Ms. Silvia is the newest family member

In searching for an espresso machine, I discovered the enourmous amount of information on the web, far greater than any review could ever hope to give.

Firstly, I will list several resources that you ABSOLUTELY need to see before making any decisions ( no affiliation to any of these )

1) www.coffeegeek.com - full of professional and consumer reviews for almost any type of coffee or coffee related topic. Use the forums and search for topics from the minds of coffee geeks around the world!

2) alt.coffee (use your newsagent or google.com). This is chock full of information. Post your questions here, don't buy a machine and then find out its not for you.

3) Of course, epinions also provides some of the best feedback you can get, from actual users!! :)


Now, getting to the Rancilio Silvia. This is a semi-automatic machine, which means that you, the controller, must activate the brew switch and control the amount of water that passes through the brew head.

If you are the type of person who wants to wake up, push a button, and get a cup of coffee, this machine isn't for you. You want a SUPER-AUTOMATIC machine, which does everything for you, including cleaning itself, but at the sacrifice of quality.

If you like to play around with multiple variables and experiment with your coffee, (basically if you like being in CONTROL) then here are certain things you should expect from this machine

a - being able to fine tune your grind very precisely. Silvia is a finicky machine and will not respond well to poorly ground coffee. Expect to invest in a GOOD grinder. Same resources listed above can help you with this.

b - learning how to tamp, pressing the coffee into a puck in the portafilter.

c - taking good care of Silvia. Cleaning regularly, etc..

d - having a potentially big learning curve. When I started with this machine, McDonalds made a better cup of coffee than me. Once you get to know it, the results are outstanding.

I won't go into the technical details about this machine, others have listed them and are more knowledgeable than I. Other to say, this machine is regarded by ANY/ALL reviewers as one of the "gold-standard" espresso machines in its price range. You can do better of course, but you won't be paying less.

This machine doesn't have an autofill for the water, so its very important that you make sure the tank is always full. Leaving the machine on with an empty tank will damage it. This machine is not meant to stay on all day either, this is a home machine, not a commercial machine. Also, allow at least 30 mins warmup before brewing your coffee.

From the above, its clear that this machine is not for everyone. This is not a one buttom espresso machine.
But the PROS for this machine are numerous:
* Heavy duty solid construction. Hardly any cheap plastic like other machines.
* Inlcuded portafilter is solid and heavy, good for retaining heat.
* Large water reservoir compared to other machines of similar price range
* Consistent and reliable performance.
Many users also have modified the Silvia for even more consistency and reliability by installed a PID (controls internal temperature of water). The modification potential is very big for this machine.

For me, the choice was clear. After deciding what kind of machine I wanted (super-auto vs. auto vs. semi-auto), there were no other machines in its price range that offered the same reputation and reliability. Forget about fancy features, stick to the basics, and this machine won't let you down.