Hello everyone,

I have Rancilio Silvia that has been working great for 4 years now. It is well maintain, cleaned, decalcified on a regular basis. It was been brewing the same espresso for 4 years now til now....

Water run thru PF at a rate giving me some colored water instead of espresso with thick crema.

I checked website, read all the posts in here, ran some of the tests, I cant find the problem. It might be a pressure problem ( most likely) but I have pressure at the wand and it steams great as usual.

I reset thermostat, check the OPV, spring, etc..

I need some help!!!!

Thank you

make sure your brew basket isn't cracked around the lower edges, or up where the rim rides on the portafilter. sometimes this is really hard to see, as the crack doesn't expand until it's under pressure. look for hairlines with a magnifying glass.

or just put in a new basket and see if that fixes the problem.

Did this start suddenly? Without more specific information, I can only offer a general comment: Too fast pour => not enough resistance => stale coffee, incorrect grind setting, or worn burrs.

I used different baskets, same results.

Yes it happens suddenly, coffee is the same for last 4 years and is fresh.

Thanks for your responses.

I believe it is a pressure problem but why the steam wand works just fine?

I believe it is a pressure problem but why the steam wand works just fine?

Those are two different parameters which are not related in your particular case. When was the last time you disassembled and cleaned your grouphead components?

I'm sorry, but I have to ask: what grinder are you using to grind your beans immediately before brewing?

Sounds simple and is easy to overlook in trying to help you diagnose the problem, but you never mentioned a grinder... thus the need to ask.

Eric,
I took apart everything except the group part.

Josuha,

I have been using blue lavazza (ground) and only since day one.

Thank you guys!

Oh! I'm surprised you were able to make good espresso from preground coffee, double-so with a Rancilio Silvia. Sorry, I have no suggestions, other than to get a good grinder and fresh coffee.

That does help. Thanks for the quick response. Other than the freshness factor and the very rare chance that pre-ground coffee is going to be a good match to particular machine, there is one more reason that you simply cannot rely on it forever, and that is that the grind is eventually going to change. Whether Lavazza adjusted their grinder, changed the burrs in that grinder, used an alternate grinder, or purchased a new grinder, the chance of you getting an identical grind once one of those things happen is even less likely than your luck in finding a pre-ground coffee that actually went well with your Silvia.

With that in mind, it would be more logical for you to address the issue of the grind before faulting any part of your equipment. You wouldn't find many people on this board that would recommend that you try a different pre-ground coffee. If you aren't looking to buy a grinder right now, maybe, just maybe, you might find a local coffee shop that will sell you coffee ground on their espresso grinder at 3 to 6 different settings. You will get a lot more "No, I'm Sorry" answers, but the worst they can say is no.

In the end, you should consider your buying your own grinder. You sound like you know enough about your current equipment that you will immediately appreciate this kind of investment when coupled with freshly roasted beans.

Yes, exactly what jlhsupport said. I add in my comment not b/c he didn't say it well, because he said it very well. I add in my comment because what he said can not be emphasized enough. Maybe another post will help convince you... trust me, your taste buds deserve it. You will be floored by the change. Picture a glass of terrible wine, like 40 cents a bottle made out of terrible grapes, compared to a nice $14 bottle of your favorite verital... that is the sort of change you will get.