Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine

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This is a great espresso machine, November 5, 2009

This is one of the last honest home espresso units you can find.If you get the MDF grinder that Gaggia also offers you will be very happy.

A Decade of Happiness, October 25, 2009

I have been using the Gaggia Classic for over twelve years. The first machine is still going strong, but my ex-wife inherited it, so I am on the second and newer machine.

Both are well-made heavy duty units that are used to make 5-6 cups of espresso a day, and the occasional capuccino. The machine does this flawlessly.

Those of you who know espresso making know that a good cup of espresso requires these four things:

1. Temperature: Water temperature a bit below boiling; about 190F is right.
2. Pressure: Of upto 200 psi (about 15 atmospheres or bars)
3. Amount: You need 7 grams of coffee per espresso cup. The included scoop should give you the exact amount.
4. Time: About 25 seconds for enough water to flow through the coffee grounds to make one or two cups

The Classic does 1, 2 and 3 perfectly. By definition, you, the barista, are in charge of 4. This you achieve through grinding the coffee to the right degree of fineness and tamping it with the right amount of pressure. It is this you need to learn with just a bit of trial and error. But you must buy a burr grinder for your coffee to do this right.

A burr grinder does not have to be expensive. I have two (a Krups and a Capressa) at home that each cost less than $40. I have been using them for years without a problem. If they develop one, easy and inexpensive enough to replace.

When you start, try out three or four different levels of grinds, generally at the finer settings of your grinder. The grind should be about the consistency of table salt. Then try out three or so levels of tamping the grounds in the portafilter. Pretty soon you will zero on the combination that provides the right degree of resistance to the water pressure to take about 25 seconds. I found that a rogher grind with very high pressure, or the right grind with medium tamping presssure and a very fine grind with little or no pressure all do the job. Obviously, the right grind with medium pressure is the optimum. If the water flows out too quickly, the coffee will be weak and will not have any of the crema that is the mark of a well-made cup. If it takes too long, the coffee will be bitter and the crema will will be dark brown. I have also found that as I switch from one kind of beans to another, or even from one batch to another, I sometimes have to fine tune the grind setting.

In my experience it is very difficult to buy preground coffee, or have it ground by the seller, such that it makes good espresso in my machine. I suspect you will find the same thing. An alternative around this is to use ESE pods, which Starbucks and others sell. These pods have the right amount and grind of coffee sandwiched between two pieces of teabag paper. All you do is pop one in the machine and you get, mostly, a good cup of coffee. But pods are expensive, at about $0.50 a cup, compared to about $0.15 per cup from beans.

My old machine had a plain steel wand for frothing. Took a little skill and experience to learn how to froth, starting with high steam flow and with the wand-end almost at the bottom of the steaming cup, gradually reducing the steam flow and moving the end of the wand closer to the surface of the milk. Worked like a charm with a little experience. Cleanup was easy; a wet sponge to wipe off the milk residue and a squirt of steam to clean out the inside. My new machine has a new-fangled plastic gizmo with many internal parts that slips over the metal steam wand. Now my dog could likely make perfect froth with this, except that it is a pain to clean. I find the easiest thing to do is slip off the gizmo from the metal wand right after the frothing is done, run warm water on/through it in the sink and slip it back on. Seems to stay clean and does not require disassembly of the internal parts.

I don't do much maintenance of my machine. I descale it twice a year and replace the silicone gasket/seal every few years, when the old one wears out and water begins to seep from it. You can find details for descaling elsewhere. All I do is run two cups of water with two tablespoons of citric acid crystals (bought at a baking supplies place) dissolved in it through my heated machine, as if I was making coffee but without grounds.

The Classic is well made, feels substantial, and works flawlessly. Are there other machines out there that are as good or better? Who can tell, without using each of them for some time. All I an say is that the Classic has been more than meeting the requirements of this picky engineer and coffee lover for over a decade.

Great Machine if you are patient, April 18, 2009

This is a great machine. The only reason I do not give it 5 stars is because the learning curve to figure out how to get great espresso out of it is a little steep, and it is like a small Italian sports car in that it can be temperamental. But if well maintained, if the user is willing to devote him or herself to learning about espresso, and with a little patience, it can produce absolutely amazing results - far exceeding anything you can buy at a major coffee chain (and saving some bucks in the process).

I use this daily in my office and have had great fun with it. The most important things I have found through the three months of use until I could make a consistently great cup of
espresso are: 1) you need to grind the beans just before use; 2) you need to grind them in a burr grinder; 3) the beans you use cannot be too oily or else they will clog in the machine - this may cause baristas to cringe, but the perfect combination for me has been 50% arabica beans and 50% Starbucks Sumatra beans. Starbucks espresso beans are way too oily; 4) do not use the provided tamper! There is no way to regulate the right amount of tamping with this. Buy a nice stainless steel, weighty version and use that; 5) turn the machine on 15 minutes before you use it so as to heat up the elements and produce a warm brew; 6) prime the pump with water and make sure that water is spring water and not from the tap (sorry environmentalists); and 7) keep it clean (take the components apart a couple of times a month and clean them with water). Using good water means you will not have mineral buildup so will not have to decalcify it, which can be a pain.

I have a routine when I come into the office that I do not deviate from, including the above steps, and it allows me to make a consistently great cup of espresso. It requires effort and discipline and uniformity, but if done, that will allow you to make many thousands of cups of great coffee, with this great, well-made machine, well into the future.