Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machinet,0.3 liters, with Iron Frame and Stainless Steel Side Panels, 11.4 by 13.4-Inch

Miss Silvia can either be a dream machine or a regrettable purchase, but this has nothing to do with the machine and everything to do with the operator.Miss Silvia is a very simple and well built machine. Rancilio has been true to this concept since her inception. She sports a solid brass boiler, steel frame, and she's finely dressed in easy to clean stainless steel. There's no shortage of pressure, water, or heat. Everything about Miss Silvia is built to last. This simple, high-quality build approach isn't for everyone because it trades off automation for skill.A person who leans toward automatic, mediocre espresso will bemoan the simplicity of Miss Silvia. She lacks many modern features such as a PID controller, pressure gauge, timer, on/off scheduler, etc. Implementing such features in Miss Silvia would reduce her simplicity and dependability at her current price. Rancilio elected to favor quality and simplicity over automation to keep Miss Silvia's at her current price. That reality bridges us back to my opening comment that whether or not this is a dream machine comes down to the operator.I personally find it no chore at all to repeatably pull excellent quality shots from Miss Silvia. That's not an easy feat with numerous machines considerably more expensive then she is. However, to get these results I've followed my nature to study and practice. I've learned over the years with other equipment what it takes to pull excellent shots of espresso. While the espresso machine certainly does matter, pulling excellent quality shots goes far beyond the espresso machine. One must put in the time to learn about different roasts of coffee, grinds and grinders, tamping and tampers, heat consistency, maintaining pressure, and how to properly apply all these important areas to pull an excellent quality shot of espresso. I've applied my experience to Miss Silvia and enjoy the process of doing so. After getting to know her for a couple of months I have no trouble whatsoever enjoying one smooth shot of espresso after another... all with Miss Silvia in her stock configuration.It's also not in my nature to blame a tool if it doesn't do the job it was designed to do. That statement assumes two things. 1.) The tool was designed to do a job a specific way at a specific level of quality. 2.) The person using the tool understands how to use the tool properly in order to get the best results possible from the tool. Miss Silvia was designed to pull repeatably excellent quality shots of espresso. So an inability to get such results is the fault of the operator not Miss Silvia.If you're a person who likes analogies let me put it another way. If a person owns a high-quality pen but has terrible penmanship, a vacuum of creative writing ability, sparse knowledge of grammar, and a limited vocabulary is it the pen's fault they cannot write an engaging story? No, it's not the fault of the pen. It's the fault of the writer. With Miss Silivia it's the operator's fault if they cannot pull a high quality shot of espresso. That's the truth.With that analogy in mind I highly recommend Miss Silvia. If you understand the art of pulling excellent shots of espresso and are willing to put in the time to learn who she is and how she works she won't disappoint you.However, I don't recommend Miss Silvia if you refuse to get to know and understand her, or to study and practice the science of pulling repeatably great shots of espresso. If you don't enjoy the process and are only interested automation you will blame Miss Silivia for your own lack of ability to pull quality shots from her, and she really is a fantastic machine. If you're an instant-gratificationist I'm afraid there is no silver bullet to pulling repeatably great shots of espresso from Miss Silvia. You need to go for a more expensive automatic machine.The truth is there is a lot to learn about pulling great shots of espresso regardless of the machine. Even the most expensive espresso machine on the market would confront you with challenges. Every machine has a personality and Miss Silvia is no exception. She is, however, and exceptionally well-made machine for the money. Enjoying her build quality is a matter of the person, not a matter of the machine. Hope this helps you make a buying decision.

I have been saving up to purchase this machine for a very long time. The day finally came and I receieved my Rancilio Silvia V3. After watching tons of videos and reading a bunch of reviews, I felt like I was relatively prepared to start my relationship with Miss Silvia. I am good to her, and my goodness is she good to me. So long Starbucks, so long Moka Pot...hello sweet Crema.My impressions after 1 week (I will update if things change)Aesthetically she is beautiful. I think my wife put it best when she said that it has a simple design, almost trying to be retro yet with a very strudy/industrial finish. All in all a very classy, simple, and efficient design.The machine pulls phenomenal shots and so far I have been pulling roughly a quarter to a half of an inch of Crema. The boiler heats up quickly and teperature surfing has proven to be both very effective and very easy. The steam wand is powerful and froths milk for a silky smooth latte or cappucino perfectly. And the Portafilter is very well made (heavy) and feels very "professional". If there is one thing the Italians know how to do...its Espresso (and Espresso Accessories).*UPDATE* The crema comment above has more to do with the beans and the freshness of the roast then it does with the machine. I mean, don't get me wrong...the Rancilio creates a much better shot and much better crema than the average home espresso machine...but the volume of the crema really depends on the freshness of the roast. Most roasters recommend you let a fresh bag of beans air out for at least a few days....and the fresher the roast typically the thicker the crema.I had only one main concern going into purchasing this machine.-I own a Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder. I have read countless reviews of this grinder saying it is terrible for Espresso (at least without the Shim Kit). To my pleasant surprise, on the second to finest setting my Smart Grinder grinds the perfect consistency for my Rancilio (WITHOUT the SHIM KIT). Perhaps Breville made the adjustments on my machine but it works like a charm. I am currently getting nearly exactly 2 ounces of espresso coffee in a double shot in about a 26-28 second pull.*UPDATE* GET THE ROCKY. I used my friends Rancilio & Rocky and it DOES make a difference. I wish i had coughed up the extra $150 bucks for the Rocky. Well worth it. The grind is more even and the puck comes out solid and dry. It truly is incredible the differnce.I am beyond pleased with both my Rancilio and my Breville Smart Grinder.*UPDATE* No longer "Beyond Pleased" with my Smart Grinder, more like "Content"If I had to list one concern or "not perfect" aspect of Miss Silvia it would probably be that it would be difficult to entertain a lot of people with this machine. I would guess that an expert barista could kick out lattes in probably about 4 minutes of eachother using Miss Silvia. However, this is a HOME USE machine and is not intended for Commercial use. So I am sure most all other machines intended for home use would have the same issue.To sum up this ridiculously long review...If you haven't already, it's about time you start your love affair with Miss Silvia. She is certainly worth the investment!