# best silvia accessories / upgrades



## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

just gt silvia v3 what is best upgrades or accessories to consider from the standard kit?


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## jcheung (Mar 11, 2014)

When I first got my Silvia, a new basket and tamper made a huge difference. VST and IMG baskets seem popular these days but I haven't tried them yet.

A PID made the temperature a lot more consistent without having to bother with "temperature surfing".


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## coffeechops (Dec 23, 2013)

A PID for me, without question. No more surfing, and finally consistency where I could see what effect *I* was having rather than the machine. Cost me about £60 all in DIY if I remember correctly.

After that, a decent grinder...


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

60 pound for a pid. What type was it


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## coffeechops (Dec 23, 2013)

cappuccino crackers said:


> 60 pound for a pid. What type was it


DIY - mostly from ebay; just search for PID. There's the PID itself, an SSR, hi-temp silicon wire (from RC shops on ebay), thermocouple wire (I made my own thermocouple - car battery as a welder







), and then a case and some nylon sleeving and a bit of heatshrink from Maplin. Plenty of info on the web about what is needed.

By the way, don't try this unless you're *completely* confident in your skills mixing mains electricity, water and steam. Get it wrong and your boiler could explode, or you could electrocute yourself - it really could be fatal. If you're in any way not certain, at least go for a kit like an Auber so someone has worked out for you what to do.

Colin


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

im a gas engineer with some electrical expeirience but for what it costs and my actual time prob be better off buyin pid. thanks for reply.


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

Ive gt scales. Tamper 58mm from motta.timer. any other accessories for example a naked pf if so which one?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Have you got a grinder yet , if not no amount of accesories will compensate for this ,

Get the basic accessories you need

scales - tamper - milk jug

then put the rest into a Grinder .

then and only then think about a naked pf and a pid

More incremental money spent on a the best grinder you can get will save you cost later in your coffee journey, especially when you are looking at grinder towards the more value end of market.


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## AussieEx (Jul 10, 2013)

Grinder, grinder, grinder, grinder, grinder.

Without this you can tamp, PID, weigh, measure, dose, and peer at the bottom of a naked PF to your heart's content and your coffee will never approach the quality of someone with a stock Silvia, a tamper, an understanding of temp. surfing, and a good grinder.


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

Yeah I get the picture. Had car problems this last week was gonna buy new mignon from coffeebean. But obviously spent money on car which has dented my pot.. lookin for a bargain which are rare. Might have to wait till I gt paid again and order new mignon


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

I have done some temp surfing. And had couple really good results lately. I had to go to local cafe and buy some beans and he ground them for me with his big fracino. But obviously need yo get my own grinder


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Ok then I'd save money for the grinder which is ESSENTIAL, as opposed to PID and naked PF which are not .

Sorry to hear about the car , that's a bummer that it's put back your grinder purchase .


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## Jason1wood (Jun 1, 2012)

I'd defo say grinder, I received my Super Jolly last night and spent a good while dialling in. Just goes to show, if you buy pre-ground, how does the grinder know what's the right grind for your machine.

I once bought pre ground and the pour was terrible. Get a grinder. You missed mine, £80 for a rocky was an absolute bargain, would've lasted you until your funds were able to get the grinder you wanted.

To be brutally honest. You're wasting your time until you have a grinder and have dialled it into your machine.


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## cappuccino crackers (Mar 12, 2014)

The joys of hindsight. Thought was goin to want a doserless so might as well wait and gt it straight away. Might ask for lend of me mam haha


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## martyistheman (Jan 24, 2014)

Grinder absolutely. Every time I buy new beans I need to adjust the grind (and dose). With pre-ground beans your stuck with one level of grind which may or may not be right. After grinder, get scales. I use Salter scales which cost £15 from Sainsburys. Whilst they only measure to 1g and not 0.1g, they do the job as its impossible to judge by eye. Then I'd say get a triple basket, bottomless, so you can make varying strengths and lengths of coffees and get to work on your distribution and tamping skills. I can't comment on a PID as I don't have one. But it's next on my list.


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## Jaspers (Mar 4, 2013)

I have an auber PID on my silvia. Good kit but more expensive than self build. I took my machine to a local electrical shop and he fitted it for £15. It makes the whole process easier and (I think) faster and I get consistently good shots (in my opinion!). Agree with everyone else though....grinder is the priority. I have a rocky and ebay mazzer SJ....the mazzer is infinitely better. Bella Barista do a good range of Eureka Mignons...pretty colours and good quality and so look better in the kitchen. The Mazzer is bigger and better and there are plenty on ebay! Have fun with your silvia!


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