# New Machine purchased



## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Well after some frustrated deal hunting I have been tempted by a demo Silvia with full warranty for £299. PM`s exchanged with SandyKT about the Silvia led me to just have a look and I could not resist and I know that at some point in the future if I do feel the urge yet again it will sell on easily. Half my planned budget so I am being tight and Scottish.

Don


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Glad to hear I helped. I know you will be pleased with your purchase. Don't forget to loan up pics once you have taken delivery. Did you order some water filters as well?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Cheers

Lookoing forward to it arriving and then getting it all tuned in, bound to be a learning curve even though I have had the Gaggia for a few years.

Will post piccies once installed, didn`t order any filters as I have had no scaling issues with my Brita Jug. I monitor for any scale build up with my kettle which uses the same filtered water. Still descale the espresso machine regularly. I am very wary having killed one espresso machine years ago through lack of descaling and untreated water.

Don


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Baby Dose now sold to a mate whose Briel has commited suicide.


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## Monkey_Boy (Feb 26, 2010)

Good luck with your new machine







.......they do look amazing!.....whats the steam time on those baby's Sandy???


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

DonRJ said:


> Baby Dose now sold to a mate whose Briel has commited suicide.


To MonkeyBoy?!!


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Monkey_Boy said:


> Good luck with your new machine
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The steaming of the milk takes around 20/25 seconds. The steam wand is very powerful. Pair that with some Cravendale - what more can I say?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

sandykt said:


> To MonkeyBoy?!!


LOL, no its to one of my mates up in Scotland


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

DonRJ said:


> LOL, no its to one of my mates up in Scotland


Oh!! LOL!!!


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Having "saved" on buying my Silvia over other options and secured a sale of my current Gaggia, the inner geek in me is about to be released. As soon as I have confirmed the Silvia deal by telephone today re:- got the reduced demo one before anyone else paid for it, yes I have paid but in the past I have bought online only to find that the website accepted my order even though the item was sold.

Anyway with my "savings" I am going to add one of these.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=104

That should keep me happy and have things to fiddle with for ages.

Don


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## Greenpotterer (Nov 29, 2009)

Good luck DonRJ looks a lot of cash for a little box lol note also do one for the Gaggia but only the classic

Jealous Gaz


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Let me know how you get on with PID. I have not been brave enough to buy/fit one.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Will do, everything I have read about the PID mod is positive and installation looks very straightforward, also there is no cutting, drilling needed to the Silvia so the kit can come out without leaving any traces.

Don


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Order with MyEspresso already dispatched, thats what I call efficient, PID ordered from Auber. Went for the full bells and whistles model which has brew temp control, steam temp control, pre-infusion which is adjustable and its a programmeable shot timer too.

Dithered about going for one of the less expensive ones but then thought what the heck, I was prepared to spend more initially than my Silvia and PID combined have cost. Lets just hope that bells + whistles = consistently good shots and much improved steam times. Given that my Baby Dose takes ages to steam 500ml and nearly runs out of puff, the steaming part will be a vast improvement as commented on by Sandy.

Don


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

I have been put off buying a Silvia before since if I wanted a step up, should my next machine required a PID to help it make a decent coffee?

Do you have to pay significantly more to buy a machine that is consistent as standard without mods?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

My machine hunting suggested that I would be paying £620 plus to get a "budget" HX machine Eg Expobar Office or a bigger non HX like the Isomac Zaffiro, these would in principle give thermal stability due to boiler size plus mass of preheated metal in the grouphead. Even then there is the HX cooling flush routine and Zaffiro warming flush required going by web reviews as neither machine will have the temp control of a PID so my reasoning goes. For a PID based "prosumer" machine its 1K plus to buy.

My reasoning for the choice is the excellent price paid for the Silvia, parts availabity will be good, counter space requirements mean that I will not have to do a slight but moderately inconvenient kitchen adjust and of course my inner geek just fell for the idea of the whole PID control thing.

