Rancilio Silvia Pro X Coffee Machine Review

[@tonyx4473]

Bought this machine a couple of weeks ago after owning a normal Silvia for 16 years, the Pro X a delight to use and it is so consistent, every shot is the same. The drip tray is not a problem, seems to drip much less and even after 2 days of 6 coffees daily there is hardly any water inside.

[@Martin-i8o8n]

Same here, fully agreed

[@emanuelaturco4633]

I have purchased today a Pro x cm and a coffee grinder stile, this is my second rancilio tweens after rancilio silva and rocky grinder i hope i will be happy as i was with the first lot, it should arrive soon

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Woohoo!

[@JimboJones99]

I have this machine and absolutely love it. Quality is A+++

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Totally agree!

[@sciencescience9102]

@@AlternativeBrewing Better than Profitec 500?

[@JohnSmith-bn7bl]

@@sciencescience9102 beats the profitec into submission.

[@bluemystic7501]

I would've bought this machine but the 'hot steam wand', the drip tray, and the limited preinfusion, are why I bought another double boiler. Though the Rancilio looks like a tank that would last forever.

[@aaronc3032]

what did you end up buying instead of this? curious as im scratching my head trying to find something

[@bluemystic7501]

@@aaronc3032 Lelit Elizabeth.

[@tullynation]

@@bluemystic7501 I like the look of the Pro X, but I too bought the Lelit Elizabeth (version 1). And while it is pretty lacking on aesthetics, the Elizabeth has been trustworthy for three years now (at the time the Pro X didn't exist and only now is Rancilio catching up to Lelit with features) and has a lot of convenient workflow features like a no-burn steam wand, a large easy to use drip tray, no need to toggle an extra button to turn the steam boiler on (though you can turn it off in the settings), and similar pre-infusion programming. I would like to upgrade at some point to a more attractive machine, but it's hard to find one with the same bang for the buck as the Elizabeth.

[@Crimson_626]

Have you checked out the Profitec Pro 300??? or the Ascaso Steel duo???? I am debating between this machine or the Profitec 300 or Ascaso Duo.

[@bluemystic7501]

@@Crimson_626 I went with a Lelit. The pro 300 actually is a bit tall for my kitchen cabinets. That's a legit machine though.

[@digicambikeman]

Great vid.....Fairly new to the world of espresso ....Been using a Barista express impress ,then bought a Niche Zero grinder which took me to the next level in taste and experiencing great coffees. Feel now im ready to upgrade to the Rancilio Silvia Pro X for reliability , longevity and even more enjoyment of coffee. Love your site 👍🏻

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Niiiice! 🙌 Great combo too !

[@rashidsaif8736]

I have silvia pro .. Great Machine after change basket

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Great 👍

[@rashidsaif8736]

Yup .. I lost 1 kg by rancilio 16 g basket without any good extraction .. but after VST basket .. I get a wonderful espresso

[@jays2002]

Great review. As an existing Silvia owner who has done all the mods, pressure gauge, PID, insulated boiler, new stainless steel chassis, I really wanted to see inside this machine. That bit alone got you the sub aswell as the obligatory like, also bc you're an Aussie 😉. Can you confirm the chassis is stainless steel too. I'd expect it to be for the price and the history of rust under the powdercoat of the earlier Silvia models👍

[@AlternativeBrewing]

🙌 thanks so much! I find it so funny how quick you pick up the Aussie accent in the sea of English / American we're all used to hearing. Yes it is made from S/S 👌

[@jays2002]

I pick it quick because I'm a Western Australian. We're a bit faster over here 😉

[@Martin-i8o8n]

You could have mentioned that the whole frame (all black metal) is stainless steel now. This affects all Rancilio Silvia, Pro and Pro X since 2020. No rust, whatever you do with the drip tray

[@AlternativeBrewing]

You're right! all true 🙌 and is a big plus

[@gettingyounger]

Really enjoyed your review and hearing your thought process in the comparison of the 2 espressos. I will now more than likely upgrade to this machine. One question though. Does Rancilio have good customer support for repairs? I have an Ascaso steel pro and after the steamer has had issues twice in the last 5 years they are a nightmare to deal with and I can't get it repaired. I'm even only 30 mins from their factory in Barcelona. So I won't buy another Ascaso, which is a shame. Thanks!

