Whatever tastes good to you is the right recipe! Do what tastes great.
Just thought I'd mention and emphasize, that on the Solis 5000 digital, =
the middle "tick" mark is, ostensibly, a 7.0gram dose of dry coffee. I =
have no idea what the mass of the coffee cake would be after brewing, =
but I wouldn't even try to measure any masses cuz of the diffences in =
moisture content of the dry vs. brewed coffee, as well as the loss of =
some solids into the brewed beverage.
When I first bought the Solis machine, I did try to estimate the default =
dose to ground coffee packed in a filter basket, and it seemed to me the =
Solis's 7.0 gram was just about what I packed into a double filter =
basket. It didn't matter anyway, cuz what the machine was brewing was =
so fantastic, I didn't care a stitch what the precise dose really was.
But, with your machine, the illustrious Silvia...brass boiler, metal =
fittings, basically, a commercial machine geared for home use...if I =
were you, I'd definitely stick w/ the 14 gram dose. I think 7 grams =
might end up really bitter and overextracted (but, just in the interest =
of nerdy coffee fun, maybe you could grind extra extra coarse--finer =
than for French Press, but alot coarser than for espresso, by leaps and =
bounds--then try the 25 sec extraction, and maybe use a light FC roasted =
coffee). I don't believe the Solis 5000 results, either the digital =
machine (mine) or the regular machine, translate well to a true espresso =
machine such as the Silvia. A good espresso machine vs. a super auto =
differ significantly in their temperature retention, flow rates, and =
pressure at the group head.
I think the key to making good cafe creme on the Silvia would be a =
combination of the grind, roast, and dose. You'll have to experiment, =
but, maybe for starters, I'd first evaluate the recipe that results in a =
brew that YOU enjoy. Draw off the entire brew into 3 different vessels, =
preferably a thick walled, clear glass mug. I like a 1-cup Pyrex =
measuring cup. The first 1/3 oughta look almost like espresso, but not =
nearly as dark, opaque, and rich. The next should have the color =
of...maybe (I haven't done this test in a while, so don't hold me to =
these colors)...a caramel candy w/ whipped cream mixed in sporadically. =
The final 1/3 should have alot more clarity, but not colorless. Taste =
each separately, esp the last 1/3. If you detect alot of bitterness in =
the final 1/3, then either adjust the extraction time shorter, or adjust =
the grind finer, or add more coffee powder (which is not an option, so =
forget that). As for tamping, maybe a very light tamp will do. You need =
to allow the grounds some room to expand, otherwise, alot of grit will =
get spit out into the cup. Also, check the appearance of the spent =
grounds. Are they porous, crumbly? Are there any spots that are still =
dry?
Bottom line is do whatever tastes good to you, and keep in mind that =
Solis 5000 and Silvia are really geared towards different beverages, and =
I would bet have very different flow rates, pressure generated at the =
group head, and certainly different temperature retention profiles.
Good luck, and happy brewing. |