Rancilio Silvia versus Bezzera 99

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• askthecoffeeguy

  April 2007

  Well now... talk about jumping in the deep end! From a Krups to a Bezzera is a mighty big leap! As a Bezzera owner myself I cant speak too highly of the machine. And to compare the BZ99 to the Rancillio Silvia really does not do justice to either machine. The Silvia is a fine machine, definitely at the top end of the domestic scale, and is capable of producing excellent espresso, and fine microfoam, and is more than suitable for most household needs. The main difference between the Silvia and the Bezzera BZ99, as far as I am aware, is the boiler size of the machine. Not sure big the boiler is on the BZ99, but it's pretty big, which means that you can steam milk and extract coffee at the same time, without adversely affecting extraction quality. Also, the Bezzera is rated at 90 coffees per hour, and certainly I have made around 50 coffees in an hr on this machine, over new years' for a beach party with friends, without any loss in quality! You would definitely not be able to reproduce the same performance from the Silvia, but the Silvia will still give you great tasting espresso coffee, and for the price probably beats anything else on the market (except the new Sunbeam dual thermoblock machine - which definitely gives the Silvia a run for it's money, and is capable of simultaneously extracting coffee and steaming milk at the same time, with the added bonus of rapid start-up time between extractions) My mate has a Silvia which I've used on a number of occasions, and I've never been disappointed by the machine yet! Yet when you start looking at machines like the Bezzera, it's an entirely different kettle of fish! The BZ99 is basically a semi-commercial machine (as opposed to a high-end domestic), and as such it has far superior temperature stability, and a beautiful long and slow extraction time, which produces a lovely rich and deep crema, with subtle complexity that lower end machine can only dream about! And due to the large boiler capacity, the BZ99 will happily produce coffee for 10 or 20 people without a problem, and without having to wait for the boiler to re-cycle between extractions. The water reservoir of the BZ99 holds about 2lts (from memory) - so this still needs to be constantly topped up with filtered water, but this machine has the added bonus of being able to be plumbed into the main water supply. Both are excellent machines and offer, I think, very good value for money. But its horses for courses. I was very happy with my Baby Gaggia until such time as I traded up to the Bezzera, and the Gaggia more than satisfied my domestic needs. The Bezzera gives me the added ability to cater for a large group of friends, if I desire to do so, but I was quite happy with my domestic machine for 10yrs, before I invested in high-end equipment. It would be worth your while going into a shop and having a look at what else is available before you lay your money down. And I would recommend having a go on any machine you intend to purchase, before you actually do so. Cheers, ACG  

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• crosby

  April 2007

  That explains a lot for me, thanks.  So basically the Bezzera is a more robust machine than the Rancilio, heavy duty, better parts etc.

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• askthecoffeeguy

  April 2007

  i think it comes down to capability and the individual needs of the home barista you need to trust your gut instinct and go with what you feel comfortable spending when it comes to your home machine every machine has it's own merits, and its only by working my way through the entire spectrum, over a prolonged period of time, that I've come to appreciate the individual nuances of each machine, and to appreciate the differences in economies of scale sometimes its better to get the most out of a machine that you're comfortable working with, to figure out what does and doesn't work for you, and then to apply this acquired experience to your next machine, whatever that might be sure, capacity and components are important, but so is knowledge and acquired experience can you tell that I studied philosophy at uni? P

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• gregpullman

  April 2007

  Unless I'm mistaken, the BZ99 is a heat exchanger machine whereas the Silvia is a single boiler. If this is the case then there's a big difference between them and what they can do. A single boiler machine won't let you extract espresso and steam milk simultaneously regardless of its size.

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• askthecoffeeguy

  April 2007

  Can you explain how a HX works? How is this different to a thermoblock? Cheers, P

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• nzroaster

  April 2007

  Basically here are how the 2 work. Heat Exchange: The machine has a large boiler, 'half' full with water and because it is heated and pressurized, the rest is steam. Hot water is drawn from the bottom of the boiler and steam is drawn from the top of the boiler. A heat exchanger sits in the boiler, imagine a test tube, but not open to it. Cold, fresh water is passed through the heat exchanger and used to brew the coffee. The heat exchanger is relatively small so it only holds 1-5 portions of 30ml depending on the scale. However, because it is small it heats the water very quickly, almost instantaneously. Thermoblock:   (I haven't had too much experience on these machines) The thermblock is a heated metal part with water lines running through it. As the water passes through it is heated to a set temp.  On a single thermoblock the steam and brew water passes through the same thermoblock, hence you cannot steam and pour you coffee simultaneously, and it takes time in between the 2 functions. You also find that HX machines run a stable pressure thoughout the entire shot, while thermoblock pressures tend to climb as the shot pours.

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