The best thing about this machine is its powerful steamer

I have been making espresso drinks for over 30 years and have owned my Rancilio Silva for over a year, but I cannot figure out how to get decent crema with this machine.  I have tried every trick I know, but I only get decent crema about 10-20% of the time.  I also do not like how long it takes the steamer to heat.  Finally, the metal finish on the coffee holder is flaking off in places.

I bought this machine after extensive research on the Web and reading many reivews.  I don't understand why the machine is rated so highly, for the reasons stated above.  The machine is slow to heat for brewing and painfully slow to heat for steaming.  I have to allow several additional minutes now for latte making in the mornings when I have to be somewhere, which is most mornings.  I thought that when I upgraded from the $200-300 range of espresso machines that I would get a noticeable improvement in my coffe making experience, but when your machine won't produce good crema each time, you stay frustrated.  I am very disappointed with my purchase and plan to buy something different.  I still have the Krups machine that I thought I was upgrading and it wins hands down in the crema department.  Please note that I can't recall what I actually paid for the machine when i bought it over a year ago, but I couldn't publish my review unless I plugged a number into this template.

My purchase through WholeLatteLove was very satisfactory.