Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This machine is the perfect blend of quality, durability, and ease of repair for a home machine under $500. It makes espresso that rivals any you can buy at a coffee house.
I've been making home espresso for 25 years and have used many different machines of various prices which all died. I bought one for $250 from Starbucks which died in one year. They told me parts were not available. This machine is practically bullet-proof. I've had it for over 5 years and it is still running like new. Sure it hurts to spend this much on an espresso machine, but how many $250 machines will you go through? Learn from my mistake(s) and get a good one.
All the parts inside are commercial or semi-commercial grade. Anyone who works on commercial espresso machines can work on this one, and the parts are readily available. It's all stainless and cast iron. Very nice.
It has a 3-way solenoid, which you want, trust me. The 3-way solenoid lets pressure escape from the basket when you switch off the pump so that the coffee grounds fall out of the portafilter handle in a solid little disk instead of a soupy mess.
You DO NEED a good grinder made for espresso to use this machine. The pump puts out a solid 9 bar, which means most grinders can't get the coffee fine enough. A burr grinder is the only way to go. This makes the grounds fine enough that a shot will take about 20 seconds to make. Any less time for a shot and it means your coffee is too coarse. If you don't want to buy a grinder right now, there are some good preground espresso coffees in a can (such as Illy), but it will go stale fast. You'll want the grinder.
If you want great espresso, and a reliable machine, you can't go wrong with the Silvia. Take a bit of time to learn proper technique and you'll be happy with this one.
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