of. Supposedly the Hario Switch is good as well but tops out at about 200ml.
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Nov 16, 2020 14:55
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Oh nice, good to see some coffee recs near-ish by. I've been getting beans from Addison Coffee Roasters for a while now but have been looking to try some shops now that I'm fully vaccinated.
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Mar 21, 2021 23:17
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I'm jealous of the La Pavoni. I really want a lever machine but the smaller shot size and having to repurchase accessories means I'll keep using my Silvia until it explodes.
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Oct 18, 2021 18:38
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That is a very pretty setup. About how much can you dose in the basket and how much comes out during each pull?
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Oct 27, 2021 00:53
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That's worth it even if just for cold brew or cooking/baking.
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Nov 6, 2021 18:49
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I got a knockoff screen like that and it's worked pretty well so far. Sadly I've got a Silvia so the screw locking in the shower screen means I have to underdose pretty heavily to not bend/warp the screen.
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Jan 12, 2022 14:07
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I decided to try my hand at making some coffee water with the Hendon Water recipe off Barista Hustle and realized after the fact that I took out only 100 out of the 130ml that's called for. Luckily there's no way that this can be worse than Texas tap water, but I'm a little mad at screwing up my first try. I'm probably going to be in the market for a new espresso machine before long. Right now I've got it narrowed down between the ECM Classika and the La Pavoni Professional. I almost never make milk drinks, so the Classika has basically all the features I would want (PID with integrated timer, easy access to pressure valve, flow rate upgrade) within my price range. A lever machine sounds extremely fun to learn, but the temperature control supposedly isn't the best plus I'd have to rebuy accessories. Anyone have any opinions on the two or recs that fall around/under the $1.8k-ish range?
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Feb 28, 2022 02:05
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eke out posted:is this the first major Decent rival? i wonder how much it costs It looks like it. I started looking into the Decent once I realized that I don't like making milk drinks at home because of the workflow, and the Decent checks all of the boxes I'd like out of a machine in theory. The main thing scaring me off is it being a new company and looking a touch janky. I'll be happy if a company nails this style of machine without it looking cheap or feeling too "techy" for lack of a better word.
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Apr 9, 2022 02:26
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.Z. posted:What is it about the workflow of other machines that turns you off to making milk drinks? The DE1 machines could be considered mya worse milk drink maker for some since they can't brew and steam simultaneously. The workflow issue is with my current Silvia and the problems that come with single boiler machines. My apartment counter is too small to fit the depth of most HX/DB machines, so steaming and brewing at once is probably out the question unless I get a Breville Dual Boiler.
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Apr 9, 2022 13:41
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You can always check your headspace by putting a nickel on top of your puck after you tamp and locking in the portafilter. If there's no dent you can add more, and dose less if there is one. That's the way I usually figure out my max dose size when I get a new bag. IMS baskets aren't really finicky so you should be good once you get the dose size figured out.
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May 17, 2022 01:48
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I'll second the Airscape. I've had mine for quite a few years now and it's worked great the whole time.
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Aug 6, 2022 21:18
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I got it as a Christmas gift, but browsing for a bit they seem pretty fixed price wise. The 5"x7" comfortably fits a pound regardless of the roast level.
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Aug 7, 2022 00:02
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Speaking of Silvias- I'm pretty sure I screwed up my pressure when adjusting my OPV a while back and want to unscrew it. Is there a place that sells 58mm portafilters with a pressure gauge on them or if there's a PF that doesn't suck to disassemble so I can make my own?
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Aug 29, 2022 20:37
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$450 is almost suspiciously low for a Silvia with a PID, but at that price point I would definitely go check it out. That said, I've had my Silvia 4 years without issues and if something is busted you could probably find parts to fix it with a little elbow grease.
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Aug 30, 2022 22:04
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Another reason it's probably so cheap is that it's either a v1 or v2 Silvia so it's at least 13 years old. At that point I'd go with your gut if you meet this person on of you think they've taken good care of it.
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Aug 30, 2022 22:10
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Wait, how paranoid should I be about a Silvia tripping a GFCI? mine never had any issues when I lived in a house, but when we moved into our current apartment it sets of the GFCI maybe 10% of the time when turning off the pump or unit itself. I attributed it to a cheap breaker but now I'm wondering if I'm a fire hazard.
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Aug 31, 2022 04:52
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For manual brewing I'd say a V60 or Kalita Wave if you have a gooseneck kettle, or a Clever Dripper if not. If you want to be hands-off and fancy the Moccamaster One Cup would be worth a look. I've never seen a reason to upgrade from my Takeya for cold brew, even if there are better options; it's cheap, simple, and makes a solid batch from my abomination of leftover beans.
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Sep 3, 2022 16:44
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One thing that gets brought up about the Gaggia pretty often is the stock pressure is very high. You can buy a replacement OPV spring to bring it down to 9 bar, which looks to be a pretty quick and easy install.
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Sep 5, 2022 21:48
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VelociBacon posted:So looked a bit more into it and came across Gagguino. I think that's probably the route I'll be taking as I have a bit of an arduino background already. Going to do more research but with that setup you can see the pressures, set up profiles for specifying the pressure during the brew, etc. It uses a barometer mounted inline so it would be accurate, presuming it's installed in the right location. The Gagguino mod seems like a pretty cool project. It's completely overkill, but every few months I kick around the idea of buying a Decent to be able to mess with all the variables with my shots.
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Sep 6, 2022 00:41
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I usually make my own fancy water to prevent scale build-up (and because the tap water here is nasty), but I'll throw in filtered water if it's morning and I'm feeling lazy. I enjoy the process even if I'm just making snake oil to throw into the tank.
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Sep 11, 2022 22:44
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The Ethiopian beans I've seen locally tend to have some sort of berry flavor listed on them, but usually it's blueberry and not my jam. Cherry tho? Load me up.
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Sep 12, 2022 21:00
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Raenir Salazar posted:I have a cold brew pitcher with the filter cylinder thing in the middle; what's the ratio of grinds to water I want? Like if it can be filled with 1 litre of water how much coffee in grams do I want? For cold brew I just load it up with leftover beans and fill it up with water, and play it as it lands.
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Sep 16, 2022 17:52
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Trying to find a spring lever machine is an exercise in frustration. The Microcasa is not my ~aesthetic~, the Cremina SL is $4k, the Argos is ugly plus I'm not convinced it's actually coming out, and almost all the other ones are massive, commercial grade machines. I've been saving for about a year for an upgrade but it's hard to hit the add to cart button on a Cremina, even with the buy-it-for-life reputation.
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Sep 17, 2022 01:13
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I managed to snag a less than year old Decent for a good price. I unfortunately bought a bag of new beans a few days ago and I don't know if I'm still dialing in or just really don't like this blend.
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Oct 1, 2022 19:54
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Gunder posted:Grats on the Decent! My dream machine! Pity they cost £3500+ to import to the UK! If the beans are really fresh, they might be too fresh to pull shots with? I usually let espresso beans rest about 2 weeks before pulling shots with them. It's probably that plus it being a dark roast when I usually stick to medium to medium-light blends. It's a little weird sounding but overall much less noisy than the Silvia.
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Oct 1, 2022 21:09
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 16:12 |
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I've used a Kinu M47 for espresso coming on four years now and wine not ideal is still a bit of a pain. I just wish the venn diagram for single dose electric grinders that are flat burr, quiet, and under a grand had a bit more overlap.
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Nov 24, 2022 19:22
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