Was wondering what the thoughts are on a Rancilio Audrey? Are the Silvias the same or a upgraded version? Can I still get parts for them? Am I buying an item that is too old and troublesome? I found one pretty cheap and after asking about the Nemox thought this might be of interest. Would the Nemox Napoletana be better still? Limited budget at the moment(well for a while) and need to upgrade the Breville.
Been a while since working on a rancilio audrey / nancy the top red switch is attached to the level sensor for the cold water tank. Rancilio Miss Lucy. By plindwall in forum Brewing Equipment - Midrange ($500-$1500) Replies: 1 Last Post: 16th March 2010, 09:42 AM.
Thanks once again for your help and thoughts. Sorry for the different questions. Would love to have a bigger budget. Was wondering what the thoughts are on a Rancilio Audrey? Are the Silvias the same or a upgraded version? Can I still get parts for them? Am I buying an item that is too old and troublesome?
I found one pretty cheap and after asking about the Nemox thought this might be of interest. Would the Nemox Napoletana be better still? Limited budget at the moment(well for a while) and need to upgrade the Breville. Thanks once again for your help and thoughts. Sorry for the different questions. Would love to have a bigge budget. AndrewAndrew- theyre a great little machine!
Consider the Audrey to be a Silvia with different clothing and identical performance. I prefer the Audrey steam wand (straight and on a ball joint) over that of the Silvia. If the unit has been well maintained, Id grab it. Yep have thought about Lucy (or Kathy for that matter) but theyre very thin on the ground and their ridiculous retail price would probably keep their 2nd hand value too high. For $1300 I could get a good 2nd hand Silvia and a new Mazzer mini!
That said, if one came up at a good price Id certainly consider it Now thats interesting; I checked their site Wednesday and they only had Silvia, Rocky and the combo. Id also heard they were dropping the Lucy. Interesting theyve now got it online. Perhaps theyll bring the price down too???
Looks like an updated model too if Im not mistaken - has the same group surround as the new Silvia! Yessss, new Lucy for. Are they the same interally? Brass boiler, boiler size, water tank.?
Do they suffer the same temp problems as the Silvia? Parts, and gaskets a problem getting? Thanks Greg and 2MCM for your thought s and comments. I am on a very steep learning curve.
Wanting the best for as little as possible. Would the Audrey be better than the Nemox Napolatena?
I all ready have a Breville Burr grinder. Regards AndrewHi there, Andrew! Just to reiterate what the others have said, this sounds like a good deal if you dont mind the looks.
Learn How to Brew with Your Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine The Silvia has a long history as one of the finest home espresso machines on the market, and by far one of our favorite machines. However, since the Silvia is a semi-professional machine with a commercial style (straight through) portafilter design it does require some practice, trial and error and a high-quality coffee grinder in order to achieve a perfect espresso. Following are some brewing tips and instructions intended mostly for the beginner home barista using the Rancilio Silvia.
These tips also apply to most any semi-auto machine that uses a commercial style portafilter. Brewing with the Silvia:.
First, one important comment is that with a single boiler like the Silvia you should always brew all of your espresso first, then steam milk if desired for cappuccino or latte. The reason is that after steaming the boiler is far too hot for brewing espresso, and it would be almost impossible to obtain any crema while burning the espresso. Generally, after steaming you always turn the steam rocker switch off, and allow at least 10-20 minutes for the unit to cool down properly before brewing again. To achieve a nice crema requires 'dialing in' your grinder and current beans as follows:. Start with the double-shot basket (most pros never use the single shot at all, the double basket tends to brew better). Set the grinder to a fine 'espresso' setting (but not the finest setting).
Fill the filter basket so that it's almost level with the top rim before tamping then tamp firmly (no need to press too hard, the key here is to be consistent from test to test with the same pressure). Once tamped, the top of the ground coffee should be lower than the top rim of the filter basket by about 3/16”. This is required for clearance of the brew group when the portafilter is installed in the machine.
If the coffee is too high, you may encounter binding when twisting the portafilter into place, which will also compact the coffee furtherwhich is not desired. Try brewing this shot and see what happens. Ideally, the shot should flow out in a thin but steady stream (like warm honey). If the espresso flows very fast and is splashing: The grind is too coarse, move the grinder 1-setting finer and repeat the process until you obtain a good result. If the espresso just drips out, or nothing comes out: The grind is too fine, move the grinder 1-setting coarser and repeat the process until you obtain a good result. Steaming Milk with the Silvia: The Silvia uses a commercial style steam wand, which essentially is a pipe with some small holes at the end where the steam exits. Since there is no special 'frothing' device on this wand, steaming milk for cappuccino and latte drinks can require a little practice, and everyone uses a slightly different technique.
Following are some basic steps that we often use here in our office, you can try these as a good starting point. Fill a stainless steel frothing pitcher about 1/3 full with cold milk (2% seems to froth best, whole milk is a little more difficult but tastes better in our opinion). Insert the steam wand tip just below the milk surface and slowly open the steam valve. Do not move the pitcher up and down; rather try to keep the tip just below the surface only deep enough to prevent splashing.
You will need to gradually lower the pitcher to maintain the tip position since the milk surface will rise as it froths. As soon as the milk reaches about 160F turn off the steam, be careful not to let the milk exceed 180F otherwise it will scald and you will need to start over with fresh milk. General Brewing Tips for the Rancilio Silvia: Coffee grind: As noted above the coffee grind fineness is critical in obtaining a perfect espresso with a commercial style (straight through) portafilter design like the Rancilio Silvia uses. If the grind is too coarse the espresso will flow through too fast and be weak and watery, if the grind is too fine the machine will struggle to flow through it and the result will be over-extracted and bitter. Coffee grinder selection: A quality is essential in obtaining a perfect espresso with this type of espresso machine and many burr grinders on the market we have tested simply can not grind fine enough. Following are the recommended grinders that we carry and have tested to confirm the ability to grind fine enough:.
Baratza Virtuoso. Rancilio Rocky. Baratza Vario.
Gaggia MDF Pre-ground espresso: Unfortunately most pre-ground espresso is not grind fine enough for great results using a commercial style (straight through) portafilter. This does not mean you can't use and enjoy them, please just be aware that you are unlikely to obtain a thick, creamy espresso shot.