rancilio silvia espresso, lattes, cappuccinos maker (silver)

Product Description

The rancilio Silvia is making the news as one the best single boiler machines in production. Like more commercial brand machines, its all in the brass facts. Brass boiler, brass lines and chromed brass brewing head all help to maintain temperature and heat distribution for the perfect espresso. The Silvia will deliver consistently fine espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and more, just with the touch of a button. Its beautiful to behold and simple to use. Youll be making your favorite espresso to the raves of family and friends. This is a quality machine at a terrific price.

The Rancilio is an excellent machine for the price. It exudes solid, shiny reliability, and makes a fine espresso too. I use it with a bottomless portafilter from Chris Coffee, which I recommend as well.

If you had to outfit an Italian battleship, the Rancilio is the machine you would want to pick for the officer's cappuccino lounge. It would fit in very well with all that stainless steel. And why not buy two more for the crew?

Customer Buzz

I have owned this machine for over 5 years and it has proven to be a very easy to use, reliable machine that makes a delicious coffee drink every time. I can't even estimate how many it has made over the years! Once you learn the simple steps, anyone can be an expert. I know the real pros like machines that have coffee grinders, tampers, and all the other things that make it easier, but I really like the simplicity of the Rancilio. It does nothing but make espresso and froth milk. I was reading the reviews today because I had left mine on and it wouldn't heat anymore. I thought the heating element had burned out and I was going to immediately order a new one. Somewhere in my reading, I came across a reference to a circuit breaker that may trigger when it gets too hot. I found the directions to check this out, took mine apart, pushed the little red button, and I'm back in business again. Thank you to someone for the help--I tried to reply, but you have to be a member of whatever group that was to post anything. My only complaint--Rancilio Sylvia manufacturers should put this in their manual! Of course, they wouldn't sell quite as many that way! I was on the way to the garbage with mine!

Customer Buzz

I did a lot of research before purchasing the Silvia and have not been disappointed. Very well made, heats up quickly makes excellent espresso and plenty of steam. I've had and used plenty of other home machines, including Gaggia, this is by far the best.

Customer Buzz

I love this machine, but I would strongly recommend not buying it because Rancilio does not stand behind their product. The boiler went out in less than two years and I had to pay $225.00 to have it replaced. So now I have the original Silvia with the "new improved" boiler. I asked for some consideration on the repair since it is a $500 machine and the boiler is the heart of it. Instead I got an email from Rancilio customer service saying I must have run it dry (which I most definitely had not). Then another email from them that they had solved the problem on the new machine. In other words, inadvertantly admitting the defect that caused the failure that they blamed on me.

I asked the serviceman at the repair shop if he had seen others fail in this time frame and he said he had seen a number of them. I then contacted a second company, that specializes in repairing espresso machines and their repairman said the boilers often failed in a few years. I would have been happy if Rancilio had authorized even part of the repair, but their attitude was just the worst. This machine is definitely not a good investment.

Customer Buzz

Easy to make really good espresso if you watch one of the Youtube videos on how to use the machine. The Rancilio Rocky grinder is a bit trickier to use but I would also recommend that.

Customer Buzz

Wondering if this is the machine for you? Try the following test:
(1) Go to your favorite coffee shop and purchase a bag of the freshest most expensive beans money can buy
(2) Grind the beans
(3) Pour the grounds down the toilet and flush
(4) Repeat steps 1-3 for six months

If you're still interested after going through this process then you're definitely ready for the Silvia. This is a machine for people who like the idea of making espresso more than they like actually drinking espresso. Its very inconsistent and even if you perfect the technique you'll have difficulty repeating the process. Some tips that will help you if you decide to buy one. Throw out the plastic tamper that comes with the machine and buy a good quality one. Throw out the portafilter that comes with the machine and buy a "naked" or bottomless portafilter. Buy fresh roasted beans - not vacuum sealed beans from the grocery store - go to your coffee shop and ask them when their "retail beans" were roasted - if they don't know, don't buy them. Talk to your local barrista and ask for advice. Most important, go to a good coffee shop and order single/double shot espressos (not latte's or cap's) - learn what a good shot tastes like.

