Posts by Nunzi

We’re glad you asked. You can improve the quality of your espresso by practicing your technique with the following guidelines in mind. The most important elements in espresso preparation are the grind, dose, leveling, distribution and tamping. Perfecting how you do these will allow you to make great coffee every time.

STARTING POINTS:

1. A double “ristretto” or short shot of espresso contains roughly 1.5oz of liquid, .75oz each shot.
2. The best shots of espresso are pulled in a range within 23-28 seconds from when then brew cycle starts, with espresso dropping from the portafilter after 5-10 seconds.
3. Grind your coffee fresh and be as efficient as possible. Don’t let ground coffee sit in the portafilter, and don’t let the portafilter sit in the group head before brewing. Coffee stales very quickly once it’s ground.
4. Pre-heat your shot glasses, demitasse or mug with hot water before you begin grinding the coffee and preparing the shot.

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I have to be honest with you. I was skeptical at first. When I heard that we would be carrying the La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II, I wasn’t entirely sure why.  Compared with the machines with the E-61 group head, I thought it looked a little less elegant, more commercial by appearance. I’d heard great things about its performance, but wasn’t impressed with how it looked in photographs and videos online.

The day after we received the first unit in our shop, my co-worker pointed it out to me as it sat on our workbench. When I turned around and saw the machine in person for the first time, I immediately did a double take.

“That is the Mini Vivaldi!?”  One look at the machine and my mind was changed.  It looked bigger and much prettier in person, definitely a more substantial presence than the impression given in any photo I’d seen. Later that day, when I first tested the Mini Vivaldi by pulling shots and steaming milk, then I was really impressed.

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Pouring nice looking latte art is a goal for many home baristas and an essential skill for professionals in the café. Creating a pretty espresso drink will impress your guests and enhance the overall experience of enjoying your coffee. However, getting a heart or a rosetta to look right takes lots of practice (and lots of milk) at first, but once the techniques become comfortable it’s very satisfying to produce attractive drinks every time. It definitely takes patience and the right touch during the pour, but most importantly you’ll need to start with nicely textured milk or no amount of finesse will help while you’re actually making the drink.

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Is a brass boiler better than an aluminum one?

The Silvia features a heavy-duty brass boiler. We’ve done our research and discovered that machines with aluminum boilers are more prone to failure. Aluminum expands and contracts with sharp fluctuations in temperature, which can lead to leakage in some cases. Also, aluminum is prone to significant corrosion depending on the ph level of your water. Many people are concerned about drinking hot water that has touched materials like plastic and aluminum. Brass is superior in terms of heat retention and avoids any of these potential pitfalls on aluminum boilers. Be sure to check out the manufacturer’s specifications before choosing an espresso machine. Most machines under $700 have an aluminum boiler.

Why don’t you have anything more affordable than the Silvia? Why spend $650 when I could spend $300 elsewhere?

Clive Coffee specializes in the highest quality espresso machines and coffeemakers available. We recognize that there are hundreds of machines out there that cost less than the Silvia, and we’ve tested many of them. In a nutshell, we’ve found the Silvia to be the only machine in its price range or below that we feel confident standing behind. It is the first machine under $700 that features high-quality components, professional build quality, sturdy feel in your hand, true espresso coffee and this level of dependability. Nothing on the machine feels cheap or plasticky. We ship these out with confidence that our customers will be satisfied with their experience.

You can spend less on an espresso machine but you will sacrifice power and performance, not to mention espresso quality and, overall, the level of pleasure you get from using the machine. Too many people find that their espresso machine sits unused on their countertop because it simply doesn’t make espresso drinks that taste that good. With a good grinder and a bit of practice, you too can make café quality espresso drinks with the Rancilio Silvia.

What about a PID Controller?

We are often asked if it’s necessary to have a PID on the Silvia.

PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) Control is a popular upgrade to Silvia machines. Basically, a PID controller closely monitors and electronically regulates the water temperature at the brew group.  PIDs help you to dial in a precise brewing temperature, which is especially important for straight shot enthusiasts. However, we find that a bit of attention and the right technique can reliably produce very fine espresso from the Silvia without the need for a $200-$300 upgrade.

Adding $300 to the $650 price of a Silvia gets you within striking distance of an E-61 grouphead machine, which would mean much better temperature stability and you would retain the manufacturer’s warranty. We recommend checking out the Quick Mill Alexia, which provides a number of dramatic upgrades in temperature stability, capacity, aesthetics, power and performance for just a little more money than a PID-adapted Silvia.

Our method of addressing Temperature fluctuation (or “temperature surfing”.)

If you’ve done any research about the Rancilio Silvia on online discussion forums, chances are you’ve come across talk of something called  “temperature surfing.” Temperature surfing refers to a very involved method of regulating the temperature of the brew water. It requires determining the precise water temperature relative to the machine’s position in the boiler heating cycle and timing the preparation of your shots accordingly. Some people recommend timing the shot while the boiler is heating (how many seconds since the boiler power indicator light switches on.) Other methods recommend timing the shot as the boiler is cooling (how many seconds after the light switches off.) There are a number of different methods described on various websites; some are quite simple while others require specialized measurement devices and repeated scientific experimentation. How deeply involved you care to get is entirely up to you.

However, for most people this process will be too tedious for their daily routine, and might even dissuade them from getting into espresso at all, or to choose more automated espresso machines over the Rancilio Silvia. Over the years we’ve tested many of different ways to regulate temperature on the Silvia, and we believe there’s a simpler way. It may not be as precise as some of the 19 step processes you’ll find discussed online, but for most people it will suffice to pull a sweet, rich shot that is neither under- nor over-extracted.

In short, we recommend that you steam the milk first, then bleed off the excess pressure and steam out of the grouphead. If you leave the brew switch on for about 15-25 seconds, or until the steam dissipates and only water is coming out of the grouphead, there should be enough of a temperature drop in the boiler that the thermostat will force the boiler to start heating up again. Once the boiler has turned off, if you wait about 30 seconds, you’ll be pretty close to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to pull a good shot. This process should take 2-3 minutes, which is just about the time you’ll need to grind and tamp in preparation for pulling a shot. Be sure to swirl and gently knock your pitcher of steamed milk to maintain consistent texture and “keep it alive.”

After months of developing concepts, designing, scrapping and redesigning our idea of what the perfect pour-over stand could offer, we were thrilled a few weeks ago to finally launch the exclusive Clive Stand and Dripper set to the world.  Since then, the response has indicated that our work paid off.  The Clive Stand has been called “Gorgeous,” Stunning,” “The prettiest coffee maker I’ve ever seen,” “Elegant” and “Amazing.” It has been featured on the very popular blog Design*Sponge and will appear in the next issue of the magazine House Beautiful.

At Clive Coffee, we always seek the perfect intersection of design and function. We insist that all of our products look great, feel durable, last a long time and, of course, brew great coffee. The Clive Stand has earned its share of aesthetic accolades, but the quality of the coffee that it brews is equally important. As with any brand new brewing mechanism introduced to the market, a new set of standards needs to be developed regarding the grind setting, proportions of coffee to water, pouring technique, etc.  The Clive Stand best accommodates two particular types of dripper cone – the Hario V60-02 glass dripper, and our locally hand-thrown porcelain Clive Dripper. Both of these fit snugly and look excellent in the handcrafted black walnut frame of the stand. Here, we’ll walk through what it takes to produce a fine cup of coffee from our Clive Dripper in the stand.

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