Definitely stick with it. It can definitely be annoyingly frustrating in the beginning but most if it is just building familiarity with the workflow.

Definitely do some WDT, it can work wonders. One thing tho, the Mignon series isnt the best grinder to jump from one brew to another.

slipchuck wrote:Two things come to mind. Is the coffee from a local roaster 3-10 days post roast and not from a grocery store?
Also if you have too much coffee in your portafilter it might cause inconsistency

Randy

+1 Coffee source was my first thought too. It's just too big of a component not to include in your most important things list.

I hope you stick with it and find enjoyment! Cheers!

[quote="Don Task"]I feel your pain! I've been there. The Good News... it gets easier! No lie it really does. However... getting there can have you pulling your hair out. The problem is there are about a bazillion variables... e.g., the coffee, the coffees origin, your grinder, the grind itself, the humidity, your tamper (or not), your water, the ph level , the water hardness, the machine, etc, etc,. etc.

Many years ago I remember wanting to start making my own espresso at home any stop giving my money to Starbucks. So I got a $79 Krups Espresso Machine. After a month of fighting with it I took it back (decided it wasn't a real espresso machine. Upgraded to a $199 Krups Espresso machine...Oh Boy. Nope...same results, bad espresso. Took it back. Went on line and discovered an early google coffee (alt.coffee) forum where people were raving about an home espresso machine called the Rancilio Silvia (non-PID at the time) I decided I had to have it... but couldn't believe I was spending $350 on a coffee machine. (like I said it was a long time ago.)

Imagine my surprise when after buying the Silvia and going thru too many pounds of coffee most of my shots were still garbage. I was advised I needed a better grinder... so I spent $375 on a Mazzer Mini The wife was getting ready to leave me. However... after reading forums and getting tips and tricks from other members, and more practice ... one day it just clicked... I was able to pull shots like a pro. Even entertained some house guest and wondered to myself why I ever thought it was so hard.

You mentioned you had the PID model... so... to make you feel bad (not really)... there's a girl on YouTube whos been working as a barista for the last three years while paying her way through college. And... just last week she also got the new PID model Silvia! Check her out >here< showing off her Barista skills on the Silvia. She makes it look easy... but then again shes not new to espresso. Just wanted you to see how how great the Silvia can be with a little patience and practice.

Reading your frustration I couldn't help but remember back when I was struggling and a T-Shirt I purchased from another forum member (Randy G.) he also owned a Silvia at the time. (He's also a member of this forum!) Anyway... check out the photo, read the fine print, have a chuckle, take a breath... you'll get there.

BTW... I heard Randy "might be" working on a a new version of this shirt with a updated design, something about incorporating some of the newer tricks and technologies that have evolved over the last 18 years or so (levelers, profiling, WDT, zero retention grinders, digital scales, inertia tampers etc)