[geeks] Barbeque Geekery

[Sheldon T. Hall]

Quoth Dan Sikorski
> Sheldon T. Hall wrote:
	[snip]
> > We also tried monitoring the espresso machine,
> > which, while probably pegging the
> > geek-o-meter, didn't actually improve the coffee.  
> >   
> What kind of espresso machine? 

A La Marzocco GS-2.

> There are a lot of people who have 
> replaced the thermostat on their Rancilio Silvia espresso 
> machines with 
> a PID to regulate and monitor the temperature of the boiler.  
> Most claim that it makes a big difference. 

Yeah, I followed all that on alt.coffee. It probably does make a good
difference on a single-boiler machine like the Silvia.  Its boiler holds
about 300 ml, which is pretty much standard for single boiler machines.  The
GS-2 is many times the mass of a Silvia; I think the brew boiler holds 7
liters or something, and each of the group heads is probaby half the weight
of a Silvia.  With all that thermal mass, not to mention the 2200 Watt brew
boiler heater, it can handle a lot of cold water inflow without anything
much happening, temperature-wise. I've run some primitive experiments, and
the brew temp is stable within 2 or 3 degrees (IIRC) no matter how much
water you run through it.

It's fun to look at, fun to play with, makes simply exquisite coffee.

Unfortunately, it's many thousands of miles away ....

-Shel