Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

It doesn’t take long!

Damn fine set up there Max

Gld to hear you're pulling great shots from it!!!! Enjoy my friend!

I'm usually not a big fan of decaf but I stumbled on this green bean which I roasted between a French and Italian. Turns out one can enjoy a tasty shot of decaf at night. Very nice. well balanced and because of the darker roast a nice bold finish. They also recommend a light roast if one desires to sweeten the cup.

I bought several different green beans from the same vendor to try out and they are de-gassing for a few days as we speak as I roasted several batches.

My wife and I are having a coffee dilemma. We have a Rancilio Rocky and Sylvia. The Sylvia cratered and we needed a new boiler, element and other fixes, which cost us ~400. The boiler isn't filling again (seeing water go back to the reservoir instead of the boiler). We're thinking we don't want to put more money into the Sylvia.

We're thinking of a new machine or bailing altogether on espresso. We just do shots, no steamed beverages. If we do a new machine, in sameish price range of the Sylvia (no pods, so Nespresso is out)...what would you do?

Should we just bail out and go french press or other method?

Originally Posted by BrianP

Should we just bail out and go french press or other method?

It really depends your preferred coffee taste and budget. From all the different pours I own (Cona, Drip, French press, V60, Kalita....) I like espresso the best. I have been drinking and pulling espresso my whole life and no matter what I always go back at pulling shots.

For a little bit more than the Sylvia I would really recommend the ECM Casa V. There's several youtube videos that actually compare the two. ECM machines are built with quality and the inside is laid out in such an organized way that anyone can easily access and repair if or when needed.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

It really depends your preferred coffee taste and budget. From all the different pours I own (Cona, Drip, French press, V60, Kalita....) I like espresso the best. I have been drinking and pulling espresso my whole life and no matter what I always go back at pulling shots.

For a little bit more than the Sylvia I would really recommend the ECM Casa V. There's several youtube videos that actually compare the two. ECM machines are built with quality and the inside is laid out in such an organized way that anyone can easily access and repair if or when needed.

Thanks for that, it's an impressive looking machine with some nice quality of life improvements over the Sylvia. I'm missing good shots and I think my wife is too. This demands further investigation

Regardless what machine you end up buying, regular maintenance is key from regular back-flushing, de-scaling and using proper water as the number one enemy is scale buildup. I personally make my own water mix but that's for another topic. Good luck with whatever you decide on. Keep us updated!

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Regardless what machine you end up buying, regular maintenance is key from regular back-flushing, de-scaling and using proper water as the number one enemy is scale buildup. I personally make my own water mix but that's for another topic. Good luck with whatever you decide on. Keep us updated!

The original issue with the Sylvia was not resolving the tank fill issue soon enough. Where we bought the machine didn't recommend backflushing as part of maintenance. We did it for a bit, but lost the blind filter. When I talked to them about another one, they said they don't recommend it with the Sylvia. Can't remember the rationale. Scaling is a non-issue, we're on some spectacular well water...nicely soft (great for soaps ).

Originally Posted by BrianP

Where we bought the machine didn't recommend backflushing as part of maintenance. We did it for a bit, but lost the blind filter. When I talked to them about another one, they said they don't recommend it with the Sylvia. Can't remember the rationale. Scaling is a non-issue, we're on some spectacular well water...nicely soft (great for soaps ).

That's very interesting. You are correct. I did some searching and officially back-flushing the Silvia is NOT recommended by the company. However most if not all espresso users do back-flush their Sylvia as it's a three-way valve espresso machine. All the big espresso vendors recommend to do so. it seems that Rancilio maintains the pipes can't handle the pressure of a back-flush and the owner risks voiding the warranty if they damage their machine. So they make this recommendation purely to reduce warranty claims.

Great about the water. Las Vegas has one of the worst and hardest water in the country so between my water softener and reverse osmosis I'm still obliged to make my own coffee water

Gee Max, our water here is over 12 grains of hardness but with a softener and RO the water is great. You better check your equipment.