The Rancilio Silvia V3 2012 Ed. Espresso Machine is in a class all by itself.  Whilst most manufacturers have a range of domestic and commercial machines, Rancilio is primarily a commercial coffee machine manufacturer.  Rancilio only makes one domestic coffee machine; the Silvia.  All the expertise of building high quality commercial coffee machines has been compressed and built into a machine for the home that has a reputation for solid performance and reliability.

To our surprise, the New V3 EDITION has upgrades from the previous model that make this machine even more desirable!  It has a large brass boiler that allows for ample steam product, a solid brass 58mm group head for superior heat stability and an iron frame with stainless steel casing for long lasting durability. The portafilter comes with a commercial, ergonomically designed handle, as standard equipment.

Some other features of the Silvia include a built in cup warmer, hot water dispensing for hot chocolates, tea, and long espresso drinks.  A newly designed multi directional steam wand makes milk frothing even easier, as you can use a variety of size and shape jugs. The Silvia has a large water reservoir which is filled from the top of the machine so this can be done easily at any time for continual production of great shots. A good grinder is as important as a good coffee machine and this factor is often overlooked.  The Rancilio Rocky series grinders, available in either a doser or non-doser model, is an ideal choice, but slightly cheaper is the Gaggia MDF grinder that will also produce excellent results.  A stainless steel base, Rancilio cups, ESE pod adapter are other accessories worth considering.  Also, don’t overlook a good tamper! There are also some safety features that are worth take into consideration.  There is a thermostat for the boiler, another for the steam production, and a third thermostat that turns off the power to the boiler if there has been a mal function.  This third thermostat can be reset anytime as it is really a circuit breaker style switch.  It is located inside the machine so be prepared to remove some screws.  There are videos on YouTube showing more details on this.