# My Christmas present



## owain




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## Daren

Leaking steam wand?


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## olliew44

Brilliant place to start with. I've had mine a year or so now. Paired it with a Eureka Mignon and it's brilliant. Other things to look at getting and give an improvement would be a vst basket and a lather diameter tamper to go with it.


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## NickdeBug

Should last you a long time.

as suggested above, find yourself a good grinder to pair with it. There is a well priced Mk1 Mignon lurking so ewhere on the for sale section. Can't quite tell as the photo loses resolution, but it looks like your Pact coffee is pre-ground for Aeropresse. Correct?

The biggest increase in quality that you will ever see in your coffee will be the day you start grinding your own with even a half decent grinder!


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## insatiableOne

Nothing like an improvement to feel better, starting the day.


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## owain

Daren said:


> Leaking steam wand?


No I just placed it there when I took the pic to show the bits and pieces


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## owain

NickdeBug said:


> Should last you a long time.
> 
> as suggested above, find yourself a good grinder to pair with it. There is a well priced Mk1 Mignon lurking so ewhere on the for sale section. Can't quite tell as the photo loses resolution, but it looks like your Pact coffee is pre-ground for Aeropresse. Correct?
> 
> The biggest increase in quality that you will ever see in your coffee will be the day you start grinding your own with even a half decent grinder!


Yes ?I bought the coffee for my aeropress before I had the machine for Christmas, I ran the aeropress grind through it to learn what to look for when I grind is too coarse, I popped out yesterday and bought some Beans from the supermarket to try out the hand grinder.
























Last shot is 27 seconds 17 grams of coffee from my Tiamo hand grinder


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## dancing james

i have loved silvia along with rocky. they are now retired and about to be sold on to a friend but have done 10-15 years of loyal service (have forgotten when i bought them now)


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## bigstevo

Looks really nice


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## Milanski

Not related to Mr. Glyndwr by any chance??

Nice machine! Decent beans and decent grinder and you'll be making decent coffee in no time


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## owain

Milanski said:


> Not related to Mr. Glyndwr by any chance??
> 
> Nice machine! Decent beans and decent grinder and you'll be making decent coffee in no time


Thanks, I've been looking at Rave and coffee compass for beans the latter only seem to do 500g bags though, I think I'd rather start with smaller amounts while I'm trying things out.


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## Mrboots2u

owain said:


> Thanks, I've been looking at Rave and coffee compass for beans the latter only seem to do 500g bags though, I think I'd rather start with smaller amounts while I'm trying things out.


500g of something isnt a bad shout , give you a chance to dial in and play with brew ratios before then bean runs out

Remember different beans and roast levels will need adjustments via the grind to keep to the taste and brew ratio you are aiming for


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## owain

Mrboots2u said:


> 500g of something isnt a bad shout , give you a chance to dial in and play with brew ratios before then bean runs out
> 
> Remember different beans and roast levels will need adjustments via the grind to keep to the taste and brew ratio you are aiming for


That's a good point, I did read that different beans need a slightly different grind settings. ?


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## Mrboots2u

owain said:


> That's a good point, I did read that different beans need a slightly different grind settings. 


Some need more than others - roast level will drive this to a big degree...

While your waiting for your scales - do some researching on temp surfing a silvia ( if you haven't already )


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## owain

Mrboots2u said:


> Some need more than others - roast level will drive this to a big degree...
> 
> While your waiting for your scales - do some researching on temp surfing a silvia ( if you haven't already )


I've watched some videos on YouTube about that, some do the milk then the shot and others the other way around. Seattle Coffee Gear are very watchable, I seen them doing the 2 shots into two separate glasses but couldn't quite make out the volume as they didn't weigh it's what made me wonder about volumes as well, but I'll stick to the weighing method once my scales arrive.


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## ronsil

Find a bean that you like & then try to stay with the same bean during your early learning process.

Thus you will find 500 grams will not be too much.

Learn to temp surf with Silvia & try to keep everything consistent.

As stated 18g in with 36g out is a good starting point. Stay with that whilst you learn your Machine.

