Gaggia Coffee Espresso Direct to Your Door
I live in seattle, Wa, and I live for coffee. I received this Gaggia Espresso Color for christmas this last year (2009) and there is definitely a learning curve… especially going from your regular drip coffee to espresso 
After reading reviews and tutorials on ”how to pull a perfect shot” I went to the store, bought a few bags of coffee and got to work. Lets back up a few steps though.
The machine: the machine is beautiful. Its heavy and sturdy, its made with quality parts– the portafilter is heavy like it should be– definitely not a chincy machine. The only quaff I have is the red outer shell is plastic. I would have preferred a metal casing, but thats my only issue. The drip tray is removable and easy to clean. The steaming wand does a wonderful job with heating things relatively quickly– not starbucks fast, but it does the job! The on/off button is in the back of the machine. A little weird, but not difficult to find. This machine is pretty quiet except for the actual brewing part– luckily that takes less than a minute. you get multiple baskets for the portafilter– double, single, and “pod”. The seal does NOT leak– the only time it ever has, was when I filled the portafilter with entirely too much coffee and screwed it on too tight. That was operator error, not a faulty machine. You also get a plastic scoop and a plastic tamp– both work well for being plastic. I’ve never had issues! You will have to buy your own shot glasses, frothing pitcher, and frothing thermometer though.
Review: I noticed that the grind of the coffee needs to be pretty fine to make it pull a good shot– I actually have a cheap Black and Decker blade grinder and it works just fine. You just have to really grind it fine! I also noticed that the roast needs to be Medium– more Brown than Black. I was using a DARK roast and all my shots came out like Tea or Tar. When using Tulley’s Medium Breakfast roast, I get a perfect shot– lots of crema and all! tamping isnt too difficult. fill up the portafilter almost all the way with coffee, tamp it down till its packed pretty firmly (not using like ALL your weight, but make sure its solid.). This is an easy machine to use after you practice a while… i’m so so happy with it!
step by step:
1. make sure there is water in the machine.
2. turn on the machine with empty portafilter in place.
3. start grinding your coffee
4. wait for both green lights to be lit
5. place 2 shot glasses under portafilter, and push BREW button to fill with clean, hot water.
6. take portafilter out, and fill with coffee fine coffee grinds. Tamp. Replace portafilter onto machine to keep warm.
7. steam your milk– fill the frothing pitcher halfway with milk, make sure the brew button is OFF! (it its on when you twist the brewing knob, hot water will come out instead of steam!) twist the steam knob with the wand IN the milk. Heat. when finished, put a towel over the end of the wand, twist the knob once more to get a short blast of steam to clear the lines.
8. get your cup or mug and put some flavorings in there if you want.
9. dump the hot water out of the shot glasses from earlier. replace them under the machine, and push “Brew” (make sure the steam knob is OFF!).
10. after shot is done brewing, dump it into mug with flavorings and mix! add your milk, and wahhlahh! Coffee!
make sure you clean your portafilter completely and turn off the machine
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What Espresso machine do you recommend?
I am hoping to spend $100- 200. Some brands gaggia coffee espresso I have seen on eBay: DeLonghi, Nespresso, Krups, Gaggia, and Mr. Coffee.Please help! This is an anniversary gift for my husband.Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine?
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Tired of making daily treks to the coffee shop and spending more money than necessary? Then the Gaggia Titanium Espresso Machine is the answer. This is not a typical discount store espresso machine made of cheap plastic that produces inferior espressos with limp froth. This goes beyond the expectations and wows even the most hard core cynic.
All-In-One
The Gaggia Titanium Espresso Machine is an all-in-one espresso, cappuccino, and coffee maker. Using push button technology and a brilliant LCD display for alerts and programming tips the Gaggia is the simplest espresso machine available.
Other machines have a fairly significant waiting time between espresso making and frothing to allow the water to heat and steam to accumulate, not so with the Gaggia. Using Rapid Steam®Technology and two separate boilers, the Gaggia is ready to steam and froth milk while the espresso is brewing, not after. Wait time between espressos gaggia coffee espresso is barely noticeable.