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Thanks for watching! Wow I'm very surprised by that ! Thankfully - Rancilio do have great servicing. I cannot account for your locality - and this varies worldwide - as you point out - you'd expect incredible service living so close to the Ascaso factory ... Rancilio are well known for being easy to access parts - and easy to service and possibly install new parts yourself if needed 👌

[@gettingyounger]

@@AlternativeBrewing great thanks for letting me know

[@LuisAlbertoCuellarHoyos]

Hi there thanks for the video, is there any recommendations for picking this machine or a Profitec Pro 500. Overall which will be a better machine. I really appreciate the information.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

It would really be the Profitec 600 that would be a comparison to the Rancilio Silvia Pro X. The the Pro X's features of low pre-infusion that's programmable and the upgrades to accessories on the Pro X that I would say make it the better buy 👌

[@PaulRawinski]

Not factoring in budget, looking or HX vs DB, choice between the Silvia Pro X and Profitec Pro 400, which would you choose?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Silvia Pro X 🙌 Variable on most things - great temperature stability - for a little its good value. Plus Rancilio are super simple to repair if needed.

[@marc6652]

Thanks for sharing. This Silvia Pro X seems to be a great choice. But I wonder what's the added value to the Lelit Elisabeth PL92T, much cheaper ?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Good question! They're reasonably comparable - though Rancilio are the more notable brand. It is likely parts and servicing will be much easier on the Rancilio than the Lelit - (depending on your region)... I haven't any experience on the Lelit Elizabeth - though the Rancilio is a very reliable temperature Stable machine 👌

[@steph8408]

Josh, any chance of a full review on the Ascaso Steel Duo PID updated steam model (late 2022)? I'm seriously considering this machine against others due to the benefits of stainless piping in the dual thermoblocks etc. Any negatives? Thanks & Cheers.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

ofc! Hoping to line it up early 2023 👌

[@Boost2k6]

Could you, in theory, saw off/remove the lip at the front of the machine, which leads to having to tilt the drip tray in order to remove it? Without the lip I feel you could simply slide the tray in and out which would help tremendously. Does it actually serve any function I‘m not seeing? The drip tray doesn’t seem to rest on it, so I don’t see the need for it to be there. Or is there something I’m missing?

[@jeremiedumas8555]

Maybe it’s for structural reasons

[@Boost2k6]

@@jeremiedumas8555 yeah, that‘s basically why I’m asking. As it looks, it could simply be removed. But if it‘s there for reasons of stability and sturdiness, then of course you wouldn’t wanna do that.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Yes, you could haha 😂 But I wouldn't necessarily that for everyone purchasing these machines

[@Martin-i8o8n]

No real issue to pull out and empty the tray without spilling anything. Just do it often enough

[@johnmknox]

Which machine do you think is better the Rancilio Silvia Pro X or the VBM Domobar Junior Digital? The Junior Digital looks more stylish however the Silvia Pro X has a dual boiler. I am wondering which will last longer and is less likely to develop a fault?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

developing a faults is a hard one to answer. And is usually something straight from the manufacturer as faulty, or due to the wear & tear. The Rancilio would be my pick - having a dual boiler is awesome. Whilst it's not stylish enough for some, look are deceiving and Rancilio have a fantastic track record of lasting decades! ! VBM are another great manufacturer, and still to this day, if I were going to buy an E61 Lever machine, it'd be a VBM. They've been the best E61 group lever I've ever used. Not clunky, very solid and just beautiful machines to use 👌

[@jeffburling7224]

Could this be used for very light coffee service? Like making coffee for a wedding of 40 - 60 people? Or batching a few dozen shots for espresso martinis in a reasonable amount of time for example?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Yes 👌 You'd be filling that water thank a few times, and It'd be slowish service - you wouldn't want to be pumping them out too fast -temperature will fall - but otherwise yes

[@anastasiosgiakas7472]

Can you adjust the brew pressure in this machine?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

No, unfortunately you cannot

[@ElectTheChopStick]

What is the difference of soft pre infusion from regural pre infusion?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Technically nothing. It's fair to say - the words 'soft infusion' are the marketing terms used by Rancilio. I haven't read or seen anything yet that this function on the PRO X is any different to lifting the lever half way up on an E61 group, where you engage the Grouphead 3-way valve, without engaging the Pump. So I suspect it's basically that same.

[@Val_Smith]

Means it's done at lower pressure. La Merzocco LM for instance hits the puck at 9 bars.

[@JakubTarnawski]

This soft infusion is done at no pressure, whereas regular preinfusion would be done at pressure from the pump (but usually lower than the full brewing pressure).

