Rancilio - Rocky

I used a Rocky for 20 + years. If you want to factor that in.

Same— I bought a doserless rocky in 2004 and it’s still going strong. The only thing I’ve changed over the years is single dosing vs just filling the hopper, and I got a bellows hopper cover off Etsy to help clear out residual grinds.

Ranchillio Rocky. It’s a workhorse. 25 years and only change the grinder head every 5-7 years

A little tip for the OP, a good grinder can make a world of difference. I'm not recommending you spend a fortune that you don't have. But my progression went from a Rocky Rancilio to a Mazzer Super Jolly Electronic, to a Compak E10 conical, and now I have my end game, Mahlkonig E80S. Whilst I noticed increases in quality in the cup with each grinder change, I was not prepared for the jump in quality when I got the Mahlkonig. It was the second biggest single improvement to home coffee, behind home roasting. The key is consistency in particle size. A lesser grinder will have a wide bell curve between the smallest and largest particle size, with a good grinder having a much narrower variance. There is a lot more to good coffee at home, so enjoy the journey and congrats on the machine, have fun!

Yes, it is that much better in the long run. You mention that you cycle through 4-5 bags of beans but has any of them ever "wowed" you or stood out with some clean and standout flavors? It's really hard to achieve with a blade grinder because with the uneven grind size, the fines have more surface area and will over-extract leading to bitter notes, the boulders have less surface area and will under-extract, getting sour notes. This will lead to a muddled cup. So all beans kinda just taste the same. I would highly recommend getting a burr grinder as it will just augment every single cup of coffee that you brew moving forward. It's like a value modifier that is applied to all your beans that increases its taste. If you buy lets say low quality dark roast beans then I would say it is less of an issue (getting a burr grinder that is) and that there aren't that many tasting notes you can extract from those to begin with. As for grinder selection, if you don't mind some manual labor, I would recommend something like a Timemore C3. I have one of these and it works great for me. I downgraded from a Rancilio Rocky as it was too much (and too loud) for my needs. If you want an electric one, the tried and tested Baratza Encore works great for most people.

How much time is he willing to spend?  We had a Silvia for decades, and still have the Rocky grinder. The Silvia takes you some time to make your drinks. The manual portafilter got to be too much. We got a Philips/Saeco 4XXX. It has the regular beans in it, Rocky has the decaf. The Espresso maker has a bypass for the decaf. We didn't like their frother carafe. We got a Breville milk cafe frother, it works on induction. This combo works pretty quickly and very consistently good. 6 cups a day.  For coffee, I got my mother a Sifene, it's like a single pod Kuerig but faster, simpler, and you get a tea pod and a refillable coffee pod. She uses Bustelo, likes it strong. She loves this unit. I think it runs $90.

Jeg har hatt min Rancilio Rocky nå i snart 15 år og den ser ut som ny. Beste kjøpet jeg noensinne har gjort. Kan ikke anbefale den nok . [https://lippe.no/butikk/rancilio-rocky-kaffekvern-uten-doserer/](https://lippe.no/butikk/rancilio-rocky-kaffekvern-uten-doserer/)

I have one too - going on 20 years. It has its fair share of eccentricities but it still does a great job and no plans to upgrade that tank.

Do you want to see my 15 year old Rancilio Rocky Doserless still going strong? Sheesh.

I have had a Bodum Bistro for years-purchased in like 2017, I use it (pretty rarely) for pour over and French press. I work in a cafe setting and at home I have mostly used my Breville Barista Pro and its integrated grinder for daily consumption. Yesterday I picked up a used Rancilio Miss Silvia AND Rancilio Rocky for $50. The previous owner hadn’t used either in quite some time and both were overdue for maintenance and are models from 2005 but appear to function. I know the Rocky is worth keeping for espresso-but is there any brew method where the Bistro would be better that makes it worth keeping? I mainly make espresso but also have siphons (Bodum & Hario), chemex, Sowden softbrew, cold brew, French press, a few low end pour overs, and a Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker that I use from time to time.