Start up accessories help.

[paisley]

Hi Everyone:

My Silvia and Rocky didn't make it in by Friday but it is supposed to be here by Monday. I need some information regarding accessories. Finances are going to play a bit of a factor here because I blew my budget on the machines. I know this annoys some but it is the best I can do for now.

Here is what I have so far along with what I ordered earlier today. I spent the better part of the last week trying to recover from a virus going around only to have my youngest daughter come down with it Thursday. If I happen to ramble, just know it is from exhaustion.

I have two of the shot glasses with measured lines. The lines rise above the glass so I can actually use them despite the inability to physically see them. I have a 12-ounce stainless straight side frothing pitcher. It is one I use with the Mr. Coffee espresso machine. I have various sealable jars and canisters. I have always kept coffee sealed in something to reduce the amount of time spent in air. I know, oxygen kills coffee or at least severely mutilates it.

Today I ordered one of those RSVP 58mm tamper. It is a cheap tamper but it has to be better than the plastic one that comes with the machine. I believe the RSVP tamps come with a flat bottom versus convex ones. I want an Espro but cannot afford one now. Actually, I am not sure if I will ever be able to afford one. I live on an extreme budget. Disability along with a bit of writing royalties barely pays the bills.

I did order one of the Solis Knock Boxes. It seems a bit small but considering I will only make one to two cups a day unless hubby takes a turn to liking them, I believe this will be sufficient. It is small enough not to take over my counter too. I hate knocking pucks into the trash or a bowl in the sink. I hate knocking the Mr. Coffee filter to begin with because the basket doesn't clip inside.

I ordered the Urnex Cleancaf as it seems to be the recommendation for the Silvia. Will it be best to get the backfill filter from Chris' since that is where I bought the machines? I want to ensure I have the right size and somebody to call if I have problems. I am literally going to be making espresso shots with froth blind. I have some light perception but not enough to be useable to much degree.

Would it be best to order a 20-ounce frothing pitcher? I have the 12-ounce and it works great with the Mr. Coffee. I have finally found that sweet spot although it is difficult to maintain due to the lack of time of pressured steam but I can double or triple the froth in that cup with ease. I figure it may work well for the Silvia since I already worked out the frothing especially after talking to Mary at Chris' Coffee. I am finally stretching the milk much better these last few days.

I really don't have the funds to purchase the Grindz and other things now. I wish I could find them locally but I can't. I placed an order for coffee beans from Counter Culture so those should arrive next week. I have some other beans I can use too in the meantime. I have beans for tossing out just to find the grind and learn to pull shots and then I have the others for drinking.

Any ideas will be great. Any ideas of where to find accessories at the least amount of money will be even better. I am the only one in the house that drinks specialty drinks. I hope to have enough left over to purchase a French Press for my husband. I think he will begin drinking coffee at home if I can grind good beans and use a decent maker. I have an old Bunn coffee maker, drip machine, that I use now but he hasn't drank coffee at home in a year or more. I use BrewRite for the Mr. Coffee and Bunn machines. It says it is safe to use with espresso machines but I am too leary of using it in the Silvia. I'll opt for the Cleancaf although I preferred the thoughts of the Cafiza. Let me know if that is safe or if the Glo Joe/Joe Glo is best.

Warmest regards,

Paisley

[HB]

A few comments:

• A twelve-ounce pitcher is fine for Silvia, though you will need to take care to avoid splashing milk.
• One container of Cafiza / JoeGlo will last many years. It serves to clean the grouphead and exit pathway through the solenoid (CleanCaf is primarily for descaling the boiler). See Randy's How To instructions on backflushing.
• Instead of CleanCaf, you can save by using citric acid, available at your local brewer supply store (1.5 to 2 tablespoons per liter/quart of water). One pound will last a lifetime. Unless your water is very hard, you can skip the water softener and simply descale monthly.
• The Coffee Tool by Pallo is a great group brush.
• I marked a demitasse instead of buying shotglasses.
• A thermometer with clip for frothing is nice to have.

With that, your essentials list looks complete.

[paisley]

Thanks for the heads up. I hoped I had bought nearly everything. DH will have to get some spare $$ before I can order the Cafiza/JoeGlo, grouphead brush, and Grindz.

