Had a Silvia Pro X that leaked steam into the digital display first year. Whole Latte Love charged me fucking 90 to ship it there and back and fix. What's the point of warranty if I still have to pay for shit. Immediately sold that sucker after I got it back.
Rancilio Silvia Pro X. Literally the most bullet proof and straight forward machines.
If you don’t need a dual boiler get the regular Silvia and get a PID and a really nice grinder
Rancilio Silvia Pro X. Literally the most bullet proof and straight forward machines.
If you don’t need a dual boiler get the regular Silvia and get a PID and a really nice grinder
Rancilio Silvia. Simple, but with some mods, can become a very prosumer machine. And it’s literally a tank. All the piping is thick copper. High quality wiring.
I love my Rancilio Silvia. I have a PID and once I get some free time I will do a pressure gauge and dimmer mod to it.
Out of all those machines, the Silvia will steam milk like a real espresso machine would the best.
I have a Rancilio Silvia Pro X, and I couldn’t figure out what car it’d be. Toyota Avalon?
Then I thought, no wait… it’s a Volvo. Just nice enough around the edges not to be a beat up Nissan Altima, but definitely milquetoast. Then I saw your comment, which made me feel validated.
I’m going to add to this and suggest that the Lelit is a Hyundai.
If cappuccinos are the main goal, look for a machine with a strong steam wand and stable temperature. In that price range, machines like the Lelit Mara X, Profitec Pro 400, or Rancilio Silvia Pro X are popular because they make excellent espresso and steam milk well. Just keep in mind you’ll also want a good grinder if you don’t already have one, since that makes a big difference in espresso quality.
This man knows! First machine was a 10 year old Silva with pid added after. I added 7 years to that machine and it’s still going with a friend!!! Dad blessed me with the Silvia Pro X 4 years ago and amazing upgrade for when I host parties and pulling shots. I got an absurd blessing on a Super Jolly Grinder that I’ve had for 10 years
This man knows! First machine was a 10 year old Silva with pid added after. I added 7 years to that machine and it’s still going with a friend!!! Dad blessed me with the Silvia Pro X 4 years ago and amazing upgrade for when I host parties and pulling shots. I got an absurd blessing on a Super Jolly Grinder that I’ve had for 10 years
Biggest piece of advice: budget for the grinder first, machine second. That “avg coffee grinder” you have almost certainly won’t cut it for espresso — pour over and espresso grind requirements are worlds apart, and a mediocre grinder will bottleneck even an expensive machine. I’d split your budget roughly 50/50. A Eureka Mignon Notte ($300) or DF64 Gen 2 ($360) paired with a $700-900 machine will run circles around a $1,500 machine with an inadequate grinder.
For the machine — at 4-6 shots a week you absolutely don’t need a dual boiler. That’s overkill for your use case. A single boiler with PID gives you temp stability without the cost. The Lelit Anna PID or Rancilio Silvia Pro would both give you a real espresso experience with room to grow, and since you like tinkering and dialing things in, you’ll appreciate the control they offer over the more “black box” Breville options.
You already know what good espresso tastes like from that Rocket at work — what grinder are they pairing with it? That might help narrow things down for you.
Top Espresso Machines on Reddit
1
Breville
Bambino Plus
77% positive of 1,081 users
Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.
apexalexr