Of course as folks have said in other posts, I could have gone down the Ebay hunting s/h route and got there for similar money but I was put off by what the most recent ones went for, butterfly and Domobar.

The setup has cost me £470 all in, less £100 for the Gaggia when paid for, so pretty happy with that


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

When I ordered my Rancilio I had a PM discussion with Lee about the pros and cons of fitting a PID. As Lee said, if you follow good practice then the group head should be flushed out before each extraction anyway. This will remove any oil from the showerscreen & valve and dump the over heated water replacing it with fresh from the tank and will then be at the correct temperature. For the moment, I happy to get to know my machine and learn what makes it tick. I was also a little concerned from a warranty point of view.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Sandy that will be because you are no doubt far more sensible than me and far less likely to be sucked in by geeky / techy gadgetry. I`m sure that I would get great results without modifying and you are right I will still need to do rinsing flushes. As for the warranty issue, you don`t have to alter any of the standard parts, so the PID bits can be removed, if anything from what I have read the Silvia could be even more reliable as the standard thermostats are bypassed and the switching is done electronically and I could re-enable them if problems arise (he says feigning confidence).

Don


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## Greenpotterer (Nov 29, 2009)

Are we having before and after testing Don would be interesting to see the results and i mean anecdotal tasting things not numbers

Good luck

Gaz


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Surely will,

The Silvia will not be sat in a box waiting for the PID to arrive, so there will be a few days standard temp surfing use which will give me a comparison to the Gaggia and then once the screwdriver etc has been wielded an assessment with the PID installled.

As I have iterated in another post, I have way too much time on my hands at the moment -> off work for 2 months post surgery, so should come up with some suitably OCD ish reports.

The lady wife, Sadie is now up to speed with the plan and her criteria were, how big is it, what does it look like and importantly will I taste the difference, phew!!, she liked the brushed finish in preference to shiny stainless.

Don


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## Monkey_Boy (Feb 26, 2010)

I've been reading reviews Sandy and with Briel's if its a dodgy one it'll fail within 20 cups or so...the one i sent back died within 6, the free one is on 50+ without missing a beat .....Don that will be a great addition to the silvia, seen some videos on youtube if i didn't want a lever machine so much I'd have got a silvia by now.....they're lovely


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

DonRJ said:


> Surely will,
> 
> The Silvia will not be sat in a box waiting for the PID to arrive, so there will be a few days standard temp surfing use which will give me a comparison to the Gaggia and then once the screwdriver etc has been wielded an assessment with the PID installled.
> 
> Don


I would be interested to know your views on pre-PID and post-PID. Just spent 30 mins looking at YouTube (some videos I had seen before) at the Rancilio's which have had a PID added. I might get myself a naked portafilter to see how I get on.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

The Silvia has arrived, very impressed with the solidity and looks of the beast, needs a bit of a clean, well a really good session with Puly Caff as it was the demonstrator so the PF and shower screen are soaking and once done a bit of backflushing and group head soaking to get the coffee oils off. Then a descaler run and we should be ready to go, Woohoo.

A real bonus is my Gaggia bottomless PF looks like it fits, doesn`t come as far round to lock it compared to the Silvia so I won`t know for sure until I test under brewing pressure. Sadie is very positive about the looks and has given me some stainless steel cleaner to use which brought the metal up a treat.

Will get a new group head gasket ASAP though.

All excited now

Don


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## Greenpotterer (Nov 29, 2009)

Good luck mate

Jealous Gaz


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Glad to hear machine has arrived and you are pleased. Like you say, it will need a clean, back flush and descale and then you're ready to go. Let us all know when you're made your first few coffees and how you get on.


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

It might keep you out of mischief for a bit.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Well after an initial oh no moment we are all clean and ready to rumble, the machine was as dead as a dodo, no power checked fuse OK, bonnet off and a cable had popped off the power switch assembly in transit, double phew. Clipped it back on and we are sorted.