The only talking thermometer I can find is out of my price range. It is difficult to find one for the blind that increases with speech as the temperature increases. There is a chance my mobility/blind counselor can find one for me. I haven't had time to ask her yet. Blindness is a #$%#@#$%. And, it is extremely expensive because most regular items are useless since they are usually visual in nature.

The lady at Chris' told me how to judge the temperature when frothing by using my inherent sense of touch. She said with practice, I will be able to judge frothing by sound and heat output. It is working fairly well with the little crap machine I am using now. Somehow, I have a hard time imagining what it will be like when I finally get the hang of the Silvia. I cannot wait. Tomorrow cannot get here soon enough. If I find I have problems with this technique, I may have to search again for a lower-cost talking thermometer or have my girls help me by reading a thermometer for me until I can do it alone.

Until then, I am trying my best to memorize the article "Cheating Miss Silvia" so I can use that to determine how to pull my first shot. BTW, I have a talking timer. It counts up and down so I can pay attention to what is in my hands. I only hope I will be able to physically see that first bit of coffee streaming out of the machine. I have set aside the most well-lighted area of my kitchen for the espresso and grinder. It is a matter of whether I will have a good eye day or a bad eye day. There are more bad eye days than good ones unfortunately.

Do you know if there are others at home-barista that deal with blindness as a factor? I have only found one other person with a vision impairment that does. We have done nothing but talk coffee since learning of the other's coffee adoration. It is nice to know you are not alone in your quest, if you know what I mean.

I cannot thank you or the others enough for all the help. If I make it through the first week intact, I will try to post a note about my progress.

Warmest regards,

Paisley

[paisley]

BTW, I forgot to add that I bought the 20-ounce pitcher because I was afraid with the new machine and new steaming power, it may prevent some burns from popping or bubbling out of the milk. I think the 20 ounce is a safer bet until I can get the jist of the new steam pressure and find that sweet spot. It probably won't get here until later in the week. I have a huge well-rooted aloe plant in my kitchen so I should do okay if I happen to splatter myself a little.

Thanks again.

Paisley

[CreminaHead]

By now you're probably feeling more comfortable with steaming milk (I hope so). The outstanding Baristas at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. quickly taught me that YOU DON'T NEED A THERMOMETER! In fact, they recommend against it because most thermometers are too slow to record the proper temp of your milk. By the time the thermometer reads, or says, 150 degrees, your milk is cooked. What you need is what you already have-- the sense of heat response in your hands.

Without sight, your trick will be to get the tip of the frother at the right height in the milk. You may have to do it by first resting the tip at the bottom of the pitcher, and lowering the pitcher until you get the right sound from the tip. I expect you've already found a way.

The way to tell when the temp is right is to turn on the steam and immediately move that hand to the bottom of the pitcher. The instant it's too hot to comfortably keep your hand there, turn off the steam. Let the milk rest for a few moments (I set it smartly on the counter while I clean the frother tip with a heavy sponge). Now bang the pitcher's bottom on the counter a couple of times. This will break any large bubbles that were created, leaving just the tiny microbubbles you want. Bang too hard and the milk will splash, so there's a judgment to make there. Now rest another moment, and pour.

I make one or two cappuccini at a time, using as little milk as possible (but enough to keep from over-cooking it)and refreshing the pot for each cup. I find that a 12 oz. pitcher works best, because its smaller diameter gives greater depth of liquid, which allows me more control of the temperature. I toss any remaining milk, since I find it doesn't froth as well after it's been heated and cooled. On a budget, you want to minimize waste.

My compliments for taking this on. I hope you're having as much fun as I have doing it.

[bobcraige]

Paisley

Have I got a suggestion for you. Williams-Sonoma had a Thermometric Frothing Pitcher that beeps when it gets to a settable temperature. It also has a built in digital display. While they were orignally sold for $39.00, William Sonoma closed them out about six months ago. They were in the WS stores at $18.99 last time I saw them and many were on Ebay at about that price or less. If you call a William Sonoma store and explain your need, I am sure they would be willing to search their system for one for you. The bar code number on them was 7091812. There was also a 112 to the lower left of the bar code and a 2387 to the lower right. They also have outlet stores around the country, and pehaps they still have them. You could also watch Ebay as I am confident they will show up there occasionally as well. I just checked Ebay and did not see any, but I suspect they will show up now and again. I hope this helps.