Gaggia reviewers rate the simplicity of ease and minimal cleanup as key considerations when purchasing the Gaggia. Making a beverage is a one or two step process.
For coffees and espressos simply choose the appropriate push button: there one is for espresso, one for regular coffee, and one for large coffee, there is also one for hot water in case hot tea or cocoa is being made. Make adjustments if desired, such as strength of coffee, volume of water dispensed and temperature of the beverage, the Gaggia can remember the personalization for next brew.
If a cappuccino or latte is desired, froth the milk with the frothing wand or the automatic frother. The automatic frother takes all the guess work out of making the perfect steamed milk and froth. Simply insert cold milk into the frothing area and remove the thick foamed milk when it’s finished.
No Hassel Clean Up
Reviews of the Gaggia consistently brag about the no hassle clean up. The dreg drawer stores the used coffee pucks and alerts users when it is full. To empty, simply pull out the drawer and rinse out. The drip pan has a floatation device that rises as it fills up, when full, empty and rinse.
The brew unit needs a good weekly cleaning for heavy use or every other week for less heavy use and Gaggia made sure this would be easy to. Using the enclosed wrench, the plates on the front are removed to allow the brew unit to come out. The cleaning brush for the brew unit is part of the accessory package and makes clean up a snap.
Nothing Beats a Gaggia
Add together all the features of the Gaggia with the savings accumulated from not going to the coffee shop on a daily basis and it is easy to see that the Gaggia will pay for itself over time. This is one case where the cost of purchasing is justified by the savings incurred elsewhere.
Tagged with: Black And Decker • Casing • Coffee Espresso • Drip Coffee • Drip Tray • Frothing Pitcher • Gaggia Espresso • Grinder • Learning Curve • Operator Error • Outer Shell • Perfect Shot • Plastic Scoop • Portafilter • Quaff • Reading Reviews • Seattle Wa • Shot Glasses • Tamping • Thermometer
Filed under: Discount Gaggia Espresso Machines
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After reading the reviews carefully, I decided on a Gaggia Titanium, which hubby purchased. I’m so glad we opened it before Christmas. It had been damaged in the shipping and had old coffee grounds in it. I was obviously sent a used and returned open box item from Amazon. The door mechanism was flimsy and the right side of the machine was twisted and off kilter and the “undamaged” side was not much better in terms of alignment. The plastic casing felt cheap and the design seemed awkward. The water fill was in the back and since I planned to put the coffee on a counter with its back to a wall, filling would have been very unhandy. (although the water reservoir is very large)
I was very disappointed. Perhaps if it had not been damaged I would have not been so critical about the “flimsiness” of the design.
Amazon was WONDERFUL regarding the return. UPS picked up the machine the next day at no cost to me and our credit card was credited about 2 weeks later.
I didn’t make a cup of coffee with the machine so I can’t speak to its performance.
I immediately went to Bed Bath and Beyond and looked at the DeLonghi ESAM 3300. I liked its clean lines, and although its facing is plastic, it was beautifully aligned and attractive. I loved the handiness of filling and cleaning. I purchased it on Amazon for $250 less then the Gaggia (it doesn’t have an LCD display and other bells and whistles)and I am very happy with it.
Well, I have to add my 2cents about WholeLatteLove. Not customer service oriented AT ALL. Still waiting for a call-back from two days ago. Not holding my breath. And, not my first customer call to them about different topics either.
Aside. I have owned the old Gaggia Syncrony for three years. It just died after making 4000 cups of espresso. Actually, it busted a water line. The dilema is finding someone competent enough to fix it without breaking the bank or buying the Gaggia Titanium.
However, I would definitely upgrade to the Gaggia Titanium if I cannot get my Syncrony repaired due to excellent experience we have had with Gaggia.
ALWAYS clean the frothing nozzle after each use! Highly recommend Gaggia.
