dpm Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Toronto, ON Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008, 11:28am Subject: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
Folks,
Just wondering if anyone has gone from a SB Barista to Sirena, and was it worth the move. I am thinking of getting the Sirena and am interested in the steaming abilities compared to the Barista. I find that the Barista runs out of steam when steaming larger quantities of milk ( for 3-4 Lattes) - Is the Sirena any better in that regard? Any compelling reasons to move to the Sirena from the Barista? (aside fom the looks)
roastaroma Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 259 Location: San Francisco, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Sirena Grinder: Rocky Drip: Bodum French Press Roaster: Blue Bottle Coffee
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008, 12:12pm Subject: Re: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
Ciao Dean,
Though I have not owned an SB Barista, I have had the pleasure of Sirena's company for almost 4 months. The primary advantage of Sirena's boiler + thermoblock arrangement is that one can switch (relatively) quickly between steam mode & brew mode; the heat of the dedicated TB does not directly affect the heat of the brew-boiler -- in fact, after a steaming session, the boiler often needs a bit of time to come up to temperature.
I recently switched to a 12 oz. pitcher -- frothing milk for one drink at a time -- but whatever the pitcher size, pre-heating the TB is really the key. Sirena also makes quite good espresso, but probably no better than other single-boiler machines in its price bracket. I'd recommend it only at prices under $400.
Here's a more thorough review I wrote on the Sirena, which was updated last month: Sirena Review
dpm Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Toronto, ON Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008, 12:22pm Subject: Re: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
Thanks Wayne
I did see your review on epinions, and that coupled with the looks of the Sirena is pushing me towards buying the machine. I am not nearly as avid a espresso fiend as you, but do enjoy a good latte :)
From looking at the forum, it seems that I can easily order a 58mm non PPF from Saeco - Is that correct? I don't feel comfortable de-assembling the ppf that comes with the unit, and truth be told, I want to be able to fall back to the ppf if need be. My grinder is ok, not stellar - it is the SB Burr grinder - I think my next purchase will be the Rocky (again, thanks to your posts)
Thanks for all the info you are putting out on this forum.
roastaroma Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 259 Location: San Francisco, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Sirena Grinder: Rocky Drip: Bodum French Press Roaster: Blue Bottle Coffee
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008, 12:49pm Subject: Re: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
Grazie Dean,
I didn't realize my review was having that effect! Well, as long as people know what they're getting into, they should be all right. That's what this is all about, eh?
Actually one does not need to deal with Saeco at all for common parts: the 58 mm Gaggia commercial PF is widely available from online vendors (technically it's a Gaggia part; no other Saeco macchina uses it). But converting the stock Sirena PPF is super-easy! It takes 20 sec. at most to take out the rubber disc & peg, & maybe 10 sec. to put them back in. Why spend $50 just to save a few seconds? On the other hand, a naked PF, that's something very good to have, as lots of folks here will affirm.
BTW, though I'm now used to the doserless Rocky, there are other burr grinders worth considering that I didn't learn about till later. The Rocky's main virtue is that it's a proven design -- it reminds me a bit of the Champion juicer (I still have one from the '80s): simple, built like a tank, retains value well.
physicsdude Senior Member Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: British Columbia Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008, 2:41pm Subject: Re: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
Hi,
I did this just a couple of months ago- I was given a Sirena for my birthday after the pump on my Barista failed (BTW I fixed it by disassembling it and cleaning it- instructions and photos are online).
The Sirena was an adjustment in many ways. As mentioned in the long Sirena thread in the forums, getting good steam is trickier- you have to work against the built-in timer in order to get enough heat to steam properly (you need to cycle the steam heating a couple of times ), otherwise you get poor steam power or very wet steaming. The main benefit is in removing the "pressure disc", and learning to grind and tamp. I had to search a bit to find good beans and play with my grinder (a LeLit PL53) to get good results. I only pull doubles, not having tried singles and I have not purchased the triple basket mentioned in the forums. Also the low water warning light is helpful, though it is also easier to see the water level if you can see the back of the machine (much better than the Barista).
I find the Sirena frustrating compared to the Barista in that one cannot switch between brew and steam modes until it is warmed into range, so you have to hang around the machine and wait, and you cannot warm the portafilter with hot water until the temperature is in range (in this sense it is an automatic machine). I would prefer the semi-auto mode of the Barista that lets me choose freely.
In comparison with the Barista you will require: 1) a 58mm tamper 2) an espresso grinder 3) more patience
In the end, if I had my choice I would have chosen a different machine than the Sirena as an upgrade from the Barista, but it is possible to get good results and I am coming to peace with it now.
joepilot Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Oklahoma Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Sirena Grinder: Blade only - Rocky on its... Drip: Cuisinart
Posted Sun Jun 15, 2008, 12:40pm Subject: Re: Any SB Barista owners bought the Sirena?
I liked Wayne's review, and just checked out some of the Sirena's in our local Starbucks.
Allright folks, my apologies for this post earlier...I've since returned for a closer look and realized I made a mistake...in case you read it I've included it with strickthrough below.
There may be one difference in these "price reduced" models ($399 now)...they appear to be only plastic now with a brushed metal look to them. In Wayne's review, the models were "silver powder-coated die-cast steel".
One model I looked at had taken a fall and had a crack on the bottom right...definitely plastic. Maybe not such a good deal at $399 as I originally thought? Comments anyone?
This afternoon I returned to the Starbucks and had a closer look (my excuse for the first mistake is I had my 5 yr old distracting me!). The model I looked at did have a crack which was about 1.5" long parallel to the bottom edge on the bottom right front edge of the base. I guess at the time the crack looked more like something you'd see in some types of plastic, but upon closer examination the model is made of metal...someone must have dropped it to crush the bottom corner and cause the crack.
On another note, I may very well be buying one of these in the next couple of days.
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