# New addition to family...



## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Well, Miss Silvia has arrived. She's certainly a sturdy/heavy lass.









As might be utterly predictable, the Dualit grinder is being really shown up. I'm not sure why I was able to get decent shots on the Gaggia Classic with it (as opposed to fantastic), with pretty good crema....and now it mostly hurtles througha Silvia like dishwater at a 12-15 sec 'wham bam thank you maam' pace... *sighs*

Nonetheless managed to get some decent shots from Has Beans Indian Monsoon Malabar and Coffee Bean Shop's Premium Espresso decaf blend. Maybe they are more forgiving of bad technique etc than other beans? The Square Mile Finca Bourbon decaf, which I had high hopes for after reading on here, was horrid. Will have to take some time to experiment.

I was wondering whether it was worth getting a hand grinder while I sell the Dualit - would any of them do a better (finer) job on my espressos while I decide on an electronic grinder upgrade?


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

Hi'

I have had my Silvia for a few weeks, and it does take a bit of getting used too, I found I had to tighten the grinder (Ascaso i mini) up a fair bit to get decent consistent shots, plus for some reason I have to go four turns more for most de-caff beans (not sure why)

The other thing that did help is using WDT Wiess Distribution Technique ( you tube video)

it ensures no clumps and if you tamp correctly you should get a decent shot

Another tip is to weigh each dose with an accurate set of scales so you cut out any variation in dosing

I also invested in a new heavy tamper (Polecon-- Bella Barista) which is a pleasure to use

Hope this helps

Mike


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## truecksuk (Sep 22, 2011)

i'm in a similar predicament - however, I have a classic with a starbucks barista grinder

I'm thinking of getting the MC2 as a replacement- I'll need to sell a few things before I do get one however.

btw, what was your reason for getting the silvia?


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions Mike. Yes, she's going to take a bit of getting to know - def more sensitive in terms of technique than my old Gaggia.

I've already got a decent tamper, so I can't blame that - only the user! Lol. I'm not sure if the Dualit could be tightened? Do you mean altering the burrs beyond their normal lowest setting?










Not got round to taking off the white film on the drip tray yet, too busy experimenting!


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Truecsk, I was basically forced to upgrade in the wrong order cos my 2 yr old Gaggia Classic packed up on me.

I would have been happy to get another in terms of its daily performance for its price - but didn't want to get an aluminium boiler again. And also, having been stung with my Classic's 2 yr life span, wanted to get a machine that stood a good chance of lasting a bit longer (touch wood).


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

I am surprised your Gaggia packed up after only 2 years. Very disappointing - what were the symptoms? Was it descaled and back-flushed regularly?

I used to use a Dualit grinder paired with my Gaggia Baby Class and for a while I thought it did an okay job of grinding Espresso (although I had modified it to grind finer than possible as standard). However, eventually I upgraded to a Compak K3 Touch and the difference is like night and day. I now realise that the Dualit grinder was not grinding nearly fine enough and the shots were actually really under-extracted (they tasted sour bordering on astringent although at the time I did not know any better). The sweetness of the espresso the K3 can grind is amazing in comparison and now I use the Dualit (which is actually a good grinder but just cannot grind fine enough for espresso) for brew coffee.

I believe the Hario and Porlex hand grinders are capable of grinding for Espresso.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

The hand grinders such as Hario Ceramic Slim Mini Mill and Porlex can both grind fine enough to choke your machine.

For £30 they are a great investment. Highly recommended.


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions Jim & Glenn. I'll look into the grinders in the next couple of weeks. I don't know at the mo' if Miss Silvia would be ok with the inconsistency of the grind with a hand grinder. Hoping someone on here has tried.

Apparently - according to some of the wise coffee head sellers I spoke to when inquiring about new machines - 2 years is pretty typical for the Classic. (?) Bearing in mind this was a recent machine not an older version. (hasn't Gagg been taken over by Phillips in the past few years...?)

Main symptom was no water or steam appearing when the switches were turned on through group head/wand; along with very loud whirring-ish noise not wholly unlike the one you can get when water tank is empty but yet different. (And giving somewhat alarming feeling it wanted to blow up!) I didn't feel confident stripping it myself, my electrics ability stops at plug changing and fitting light switches - I could say because I'm a girl, but all the bookish men in my family/world aren't handy with a screwdriver either...

