
"The Rancilio Silvia is excellently engineered and so reliable."
The Rancilio Silvia is an espresso machine with a reputation for having the best build quality out there. With top-quality materials used to create components like a super-strong and resilient boiler and hard-wearing controls, the Silvia is a serious contender for the best coffee machine on the market. The Silvia is well worth the cost of between $700-$780 and produces the best quality coffee this side of $1000.
Design
Rancilio have maintained their reputation for producing top-quality coffee machines with the Silvia espresso machine. Their build quality is second to none, with the Silvia having a strong iron frame and stainless-steel side panels. This is an unheard-of use of materials in competitor models. The use of these materials also gives the Silvia a classic, elegant look, with simple, clean lines further emphasizing this. With its simple switches and branding, the Silvia would suit any modern kitchen and doesn’t take up too much room on your countertop.
One of the nicest features on the Silvia is a warming plate on the top of the device, which fits up to 6 espresso mugs on it. This feature means that you can have nice, warm mugs ready for you to use, which will keep your coffee warmer for longer. All the equipment you’ll need to make perfect coffee is included in the price of the Silvia, for example, a 7-gram coffee scoop, a plastic tamper and two filter baskets for single and double espressos. There is also a cup platform which doubles up as a drip tray, which is a handy feature. Rancilio have even included their commercial standard porta filter handle, so you can rest assured that this is a top-quality coffee machine.
Coffee Customisation
As is typical of all the top-brand espresso machines, the Rancilio Silvia makes use of a 15-bar water pressure to ensure maximum flavor extraction from the coffee you choose to use with it. The Silvia also has Rancilio’s commercial standard group head, which offers brilliant heat stability and extraction quality. If you look even deeper into the Silvia, you’ll find three thermostats which monitor the steam, espresso and boiler temperature to make sure they are all in sync. This process ensures consistent extraction and as a result, smooth, delicious coffee. With the Rancilio Silvia coffee machine, you really are getting a professional quality of coffee, and all for a fraction of the price you’d pay in a coffee shop. And this is all at the press of a button or flick of a switch in this case.
There is an integrated steam wand on this versatile coffee machine, which means you can also create lattes and cappuccinos as well as simple single or double shot espressos. The steam wand can even be used to heat water; allowing you to make americanos too. The wand offers a range of motions and the wand’s steaming knob offers varying pressures, meaning you can create your own professional-quality milk to go on top of your expert coffee.
Ease of Use
Despite its commercial standard components, the Rancilio Silvia is remarkably easy to use. Rancilio have built a 2.48- litre water reservoir, which is pretty large compared to its competitors. This really saves you time as you don’t have to keep refilling it. The water tank has also been designed to be able to be topped up at any time during the brewing process, just in case you forget. The only issue people have picked up on for the water tank is a lack of accuracy in the reserve indicator light. However, this is pretty easy to solve by simply doing a manual check every few brews.
The boiler on the Silvia also has one of the largest capacities of any coffee machine in its league, with an impressive 12ozs of room. Rancilio have improved upon the boiler used in their previous model, by using a chrome plated brass boiler in the Silvia. This construction improves the coffee machine’s overall durability considerably, as well as creating an outstanding level of steam power for top-quality extraction and very tasty drinks.
In addition to this and perhaps one of the most impressive features of this coffee machine is the speed at which it is able to recover between brewing cycles, thanks to this high-power boiler. You can cater for large groups of people with no delay at all and with no impact on the quality of the drinks you serve. As well as a long-lasting boiler and outer shell, the Rancilio Silvia coffee machine has hardy switch controls, rather than the small buttons or touchscreens you see on a lot of other coffee machines. Not only are these easier to use, they’re also much tougher; further adding to the lifetime of this great-value coffee machine. You’d be saving money on replacement parts as well as saving money by making your own professional drinks at home.
The Rancilio Silvia is excellently engineered and so reliable. For busy families, this is crucial. There is also no chance of harmful toxins being released into your drinks due to the careful consideration of materials by Rancilio. Despite the fact this is a semi-automatic coffee machine, it is pretty straightforward to use with a little practice. There is even an optional pod adapter kit if you want to make your life even easier.
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Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a coffee machine that produces barista quality coffee with minimal effort, you should take a look at the Rancilio Silvia. With its commercial standard brewing equipment and user-friendly design, the Silvia is the easiest and most reliable way to achieve a professional range of drinks from the comfort of your home. From single shot espressos to cappuccinos, look no further than the Rancilio Silvia for commercial standard hot drinks.