I just purchased a used Silvia and am without a doubt a total novice. After getting it I immediately starting brewing....I think this was a mistake as I my results have been totally inconsistent and mostly disappointing. I pulled a shot this morning that looked like it came out of a Moka pot! Anyway, I want to take a step back and start from scratch with her; what should I do first? I am half tempted to just find a local servicer to give her a tune up but that sounds expensive. Given that there are no gauges on the Silvia I have no idea if she is even operating to spec(pretty sure it is an older model). Should I, as a matter of course replace the GH gasket, steam wand, etc? I know there are cleaners/decalcifiers but whats the best? How often? I am on the verge of panic...any advise would be helpful.

Thanks so much!

Well, as I am always so fond of saying, grinders make espresso, espresso machines just get the water hot and push it through the puck.
What kind of grinder do you use?
How long has it been since you beans have seen the roaster?
Where is the water your using coming from, and how good is it?
You should really go and visit some of the 'FAQ'a and Favorites', and perhaps the 'Machines' section in that forum. There are a ton of noob questions answered in the 'Frequently Asked Questions and Favorites' heading, and thirty six threads about Silvia and Rocky under the 'Machines' heading.

As I am a rookie, gulp, I really have no grinder. I have been shopping and am leaning toward the Rocky but pretty expensive. Although I got the Silvia for $30 hopefully the wife wont mind too much! I DO have a blade grinder that I have found to be basically useless. Thanks...I will check out the other threads.

Boxspring Hog wrote:As I am a rookie, gulp, I really have no grinder. I have been shopping and am leaning toward the Rocky but pretty expensive. Although I got the Silvia for $30 hopefully the wife wont mind too much! I DO have a blade grinder that I have found to be basically useless. Thanks...I will check out the other threads.

Wow. $30 for a Silvia. You sure it works?

If you are in that kind of price range, I suggest you look at E-bay for a used hand grinder. A used Zassenhaus or PeDe should be about $50. (That's what I paid for my PeDe).

As I am a rookie, gulp, I really have no grinder. I have been shopping and am leaning toward the Rocky but pretty expensive. Although I got the Silvia for $30 hopefully the wife wont mind too much! I DO have a blade grinder that I have found to be basically useless. Thanks...I will check out the other threads.

I paid $350 for mine and felt I got an excellent deal, but $30! If it works, you did phenomenal.

I am half tempted to just find a local servicer to give her a tune up but that sounds expensive.

Until you get a grinder and can really test the machine, I think it is pointless to take to take the machine to a repair shop. Save that money for a grinder. I started out with the Le'lit PL53, and found it to be more than capable. It is cheaper than the Rocky and often gets better reviews. It's definitely worth checking out.

After you get a grinder and start producing some decent shots, look into getting a PID. PIDing the machine will greatly improve your shots, plus it saves a lot of time from not having temperature surfing.