Power up times Rancilio Silvia

countrykid

Hi

I am new to the whole home expresso/barrista thing and am currently on a reseach phase. One of my front runners for my budget ($1000) is the Rancilio Silvia, which seems to rate well on many forums.

One consistent "con", however, is its power up time. I assume that this is the time from switch on to ready to make the first cup. I haven't actually been able to find the actual time listed anywhere.

I was hoping someone may be able to tell me how long it take?

Cheers  

Sir_Val

Hi - I have found that my Miss Silvia takes about 6 minutes to heat up + about 2 minutes when you switch the steaming switch on. Of course this time passes pretty quickly as you get the milk jug  and milk out, warm up the cups, grind your first shot etc etc. Hope that helps,                      Sir Val. P.S. - the coffee is delicious and make sure you buy a decent grinder along with the Silvia.

Lovey

Hi guys and welcome to the forum. The Silvia is a fine machine indeed, and when coupled with a good grinder and technique, will produce sensational results. The machine will take a bit longer than 6 minutes to fully heat up (more like 20-30 mins), the last thing you want to do when pouring your shot is to have your nice hot espresso hitting a cold portafilter  :P. By this I mean that the boiler, group head and portafilter all need to be up to operating temp before you start pulling shots. There are ways of getting around this time if you can't wait that long. 1. When the boiler is up to temp, run some hot water through the grouphead with the portafilter attached. This will bring the group and pf up to temp quicker as they are in contact with hot water, rather than waiting for the thermal conduction between the boiler, group and pf. 2.Put the machine on a timer to switch it on before you want to use it. There is a slight risk of damage to the machine if you use the timer option though. Good luck with your purchase, and don't be afraid to ask questions. All the best, Steve

admin

To be honest, i believe it depends on your personal 'espresso management' system. With most decent machines, if you only turn on the machine [just] before you're about to make your shot, you're going to be waiting a while, whichever machine you've got. I've got a Giotto, and I should probably wait the full 20-25 minutes, but i really don't time it - i just turn it on first thing in the morning, so that it's ready when i'm ready to make a shot - whether it's 15 mins or half-an-hour later! -A

askthecoffeeguy

I turn my machine on first thing in the morning and off last thing at night! That way I can have my breakfast, jump in the shower, and have my coffee as I'm getting ready to go - although I am in the somewhat fortunate position that if I miss out on my morning cuppa I get to spend the whole day making (and drinking) coffee! Pat