Too much water poorly distributed. The machine is around 7 years old, always had the same problem, doesn't matter the portafilter that I use or coffee grinder, etc.
Couple a days ago I had a conversation with a bartender, he told me that the water have to get out from the shower screen (brewhead) as a centered and consistent stream of water, instead what I got is a watering can or sprinkler.
I think this is why I still without enjoying the coffee.

Any help will be very appreciated.

thanks
David

Tell your bartender to stick to what he does as he doesn't seem to know much about espresso machines based on that statement. The water is introduced to the group through 1 hole (on all machines I've used anyway), but any decent machine will have a dispersion disc (block) that distributes this flow through many holes evenly so it does have a shower effect on the puck. One steady stream (say in the middle) is a poor distribution process and can fracture the puck, lead to channeling and/or cause uneven extractions due to improper saturation.

Maybe you should look more in depth at your grind quality, dose, distribution of grounds, etc. to troubleshoot.

I agree with B.B. The bartender doesn't know. There is no way to judge the water distribution problem without a portafilter in place unless you are getting a stream that looks like it is coming from s Super Soaker. Silvia's general problem is similar to most similar machines in that there is no restriction on the initial water delivery force. It just shows up in a hurry. Silvia is also sensitive to dose amount because of the shallow portafilter basket and the large(ish) center bolt on the shower screen.

Read this article I wrote: http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/HowToEspresso.html
"EASY GUIDE TO BETTER ESPRESSO AT HOME"

Your problem is probably not related to water delivery but to dose, distribution, grind, and tamp, and maybe bean roast, blend, and freshness as well. They all work together in a synergistic relationship to produce good espresso. Miss one and you can easily achieve "Tincture of Coffee"©.

BeastinBarista wrote:...any decent machine will have a dispersion disc (block) that distributes this flow through many holes evenly so it does have a shower effect on the puck.

True, but some diffuse the water more evenly than others (e.g., Elektra, most lever espresso machines, and E61's, to name only three).

The Rancilio Silvia is branded as "fussy"; my bet is that the unevenness of the diffusion, unrestricted brew pressure ramp up, and poor temperature control are the primary causes. It's a mystery to me why Rancilio addressed minor issues like driptray design and steam knob emblems while ignoring these far more consequential shortcomings where it matters - the cup.

Returning to the OP...

brauner786 wrote:Any help will be very appreciated.

I strongly recommend you read the Home Barista's Guide to Espresso, familiarize yourself with the site's FAQs and Favorites, especially the bounty of Silvia/Rocky threads linked from here. There are literally thousands of pages dedicated to working around the shortcomings of this popular espresso machine; searching on "Silvia" only by title will help you find them. See forum search tips for other suggestions. While it may be tedious to search for yourself, I assure you that every possible usage nuance regarding the Rancilio Rocky/Silvia combo has been discussed, rehashed, and documented dozens of times.

Thank you very much for all your comments.
I will go through everything, again. We'll see if I can find the problem.

David

hello

I've been doing some temperature testing this morning, also following the steam step procedure, and the maximum temperature that I got was 80 degree C "after 3 hours". this must be the main problem.
Any ideas, apart from send it to the services.?

thanks
David

The Silvia has very poor water dispersion; the main consequence is that it is very difficult to make unchanneled, properly flowing, shots when the top of the puck gets close to the showerscreen.

The problem goes away if you use a basket and dose that leaves a good size gap above the puck and below the shower screen. In that space, the water will pool evenly over the puck at the start of the shot, and then percolate evenly. This means that the stock Silvia basket, which is very shallow, should be replaced with a deeper one unless you plan to stick with low, Italian style 12 to 14 gram doses.

brauner786 wrote: and the maximum temperature that I got was 80 degree C "after 3 hours". this must be the main problem.
Any ideas, apart from send it to the services.?

Tell us a little more about how you are measuring this? Depending on your measurement method and instrument, there could be a very large temperature drop between where the water is discharged from the group and your measurement point.

If it turns out that the water temperature is indeed low, then replacement of the brew thermostat makes sense. This is an inexpensive and simple repair.

Jim

I am used a standard thermometer. The method to get the temperature was pouring the water(without portafilter) into a glass and quickly inserted the thermometer, always keep the the glass at high temperature, taking 2 or three reading in 5 minutes. I did this during a period of 3 hours more or less. Around 20 or 30 times.The temp was always between 73- 80 C. Even with steam trick, did not increase the temperature.

The method produces meaningless results. You will always get roughly 80C water no matter what's happening at the group. If you don't have a thin thermocouple, you are better off making properly flowing shot from fresh coffee and checking the color of the crema. If it is dark brown or black, the shot is too hot, if it is white or pale tan, the shot is too cold, if it is the color of a walnut shell, of ground nutmeg or cinnamon, any such color, you are in the ballpark.