The machine was very easy to use, did everything that I wanted it to do and more. First time that I used it, I got the “ventilate” message. I followed the instructions and got it fixed. We used it every day for five weeks, sometimes multiple times a day. Then, on week five, I got the “ventilate” message again. I tried to clear as per the manual, nothing worked. I called customer service at Importika and of course they were closed. I had to stay home from work the next day to call Importika again. The woman in their service department was very nice and talked me through multiple ways to fix it, still nothing. I bought the machine through Costco, so Importika told me I could return it there, or pay to have it shipped to them and repaired. I liked the machine enough that I considered shipping it in for repairs, but I waited a week to get the return authorization Email, and by that time I had already returned it and ordered another brand machine. Loved the machine, but wish it had been better quality. To spend this much money and only last 5 weeks is ridiculous.
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING from WHOLELATTELOVE. This machine or any other one. As a lot of reviewers have stated, their service is non existent. They are rude, unhelpful and dishonest. I am still trying to get a refund for an authorized debit to my bank account. The machines they sell are not the problem, they are. Buy from someone else.
I am sad to report that my Gaggia Baby was dead on arrival. New, out of the box, leaked from all corners and pumped the water through the housing of the unit instead of the coffee. I read several leak problems about the Gaggia. The importer (Importica) offered a free return shipment and replacement. But I do not want to take chances with it, even though I believe that the Gaggia is one of the better espresso makers….unfortunately it is not made in China.
My unit also arrived broken. It leaked everywhere like the other posters. The plastic housing felt fairly cheap. The front part of the machine partly peeled off when I removed the plastic that was applied to protect it during shipping.
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Pros
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– Excellent price for a entry-level espresso machine
– Quality internal components
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Cons
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– Plastic housing
– Very particular about grind and tamping pressure
– Light plastic tamper included
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Summary
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This espresso machine has many components that are normally found on high-end more expensive espresso machines. It includes a commercial size 58mm chrome-plated brass portafilter, 3-way valve, and solid brass group head. (More information on its components can be found at [...]).
There are a few things to note with this machine. A good espresso burr grinder is a must with this machine. My ~$50 Cuisinart Burr Grinder did not produce proper results because the grind was not fine enough and/or too inconsistent. The resulting coffee would come out dark for a few seconds and then become watery resulting in something akin to watery regular coffee. As a result I purchased a Gaggia MDF grinder Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, Black, set the grind setting to 5 and what a difference it made. The liquid that came out was much closer to what espresso should taste like with a complexity of flavors and a real kick. I’m still tinkering with my grind setting (usually between 5 or 6) and my tamping pressure in order to get the perfect cup. Another acceptable espresso grinder according to sites like Coffee Geek and Sweet Maria’s include the Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. Also, I would highly recommend buying a better tamper like the Rattleware 58-Milimeter Round-Handled Tamper, Long to replace the cheap and hard to use plastic one included.
Overall this machine does what it was designed to do. So long as you put fresh quality coffee beans in it that was ground about a minute before you pull your shot there’s no reason you can’t eventually get the perfect shot. If you’re new to making your own espresso it make take some time to find the right combination of bean grind and tamping pressure, but you’ll get there eventually. I expect that this machine will be able to serve me for years as it comes with a 2 year warranty through Importika ([...]).
Same problem as reported by other users – water sprayed everywhere and came out of every part of the machine except the coffee filter, which remained bone dry. A Google search on the problem suggests these are prone to faulty solenoids and other pump problems. Such a pity – the machine looks good and other web reviews indicate that they work well if they don’t arrive broken. Thankfully, Amazon’s returns policy means I haven’t lost any money but I’m in a quandary now whether to risk buying another one or to go for something else …
Why the designers can’t make a steam wand that is high enough to get a mug under is beyond me. The housing is cheap plastic and poorly assembled. The ready lights had fallen out and didn’t fit right. Molding flash on the plastic parts wasn’t even trimmed.
