Rancilio Silvia with GaggiMate: Outstanding Espresso

I’ve been very happy with my Rancilio Silvia, but adding GaggiMate took it to another level. The control over temperature, pressure, and brew profiles helps me make consistently excellent espresso at home. Together, they rival machines that cost much more.

If you need a more capable machine for making several drinks back to back, consider the Rancilio Silvia Pro X. For my home setup, though, the Silvia with GaggiMate is all I need for outstanding espresso.

Bought this Sylvia Version 1 in 2002 plus the Rocky and the Base. My espresso service shop owner tells me it's the only Sylvia of its age he's serviced with the original boiler. Still going strong.

We recently bought our first espresso machine from Seattle Coffee Gear and we love it; we're still learning how to use it. Shipping was very fast from their warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.Our white Silvia (without PID control) is a challenge, but it's also a lot of fun and a great opportunity to learn something new if you dedicate the time to it.I wish it were still made in Italy, but nowadays it is manufactured in Spain. When we contacted SCG's customer service, this is what they told us:"Rancilio has moved production of these units to Spain, but most of the internal components are still sourced from Italian suppliers. We have compared the Italian-made and Spanish-made machines and have not observed any differences in quality. Additionally, there are several discussions online, including on Reddit, where owners report that the quality remains consistent and they have not experienced any issues."Overall, we are very happy with it.

Great and consistent espresso Machine! One of the best! I'm pleased with the purchase. Rancilio V6 machine it's a beauty at this price point. I would recommend upgrading the baskets and if you are an espresso power brewer but all in all they work well and I have no complaints.SCG also shipped the machine extremely fast and it was packaged very well!

Everything you need and nothing you don't. Built like a tank. I have been having so much fun with this machine. Thanks so much Seattle Coffee Gear!

A big improvement over the Gaggia Classic that I'd had for many years. I've used this for a few weeks and I'm still trying to dial in a dependably good espresso.

I thought I'd write a review to sing the praises of the Rancilio Silvia. I bought her in 2005, and she still looks and works as good as her first day. I usually make 2 cappuccinos per day, and have done so for 19 years now (that's close to 14,000 cappos). Nothing has ever broken or gone bad. My early Silvia had a smaller, straight steam wand so I long ago replaced it (by choice) with the larger one Rancilio uses now, and it was easy to do. I also got a better steam wand knob, but other than these two things, everything is original. All the lights and other components are working perfectly as always. There is no rust anywhere because I clean and dry the water tray and grill top after every use. My main advice to a new Silvia owner is to do a good cleaning somewhat frequently....on my 2 cappos per day schedule I have always cleaned and descaled every couple of months. Get a good grinder...I've used my 2008 Baratza Vario since it first came out and it works great. Silvia is definitely finicky about the grind, and the Baratza permits quick and easy adjustment of the grind to make Silvia happy. Even being a tank, if you take good care of Silvia she'll last a long time. I truly would not want a different Espresso machine with more complex electronics than this.

I purchased this machine (and coffee grinder) from Seattle coffee gear in 2013 and it has operated flawlessly for over ten years. I have often recommended this machine to friends and coworkers.

I just added a PID. It makes a big difference on the shot. I was quite amazed. I have my Silvia about two months. The PID was out of stock when I ordered it. The temperature control alone is worth the money. Add the pre-infusion and dwell time and this makes it a great little machine. I would have purchased the Pro, but my counterspace is very limited. One tip for those using this machine under a kitchen cabinet- drop a PIng Pong Ball into the tank. You can see the water level much better as you add water. I upgraded from a Via Venezia. The shots are much better!! and it takes 1/4 the time to steam milk

This is our 2nd Rancilio, bought our first one used years ago and it still works fine, a little beat up but working. We bought our new one from Seattle Coffee Gear because it was time for a new model. Machine is working perfect. From the website to customer service Seattle Coffee Gear is my #1 place for all my espresso and grinder machine needs. They are knowledgeable, personable, and their customer service is the best. Thank you Seattle Coffee Gear!

A bit of a learning curve associated with the Rancilio Silvia. The team at Seattle Coffee Gear was great answering my questions. I've been using it for about a month and I'm really pleased with it. Happy I went with the PID option. Makes a great espresso, which is my go to caffeine hit, and the frothing wand works great for the occasional macchiato.