You will find changing Beans will change the grind as indeed the same beans may need a slightly different grind on a daily basis due to age & ambient conditions.

With a Silvia, I had one for many years, once you conquer temp surfing you will be able to rule out most inconsistencies & then you can adjust the grind to suit your own taste.

Very strongly advise keeping with the same beans & controlling your output by the grind.

Thoughts do vary but most folk advise making shot first & then steam the milk on a Silvia.

Enjoy you journey


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## Jaspers

Give it 2 months and you'll want a PID....surfing can become tiresome!


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## owain

Jaspers said:


> Give it 2 months and you'll want a PID....surfing can become tiresome!


Have to be honest I wouldn't know where to start with fitting a PID, I done some research before hand and kind of concluded that thermal instability wasn't such a real issue in the uk with 240v as opposed to US 110v, but saying that the PID does look like a neat little upgrade


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## owain

Tried a cappuccino please don't mock the mug to harshly


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## DoubleShot

No choc/cocoa sprinkles?


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## owain

DoubleShot said:


> No choc/cocoa sprinkles?


That's getting advanced need a few more goes lol


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## NickdeBug

owain said:


> I've watched some videos on YouTube about that, some do the milk then the shot and others the other way around. Seattle Coffee Gear are very watchable, I seen them doing the 2 shots into two separate glasses but couldn't quite make out the volume as they didn't weigh it's what made me wonder about volumes as well, but I'll stick to the weighing method once my scales arrive.


The gals at Seattle Coffee Gear are great at demonstrating the features of a machine or grinder, but strangley I have never felt a strong urge to drink their coffee.


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## owain

NickdeBug said:


> The gals at Seattle Coffee Gear are great at demonstrating the features of a machine or grinder, but strangley I have never felt a strong urge to drink their coffee.


I found that, I think it's because they don't talk about the bean origin, or tasting notes it's purely a demo to show the equipment


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## owain

Attempt number 2


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## DoubleShot

You're fast becoming dangerous, my friend. Good work!


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## owain

DoubleShot said:


> You fast becoming dangerous, my friend. Good work!


Thanks ️ Latte art is definitely not as easy as it looks, a few more you tube videos for me I think!


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## owain

My new Scales have arrived


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## DoubleShot

Those scales are great, aren't they? I bought a pair just because I like the white numerals against black background display. No real need for scales as I already have and use Brewista Smart scales.


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## owain

That was 15.18 grams of coffee, pre-ground Pact fruit and nut espresso, espresso grind any advice appreciated, very strong but nice. Slight indentation on the puck, nice temperature.


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## owain

DoubleShot said:


> Those scales are great, aren't they? I bought a pair just because I like the white numerals against black background display. No real need for scales as I already have and use Brewista Smart scales.


They do look nice, very cheap from eBay £6.99 delivered (uk seller) the only thing that would be a slight negative is the back battery cover unhitches quite easily.


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## DoubleShot

That's an odd dosage unless you normally aim for 15g? What size filter basket do you use?

If you can manage to knock the puck out in one piece, you can probably tell just as much about how well a shot you've just pulled looking at the bottom as you can looking at the top.

Do like those square shot glasses. From Bella Barista? Fatcapp also uses them.

Do you time your shots? Looked a tad fast from that video. Also left spout poured first so perhaps not a completely level tamp?


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## owain

I was using 14g but just tried 15g while I'm playing about, it's the double basket that came with the Rancilio, I had the glasses from Amazon, I didn't time that one as I was watching for the weight.


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## owain

That's the puck


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## owain




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## DoubleShot

Puck looks pretty good. Very little dark patches which normally indicates over-extracted (I think?)


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## owain

This is 14 grams I tried to stop on 28 grams of espresso but as you can see it went a little over, I think the speed is down to it being pre-ground and perhaps a little coarse though it is only a single shot, this tastes much more fruity less bitter I guess meaning you were right about the over extraction on the 15g one, again a nice temperature.


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## urbanbumpkin

Was that a 17 sec shot?


