Is the Gaggia 14101 espresso machine worth the money?

Founded by Achille Gaggia, Gaggia is an Italian company that makes espresso machines, coffee machines, and a few other types of small kitchen appliances. The story of this company really began on September 5, 1938 when Achille Gaggia applied for a patent for his invention of the "first modern steam less coffee machine". Mr. Gaggia intended for this machine to be used commercially, in the coffee bar he owned. This new machine brewed coffee by forcing the water to flow, at a high rate of pressure, over the ground coffee, resulting in the "crema" that is characteristic of espresso.

After applying for, and getting his patent, Mr. Gaggia did not officially found his company (The Gaggia Company) until 1947, with a formal founding taking place in 1948. At this time, the company produced the steam less coffee machine exclusively for commercial use. It was not until 1977 that the Gaggia Company began manufacturing a variation of their famous machine for home use. Today, the home use machines are the main focal point of the company.

In 1999, Saeco International Group, a division of the Dutch owned consumer electronic company Philips, purchased Gaggia. Despite the merger, Gaggia still maintains a separate line from Saeco, however it does use some of Saeco's designs for certain espresso machines. Gaggia continues to operate and manufacture its products at the Robecco sul Naviglio factory in Milan, Italy.

Gaggia's coffee machines have changed a bit over the years, moving from the original lever design Mr. Gaggia invented, to now offering a fully automated system that works at the touch of a button. The new machines grind, dose, and brew the coffee with very little effort on the part of the user. It is their constant dedication to making the next great product for the true coffee lover that has kept Gaggia at the top of its field.

Gaggia prides itself on being "deeply rooted in the past with regard to quality and care for detail"; however it continually strives to make major technological advances in the area of product development. Gaggia plans to keep moving forward into the future with the same strong desire as it did over sixty years ago to meet and exceed its customers' needs for the most advanced coffee systems.

If you are a coffee enthusiast, you probably love the taste and aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans. Unless you are lucky enough to have a local coffee roaster close to you, you probably do not get the chance to purchase freshly roasted beans very often. You may be pleasantly surprised to hear that you can roast your own coffee beans, right in the comfort of your own home, without having to purchase any type of specialized commercial coffee roasting equipment!

Home roasting, or personal roasting, is the process of roasting green coffee beans on a small scale for personal use only. People have been roasting beans for their own use for centuries and over the course of this time have found many ways to perfect the small scale roasting process. In the earlier days, people would roast the beans over hot coals, in cast iron pans, or in iron drums that would be rotated over a hot bed of coals or a live fire. Until the start of the First World War, the process of roasting your own beans was actually much more common than buying pre-roasted coffee beans. By the turn of the 20th century, commercial coffee roasting companies started to become quite common and thus led to the creation of instant coffee in 1901. It was at this time that home roasting all but ceased to exist.

That being said, home roasting has seen a bit of resurgence in the last several years. To begin the home roasting process, you first need to select a good bean. Today, many internet retailers and local roasting co-operatives offer green coffee beans for sale, including many choices from small plantations that simply produce too small a volume for commercial roasting operations.

After you have acquired your beans, you then need to determine your "roasting profile". A roasting profile is simply the time the beans will spend at specific temperatures during the roasting process. A general roasting profile is as follows: a quick roasting from the ambient temperature to a maximum of 400 degrees F and 480 degrees F for between four and twenty minutes. Then, the beans are cooled very quickly.

Since most people do not have the space or the money for large roasting equipment, it is important to note that you can achieve great results with items you probably already have in your home. The simplest way to roast beans is to stir them in a flat pan over high heat. This will result in a variety of roast levels, as it is quite difficult to get consistent results by stirring. To get a more uniform roast, try using a hot air popcorn popper that is side vented. Stove top popcorn poppers, barbeque roasters, and even heat guns used to strip paint can be quite handy. The heat guns and hot air popcorn poppers are the least expensive pieces of home roasting equipment.

If these improvised roasting machines still do not give you the results you desire, you can purchase home coffee roasters. These machines can be quite expensive, but do provide a bit of a more uniform, evenly roasted end product.

And of course take care when you are doing all that roasting!