Spectacular machine. A little nuanced and absolutely a learning curve involved, but brilliant espresso and cappuccino just like when we were in Italy. Best non-commercial machine on the market and by far the best under a grand.

This machine is amazing! Comes with such high reviews! Cant wait to master this skill.

I have yet to run a cleaning cycle. Please explain to me 1. how pumping against a blockage does not do any damage, and 2. what sort of internal plumbing makes that possible? (include a schematic, because that's all I can understand)

Probably the only machine I will ever buy. PID versions are the only thing different I, or anyone else, would get on this machine. I wish I had bought this 10 years ago.

Why is it so hard to put my portafilter into the group head?

I have had my Silvia since 2000. It is a perfect espresso machine, with the addition of a PID, which I accomplished about 15 years ago. Silvia is pretty much bulletproof. I had to change the portafilter gasket a few times. that stopped when I found a silicone gasket that could be pushed into the head. Silvia is built like a brick. The stainless steel exterior is easy to clean and is of course rust proof. the electrical components are of good quality, and are easy to access if you want to do a self install on a PID.

It's a fine machine, but it's hard to believe that a thousand bucks doesn't buy you PID.

I bought the Rancilio Silvia because the design has remained constant for many years which simplifies the repair process. My two previous machines look sexier but the internal design changed repeatedly, making the machines nearly impossible to repair. That said, I got a nearly 15 year run from both before they failed.The finish of the Silvia is not as refined as some but is no-nonsense and somewhat industrial. The design appears extremely stripped down relative to these other machines.As far as performance goes, I was initially a little disappointed with the shot since the flow was greater than my previous home machine. I tried to make the grind finer on my grinder; however, it was already set to the finest setting. I therefore replaced my grinder as well and dialed in a setting which resulted in a very nice, creamy shot. In combination with the new grinder (Eureka Mignon), it definitely generates a high quality shot. Good? (but not as good as my work machine that 2.5x the price).

I bought this about 2 months ago because my 20-year-old Starbucks/Saeco machine blew a boiler bolt and I wanted an espresso machine right away while the old one was repaired. I've been underwhelmed by the Rancilio since Day 1. Today I ground 1/4 oz of coffee beans (~7 grams) and used the single-shot basket in the portafilter. A fine grind, but not to the level of powder. I used the provided tamper to even out the grounds in the basket with no pressure other than the weight of the tamper. The level of the grounds reached just below the upper crease in the basket; anything more than that and I can't get the portafilter to mount completely. After mounting the portafilter and turning the unit on, coffee starts to flow at a slow trickle and I can see the crema start to come out. After 15 seconds the demitasse is about 1/3 full and the flow of the coffee turns to a dribble. After another 10 seconds that dribble has turned to drip, drip, drip. When the demitasse is about half full after about a minute, the orange light comes on, indicating the boiler is running out of hot water, nowhere near the supposed 12 oz that's supposed to be ready and available. After about 90 seconds the cup is about 3/4 full and I give up.This thing has never produced anything more than a thin film of crema, and the flavor is pretty meh.

It seems sturdy enough, but also pretty clunky. The espresso machine that I replaced was a 23 year old Starbuck Barista. It made a much better shot of espresso. I really struggle to get anything but a watery shot out of this thing. No crema on top. I have watched YouTube videos and the video on your website to make sure I'm doing it properly and it doesn't seem to help. The grind is very fine, I get it even in the filter. Press down as hard as I can. Still watery. My theory is that the filter is too shallow. I wish I hadn't purchased it and wouldn't recommend. Also, the hoses don't stay down in the water tank so I have to keep it very full.

It's a solid starter machine to learn how to dial in and brew good espresso. Overall happy with the purchase, the machine feels and operates with a high quality feel. The light on the steam switch was burnt out upon arrival, but we decided it's not worth the hassle to contact customer support

Honestly not sure why this gets such good reviews... it isn't always about what the coffee taste like. This machine is difficult to use, and it isn't because of an expresso (shot size, grind size, etc) learning curve, its because its poorly designed. First off, there is a bolt that sticks into your puck, so if you dont seat it properly (very very easy to do with this machine) you have to redo your puck. This alone is enough to turn me off entirely to this machine. And very often, the puck sticks to the machine, so you have to go and fish it out.