# Classic upgrade - worthwhile?



## sjdavies47 (Jun 29, 2014)

Hi, newbie to the forum, but been the proud owner of a classic for 7 years. I am broadly happy with the machine, but a recent issue has made me consider an upgrade. Previous research suggested that a Silva would be the way to go, but reading various threads it seems that although an improvement the benefits are slight?

So if I was to upgrade to one of the smaller hx or db machines (eg piccino or cherub) what actual benefits would I expect to see?

BTW I have a rocky grinder and would not want to upgrade grinder and machine in one go ☺


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## Tiny tamper (May 23, 2014)

The biggest advantage with moving to the larger machine is being able to steam and brew at the same time, along with more thermal stability and more steaming power.

If you are looking for improvement in the cup then id upgrade the rocky first.

Have you any thoughts on a upgraded grinder?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Tiny tamper said:


> The biggest advantage with moving to the larger machine is being able to steam and brew at the same time, along with more thermal stability and more steaming power.
> 
> If you are looking for improvement in the cup then id upgrade the rocky first.
> 
> Have you any thoughts on a upgraded grinder?


Just to be clear though, the silvia is a single boiler, all be it a slightly bigger one than the classic so no brewing/steaming at the same time anyway.


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## Tiny tamper (May 23, 2014)

> of =Neill;195936]Just to be clear though, the silvia is a single boiler, all be it a slightly bigger one than the classic so no brewing/steaming at the same time anyway.


The silvia wasn't in contention as the op was looking at fracino 's for a possible upgrade, and had rightly said the advantage of silvia was slight.


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## oracleoftruth (Jan 15, 2014)

I'd go with upgrading the grinder too.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

sjdavies47 said:


> ...
> 
> So if I was to upgrade to one of the smaller hx or db machines (eg piccino or cherub) what actual benefits would I expect to see?


Welcome to Coffee Forums UK

What budget are you working to?

Both the Piccino and Cherub are good options to consider

The advantage with the Piccino is that it is a dual boiler and you will be able to brew and steam simultaneously

I have used both of these machines.

If I had to choose between the 2 then this would be my choice

During the 2011 London Coffee Festival a Guinness World Record was set to pull 12000 Espressos in an hour






I helped pull back to back shots on the Piccino for a period of time. These shots were appraised to ensure they were hot enough (part of the criteria) and of an acceptable standard

The Piccino kept up, whereas the Classic would have made approx. 1/5th the number it made

Andy (coffeebean) will be able to assist you with a decent price for both of these models


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## sjdavies47 (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks all. I find the comments on grinders on this forum really interesting. Having been on other forums grinders have not been given the same focus. I guess I need to look through the grinder sub forum, buy I guess the questions are:

What is less than ideal about the rocky

What makes a good grinder (other than saying mazzer on it :+) )


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## Blackstone (Aug 5, 2012)

Take a look at this link. It should answer most of your questions

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?17071-Grinders-what-do-you-get-for-your-money


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

From my limited knowledge of the Rocky the down sides are it's a stepped grinder rather than a stepless one.

The doserless one can be quite clumpy like the Mignon, but the Mignon has a far better grind consistency.

As for grinders other than a Mazzer, worth looking at ex commercial grinders with bigger burrs and better grind consistency.

Lots of really good ones other than Mazzers. Brasilia RR55, Compak, Cimbali, (I'm sure the Fracino ones are re-badged Compak).


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Urbs hit the nail on the head there with his appraisal of the Rocky. I had one paired with a Silvia. When I upgraded to a SuperJolly the improvement was surprising. By far the best pound for pound improvement I have made has been with grinder - not espresso machine.

The real problem you will find with the Rocky is the stepped adjustment. It can be modded but that still wont get you into the same league as a commercial grinder.

If you have a budget in mind and don't mind second hand then try sending Coffeechap a PM. He should be able to hook you up with a decent grinder.


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## seeq (Jul 9, 2011)

Glenn said:


> Both the Piccino and Cherub are good options to consider
> 
> The advantage with the Piccino is that it is a dual boiler and you will be able to brew and steam simultaneously
> 
> ...


You can brew and steam simultaneously on The cherub too. What is it about the Piccino you prefer?

I only ask as these two machines are in contention when I can finally afford to upgrade.


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## thenag (Feb 18, 2014)

I upgraded my Gaggia and got the Cherub a few months ago. The consistency has come on leaps and bounds, probably due to a more stable temperature. And the fact I have steam on tap means it doesn't take me forever heating up, cooling down, heating up etc for steam to make a few coffees when people pop round. I thought I was mad to spend the money when I did it, but I'm really happy I switched.


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