Well,

I am a new member here and I have been perusing the perfect shot of espresso with my rancilio silvia for the last two months. I recently got a watlow pid kit from mlg that has made brewing much easier, but I am still having tons of problems getting proper extraction. I have tried many different grinds, tamps, distribution techniques(using a doserless mazzer mini E), underdosing, overdosing and it seems that I can either get a slow pouring overextracted shot or a fast and early blonding shot. I am using fresh black cat espresso that I have let degass and I feel like I am about to go crazy. I cant get the dark, hazelnut pours that you see in the videos and when I get close my extraction times are so slow that the coffee gets overextracted. From what i have read on this forum this appears to be a high brew pressure problem with my silvia. Does this sound accurate? I have a portafilter with a gauge on its way now, but I still fear that this won't correct the problem. What I am thinking is that currently in order to get a proper extraction color I have to grind extremely fine to the point that not enough coffee comes through, but when I coarsen the grind for proper extraction time the pressure causes channeling and early blonding. Has anyone had this problem before? I am just trying to make an educated guess at my problem. I have even tried grinding coarser and using the WDT but the problem still occurs. Why would rancilio set a higher pressure that needed from the factory? I have one made in 2008 but this seems to be the problem. I would GREATLY appreciate any insight and words of wisdom, I am frustrated! Thanks

by the way, I have also experimented with triple baskets and had the same problem

Many espresso machines come with their pressure set too high from the factory. Reducing your pressure may help with your problems. Is your machine one of the newer ones with an adjustable OPV? If so, try to set it around 9 bar and see if that helps.

You might also want to try checking your dose. Silvia has a reputation for punishing people who use too much coffee in her baskets. If you dose too high, you can get channeling from the coffee puck hitting the screw in the middle of the dispersion screen. So you may want to check if the puck is hitting the dispersion screen when you lock in. If it is, try reducing your dose until it stops hitting the screen.

You can also try a different brand of double basket, such as the Synesso ridgeless double. Some people feel that the stock Silvia double is hard to use and that an aftermarket basket works better.

Is it possible to dose the proper amount by having a level filled basket prior to tamping? that's what I have been doing. I have noticed a slight imprint of the screw in the puck when I am done.

So you have not addressed what are you using for coffee? What are you using... How old is it? Where are you purchasing it? That could be your entire problem at this point.
I am a home roaster and have gotten such great shots from a "Watlow'ed" Rancilio I could not believe it. Coffee quality and freshness is key! Rancilio is a great machine. You have a great grinder. The other things are tamp and coffee type, freshness and 'Finesse'...
I no longer own a Rancilio but I had done the triple basket thing and it was quite a kick... but don't go to the triple just to get a good shot or crema... that is not the answer.

Two months is not all that long, depending on how much previous experience you have making espresso. You have a nice set-up there, and patience will do you a lot of good. You may have a pressure problem, and you also need to quantify the brew temperature as well, PID or no. Please feel free to go to my website at http://www.EspressoMyEspresso.com and look in the right-hand column. Find the "How To" section and click on #12. That article should help you along the way and answer some of your questions.. I hope.

Hello,

I myself struggled to "tune" my Silvia properly. I ran into several non-related problems with mine, but even then it still took me a couple of months to get any sort of consistency. I would be interested in getting some more info on your settings, and technique. What temperature are you setting you PID at? How much pressure are you using when you tamp? I myself have a rocky, but find that i have to tamp rather hard to get consistent results. I cannot really speak to the grinder settings on a Mazzer mini, but for my rocky i believe that i am somewhere around 5-6 clicks above the 0 point, and find that if i grind any finer i choke the machine up, or i over-extract my doubles with only 1oz in 30 seconds.

If you do not already have, i would recommend a bottomless portafilter. This can really help pin point flaws in your technique.

I notice that i only have that hazelnut color you refer to for the first 5-10seconds or so. After i hit the brew switch there is about a 5second period of nothing, and the extraction starts. After another 5 seconds or so it is a pretty even tiger strip, but has lost that dark color.

The first few seconds of a pour look about like this (Not my picture)


This looks more like what i get from about 9-25ish seconds into my shots (This is not my picture either)


I feel that the term blonding is subject to opinion. I perceive blonding as not only a change in the extraction color, but also a change in the flow of the extraction. It flows thinner, faster, and almost watery. I can even see almost the entire bottom of the portafilter when this happens.

My limited experience, but maybe it will be some help.

-Donovan

Donovan,

I also am using black cat and I am tamping on the harder side (greater than 30 lbs) for consistency. At best my shots go 18-20 seconds before blonding and if I make the grind any finer the shots get overextracted. I currently have my pid set at 223-224 (approximately 199-200 brew temp from what mlg told me) and it seems to be right, I just wish that I could get longer shots that aren't overextracted and produce 2 oz of coffee, I have been getting only 1-1/2 oz before serious blonding.

Its the OPV. I was in your position a while ago. There are instructions on how to adjust the OPV in the manual. I would back it out two full turns and see what you get.

Here is a post from a while ago on how I dialed my Silvia in.

Need help w/ new rocky & silvia

Good luck,
G

How much of a headache is adjusting the pressure valve? Is the nut hard to turn?