Thinking of the plunge into a Rancilio Silvia

[Blueface]

WOW!

What a quirky device.
FINALLY got a right brew, back to back.

Seems A, machine needs to be on for a bit.
B, when temp surfing, rather than how the video does it, I used my two cups to fill with hot water.
C, I waited for the light to go on, then off.
D, don't wait 30 seconds, instead, wait a minute.

Got two back to back great brews with good creme/head and right temperature.
FINALLY!!!
Who would have thought something so expensive needs such stroking.

I am walking around the house as if on skates from so much coffee tasting today.

[floydpink]

I never even attempt to use my machine without a minimum warmup of 30 minutes.

There's no harm in leaving your machine on before going to bed to ensure you have a hot machine when you wake up.

I rely very little on the light that says the machine is ready.

One way to tell if your machine is hot enough is to turn on the steam wand.

If it isn't blowing out steam, it is possible you have a boiler problem, which I doubt.

If your machine is hot, you shouldn't be having to do too much temp surfing unless you are pulling multiple shots.

Another possiblity is that whoever is grinding your beans, is grinding them for something other than espresso; perhaps drip?

Once your grinder arrives, you will have all kinds of newfound control over grind consistency and not be relying on someone's grinds.

If the grinds aren't almost powdery in consistency, that's your problem.

If it was easy, good baristas would be a dime a dozen.

One of the joys of home espresso machines is the hands on control you have, once you get past the learning.

My E61 machine is very finicky and pisses out crap unless I give it correct grind, perfect tamp pressure and distribution.