cjm69 Senior Member Joined: 29 Jan 2013 Posts: 5 Location: Hawaii Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Jan 29, 2013, 10:32pm Subject: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
Ive had the Stabucks Barista for 12 years and been grinding my beans with a metal blade grinder. I got on this site to look at new expresso machines and saw that the grinder was more important so I purchased the Rancilio Rocky. The portafilter from the Barista does not fit in the doser so now I'm considering upgrading machines. The Ranccilio Silvia is the one I have been looking at but reviews scare me a bit. Any advise would be helpful. I mostly make straight expresso don't steam milk often. Thanks in advance for any advice.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,099 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Tue Jan 29, 2013, 10:41pm Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
cjm69 Said:
Ive had the Stabucks Barista for 12 years and been grinding my beans with a metal blade grinder. I got on this site to look at new expresso machines and saw that the grinder was more important so I purchased the Rancilio Rocky.
The portafilter from the Barista does not fit in the doser so now I'm considering upgrading machines. The Ranccilio (sic) Silvia is the one I have been looking at but reviews scare me a bit. Any advise would be helpful. I mostly make straight expresso don't steam milk often.
Standard Questions: 1) What kind of drinks do you like/want to make? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's capabilities.) 2) How many drinks, on average, do you see yourself needing to make at ay one time? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's ability to work continuously.) 3) How many drinks, on average, do you see yourself making in any given week? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's durability.) 4) Can you plumb a machine directly into the water supply, or do you want/need a pourover machine with its own reservoir? 5) Do you have a 20-amp circuit available, or only a (standard) 15-amp circuit? 6) What is your budget for a new machine? Does that also include a grinder? If not, what is your budget for a grinder?
Secondly, use the search feature of this site to seek out the answers others have received to this very same question.
Third, what is it about a Silvia that "scares" you?
I'm sorry to say that you must have bought the Rocky without doing much research on this site, because it is wide accepted here that even though the Rocky can grind fine enough for espresso it is by far not the best grinder for this purpose, simply because the steps of its grinding gear are too wide.
cjm69 Said:
... The portafilter from the Barista does not fit in the doser ...
... The Rancilio Silvia is the one I have been looking at but reviews scare me a bit. Any advise would be helpful. I mostly make straight expresso don't steam milk often ...
If you really don't need to froth milk very often, a SBDU machine like the Silvia will probably work fine for you. However, the Silvia, although being a solid machine with an excellent resale value, is a little out dated as far as its technical features are concerned. Other machines like the Crossland CC1 offer more value for money (in case of the CC1 a PID, programmable pre-infusion or thermoblock enhanced steaming). What's your budget?
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
Markarian Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 474 Location: Seattle Area Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Modded Nuova Simonelli Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Mazzer Super Jolly Drip: Moka, Aeropress, Melitta 102 Roaster: Wear-Ever Popcorn Pumper
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 5:10am Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
I think he means the thick pressurized portafilter for the Barista doesn't fit in the doser. If it's still possible to send the Rocky back, I would do so. As said above, it's not ideal, even for beginners. Grab a refurbished Baratza Preciso and a naked portafilter for your Barista from Seattle Coffee Gear. It will breathe some new life into your machine and let you invest in a decent grinder before you take the plunge on a new machine. PLEASE don't buy a Silvia. They're very finicky and not easy to use for beginners. There's better options out there for the money, like the Crossland CC1.
If you're budget is bigger, you may want to go for a Heat Exchanger machine right off the bat and save yourself a lot of the headache associated with SBDU machines. However, as also stated above, if you don't make a lot of milk drinks it's not as important. Welcome in any case, and best of luck!
cjm69 Senior Member Joined: 29 Jan 2013 Posts: 5 Location: Hawaii Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 8:54am Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
Thanks for the info, I only went on customer reviews before I bought the grinder I still have not used it but the box is gone. After going on the forum then I saw I may have chosen the wrong grinder. I make 3 double shot expressos every day I am home 24 days a month and I normally use Starbucks French Roast or expresso beans. Thanks for info
qualin Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2012 Posts: 464 Location: Calgary, AB Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto 3 Grinder: Mazzer Mini Elect. Type A Vac Pot: Looking to buy Drip: Manual Roaster: Considering?
