How to Choose the Proper Grind Setting for the Rancilio Silvia
Posted on 21 February 2011 by Nate
This is the second article in our exploration of the perfect shot walk through for the Rancilio Silvia. In our last post at the Rancilio Silvia Review, we discussed the first factor of the perfect shot, bean selection. The second critical element, which we’ll discuss here, is ensuring that you use the proper grind setting.
When pulling espresso shots from the Rancilio Silvia or any other home espresso machine, one of the indications of good technique is how long the shot takes. As you may be aware, the ideal shot time is about 25 to 28 seconds. During this time, your machine should infuse the grinds with an initial burst of hot water and pressure, creating an environment which raises the temperature, moisture, and pressure within the portafilter for about 3 or 4 seconds before coffee begins to drip from the portafilter. After the coffee begins to extract into your cup, you want to see rich brown and red espresso extraction right up to about the 25 second mark. Once you see blonding of the espresso, you’ll know that you’ve reached the end of the extraction of the rich flavors within the grinds and that indicates the point at which you stop the shot. Ideally, this happens at around 25 to 28 seconds into the pull.
While the Rancilio Silvia is a terrific machine for achieving this timing, it’s easier said than done. The step to make this all work out just right is in your grinder setting selection. If you’ve chosen an adequate burr grinder to pair with your Rancilio Silvia (perhaps the Rancilio Rocky which is one of the best grinders in its class at $349), you will probably have a range of 2 to 4 “clicks” which are ideal for this process.
To be honest, there are far too many variables to discuss in detail as there are hundreds of grinders you can choose from and they all work differently. If you’ve used your grinder for some time, you will have a good starting point. Be prepared to waste some coffee during this process. When I have a new blend I want to try, I typically go straight to the most “open” or coarse setting that I know will fit into the espresso range. I pull a shot and shoot for the optimal 25 to 28 second extraction. It rarely happens on the first pull. I step over to a finer setting if the shot runs too quickly and try again. After this, I repeat until I’ve hit the 25 to 28 second shot. I generally nail it on the second or third pull from my Rancilio Silvia.
Once I have found the right setting for the blend I’m working with, I take a small arrow pointer sticker which I found in a craft section of a department store and mark that setting in case I need to readjust later in the day for drip coffee. Generally, every two or three days I move past the roast date of the espresso blend requires a small adjustment toward a finer setting. Use caution as moving to too fine a setting will choke your Rancilio Silvia, but if you start to get faster extraction as you move past the roast date of the beans, you’ll know it’s time to adjust to a finer setting.
Again, there are many variables that go into the right grinder setting, but if you take some time to pull two or three calibration shots each time you are using a new espresso blend, you’ll be able to find the perfect grinder setting for your Rancilio Silvia.
Hi…Great article. I recently purchased the Sylvia 3 too. I notice that the pucks are very wet when I remove. Am I not tampering it enough or too much?
Hi Dean, it really is a great machine. Enjoy it! The wet puck is probably caused by either too hard a tamp or too fine a grind setting. Both of these will prevent the water from being completely forced through the puck and leave you with a little “coffee soup”.
Hi,
I just got a Silvia/Virtuoso Preciso combo. I am kind of frustrated trying to find the correct grind. I thought that I did, and now my puck sticks to the top of the machine after pulling mu shot. So, now what? I’m using 2 level scoops of the scoop that comes with the machine. I have my grinder set at G and 10.5
I hope that you can help
Thanks,
Lani
Hi Lani,
You’ll love the Silvia. It’s a great machine. I’m not familiar with the Virtuoso, but have heard good things about it. Is there water in the puck (ie. is it sort of soupy)? Also, are you timing the shot? With a proper grind setting, it should take about 3 to 5 seconds before espresso begins to flow and then 25 to 28 seconds before the espresso begins to turn blonde.
We’ll get to the bottom of it!
I time it for 25-30 seconds to get about 3 ozs. Then when I take the porta filter off the machine to empty it, there isn’t any coffee in it, the coffee is stuck up where the water comes out. As soon as I run water thru to clean it, the puck plops down into my container (watched your video). I’m not getting why I’m not getting a puck left in the filter.
Thank you for getting back to me
Hi Lani!
Here are the dosing and timing guidelines from Home Barista on both singles and doubles:
“Espresso comes in two sizes: single and double. A single is a 0.6 to 1 ounce espresso made from 6 to 10 grams of coffee; a double is a 1.2 to 2 ounce espresso made from 12 to 20 grams of coffee. Singles and doubles take the same amount of time to pull, roughly 25 to 33 seconds, and the coffee flavors and aroma should be the same.”
I think I measured my Illy cups once and a double came out to right at 1.6 ounces (which is the traditional Italian doppio volume at 47 mL). For doubles I use 14 grams (2 x 7 gram scoops). If you’re using the same dosing (which it sounds like you are if you’re using the scoop), then my guess is that with 3 ounces at 25 to 30 seconds, you may need to grind a little finer. You might also check your tamping pressure as well by testing your tamp on a bathroom scale to see if you’re getting to the necessary 30 pounds of pressure. I’m thinking that if your grind setting is dialed in, but you’re getting 3 ounces in 25 to 30 seconds and the coffee is sticking to the shower screen, then it could likely be that you just need to tamp it down a little more.
Try testing out your tamping pressure with the scale and see if it helps. It’s really tricky to get a feel for 30 pounds of pressure, but you’ll get the hang of it. Additionally, a lot of people like to use a curved tamper base which creates a little more space between the top of the puck and the shower screen. This page is for Reg Barber tampers, but if you scroll down a little you’ll see an example of a curved 58mm base.
Keep us posted and thanks for visiting!
Hmmmm. Now I’m really confused. I had looked at a couple of other sites and they had given instructions on getting 3ozs in 25-30 seconds. Now I’m back to square one
I’m using a heavy tamper that came in the pkg from Chris’ coffee. I’ll try on a scale. Thanks for the tip.
Oh, I see the curved tamper is from Seattle Coffee Gear. I just ordered some items from there. Actually it is on one of their videos that shows the 3ozs. in 25 secs.
Lani
Hi Lani,
It does get a little confusing sometimes with so much varying information out there. I was looking for a page that I used to reference on the Italian National Association of Espresso site, but can’t seem to find it. They had a great guide to size, dosing, and extraction times. The espresso page on Wikipedia is a great reference as well, though. About half way down the page is a really good explanation of shot variables.
Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions!
portafilter is hard to get back into machine once it heats up. any insight.
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for visiting the site! Since you mentioned that the problem occurs when the machine is warm, I might suggest a couple of ideas to begin with. The first would be to make sure the group head is free of grinds and debris around the gasket area. If there is quite a bit of debris in there and the machine is warm, the debris could expand a bit, making the portafilter hard to lock into place. I use a group head brush and also a folded up cloth to wipe around the gasket and seating after each use. The other element to inspect is the gasket itself. Over time, these can break down and if that’s the case it could also be expanding when the machine is warm. They are very inexpensive and simple to replace, so you may want to try that anyway.
Let me know how things turn out and if you have any other questions!