Choice between Quick Mill Silvano and Anita
-
FirstBetta
- Posts: 184
- Joined: 10 years ago
I'm guilty of making the very decisions HB advises against. Opting for a relatively inexpensive entry level machine instead of saving up for a decent grinder/machine setup. I bought what I thought was a decent grinder ($300) and a good learner machine. My rational was get something that I could evaluate my dedication to espresso prep and if I wanted to continue upgrade. Well, I'm now ready to upgrade.
The current grinder will be retained for a while as a backup. My choice for the new one is among the Doserless Compak K3, Macap MC4, and the Mazzer Mini, leaning toward the Compak K3 but being tugged by the Mapac ease of minor adjustments.
The machine is between the Quick Mill Anita, QM Sivano and the Faema Carisma. Being on a fixed retirement income price is a very important criteria. Otherwise I would have opted for Expobar Lever, Expobar Bretus or the QM Vetrano.
The experience with the entry level machine has shown me I can pull a decent shot (every 10 or so), but the ability to pull a good enough shot and foam for a cappuccino consistently is sorely hindered by the time delay due to temp changes needed. So a single boiler is not what I need, it seems either a heat exchanger machine or something like the Silvano would be appropriate besides the ability to maintain temp stability.
The current grinder will be retained for a while as a backup. My choice for the new one is among the Doserless Compak K3, Macap MC4, and the Mazzer Mini, leaning toward the Compak K3 but being tugged by the Mapac ease of minor adjustments.
The machine is between the Quick Mill Anita, QM Sivano and the Faema Carisma. Being on a fixed retirement income price is a very important criteria. Otherwise I would have opted for Expobar Lever, Expobar Bretus or the QM Vetrano.
The experience with the entry level machine has shown me I can pull a decent shot (every 10 or so), but the ability to pull a good enough shot and foam for a cappuccino consistently is sorely hindered by the time delay due to temp changes needed. So a single boiler is not what I need, it seems either a heat exchanger machine or something like the Silvano would be appropriate besides the ability to maintain temp stability.
-
Nate42
- Posts: 1211
- Joined: 11 years ago
On Anita vs Silvano, the answer is "it depends", as with so many other machine questions. Silvano should be a little more user friendly in terms of temperature managment, given that it has a PID. Anita will have better steaming performance, but you'll have to learn to manage the HX temperature by flushing.
I also want to address your grinder situation. I actually "down graded" from a Mazzer Mini to a Baratza Preciso recently, so I'm familiar with both grinders. If you move from a Preciso to a Mazzer, or any of those other grinders (which are in the same basic class) I think you may be disappointed. The stepless adjustement and commercial build quality of a mazzer mini are certainly nice, but there really isn't IMHO that much difference in the cup.
My recommendation is that if you want to make a significant grinder upgrade, hold on to that preciso until you can afford something Super Jolly class or better. Or if you want to try out a titan conical on a budget do what I did and get an Orphan Espresso Pharos. They have their quirks, and hand grinding can be hard work, but the espresso quality/$ can't be beaten.
I also want to address your grinder situation. I actually "down graded" from a Mazzer Mini to a Baratza Preciso recently, so I'm familiar with both grinders. If you move from a Preciso to a Mazzer, or any of those other grinders (which are in the same basic class) I think you may be disappointed. The stepless adjustement and commercial build quality of a mazzer mini are certainly nice, but there really isn't IMHO that much difference in the cup.
My recommendation is that if you want to make a significant grinder upgrade, hold on to that preciso until you can afford something Super Jolly class or better. Or if you want to try out a titan conical on a budget do what I did and get an Orphan Espresso Pharos. They have their quirks, and hand grinding can be hard work, but the espresso quality/$ can't be beaten.
