Picked up this Rancilio Silvia V4 setup today for 400 locally, and spent the afternoon cleaning it all up and descaling. Feels like it wasn’t used very much. Super stoked!
I’m planning on bringing this along during the winter to energize my ski days pulling shots off the tailgate of my truck. Just tested it with my Yeti 1000X power bank and everything is good to go — pulls about 880 Watts while heating up the steam boiler and 8 when idling. There were some other (smaller and lighter) candidates for aprè ski espresso but they all pulled more wattage than my current powerbank could manage. The Rancilio is surprisingly efficient compared to its peers.
I may “pre measure/ pre grind” some beans in the mornings that I head out. What kind of containers do y’all use that would be good to hold grounds that are a bit more durable than glass?
Can’t wait to post a snowy “Coffee Station” photo this winter!
by StormyTheNinja
21 Comments
Nice! Probably will want to upgrade the grinder at some point but this will last you a good while.
You did fantastic, both the grinder and machine will serve you for a lifetime.
Both units are very easy to fix and parts are readily available.
Make sure you’ve got a good way to insulate it while you’re on the hill. -10 degrees is bad for pressurized water in pipes
You killed it!
Look up bean cellars for pre measured dosages. Normcore makes some but there are cheaper ones on amazon too
That Silvia will work a whole lot better (a lot more consistent drink making) if you install a proper PID.
What a waste of money. Don’t worry, I’m feeling generous. I will take the combo off you for $200 so you can at least recover some from the scam.
Great buy! I have a very similar set-up, and I love it. Enjoy.
I think you already know…..
very good. You will enjoy it as long as you keep off reddit and other coffee social media influencers. haha. Otherwise, We will see you back here in a few months asking about grinders.
That’s awesome. I’m not sure how you’re going to safeguard against condensation/metal related issues with rapid heating and cooling. You’re also going to have to pull several shots to warm up your grouphead and portafiler I imagine. I might pop the off the casing and toss it under a fan when you get home off after the ski weekend, maybe that will help preserve the electronics a bit.
Consider a hand grinder? Grinding fresh is the best way to have your shots taste good. Just 18g portions of weighed beans in ziplock bags would be good enough. If you’re pre-grinding you might as well just toss it in a tin and use a scoop and eyeball the grounds amount until it feels right.
No matter what route you go, whatever comes out of that machine is going to taste incredible. It’s like how Evan Williams bourbon tastes better around a campfire, its just meant to be
great steal!! I have that combo for the last 10-12 yrs. grinder is great. Expresso still good . have replace the heater. nice!
I got the same combo for the same price!!Hahaha!
I paid that for a V3 and a rocky.
https://preview.redd.it/8j88dx1n90sf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ca7b921a6f1316de48a1f850323de0bd65bf61b
Great deal! I’ve got the same rocky, converted to single dose with tilt base and 3d printed hopper.
my dude, i did it exactly the same in 2021 for 325, which lets face it, is 400 after inflation for today’s money. It has served me extremely well
get a deeper double basket for it and run bottomless. It made it all worth it for my silvia
F yea
Amazing find!
Curious – was this a marketplace find?
Honestly, the grinder has horrible retention. It always ate up 3-4 grams for me. I had to go for another brand s few years in. In the meantime, I put zip lock bag over the top and pushed air into it to force the rest of the coffee out of the grinder. Search for retention issues and you’ll find tons of similar issues.
Espresso machine is great. Still use mine after 5 years. Standard maintenence is needed but thats the case for them all.
In case it isn’t already mentioned, i think the Silvia has a power saving module, you may want to see if one is present before letting it idle in the cold.
Can’t wait to see your pics!