Coffee Discussion boards > Hardware & Equipment

Tuning a Gaggia consumer espresso machine for proper brew pressure & temperature

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Tex:
Brewing, or group, pressure is one of two espresso machine variables that needs to be managed, and requires an OPV be mounted on the machine. OPV = adjustable pressure release valve

For Gaggia's with aluminum boilers that don't have an adjustable OPV (Classic & Baby do, Espresso, Carezza, Evolution, Coffee, etc, don't) the OEM water inlet can be replaced with the Gaggia Classic OPV.

Once installed, an OPV is adjusted using a group mounted pressure gauge, often mounted on your portafilter.

Here's a great article on coffee: http://tinyurl.com/Complexity-Of-Coffee

milowebailey:
Ok, so I keep reading about replacing the Gaggia steam wand with a Silvia.

Before I do that explain to me why? :P  What is the difference between the Gaggia steam wand and the Silvia?

thanks

New Gaggias owner - milowebailey

Tex:

--- Quote from: milowebailey on December 16, 2009, 09:59:16 AM ---Ok, so I keep reading about replacing the Gaggia steam wand with a Silvia.

Before I do that explain to me why? :P  What is the difference between the Gaggia steam wand and the Silvia?

thanks

New Gaggias owner - milowebailey

--- End quote ---


How about a demo Larry?

OEM wand with PID for brew & steam.
PID'd Carezza steaming with old-style OEM wand

Silvia wand w/PID for brew & steam.
2011-09-13: Gaggia Evolution steaming

Notice the size of the bubbles in the steam? The larger the bubbles, the larger the bubbles in the micro foam.

mp:
Hmm ... better for those frou frou drinks then?

 :)

grover:
I got sick of waiting for a Gaggia to turn up in our local CL market so I bought one off of ebay (from whole latte love?) From the initial post here I thought the "baby" would have the adjustable OPV but now looking at the parts diagram for the "new baby" I see it may not....Darn it! Which OPV would I replace it with? I think it has a plastic valve.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400111035328&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123 

I think it would have been a decent deal if it would have only needed to be PID'd....I don't do the milk thing so I don't need the silvia steam wand.....at least for now.

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