# A couple months in, finally getting the hang of it with my Sylvia



## Tseg (9 mo ago)

A couple months in, finally getting the hang of it with my Sylvia. I did upgrade to 18g IMS precision basket that I put 17.5 grams in from my Sette 270wi grinder and have installed a flat screen from pidsilvia. I also installed an Auber PID. I finally have things dialed in, consistently getting 36-38g out. I have 2 cappuccino's every morning, about 1/2 hour apart. It took me a bit to figure out how to replicate the flow for the second pull but I finally have that lined out. Finally my drinks taste every bit as good as the local coffee shops. I was concerned about repeatability with the Silvia, thinking I may need to drop $2K-$3K on a high end double-boiler to get consistent repeatable good drinks... glad I stuck with it before upgrading. Now if I had to make multiple drinks in a session that may be a different story (or not). Anyway, very pleased with the espressos and the frothing capability for a single drink from the machine. I think the PID really helped me get to the consistency I desired. As I reflect on my journey, it is amazing how bad and completely undrinkable my first pulls from the Silvia were.


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## General-S-1 (Jul 27, 2015)

Patience and perseverance pays off. This is a valuable lesson for all of us.


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

I’ve had my Classic since 2013, and I’m still finding things that improve my espresso..
I have to say, the fitting of a pid, really helped.


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## vindibona1 (8 mo ago)

You used to be able to buy the Silvia with a PID installed, then backed by the seller (typically Seattle Coffee Gear). I don't think they do add on PID's and it is my belief that adding a PID voids the warranty. I don't need a double boiler, but I do find that a PID is essential. I can't understand why machines approaching the $1000 mark don't all have PIDs? If my soon to be next machine is a Silvia, it will probably be a ProX so I don't have to think about which features are there and which could have been there had I not dropped the money. The Gaggia Classic that I've had for 5 years probably needs a new pump and while not a totally expensive repair I don't think I want to pour any money into it. So, while I wouldn't mind a Silvia with a PID I might have to go with the Pro X because the closest thing to a Silvia w/aftermarket PID is a ECM Classkia with PID so we're getting close to the ProX price and I'd order the ECM with flow control and would still have a single boiler.


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## Tseg (9 mo ago)

I’m now 3/4 of a year in with my V6 and daily I make a 21g grind that came with my naked portafilter, give it 3 pumps of my favorite flavored syrup, froth some milk, and make a fantastic flavored latte daily that easily tastes as good if not better than anything from a coffee shop. I just have never been able to appreciate a straight espresso shot, but do drink coffee black. With ~42g of coffee output + milk that fills a 14oz Yeti insulated coffee mug with lid I have a nice warm sweet tasty sipping latte for the first 1/2 hour of each day. I guess I have moved past the “experimental barista” stage.


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