Greetings everyone.

I have been reading on this great forum for a while now and I finally decided to join the community. I am looking forward for any and all additional knowledge. I have a Silvia M and Vairo grinder combination. My question is once a grinder is dialed in, will different types of beans need different grind settings? From what I been reading the older a coffee gets it might need a different setting. I spent some time dialing in the Vario but when I used a different of coffee my espresso shot came out way too fast. Telling me that I had to coarse of a grind. I have the Vario set up to grind 14.7 grams, this seems like the max the Silvia M can handle. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

Different coffees have different hardness, different amount of fines, and different amounts of oil, all of which affect the grind setting. So yes, you'll need to dial in again, though with practice, you can make an educated guess and have it correct within 2-3 shots. By the way, if you haven't done so already, check out the video series Newbie Introduction to Espresso and Jim's The Home Barista's Guide to Espresso. They answer many questions you're likely to have in the first year of making espresso at home.

Yes, for best results, you would need to dial in grind/dose for each different type of beans.

I keep notes and write them on a new bag.

Usually, for well-known roasters, they are consistent from batch to batch and you won't need to change much between bags of the same type of beans.

Razals wrote:I have the Vario set up to grind 14.7 grams, this seems like the max the Silvia M can handle.

Easily remedied with a new basket such as this: https://www.espressoparts.com/parts/com ... ter-basket
Don't take the 14g in the description literally, it can easily handle up to 18 grams. At $6.95 with free shipping, you can't go wrong!
After fresh roasted beans from roasters mentioned on this site, one of the best (and cheapest) investments you will make.

+1, when I had a silvia, that basket changed my entire outlook on preparing home espresso. I was ready to give up, then I realized I was overcomplicating things for myself. I now use VST baskets, but the HQs are a bargain.

Thank you everyone so much. Now I'm wishing I didn't wait so long to ask these questions. Gonna make the order ASAP.