Is the Rancilio Silvia a good coffee machine?
When an email exchange ends with "James, I am blown away by your response mate", its something I have to share.
I often receive emails from customers asking for advice on how to perfect their coffee making skills, or how to select a coffee bean that will suit their flavour preference. With the right advice, some practice and some basic coffee hardware, anyone can be making cafe quality coffee at home.
Here is an email exchange with a customer who is new to coffee and looking to make the right coffee bean choice.
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On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 7:25 am, Chris wrote:
Hi James, after trawling the InterGoogle for a long long time I came across you and Bay Beans. Word of mouth is very persuasive for me and the recommendations have swing it for me before I even taste my first order with you 🤣
So... I'm a new home brewer and would appreciate some advice if that's ok. I'm using a grinder and espresso machine, and I love flat whites made with strong dark sweet coffee (not sugared sweet, just, well you know what I mean) and wondered which bag would be a good initial option for me to go with, get the grind settings right and enjoy the same yummy coffee that it seems you are rather well known for..?
Any suggestions would be very welcomed,
Many thanks,
Chris
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On Wed., 22 Apr. 2020, 7:35 am James Axisa (Bay Beans) wrote:
Hi Chris
Thanks for your email!
I wonder, what model coffee machine and grinder do you use?
James Axisa - 0428 555 535.
Chief Espresso Officer - baybeans.com.au
------------------------------------
On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 7:44 am, Chris wrote:
Wow that was quick!! Thanks for getting back to me so fast..
Ok so the grinder is a Mazzer Mini and the machine is a Rancilio Silvia V3.
Hope that helps..?
Thanks heaps,
Chris
------------------------------------
On Wed., 22 Apr. 2020, 8:11 am James Axisa (Bay Beans) wrote:
Oh, you sure have made great choices!
The Mazzer Mini will serve you well for many, many years and will support any espresso machine you ‘upgrade’ to in the future.
When I say ‘upgrade’, it’s difficult to find a worthy upgrade of the Silvia. It’s a machine that is most capable of making cafe quality coffee, much better than anything even twice the price.
A lot of my educational videos and blogs were made using my Silvia and Mazzer grinder, the grinder I still own ten years later. Yes, I have a romance of Miss Silvia that will never be replaced :)
My favorite coffee at the moment is Super Crema - it would make coffee on your Silvia to die for. It really does have an abundance of Crema, but doesn’t answer your need for natura sweetness. For that, I recommend Espresso Master. It’s picked up a number or fine food awards for both Flat White and Cappuccino. If you find yourself wanted more punch from this coffee, experiment with grinding a little finer, dosing the same amount, but tamping a little softer.
On the topic of Grinding, aim for a grind that has consistency crushed bath-bombs or table salt. You’ll end up with an extraction of 60mls of coffee from a double shot basket, using around 16-18 grams of ground coffee, and around 25-30 seconds.
A really good tip, since you enjoy a naturally sweet coffee and paired with Espresso Master, is to modify your extraction. Continue to do everything exactly the same, but end your extraction at 15-20 seconds. You’ll be left with 30-40mls of coffee, so less yield, but the resulting coffee will be much sweeter. If you want even more strength, you can repeat the process for another shot - that could be the best of both worlds!
The last piece of the puzzle is perfecting the art of milk texturing. That’s seperate to latte art which is what makes the coffee look professional, it focuses on making the milk texture fee thick without being bubbly (or watery). We can work on this part later when your ready.
I hope this helps.
James Axisa - 0428 555 535.
Chief Espresso Officer - baybeans.com.au
------------------------------------
On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 8:29 am, Chris wrote:
James, I am blown away by your response mate. And I feel I must be in good company at least with the kit I'm using! 🤣
Thank you so much, I've ordered my first bag and will follow your instructions there - you've covered pretty much every eventuality for modifying the taste, honestly I can't thank you enough.
Look forward to chatting further,
Chris
I often receive emails from customers asking for advice on how to perfect their coffee making skills, or how to select a coffee bean that will suit their flavour preference. With the right advice, some practice and some basic coffee hardware, anyone can be making cafe quality coffee at home.
Here is an email exchange with a customer who is new to coffee and looking to make the right coffee bean choice.
----------------------------------
On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 7:25 am, Chris wrote:
Hi James, after trawling the InterGoogle for a long long time I came across you and Bay Beans. Word of mouth is very persuasive for me and the recommendations have swing it for me before I even taste my first order with you 🤣
So... I'm a new home brewer and would appreciate some advice if that's ok. I'm using a grinder and espresso machine, and I love flat whites made with strong dark sweet coffee (not sugared sweet, just, well you know what I mean) and wondered which bag would be a good initial option for me to go with, get the grind settings right and enjoy the same yummy coffee that it seems you are rather well known for..?
Any suggestions would be very welcomed,
Many thanks,
Chris
------------------------------------
On Wed., 22 Apr. 2020, 7:35 am James Axisa (Bay Beans) wrote:
Hi Chris
Thanks for your email!
I wonder, what model coffee machine and grinder do you use?
James Axisa - 0428 555 535.
Chief Espresso Officer - baybeans.com.au
------------------------------------
On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 7:44 am, Chris wrote:
Wow that was quick!! Thanks for getting back to me so fast..
Ok so the grinder is a Mazzer Mini and the machine is a Rancilio Silvia V3.
Hope that helps..?
Thanks heaps,
Chris
------------------------------------
On Wed., 22 Apr. 2020, 8:11 am James Axisa (Bay Beans) wrote:
Oh, you sure have made great choices!
The Mazzer Mini will serve you well for many, many years and will support any espresso machine you ‘upgrade’ to in the future.
When I say ‘upgrade’, it’s difficult to find a worthy upgrade of the Silvia. It’s a machine that is most capable of making cafe quality coffee, much better than anything even twice the price.
A lot of my educational videos and blogs were made using my Silvia and Mazzer grinder, the grinder I still own ten years later. Yes, I have a romance of Miss Silvia that will never be replaced :)
My favorite coffee at the moment is Super Crema - it would make coffee on your Silvia to die for. It really does have an abundance of Crema, but doesn’t answer your need for natura sweetness. For that, I recommend Espresso Master. It’s picked up a number or fine food awards for both Flat White and Cappuccino. If you find yourself wanted more punch from this coffee, experiment with grinding a little finer, dosing the same amount, but tamping a little softer.
On the topic of Grinding, aim for a grind that has consistency crushed bath-bombs or table salt. You’ll end up with an extraction of 60mls of coffee from a double shot basket, using around 16-18 grams of ground coffee, and around 25-30 seconds.
A really good tip, since you enjoy a naturally sweet coffee and paired with Espresso Master, is to modify your extraction. Continue to do everything exactly the same, but end your extraction at 15-20 seconds. You’ll be left with 30-40mls of coffee, so less yield, but the resulting coffee will be much sweeter. If you want even more strength, you can repeat the process for another shot - that could be the best of both worlds!
The last piece of the puzzle is perfecting the art of milk texturing. That’s seperate to latte art which is what makes the coffee look professional, it focuses on making the milk texture fee thick without being bubbly (or watery). We can work on this part later when your ready.
I hope this helps.
James Axisa - 0428 555 535.
Chief Espresso Officer - baybeans.com.au
------------------------------------
On Wed, 22 Apr 2020 at 8:29 am, Chris wrote:
James, I am blown away by your response mate. And I feel I must be in good company at least with the kit I'm using! 🤣
Thank you so much, I've ordered my first bag and will follow your instructions there - you've covered pretty much every eventuality for modifying the taste, honestly I can't thank you enough.
Look forward to chatting further,
Chris
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