Morning Cap

After having MUCH trouble with the Via Venezia Espresso machine that I bought from Starbucks, I finally decided to return it. The machine did work great, and produced what I thought was good espresso, but I just could not take the constant leaking from the brew head. After many visits to the retailer, and both the store manager and myself on the phone with not only Starbucks customer service, but also the Saeco customer service, I was advised by Saeco that it would be better to return it because in order to have it fixed would require shipping to the U.S. since they do not service these in Canada which would mean Customs and brokerage fees.

I returned it to Starbucks for a full refund and went straight over to the Green Beanery in Toronto and picked up a Rancilio Silvia. Although a more expensive machine, the resulting espresso and cappucino from the same ground coffee is like night and day; much better! Now I understand all the reviews of the Via Venezia saying the first thing to do was to get a non-pressurized portafilter.

I now agree with the guys on Chowhound about the portafilter and the quality of the coffee having made and tasted both from the exact same ground coffee. Even though the Rancilio was 2.5 times the price, it is more than 3 times the machine. And the fact that it has a 3 year warranty and after that parts at 50% if required and that it is serviced in Toronto if needed were the deciding factors.

It also helped quite a bit that a few people I know have this machine already and that it comes so highly recommended, not only from them, but also from places like Chowhound. So if you are in the market for a machine and are willing to spend almost $300 for the Via Venezia, spend the extra $300 and get the REAL thing. You absolutely will not regret it. You will, however, regret not getting the REAL thing.