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 10:09pm Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
Don't worry about the Rocky. Everyone makes it out to be this piece of junk, but only because they're used to their stepless grinders. :-) Rancilio designed the Rocky to be a very good "All Around" grinder and while it is very capable of grinding fine enough for espresso, it almost seems like it was designed in as an afterthought.
I used a Rocky for seven months and it wasn't that bad. You just have to get your grind so that you're almost "there" and then just adjust your dosage to slow down or speed up your shot.
In all honesty, my own personal opinion is that in some ways, a Rocky is easy to dial in once you figure out how, but it's like doing brain surgery with a steak knife. The steps never allow for you to adjust the grind to where you want it, you are kind of at the mercy of the grinder. You basically end up with two choices of dose due to the wide steps.
I suspect most likely you'll probably get upgradeitis fairly soon after using the Rocky for a while, but only after you've been using it and learn it's limitations.
As for your drink volume, I would recommend that you consider stepping up to a prosumer machine, but I don't know your budget. A heat exchanging machine will be able to accommodate your requirements, but an entry level machine starts in at roughly around the $1200 mark. Something like the Nuova Simonelli Oscar is probably a great place to start.
emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,723 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 11:04pm Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
qualin Said:
Don't worry about the Rocky. Everyone makes it out to be this piece of junk, but only because they're used to their stepless grinders. :-) Rancilio designed the Rocky to be a very good "All Around" grinder and while it is very capable of grinding fine enough for espresso, it almost seems like it was designed in as an afterthought.
I used a Rocky for seven months and it wasn't that bad. You just have to get your grind so that you're almost "there" and then just adjust your dosage to slow down or speed up your shot.
Exactly! It isn't junk, just a PIA to get it right because of the need to modify the dose to make up for Rocky's shortcomings. As Bud said, you'll be ok with the Rocky, but when you do eventually upgrade, you'll be glad you did. I know this from experience as well.
NobbyR Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 1,612 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Poccino Opus One, Ariete Grinder: Eureka Mignon Istantaneo,... Vac Pot: N/A Drip: Melitta Linea Unica de Luxe Roaster: N/A
Posted Thu Jan 31, 2013, 3:50am Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
qualin Said:
Don't worry about the Rocky. Everyone makes it out to be this piece of junk, but only because they're used to their stepless grinders. :-) Rancilio designed the Rocky to be a very good "All Around" grinder and while it is very capable of grinding fine enough for espresso, it almost seems like it was designed in as an afterthought ...
No doubt, the Rocky is capable, durable and consistant. But it does happen regularily that you end up stuck in between two steps for proper extraction and have to compensate by altering the dose, which will effect taste.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
cjm69 Senior Member Joined: 29 Jan 2013 Posts: 5 Location: Hawaii Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu Jan 31, 2013, 9:10am Subject: Re: Upgrade from Starbucks Barista
Thanks again for info, just used the grinder for first time its 100 times better than what I have been using but can tell it will take a few beans to get it dialed in. I was looking into the cross land cc1 as mentioned in one post. The issue for me is shipping I live in Hawaii that was another selling point for the Rocky amazon had it free shipping hard to find anywhere that has that to Hawaii so you can tack on another $100 Thanks again Chris
That's to be expected given you just got rid of a whirlybird bean hacker. Again, when you get sick of modifying your dose to get a decent extraction, you'll likely want to upgrade and upgrading your grinder will be the next most important change for your setup. I'm not trying to talk you into it now...just want you to keep in mind that when you're ready, the grinder upgrade is next on your list. When you do, consider used commercial units, that you might be able to find locally (to save the exorbitant shipping charges)...ah, the price of living in paradise!
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