Rancilio Silvia to Quickmill Alexia - A real upgrade?

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:46 pm

I've had my good old Silvia for eight years, and I'd like to give it to my daughter. I drink one or two straight double espressos a day.

Thanks to you all, I've now realized I don't need a double boiler machine, and probably don't need a Heat Exchanger machine either.

Taste Wise - that's what counts for me - would upgrading from a Silvia to an Alexia - with or without a PID - be a real upgrade, or would I be better off just buying a new PID Silvia?

Thanks.

Pierre

by HB on Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:09 pm

Jeff posed the same question in the Buyer's Guide to the Quickmill Alexia under Is the Quick Mill Alexia worth the extra cost compared to the Rancilio Silvia?

jesawdy wrote:The Quick Mill Alexia machine puts the potential buyer in a bit of a quandary in terms of its price point. In comparison to the ever popular Rancilio Silvia, current machine pricing puts the PID-equipped Alexia at about a $300 premium over a PID-equipped Silvia. The extra cost of the Quickmill Alexia offers:

Infamous E61 grouphead,
Extra portafilter,
Bigger boiler and a bigger drip tray,
Larger pourover reservoir,
Ergonomic articulated steam wand
In my experience, the Alexia delivers great coffee more consistently and with less effort than the Rancilio Silvia. It may be hard to justify $300, especially for a budding enthusiast, but let's just say I have not shed a tear for Silvia during the course of this review and I don't relish the thought of going back to "her".

At the slightly higher end range of espresso machines, espresso machines like the heat exchanger based Quick Mill Anita come into play. It's not an easy call between the no-brainer brew temperature control of the Alexia without instant steam versus the brew management required by heat exchangers. Alexia's advantages are smaller size, precise control, minimal water usage, and much less temperature management attention required. But, as previously mentioned, the Alexia is best suited to the straight shot espresso drinker. If you and/or your spouse are a daily cappuccino or latte drinker or if you frequently entertain, an HX-based espresso machines would be the better choice, if not a dual boiler machine at a considerable increase in cost.

by **JimG** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:25 pm

I own and use both a PID Silvia and a PID Alexia. So I should be able to answer this question easily, right? Wish that were the case.

The Alexia delivers excellent shots more consistently. And the E-61 group on the Alexia allows a very high degree of confidence that your shot will be within 1F of the target brew temperature (assuming you go with the PID option).

The Alexia's E-61 offers pre-infusion, while the Silvia does not. I have always had good luck with extractions on the Silvia, so it is hard for me to objectively determine how much benefit is gained with the E-61. The best I can offer here is that the Alexia seems to produce, on average, a higher percentage of problem-free extractions.

Were the machines the same price, then the Alexia is a clear winner. And for an espresso purist, a PID Alexia is pretty hard to beat for anything south of $5,000US.

If the choices were PID Silvia vs non-PID Alexia, I would choose the PID Silvia (my company builds and sells PID systems for both of these machines, so I probably can't be very objective on this particular point). Even though the Alexia's stock brew thermostat is adjustable, there is still a temperature cycle to deal with.

A final comment: in terms of improvement per dollar spent, you might also consider investing the price difference between the Silvia and the Alexia in a grinder upgrade.

Jim

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:25 pm

Thanks for this info. I'll read this text.

Any serious advantages and/or disadvantages in having the E61 group? Oops... an answer to this question was posted while I was asking it...

Pierre

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:28 pm

This is very interesting.

My grinder is a LeLit PL53. Is it good enough?

Where can i find more info about your PID units for these machines?

Pierre

JimG wrote:I own and use both a PID Silvia and a PID Alexia. So I should be able to answer this question easily, right? Wish that were the case.

The Alexia delivers excellent shots more consistently. And the E-61 group on the Alexia allows a very high degree of confidence that your shot will be within 1F of the target brew temperature (assuming you go with the PID option).

The Alexia's E-61 offers pre-infusion, while the Silvia does not. I have always had good luck with extractions on the Silvia, so it is hard for me to objectively determine how much benefit is gained with the E-61. The best I can offer here is that the Alexia seems to produce, on average, a higher percentage of problem-free extractions.

Were the machines the same price, then the Alexia is a clear winner. And for an espresso purist, a PID Alexia is pretty hard to beat for anything south of $5,000US.

If the choices were PID Silvia vs non-PID Alexia, I would choose the PID Silvia (my company builds and sells PID systems for both of these machines, so I probably can't be very objective on this particular point). Even though the Alexia's stock brew thermostat is adjustable, there is still a temperature cycle to deal with.

A final comment: in terms of improvement per dollar spent, you might also consider investing the price difference between the Silvia and the Alexia in a grinder upgrade.

Jim

by **Marshall** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:30 pm

jesawdy wrote:Infamous E61 grouphead,

What's "infamous" about the E61? I thought it was just plain "famous."

Anyway, as a former Silvia to stock Zaffiro/Alexia upgrader (followed by Zaffiro PID mod), I definitely considered the money well spent in terms of improving shot consistency and quality.

Also the steaming power of the Zaffiro/Alexia is prodigious for the occasional venture into cappa-land. The heat-up wait is not a big deal, if you're making just one. (If you're making several, forget about it.)