Just letting the PF heat up and we are off to have a triple, thats if my grind doesn`t need tweaked. First reort to follow soon

Don


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Did you buy a triple basket for the Rancilio?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

No Sandy I already have one with my bottomless PF from Happy Donkey bought for the Gaggia and that PF fits the Silvia, the basket itself doesn`t fit the Silvia PF, it`s too deep.

Just consuming the first coffee and it is damn fine, lovely consistent pour, thick crema, Sadie commented that it did not taste as strong which I think is to do with a touch of bitterness I was getting from the Gaggia sometimes. Just have to get the timing of when to start the pour sorted, do you wait til just after the power light goes off? Oh and steaming was half the time of the Gaggia with same amount of milk. I think theres a bit of timing to that as well to get maximum steaming wellie, will play about steaming water to see.

Don


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

I can now categorically say that I have made the right choice with the Silvia, she who must be obeyed or at least listened to carefully (you can`t pretend, Sadie asks questions afterwards to check my attentiveness) has spoken. " I really like that coffee machine, looks great there and we certainly wouldn`t want anything bigger in the kitchen would we". I briefly imagined the conversation when she came in from work and I revealed the Iberital L`anna hulking in the corner which was of course an irresistable bargain on Ebay. Actually she is right, I don`t have a huge kitchen and I will have all the joy of PIDling about soon.

On another note, I spoke to the guy at My Espresso to update on the machines arrival and my minor panic moment and asked about the 4 hole steam wand tip he does, does it steam faster I asked, no lad it`s slower for people who can`t get foam with the standard tip, blimey I thought, slower !!!, all you need is practise. I found it a joy to have a proper steam wand again, I can get nice foam with the panarello thingy but its not as rewarding.

Don


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Get yourself some Cravendale milk, you will really notice the difference with the Silvia wand.


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

DonRJ said:


> Just consuming the first coffee and it is damn fine, lovely consistent pour, thick crema, Sadie commented that it did not taste as strong which I think is to do with a touch of bitterness I was getting from the Gaggia sometimes. Just have to get the timing of when to start the pour sorted, do you wait til just after the power light goes off? Oh and steaming was half the time of the Gaggia with same amount of milk. I think theres a bit of timing to that as well to get maximum steaming wellie, will play about steaming water to see.
> 
> Don


Basically, I use the hot water switch (middle switch) to put hot water into cup to heat it, after a short time the boiler light will come on. Switch off water. I then clean portafilter and grind coffee, tamp and put back into machine. As soon as the boiler light goes out, the machine is ready to go. Extract coffee. Once you have pulled your shot, put the steam switch on (bottom switch) - the boiler light will then come on. I then take out portafilter, get rid of puck and clean PF. Put milk in jug. Get empty jug and open steam valve to get rid of excess water. I do this twice. The boiler light will go out. Purge steam wand into jug (with milk in it) and away you go.


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

I am pleased to read you are happy with the Rancilio. I'm off to Costa tomorrow. Finished my Has Bean beans tonight.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks, yes very pleased, it is a so much more substantial piece of equipment and has a reasssuringly solid feel to it when making a drink.

It`s all clean and ready with mugs sat on top, ready for warm up in the morning.

Don


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

In relation to warming up, I usually leave the machine to warm up for at least 20 minutes (sometimes a bit longer) to make sure the top is really hot and the PF and other parts of the machine are hot enough.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

That or a bit longer has been the routine for a while, just depends on how long I loiter in bed. The usual sequence is 6am out of bed, transport ancient Jack Russell downstairs and out for a wee, make tea, flick espresso machine on, retrieve, terrier, return to bed, drink tea, then shower, dressed, Sadie persuades dog to go for a walk whilst I prepare brekkie and a couple of large Lattes.On Sundays the getting up is preceded by a Latte in bed (ooh the decadence).

Don


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