[@LukeJarrett]

I noticed you had to manually stop the shot from pulling - is there machine with similar features and build quality that you can program to stop automatically after a certain time? Say 30 seconds.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Hi Luke, Thanks for your question. No, you cannot. The machine is a manual start/stop machine. Most Espresso Machines are. One that isn't - and still affordable, that comes to mind is the Nuova Simonelli Musica

[@joebrown6931]

It's completely manual. There is a shot clock timer on the face of the machine. When "30" displays press stop.

[@daisywuwoo1]

Hi AB, im deciding this one with Lelit Elizabeth, what is your opinion here?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Love the Rancilio Silvia Pro & have had one for 2 years. The X is a great upgrade to this. Very temperature stable and reliable machine - easy to repair if ever needed. However - the Lelit Elizabeth - does have some extra features - that help hit just nudge out the Pro X - with LCD screen for navigation, a more silent pump and more

[@Shadowguy456234]

Any idea if the Pro can be upgraded to the Pro X?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Not that I'm aware of, no - otherwise I would of done it by now 😂 I have the Pro too!

[@sjfarrell2.0]

Good review and a nice machine but the price is hefty - £1300 in the UK. I picked up a V6 Silvia for £500 two weeks ago and even though it had its flaws, Im happy with it. I'm not sure what the extra £800 would be getting me if I had bought the pro X? I think if I was in the market to spend near enough £1500 I would be looking elsewhere - my wife would divorce me if I spent that much on a coffee machine though 😂

[@AlternativeBrewing]

😂 You want to avoid that! The Por X, is a much more capable machine of managing temperature. Bing a dual boiler - with independant PIDS - these function to keep the boilers temperature in a very small bandwidth. So brewing multiple coffees on the Pro X is much more consistent. The Pre-infusion is a game changer from the Silvia V6.

[@Val_Smith]

Just ad a PID to v6 and you might be fine.

[@Alfrabro]

Can you replace the steam wand with one that’s insulated?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Yes you could - I'm not aware of one specific from Rancilio - but the part is quite simple to remove if you had a cool-touch wand that fit

[@Martin-i8o8n]

I would not do that. 'No burn' is the most overrated feature I know about. Not of practical relevance and even comes with downsides (see other comment)

[@Supercazzola]

What’s the brand / model of your scale ?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

These are the Acaia Lunar: alternativebrewing.com.au/products/acaia-lunar-scales

[@bhaveshdhulab3413]

Which coffee beans did you use in the video?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Ah - I've since forgotten! I believe it was one of the House blends - alternativebrewing.com.au/products/tobys-estate-coffee-beans-single-origin-espresso

[@noyb-yb]

Question 1: How many seconds pre-infusion did you use for this test and generally recommend (1-6 seconds is provided by Pro-X) ? Is pre-infusion recommended for all roasts - from light to medium to dark roast, for double ristretto and espresso ? Thanks.

[@ElectTheChopStick]

I don't think preinfusion is recommended in darker roasts, it can lead to some excessive bitterness.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

I used a 4 sec PI in this video. I did experiment with 6 and 5, but for this particular coffee, the dose, yield and flavour results they produced - I found the 4 sec to be the point where things ran as planned and tasted good. I"ll usually use anywhere from 4-8 seconds of pre-infusion - depending on the efficiency and flow of the water during PI. As some machines will push water more than others. Than I'll still be aiming for a moderately similar brew time and output as I would without PI, except the flow rate of the espresso will be much greater after PI. Perhaps a video on dialling in Espresso with Pre-infusion is due 👌

[@Assenayo]

I noticed that grinder was not the Oro single dose (looks more like a Silenzio) but had the bellows hopper. Does that mean that those hoppers are available now? I've been wanting one on my Specialita

[@AlternativeBrewing]

100% This is a Mignon Manual with Bellows and Single Dose Hopper ! 👍 There are a few other accessories for the Eureka's - but you'll need to get the Bellows and Hopper separately. alternativebrewing.com.au/products/eureka-mignon-single-dose-blow-up-cleaning-kit

[@jameschappell9183]

Is there any chance i could get a measurement from the very back of the machine just upto the front feet, not to the end of the drip tray? Im really intersted in this machine, but i have limited depth space on my counter. I've been trying to find this information out for a long time, but have had no luck, i would really appreciate if any one could help me with this measurment. Thank you

[@colincochrane4108]

From the very back of the machine to the centre of the front foot 13 inches or 33 cm. Cheers from NZ.