I live in Seattle, the home of Starbucks and home to the best espresso shops in the country. I don’t drink Starbucks. I did for a while until I had a heavenly espresso at one of Seattle’s best indie espresso shops. Now I know what real espresso tastes like (hint – it’s not at Starbucks) and with this machine I have access to it everyday. The 1st one I bought was defective and I returned it. The 2nd one works like a charm and it never fails to churn out beautiful golden shots with a nice layer of dreamy crema. Even when I fail (wrong grind, lazy tamping) it still pulls a beautiful shot. A few tips:
#1 – Read the instructions and make sure you follow each step; this includes allowing the pump to fill with water and letting it reach the right temperature. After you do it a couple of times it’ll be easy-peezy. If you skip steps you may get some less than desirable results
#2 – Good beans are a must! Fresh, oily beans are best and I prefer a dark roast. Store them in a dark dry pantry in something airtight. Not the freezer or the fridge! By the way, I tried a drier bean and this machine seems to work best with an oily bean.
#3 – Play around with the tamping and how full your basket should be. Tamping too firmly or filling the basket too much will not give you a good shot
#4 – Get a good grinder. Mine has 14 settings and was pretty cheap but depending on the bean you buy you may have to play around with the grind
With all of the amazing espresso bars here in Seattle, my boyfriend now prefers my espresso. I also can’t stand to go places where I can’t get a good shot with lovely crema.
Okay, you’ve been warned! This machine will spoil you!
I purchased this unit last September. It worked fine for 4 months or so. I make an average of 3 double shots per day. The espresso was good, but not as good as I get at Starbucks (not hot enough). About a month ago it started leaking from around the coffee filter. I called Aarbee Coffee for support. You cannot reach technical support live but have to leave a voice message. They do get back to you within a day or two. They had me try a cleaning process. I did it, but it still leaks, in fact was getting worse. I requested an RMA to return it for warranty repair (it has a 2 year warranty). Upon paying myself to have it shipped back (they won’t give you a prepaid mailer even on a warranty return) I received an email acknowledgement from Aarbee saying “This notice is to inform you that we have received your machine to our warehouse on 02/01/10. We estimate your repair to be on the bench by (3/12/2010).” That’s 6 weeks from receipt just to take a look at it, and it is clearly a warranty repair.
I emailed them (no point in calling because you can’t get a live person at technical support) immediately saying this was unacceptable and demanding a response. It has not been 4 days and no response at all.
My suggestion is to NOT purchase anything from Aarbee Coffee unless you consider the unit to be totally disposable. One of the worst customer experiences I’ve ever had on the net.
I’d agree with Kaden22 – This is a great machine but you have must preheat it according to the instructions, use a quality bean grinder, and get a correct tamp.
I too thought the machine had bad seals as water came pouring out every time I used it. It was very frustrating the first few times I tried it. Yet, I learned other espresso experts that you need a good conical burr grinder. So don’t waste your time unless have a decent grinder. Equally important, you need to get the right temperature prior making a shot. If you follow the manufacturers lead, you will you let some water through the pump and then let it preheat for about 8-10 minutes. One more step is to run a tad more H2o to preheat through the filter- then you are ready to tamp your coffee into the filter. Now run the machine et voila- you have a great cup of espresso.
I bought this machine and it makes a good (not great) cup of espresso. I used it less than 50 times and the top left power switch went out. The company touts a 12 month warranty. They will repair it, but you (the purchaser) has to pay shipping both to and from the repair place. I’ve never dealt with a company that won’t pay the return shipping on a defective product they sold me. I won’t be doing business with Gaggia again. For the price of their machine, they can stand behind it and repair and return the defective product they sold me under warranty. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy a fresh brew from my much cheaper and more reliable Black & Decker.
Well we tried the Gaggia Titanium and we did not like it at all (too loud, too big, odd settings).. This one, the gaggia Swing up is PERFECT! We can do Ristretto (tiny concentrated espresso). Noise level is very good. and the machine is too big at all! The only small minus is that the water tank coud have been a bit bigger but it would mean a bulkier machine (can’t have it all). Access to the tank and the coffee dumps is very easy (much easier than the titanium model). I highly recommend it! oh I almost forgot the milk island attachment is SO good too! THe milk is froth to perfection, easy to do a creamy hot chocolate with it in less than a minute!
After using a semi-automatic espresso maker for a few years with ok but inconsistent results, I put it away in the garage and started just going to the local coffee shop for my latte fix. Recently, I decided to try a super-automatic espresso maker for the quality and convenience. I read a lot of reviews, and thought about different manufacturers and models, including Jura Capresso, but eventually I decided on this Gaggia after watching videos of it in action on another website (Wholelattelove).
