With the Silvia Pro X, Rancilio brings a dual boiler machine to the market that comes across like its big sister, the iconic "Miss Silvia". There's a lot of proven concepts, but also some innovations. Does Rancilio manage the leap into the new millennium with the Silvia Pro X without losing its cult status? We tested it! As always, we bought the machine ourselves and can therefore freely share our opinion. Of course, we'll also give you a few tips on how to prepare delicious espresso with the Silvia Pro X.
Many more dual boilers are on the test list and other espresso machines are on the test list.
Rancilio Silvia Pro X Quick Check
The Strengths
- For a dual boiler, the Rancilio Silvia Pro X has a relatively fast heat-up time of just 8 minutes without the steam boiler. With the steam boiler, the espresso machine is ready to use in 11 minutes.
- Good temperature stability, especially with our tips for use further down.
- Relatively low energy consumption for a dual boiler.
- Possibility of pre-infusion, even though a longer programming duration would be desirable.
- Shot timer, which displays the extraction time of the espresso. Many espresso machines skimp on this, but it's such a practical little helper.
- Robust construction and Rancilio Silvia design. Timeless and with cult status.
- Few sharp edges, as the sheet metal is bent at visible places and ends softly.
- Solid portafilter, but also with weaknesses.
- High-quality tamper that fits flush into the basket.
- Good espresso performance. The coffee tastes good thanks to the balanced overall concept of temperature, pressure, and consistency.
The Weaknesses
- Tiny drip tray. In fact, the drip tray of the Silvia Pro X measures itself in this category around the last place in the table compared to other dual boilers.
- Drip tray is not permeable enough and thus repels drips and splashes more than a grate would.
- Relatively low steam power, even though you can get used to it.
- Portafilter not balanced.
- Closely spaced portafilter spouts, which makes it sometimes difficult to hit two cups well and not extract on the edge.
- No cool touch steam wand.
- Pre-infusion maximum 6 seconds
Test Videos for the Rancilio Silvia Pro X
Here are our two test videos on YouTube.
Since our test video became quite long again, we've condensed and shortened the video.
The Exterior of the Silvia Pro X - The Old Volvo Among Dual Boilers
The Silvia Pro X is not a design marvel. Rancilio stays true to itself and has designed a machine that design-wise could have fit into 1998: practical, solid, and unassuming. The comparison to an old Volvo is not far-fetched. Anyone who buys an old Volvo doesn't want to show off with design, but wants to drive a solid and safe car.
The Silvia Pro X has a width of 25.5 cm and is thus relatively narrow. In height it measures 40.5 cm and in depth 42.2 cm. Even with the portafilter inserted, it reaches a total depth of only 51.5 cm, so it fits on any countertop. With a weight of 20 kilograms, it stands solidly on the table and doesn't move around.
Inside the Silvia Pro X there are two boilers: a small 0.3-liter espresso boiler and a switchable 1-liter steam boiler. In our case, the steam boiler was even deactivated upon delivery and had to be activated first.
Our machine had no significant offset, so the displayed values were quite accurate. Nevertheless, we recommend having your specialist dealer measure when you purchase. There is no volumetrics built into the machine, so a scale under the espresso cups is essential!
All in all, the machine makes a high-quality impression. The metal edges are bent on the sides so there are no sharp edges. The gap dimensions are also within reasonable limits, and the accessories fit into the overall picture – practical and solid. The baskets are neat and well-sized. There's also a blind basket for cleaning and a really nice, well-fitting tamper.
The included portafilter also looks solid. Aesthetically, the home barista world is divided. Unfortunately, the portafilter is "top-heavy" due to its large mass and doesn't really lie balanced in the hand. Moreover, the spouts are very close together, so you have to aim precisely to avoid hitting the edge of a cup when extracting two espressos.
The machine's old design is robust and time-tested, but has some disadvantages. The 2.2-liter water tank comes with two tubes that suck the water. If you're not careful, you'll quickly run out of water with this system. When refilling and cleaning the tank, you must always make sure that both tubes are in the water. What was once standard, you hardly find on modern machines today.
Another major disadvantage is the tiny drip tray. Almost nothing fits in it. This is very annoying because not only water from flush shots but also water from the relief valve empties into it.
In daily use, this means you have to empty the drip tray after every second espresso, it seems. The mechanism for emptying the drip tray is moreover so wobbly that you always spill something in the process. Additionally, the grate design isn't really well thought out and water dripping on it stays there. Although there are alternative drip trays with grates available online, Rancilio could have easily avoided this point of criticism.
Temperature Performance
If you know us coffee enthusiasts, you know that we measure every machine down to the smallest detail. Especially when it comes to temperature and temperature stability.