I wasn't happy throwing money at it, especially as after all my web hunting lead me to learn it had an aluminium boiler & I fell a bit out of love with it







- so it went to a new home.


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

> [i've already got a decent tamper, so I can't blame that - only the user! Lol. I'm not sure if the Dualit could be tightened?
> 
> Sorry I didn't put that very well, I mean adjust the grinder to grind finer
> 
> Mike


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Shuttergirl said:


> Thanks for the suggestions Jim & Glenn. I'll look into the grinders in the next couple of weeks. I don't know at the mo' if Miss Silvia would be ok with the inconsistency of the grind with a hand grinder. Hoping someone on here has tried.


Cannot comment on this personally I am afraid. However I seem to recall reading that some have experienced minor issues with grind size consistency using these grinders although I would imagine it is no worse than most electric burr grinders under £100.



Shuttergirl said:


> Apparently - according to some of the wise coffee head sellers I spoke to when inquiring about new machines - 2 years is pretty typical for the Classic. (?) Bearing in mind this was a recent machine not an older version. (hasn't Gagg been taken over by Phillips in the past few years...?)


Wow! That is really disappointing.



Shuttergirl said:


> Main symptom was no water or steam appearing when the switches were turned on through group head/wand; along with very loud whirring-ish noise not wholly unlike the one you can get when water tank is empty but yet different. (And giving somewhat alarming feeling it wanted to blow up!)


Sounds a bit like the pipes and pump became clogged/blocked perhaps because of limescale. Do you know if the machine was ever descaled?


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Yes, v saddening. Yes, it was looked after/descaled. Whatever it was was v sudden.

Mike, I already have the Dualit on the finest grind.







Last night I did find a web photo guide to taking the Dualit apart to tighten burrs, but I'm not brave enough to try!


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

I would definitley try the W D T to ensure good distribution in the basket before tamping,it's a simple thing but seems to work, and better still it's cheap!

Mike


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Mike - are you finding the Ascaso i-mini works well with the Silvia? Does it grind fine/consistently enough? Given as I only drink espresso, I'm wondering if the Ascaso would be a good enough improvement on the Dualit or whether I should really wait and jump another price category...? Has anyone any experience with the Ascaso and the Rocky, for example? Is there much difference in grinding ability/quality?


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## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

I would recommend the ascaso - it can grind fine enough to choke the machine and consistency is good. The only reason I moved mine on was to make room for a commercial grinder.

Sent from my Galaxy S using Tapatalk


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

Shuttergirl said:


> Mike - are you finding the Ascaso i-mini works well with the Silvia? Does it grind fine/consistently enough? Given as I only drink espresso, I'm wondering if the Ascaso would be a good enough improvement on the Dualit or whether I should really wait and jump another price category...? Has anyone any experience with the Ascaso and the Rocky, for example? Is there much difference in grinding ability/quality?


I got the i-mini with my Ascaso Dream machine (which died like your Gaggia!) and was dubious of it working well with the Silvia but so far so good,I find it grinds fine enough to choke the Silvia even with de-caff (which seems to need even finer adjustment with some beans) the only slight niggle is that it does retain quite a bit of coffee in the chute, but this is soon cleared with a small brush, I fully intended to replace the i-mini if I had too but I am quite happy with it at the moment, and it does fit in anywhere due to the small size!

If you want to see a review check out the video review on Seattle Coffee Co website ( good videos-- pity about Kat-- you will see what I mean!)

Mike100


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

mike 100 said:


> -- pity about Kat


Oh, say it isn't so! A few of us were wondering, a few weeks back.


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## Shuttergirl (Oct 27, 2011)

Are the differences between the i-mini's purely cosmetic? I've found a black one at £145 and a black aluminium one at £199. I presume the cheaper black ABS is plastic? Is that more likely to break/pack in sooner I wonder? (Says she with a plastic Dualit...!) Are there any advantages over the mini with an i-2? Not sure what the difference is, can't find anything to say they have same or different burrs...?


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Fracino Piccino grinder is basically a rebadged i-mini and the ABS one IS plastic. I can do you a black aluminium one for £192 inc VAT with £15 delivery charge here http://www.thecoffeebean-vanandroaster.co.uk/Coffee-at-Home.html

all the best

Andy


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