Some people have said that stories of their first car, a well-equipped container of buttons that took them through high school, across the country to college, and from their first job interviews. I don’t drive, so I had an espresso machine. They saw me in high school, college, and beyond. I would also say that he brought me more joy than grief, but it was close.
It was a Starbucks single-boiler espresso machine, e.g. Ic. It had a simple, straight shape, but most of the plastic parts were torn as they got older. However, this small, old-fashioned design made a good choice for a home espresso. Rancilio Silvia Pro is the spiritual leader of those machines. They are similar in many ways, but Rancilio offers a professional espresso that surpasses some of the most expensive machines on the market.
Spirit in the Machine
When I saw the Rancilio Silvia Pro behind the YouTube video, my jaw dropped. I stopped the movie and spent many years on my photos. There it was. This secret machine looks like a revival of my beloved and old machines that were already dead. It was only a few months later, when I was pulling out the Silvia Pro box, a two-boiler machine, when I noticed how its similarity started.
To put it bluntly, my former loyalist had a very good design and made a medium espresso machine. It’s not uncommon, but it’s a design that has left its mark over the past decade or so in favor of more machines, made with espresso coffee like Breville Barista Pro.
The profile is good and narrow. It fits well on a small home table without taking up too much space. Unfortunately the legs put up my notebook every time I moved. This is because it slides and slides and releases the graphics, as long as I run the machine with my free hand. Not a big deal, though, is the problem that Silvia Pro shares with almost every other espresso machine of its size and weight.
It is a moving, black and stainless steel espresso machine with an electric pump. On your counter, it beats but is strong. It looks like a blanket — and when you shake it, it just screams as if it just runs into water and burns it.
All front buttons are buttons or switch: electric switch, rotary switch, steam switch, hot water heater. There’s a small LCD display for temperature adjustment, and that’s all. Silvia Pro removes everything except the essentials, then nothing stands between you and removes perfectly except yourself. It’s dangerous, in a way. Every time I pulled out a water gun, it was for a reason my digestion or my tool turned off, not because the machine made a mistake in some way. It is true of all espresso machines, but here its design and sophisticated technology only emphasize this.
Professor Silvia
My old machines taught me a lot about how to make good coffee even when you face a lot of challenges. Does this shot sound funny because it grinds a little, or because I need to spray the inner tea again? Is this taste overheated because of my beans, or because there is something strange going on with the portafilter? Cooking coffee with those old machines was a bit of a hassle, but it taught me a lot.
That’s why I can appreciate Silvia Pro’s expertise. I know what it looks like to have a machine that has this design bothering me, or throwing bugs. Initially, I had a few exceptions and learned a few things about Silvia. The portfolio was smaller than I normally would, so make sure you don’t overfill or overdo it. It’s easy to add- or tighten the filter when you close, so make sure you don’t pull too hard. Use enough power to get the portafilter back to where it started, and direct you — don’t try to exercise as much as it can go or you can shoot a little.