Customer Buzz

I recently purchased the Rancilio and initially was very disappointed with the frothing part. By accident, I watched the video from Rancilio on how they froth the milk. It was very different from how I was previouly frothing. Upon trying their method, I found the Rancilio an excellent machine. If you are considering buying this machine, make sure you watch the various videos and read the tip sheet you can find on their website. Now that I have a frothing thermometer and have watched the videos, I can say I am very satisfied with this machine. Time will tell if the heating unit will last. I had a Gaggio Classic and the heating unit was forever having problems.

Customer Buzz

The Silvia is a well-built, easy to use machine that makes great espresso. Yes, $600 is a lot to spend on an espresso machine, but you need to spend at least this much to get good espresso and a machine that will last. There are some prettier machines out there, but beauty is only skin deep. Silvia is built like a tank covered in stainless steel. She's durable and easy to clean. To get up and running you'll need a frothing pitcher and a new tamper (the one that comes with Silvia is plastic). You'll also need a good burr grinder.

Customer Buzz

Buy this if you love espresso and espresso-based drinks and don't mind investing some time and effort into learning the art of making awesome espresso. It is the best espresso machine in this price range. If you can't or don't want to be bothered with this, I would look into an automatic.

I have had the Rancilio Silvia for a few years now, and it has been an exceptional purchase. Operationally, it is easy to use, but to get excellent results you need to consider the following:

1) As other reviewers have noted, you do need to invest in a high quality grinder (Rocky or better burr grinder). I know it is tempting to skimp on a grinder since the Silvia is a major investment and quality grinders are not cheap. But, if you think you can just try your blade grinder or buy a cheaper grinder to start with, you will be disappointed with bitter, bad espresso. Another thing to note in terms of purchasing a grinder is that you need to "dial-in" the grind for different coffee beans you use. i.e. for different types of coffee beans, you will need to adjust the grind to get the optimal espresso. Thus - if you want to drink regular drip or press coffee as well, you will need a separate non-espresso grinder, because it is very difficult to go from optimal grind for espresso to coarser grinds for press or drip coffee and back and forth (especially if you decide to get a stepless grinder).

2) You need to use high quality, fresh beans (1-3 weeks from roast - optimally more like a week or two, but I know this is not realistic for many). You will be disappointed if you use old beans or especially, pre-ground espresso. This will result in no crema, and flat tasting espresso. Note that the vast majority of vacuum-sealed beans you find at the local supermarket or cafés (Starbucks/etc) are many months old. While they may work okay for a couple days, they will go stale very quickly. There are plenty of great places to order fresh whole bean espresso from. Try googling: intelligentsiacoffee, eccocaffe, and counterculturecoffee to start for the best out there. While there are still debates out there, I have found good results from freezing whole coffee beans as soon as I get them in an airtight jar.

3) This is a single boiler machine - which means that after you make a shot of espresso, you have to wait for the boiler to reheat to pull another shot, draw boiling water, or steam milk. Thus, if you envision throwing parties and fulfilling requests for 4 espressos, 3 lattes, and 2 cappuccinos at one time, you will be manning the Silvia for a long time! If this is what you really want to do, I would look into an automatic or a double boiler machine (dedicated boiler for espresso, another one for steam/water) either of which will be much more expensive.

4) Invest in a good tamper to `tamp' your espresso after it is ground. I recommend the Reg Barber Tamper. This is also a very important part of the technique that you will learn about and hone (plenty of great websites and blogs about this).

5) Don't be frustrated if your first few (or even many!) attempts do not turn out that well. Technique is required, but will be rewarded well. Again - there is plenty of great advice on the web - whether it is on pulling an awesome shot, modifying your Silvia, or even creating latte art.

Customer Buzz

After reading the (mostly) glowing reviews of this machine on this and other sites, I decided to buy it to replace a six year old Brugnetti Simona now relegated to weekend cabin duties. I'm very pleased with this machine. It produces more crema (consistently) than the Brugnetti and the steamer seems a little more powerful. I purchased it in conjunction with a Gaggia grinder that has made a big difference. Highly recommended.