PID mod info here (definitely not for amateurs): http://home.earthlink.net/~mrfuss/

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 3:50 pm

Is Zaffiro the same as Alexia?

Can it be bought with the PID factory installed?

Pierre

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 3:57 pm

Will the Alexia be happy with Reverse Osmosis treated water?

Pierre

by **Marshall** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:42 pm

Bellavance wrote:Is Zaffiro the same as Alexia?

A near-twin.

Bellavance wrote:Can it be bought with the PID factory installed?

I doubt it. Some U.S. dealers are offering after-market PIDs. Don't know about Europe.

by **Marshall** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:44 pm

Bellavance wrote:Will the Alexia be happy with Reverse Osmosis treated water?

No coffee is happy with R.O. or distilled water, unless minerals are added back in. Great coffee extraction requires minerals in the brew water.

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:01 pm

How does one add minerals to the water?

Pierre

by **JimG** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:07 pm

Bellavance wrote:Can it be bought with the PID factory installed?

In the North American market, the Alexia is available "PID-ready." It has a knockout in the front panel sized to accept the controller, and drilled/tapped holes on the machine base for mounting the relay. You can buy an Alexia with the PID already installed, or buy a standalone Alexia PID kit, from Chris' Coffee.

I don't know if the Euro version of the Alexia is similarly configured.

I don't think the Zaffiro is available with these same PID-friendly modifications.

We have helped several customers successfully add PID systems to their Zaffiro's by using a customized version of the Alexia system. But this is not a project I recommend for a novice. Although the installation guide is written for the Alexia, the machines are similar enough that folks with some electrical knowledge can make the necessary interpretations.

Cutting a hole through the face of the machine to accept the controller is definitely not an easy job, so using an external enclosure for the controller is usually preferred.

Jim

by **Marshall** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:17 pm

Bellavance wrote:How does one add minerals to the water?

Like this: http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/plumbing/calcitefilter

Also Jim Gallt's PID kits (dealer or self-installed) have an excellent reputation among his customers who post here.

by HB on Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:22 pm

Bellavance wrote:Will the Alexia be happy with Reverse Osmosis treated water?

Please try searching (e.g., "reverse osmosis") and the FAQs and Favorites before asking questions that may have already been asked/answered several times. Thanks.

by **Bellavance** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:05 pm

RE: Reverse Osmosis water.

My RO water has a TDS of 4, so I guess I'll start using spring water in my old Silvia.

Pierre

by HB on Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Bellavance wrote:My grinder is a LeLit PL53. Is it good enough?

For the benefit of those following this thread and to avoid needless repetition, refer to the related threads that Pierre started on CoffeeGeek here and HB here.

by **sweaner** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:50 pm

Dan, would you please stop repeating yourself! :wink:

by **Bellavance** on Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:49 pm

On the Coffee Geek Forum, I was told: A Grinder improvement will show much more results in the cup then a machine improvement.

Does this mean that upgrading from my LeLit PL53 grinder to a better grinder will give me better coffee than upgrading from my Silvia to an Alexia, while keeping my grinder?

Can this be true ? !!

Pierre

by HB on Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:58 pm

Bellavance wrote:Does this mean that upgrading from my LeLit PL53 grinder to a better grinder will give me better coffee than upgrading from my Silvia to an Alexia, while keeping my grinder?

No, in terms of grind quality, you're already in good shape. Jim's Can it Beat the Mazzer Robur? provides one man's informative and entertaining read on the subject. For those who wish to skip ahead, see Tale of the Tape: Mazzer Robur vs. Nemox Lux, which has the same burrs as the PL53.

PS: Your cross-posting of each of your questions is getting tedious (link). Please pick one site per thread, and I won't be offended in the least if it's not here. Thanks.

by **pravspresso** on Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:40 pm

FYI.
I've had the Alexia w/pid for about 6 months now. I had a PID gaggia classic with other mod's before.
I'm using the Rancilio Rocky grinder. The shots have been absolutely amazing.
The machine caught me off guard (sound) when i first started using it... it was very quiet in comparison to my friends Silvia as well as my old Classic. I have noticed the drip tray is enormous and well made for
easy removal and cleaning.
The price is very high in comparison to the Silvia (agreed).
I decided to spring for the extra cash & go for some bling factor with the Alexia (looks fantastic in the kitchen). The tactile feel of lifting the lever to activate the brew cycle has a nostalgic effect IMO

.
I've also been able to brew multiple shots in a row for guests without any lag time for the water to get
back to a proper even temp. You may have to wait a bit longer with the silvia. Serving guests
is no longer an issue because the boiler is very temp. stable. I agree with the previous statement
that this machine is really meant for straight espresso shots. If i had to pull a shot and then steam
milk for each drink i made it would be a real hassle. With a espresso driven machine such as this i pull
all my shots first and then steam milk afterward.

Hope this helps.


Contact Us	Legal disclaimer and copyright: This content and all its parts are copyrighted, all rights reserved. Content including all text and images in part or in whole may not be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission. Home-Barista, Home-Barista.com and related logos are trademarks of Home-Barista.com, LLC. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms of service. Overall speed: fast, current page: 0.4s, avg: 0.5s, max: 3.1s