To cut to the chase: The Rancilio Silvia Pro X does a really good job!
If you only want to drink espresso, you can turn off the steam boiler. This helps on one hand to further reduce the machine's already low power consumption, and also shortens the heat-up time. The espresso boiler reaches temperature after about 8 minutes and uses only 0.13 kilowatts per hour when heating up. That's a value that can compete with the thermoblock league!
We concluded that after 10 minutes plus a flush shot to warm through the portafilter, we achieve sufficient brewing temperature (see graph above).
In measurement using the WBC Protocol, we found that at a higher frequency the machine comes out of thermal equilibrium and brews sometimes hotter and sometimes cooler. Nevertheless, the standard deviation of the Silvia Pro X at 1.22 degrees is in a mid-range.
We achieved the best results when we left 90 seconds between individual espresso extractions. Then the Silvia Pro X's temperature stabilized very well and delivered consistent results.
If you want to offer yourself or your guests a cappuccino, you should start the machine with the steam boiler on and wait about 11 to 12 minutes. Although Rancilio states that the machine should reach target temperature after 5 minutes, according to our measurements we're only at about 70 degrees at that point. With this temperature, you can't yet prepare a drinkable espresso. We therefore strongly recommend giving the big Silvia its time! The machine uses about 0.24 kilowatts per hour to heat both boilers, which is also a very good value and puts many machines in the shade.
In our WBC Protocol, we tested the Silvia Pro X's temperature stability under extreme load. We found that too high a frequency can overwhelm the machine. However, this is not a big deal since we're not talking about a commercial machine here.
The Pre-infusion – A Great Innovation!
And then there's something new! Rancilio offers us the possibility of setting a pre-infusion on the Silvia Pro X. During this time, the coffee puck is wetted with hot water for between 0 and 6 seconds. The vibration pump doesn't run during the pre-infusion, but only starts afterward.
What is pre-infusion good for? Ground coffee has a hydrophobic, or water-repellent surface. If you pump water at high pressure through the coffee grounds, it can happen that some areas of the coffee cake accept water earlier and let it through, while other areas react later. This can cause so-called channeling. In channeling, the extraction of the espresso doesn't happen evenly; small channels form in the coffee cake through which the water flows too quickly. The result is an unbalanced cup of espresso.
During pre-infusion, the entire coffee cake is wetted with water. It thus comes into contact with water without pressure and is essentially "persuaded" to let the incoming water through more easily. When the vibration pump kicks in and the water flows through under pressure, the extraction is more even.
Pre-infusion is not a must! Some coffees, especially lighter roasts, benefit more from it than others. Nevertheless, pre-infusion is an innovation that we very much welcome. It's simply fun to experiment a bit more with different coffees. If you ask us, 10 seconds could have easily been included, but the 6 seconds that Rancilio offers are also fine!
Espresso and Cappuccino – We Love It!
An espresso machine should make good espresso – and the Silvia Pro X does! Properly adjusted, it brews us really delicious espresso in consistently high quality. Through the pre-infusion and PID control, we can set all parameters exactly and achieve the most perfect extraction possible. That's fun!
Cappuccino preparation also works well. Since it's a dual boiler system, we don't need heat-up time between the espresso shot and steaming milk. Steam is immediately available, and that can really help when making several cappuccinos in a row!
The steam pressure of the Silvia Pro X is not outstandingly high. Even when we set the PID control for the steam boiler to the maximum of 125 degrees, the steam power remains limited. Rancilio doesn't use a "cool touch" steam wand. Also, the steam wand puffs a bit after being turned off. So don't pull the wand out of the pitcher too quickly, otherwise at the last moment you'll push big bubbles into your milk foam!
Conclusion: A Really Interesting Machine!
"Anything but boring". And with this slogan goes the last Volvo comparison in this blog. But this comparison also fits. Yes, the design appears unassuming, almost a bit old-fashioned. The drip tray is a disaster and the water tank is anything but a modern clever solution. Yet the Silvia Pro X is a really interesting machine.
The machine is very quick to operate at 8 or 11 minutes for a dual boiler. The temperature stability is excellent! The possibility of pre-infusion invites experimentation and gets even more out of many coffees. And most importantly: The espresso tastes good! Every espresso, as soon as the machine reaches operating temperature.
It becomes really interesting when we look at the machine's price. In Germany it can be had for around 1400 euros and in Switzerland for 1600 – 1700 francs. For this money, Rancilio makes a really good offer and delivers a solid machine that you really can't go wrong with. Almost like a Volv… ok, that's enough!
