Calling All Silvia/Gaggia MDF Users!

Broadsider

Folks , hoping for some help here.
I have the grinder for some time, but am new to Siliva use, although I did a lot of internet and YouTube watching so I think I'm doing the right moves to get the best coffee (temp surfing etc).
The problem is , I've tried a few run of the mil beans (Tesco finest/lavazza rossa) out, and they all come up as way too weak.
I've the grind down to as low as '5' , still not as strong as my usual favourite coffee shop.

Can you silvia/MDF users recommend particular coffee beans , and grind number please?

My wife has recently muttered something about buying a nespresso .. HELP!!!!

adrian522

I'm not sure about your grinder settings as I have a different grinder but try this:

Measure out 18g of beans.

Put the beans in the hopper of your grinder

Temp. surf on the silvia so the light comes on.

Grind your beans into the protafiler.

Tamp the coffee ( Do you have a proper tamper?)

Place the scales under the portafiler, set to zero and start the extraction.

Start your timer.

When the scales reaches around 24 or 25g flick off the button(you are aiming for a final weight of 28g)

Check your timer as you do this. You are aiming for about 25-28 seconds extraction.

If you are getting 28g in less than 25 seconds, you need a finer grind

If you are getting 28g in more than 30 seconds, you need a coarser grind,

You obviously need a scales, timer and tamper. You also need to do this every time you pull a shot as you will need to adjust the grind over time, even with the same beans.

Broadsider

Thanks for that very detailed reply ..
I have a good tamper but no suitable scales.
I'll have to look into getting same , or is this really necessary?
How are (some!) coffee shops pulling such good shots without timers/scales?

JPA

Broadsider wrote: »

Thanks for that very detailed reply ..
I have a good tamper but no suitable scales.
I'll have to look into getting same , or is this really necessary?
How are (some!) coffee shops pulling such good shots without timers/scales?

Because they are doing it hundreds of times a day!

PPC

They pre measure out the coffee before hand or have their grinders set to grind a set weight.
They also adjust their grinders every day to make the shots run to the correct time, so every shot after that is the same.

Broadsider

Good points!

Maybe I need this scales after all!

Broadsider

Reading thru the post again Adrian, can you explain why I'll need to change the grind over time even with the same bean?

adrian522

Ah yeah, they are needed. You can get them on Ebay and whatever very cheap. You can buy them in a lot of the usual coffee places in Dublin too but a bit more expensive.

Best of luck, it will make a huge difference to your espresso's.

Broadsider

Thanks very much Adrian , working on both scales and timer.
Much appreciated , B

Broadsider

The system works!
Thanks a mil A!

Broadsider

Sorry I should have asked..
This is for a double shot, right?
And do you normally use a double for your coffee drinks?
Also (sorry for all the qns!)
Tap or bottled water???
Thanks!!!

adrian522

Yeah, it's for a double espresso or an espresso as I call it.

I usually make a double for all my drinks. I use tap water but put it through a britta filter.

You'll also need to have a cleaning routine to put detergent through your machine and descale every few months.