Great home machine with excellent , quality made commercial parts and a wonderful machine to use and to get to know.
Positive Product Points
-amazing espresso -awesome foaming capacity and makes fabulous cappuccino -looks great -excellent commercial type steam wand -excellent parts such as brass boiler etc
Negative Product Points
-little bit finicky when foaming and trying to find the right grind - a little too advanced for a beginner but I was no beginner -becoming too expensive for average consumer
Detailed Commentary
The Rancilio Silvia is easily one of the best home semi-automatic home espresso machine I have ever used. I also love all of Rancilio's high quality accompanying accessories including great Rancilio espresso and cappuccino cups, an excellent Rancilio stainless steel base with drawers for accessories for your Silvia and the wonderful Rancilio Rocky Doser and Doserless grinders which in my opinion are some of the best grinders available today for the espresso enthusiast. It also looks great and has incredibly well-made commercial parts such as the brass boiler and an excellent commercial type steaming wand - in sum it is deserving of all of its respect as a competitive and well-made espresso machine for the home today and more. The large brass boiler- one of the largest for a home espresso machine-must also be duly noted. It is due to the large size of this boiler that one can make almost endless foam- endless microfoam for your cappuccinos. If this does not make you fall in love with it immediately I don't know what will ! The fact that the boiler and other internal parts are made of brass will mean that the Silvia is a machine that could conceivably last you a lifetime- no aluminum boilers here! However one cannot make endless cappuccinos with the Silvia and it is not the easiest machine to master especially for a beginner. However when mastered Miss Silvia delivers and boy does it deliver! Don't worry about temperature surfing and PIID mods- just go out and get her! One of the Silvia's main competitors has been the Gaggia Classic- another tried and true machine. However, the Rancilio Silvia has an edge over the Gaggia Classic for all of the above-mentioned reasons and I own two very good Gaggia machines. The Rancilio Silvia is in a class of its own and a highly respected one. There is also a plethora of information out there about her on the web, including some very good videos. This machine is truly worth the price. However the price seems to be continually climbing making the Rancilio Silvia just out of reach of the average consumer. It is however an espresso machine you will not regret owning and will even want a second one.
Buying Experience
Greenbeanery was an excellent vendor to deal with. I have had no mechanical or repair issues whatsoever with my Rancilio Silvia unlike one of my Gaggia espresso machines which has needed servicing. There is a one year warranty I believe and another nice thing about Greenbeanery was that they also carry all the Rancilio Silvia accessories and supplies that go with the machine such as the Rancilio espresso and cappuccino cups and Rancilio Rocky Doser and Doserless grinders. They are all worth the effort even if yoou cannot purchase them all right away. However do invest in a good grinder such as the Rancilio Rocky Doser or Doserless. It is a must for a machine of this calibre especially and is an equally important investment that you will not regret.