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## h1udd

That's pre ground for you, it's never fine enough


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## TomBurtonArt

owain said:


> This is 14 grams I tried to stop on 28 grams of espresso but as you can see it went a little over, I think the speed is down to it being pre-ground and perhaps a little coarse though it is only a single shot, this tastes much more fruity less bitter I guess meaning you were right about the over extraction on the 15g one, again a nice temperature.


Are you still hand grinding?

Can you get it ground finer?

Your shots are running fast, want to aim for 27-30secs as a general rule (although if 17 tastes better, stick with it).


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## owain

TomBurtonArt said:


> Are you still hand grinding?
> 
> Can you get it ground finer?
> 
> Your shots are running fast, want to aim for 27-30secs as a general rule (although if 17 tastes better, stick with it).


Yeah I just ran out of beans so was using the pre-ground, I'll hand grind some later as I've just been shopping


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## owain

urbanbumpkin said:


> Was that a 17 sec shot?


Yeah was 17 seconds


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## urbanbumpkin

owain said:


> Yeah was 17 seconds


If you can grind finer aim for somewhere in the 25-35sec bracket.


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## owain

urbanbumpkin said:


> If you can grind finer aim for somewhere in the 25-35sec bracket.


Yeah I just bought some beans earlier until my order from coffee compass arrives, that was pre-ground in the video ?


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## DoubleShot

Avoid pre-ground if possible. Likely to go stale very quickly once opened.


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## owain

This is using my fresh beans from coffee compass


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## owain




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## owain

Loved how this tasted smooth deep, but not acrid now I've got the grind right


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## owain

My new knock box


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## hotmetal

Owain I have the exact same Motta chrome knock box. Pure class! Better get the cloth out though ha ha ha!


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## owain

hotmetal said:


> Owain I have the exact same Motta chrome knock box. Pure class! Better get the cloth out though ha ha ha!


A bit of a bargain on eBay unused £20.99 delivered. It still has the bella barista receipt in the box for £35


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## hotmetal

Result! I win though - got mine as a birthday present!


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## DoubleShot

First thought that springs to mind with chrome items that come into contact with water etc, is that you'll be forever spending time having to buff them with a microfibre or similar if you don't wish to see unsightly dried water marks.

They look nice in photos but not always that practical in use and that's coming from someone who's not afraid to religiously clean stuff!


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## owain

I was tempted by this I have to be honest, I love that it's hand crafted


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## hotmetal

Well you're right DS. But better skankiness that you can see and eradicate than disguised grimness that lurks almost undetected on your knock box ?? # shudder ??

I figure I've got a couple of grand worth of hot and shiny coffee gear 'in the line of fire' - a shiny knock box isn't going to push me over the edge! In for a penny...

Dramatic comedy over-exaggeration aside, you have to empty the box anyway - and if you didn't wash it you'd get mould on the inside. All I do is dry it nicely with an e-cloth after washing and *sparkle!* the happy coffee fairy alights thereon and waves her wand approvingly!


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## hotmetal

I was originally looking at the wood hand made ones. That was what I was going to buy, though I was a bit worried about the longevity of the wood if it got wet with coffee or being washed frequently. Then the Mrs showed up with the chrome Motta one and said she thought it went better in the kitchen and with my machine.


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## DoubleShot

God bless a good wife!


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## jenniferferreira

Well this kind of set up is something to aspire to!


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## owain

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AMCD300

Nice addition - looking good next to the Rancilio...


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## Coffeesprinter

I'm leaning more and more towards the Silvia every day. A few months in it looks like you're still really enjoying it. Any regrets at all?


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## owain

Coffeesprinter said:


> I'm leaning more and more towards the Silvia every day. A few months in it looks like you're still really enjoying it. Any regrets at all?


No regrets at all, I like the looks, I like how it performs, it's nice and compact, easy to use, solid well built no flimsy parts. It looks easy enough to repair should I need to, spares ate easy to get hold of. Brilliant machine.

It does take a little time to get up to temperature but no longer than any others. I do however want a La Pavoni but will still be keeping the Silvia.


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## owain

Some new vintage cups


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## owain

Fully modified for single dosing


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