[@evakeizers9670]

More than twice the price of a normal Silvia. Another let down the vibration pump makes a lot of noise. To adjust the boiler pressure is very laborious. Again the diptray is very clumsy. The steamwand isn't insulated. Limited pre infusion. At this price tag I am expecting both more improvements and refinements.

[@TC_Prof]

Looking good Josh! 👌🏻👌🏻

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Thanks! 👍

[@liloharchichi7369]

Very powerfull machine

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Indeed!

[@givemekape2418]

seems kind of insane that a $1,870 machine (USD) doesn't have a no burn steam wand. That's probably the biggest gripe I have with this machine. This feature is found on machines hundreds of dollars cheaper. Not sure how a dual boiler named "Pro X" doesn't have it. When spending over 1.5k on a machine, ease of use and your experience interacting with the machine is a big deal.

[@emmett3067]

Pro's know how not to burn themselves.

[@Martin-i8o8n]

I had machines with 'no burn' steam wands and don't miss it at the Pro X. Very easy to grab it by the rubber piece, never burnt myself. Also milk residue is at mostly at the tip anyways, which is never 'no burn'. The way most 'no burn' wands are made (teflon tube inside), has some negatives. Lower power, worse feeling when moving the wand, issues with after market tips. I do not want anything of that and like the Pro X as it is

[@Crovenko]

How is this machine doing if you need to make like 4-5 cappuccinos?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

perfectly well 👌 Dual boiler, fast heating - no issues at all.

[@SomboonCM]

Dude just sold me a new Silvia.

[@wakeawaken430]

Every body likes E61 group but they forget that Silvia/Silvia pro, are actually saturated group, which means better thermal stability and much faster warm up times I am happy with me Epoca st1 but that Pro X makes me lose my sleep ...

[@JakubTarnawski]

To be exact, it's a ring group, not a saturated group. A saturated group would also have additional electric heating (not just from the boiler above).

[@wakeawaken430]

@@JakubTarnawski saturated group means that it's attached to the boiler If it's electrical heated, that's another thing

[@TomJones-tx7pb]

Why does that drip tray have so much water in it?

[@AlternativeBrewing]

Flushing before and after, and the 3-way solenoid valve - after about 15-20 shots of espresso. You'd empty it before this amount Im sure - every few days - if not daily.

[@HaloFreaker]

where is the crema?

[@slofty]

Crema is overrated and its presence is - speaking generally here - a sign a coffee is too soon off roast and will most likely contribute to baked, overly acidic/bright shots.

[@TomJones-tx7pb]

@@slofty Crema has 2 components. One is the oils in the coffee which produces a dark brown crema, and the other is a gaseous foam from air in the portafilter and off gassed CO2 from a fresh roast. I agree that crema is overrated. If your coffee has too much CO2 it can ruin the PH of the espresso.

[@koxx_hun]

The design is very outdated and quite expensive machine, but the review is good. I bought Lelit Bianca ~€1750 (700.000 HUF) the Silvia is more expensive in Hungary.😳

[@wuugie]

Design cannot be outdated, technology can

[@highoctaneadventure]

To each their own. I think the e61 grouphead machines all look bizarre, even after considering VBM Domobar, Rockets and Lelit Bianca as an upgrade machine. Silvia design is timeless and classic and as close to commercial-grade as you can get for the price when compared to a Linea Mini or E1 Prima. The brew boiler over the grouphead is why it always seems to win in temperature stability and consistency.

[@AlternativeBrewing]

the temperature stability on these machines is not celebrated enough imho

[@Val_Smith]

@@highoctaneadventure VBM Domoba super electronica looks nice

[@FullThrottle2]

Pro x compare to Bianca looks modern

[@TC_Prof]

Pre Infusion is really nice puck it nice 😂

[@AlternativeBrewing]

😂 100% - some seriously good brews

[@mannyr8795]

1500 bucks for a touch wand and a few gizmos, GTFO

[@anthonycastanon6281]

Let's face it, the Silvia is an ugly machine. Rancilio has been leaning on their same look for far too long and I would like to see them take a stab at something different.

[@Val_Smith]

I prefer this look to e61 actually. The Marzocco, Slayere and Kees Van Der Westen etc cost alot more.

[@joebrown6931]

Beauty is only skin deep. I personally prefer it over E61. Silvia has a following, they are probably trying for their appeal,