Product Description

Rancilio is a company with a long tradition and our production of high-quality espresso machines dates back to the twenties. After decades of growth and learning, we proudly continue to offer products that are first in their class in design and technology

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14687 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Rancilio

Features

• Stainless Steel Body - Linear Design!

Customer Reviews

I doubt there is a better machine out there!
I have owned several different expresso machines in different price ranges. Hands down, this machine is the best I've ever used. The machine works exactly as it is supposed to - I use it every day, sometimes a couple times per day and the espresso never changes - it's always delicious, and the steamed milk comes out perfectly. I've even left the machine on all day a couple of times, and it still does not affect the machine - it keeps working like it's brand new. The only downside is that it takes about 45 minutes for this machine to heat up. HOWEVER, there are websites out there that can tell you how to get around this and have your shot of espresso in about 10 minutes.

An Excellent Manual Espresso Machine
The Rancilio Silvia is makes very good espresso--even my first try was successful. I purchased this machine 6 months ago to replace my latest, very expensive, automatic machine which died in less than a year. The Silvia is manual, so there is less to break, but more to learn about making a good espresso. After a few days, however, one can become "unconsiously competent" just like the baristas at Starbucks. The only complaint I have is that if the machine is left on by accident, after a few hours an internal high temperature switch may shut down the boiler, requiring removing the cover and finding a tiny, well hidden reset switch. There is nothing about this in the manual, and required some searching on the internet in order to get my machine running again. I don't grind my own coffee, preferring to use the excellent Lavazza inblu ground for espresso, in 250g cans.

Not as tricky as they say
I had a steam machine for many years before moving up to a $150 Krups pump-driven model. It made much better quality espresso, but the steam wand was completely useless. When that machine recently broke for good (two weeks after the one-year warranty expired) I decided to make a major upgrade to something that should last for a while. After lots of online research, I settled on the Sylvia. I was a little scared of all the reviews on coffee-geek websites which warned that you have to be a jedi master to operate it: fine-tuning the perfect grind, applying just the right amount of tamping pressure, etc. But I've been living with it for a week now, and I'm perfectly happy with it. Haven't yet worked up the nerve to spend another $300 on a decent burr grinder, so I'm using pre-ground espresso beans from the local cafe (I know, it's heresy). One drawback is the long warmup time, but I've already worked out a cheat: running water through both the filter basket and the steam line three times over the course of five minutes. The steaming wand has the power of a rocket engine, making all the foam you need for a latte in a few seconds. And the whole thing looks like a million bucks sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm glad I invested the extra money in something that looks good, makes excellent espresso, and hopefully will last for at least a few years.