The machine was easy to set up and I was making espresso in no time. Ater using the Gaggia Swing Up for a few weeks all I can say is WOW. This is one product that lives up to its billing. No buyer’s remorse on my part.
There are a lot of really good features on this model but the most important thing to me is the quality of the espresso. I’m not exaggerating when I say it makes absolutely perfect, beautiful espresso every time. I’ve used Lavazza Super Crema, Lavazza Qualita Oro, and Illy espresso beans so far and all have made great espresso with gorgeous crema. This machine also makes a great long coffee for the travel mug.
The steam wand is easy to use with a frothing pitcher and thermometer because the wand swivels, making it easy to get the pitcher out from under it. I liked the milk island at first but cleaning it is a little tedious and it started to leak after I mistakenly put the pitcher on the stand without the plastic housing. Oops, my fault. So now I just use the steam wand exclusively and I’m still completely happy.
The menu is fairly intuitive and it is programmable if you choose. I also like the ipod-like wheel but the next model up, the Platinum Vision, has a touch screen which some people might like better. Another thing I like is that the machine swivels making it easy to put in the beans even though I have the machine on a counter with a cabinet above it — this swivel feature does not make the machine unsteady or wobbly at all. So far, cleaning has been easy and the machine tells you when it is time to empty the grounds drawer and put in water. One other feature worth mentioning is the tray which lifts and lowers electronically — at first I didn’t think I would use this much but it is nice to be able to raise the tray closer to the espresso dispenser when using espresso cups and lower it when using a mug.
Yes, it is a lot of money to spend on an appliance but I’ve already saved money by not going to my local coffee shop a few times a week so I figure I’ll eventually get a good chunk of my investment back. Now if I could just stop drinking more than one latte per day…
We purchased this machine just after Christmas, and have fallen in love with it since then. We were looking at another, better-looking espresso machine, but were advised to get the Gaggia by some friends. This is our first REAL espresso machine, I had a Mr. Coffee machine years ago that worked all right, but the Gaggia Pure is head and shoulders above that one. It makes great espresso, although we are still working on getting great crema out of it…sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t (this could easily be our fault). The frothing nozzle is also great, and although it’s not as fancy looking as the all-stainless model we nearly bought, it is still a nice looking machine.
Negatives: no warming tray, and the first shots take awhile as the machine has to warm up first. This might be true with most machines, and it’s not a big deal for us. We start it up, prep the milk and cups for a few minutes, come back and its ready to go. Subsequent shots go much quicker.
We would definitely buy this machine again.
This espresso machine is by far the most amazing one I have bought in years. The pressure it delivers is phenomenal and delivers a very consistent shot(s) every single time. I would definitely recommend this machine for hard-core espresso addicts and even for a beginner.
After doing a whole lot of research I finally settled on this Gaggia machine. I never owned a Gaggia before. I had a Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker (the 20 something dollar ones…) and I also had the stove espresso makers that I just got sick and tired of after a while, so I decided to go for the upgrade. The Nespresso is a clever product, but let’s face it, it’s not real espresso – it’s chemistry with a mocca flavor. Plus I could never see myself just sticking with their Nespresso cofee pods – I am a “illy one week, lavazza the next” type of person. I’ve had the nespresso – it’s quite tasty cofee, I must admit – but it just lacks that real espresso kick for me. So, I went online and did hours of research. I settled on this machine and eagerly waited for it. Some of the reviews in here scared me off a bit, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I also got the burr grinder since lots of folks recommended it (not the Gaggia one, but the 90 dollar version). So finally, the box arrived and I got down to business. I put some El Salvadorian espresso coffee (medium grind), and the first cup was pretty darn nasty. It’s ok – everyone knows that first cups are part of the learning curve! The second one was bad also. I packed it so tight that the lever didn’t want to turn itself into position. It’s part of the trick with this machine – never pack the coffee all the way to the top. Make sure you leave some room. It took me about 3-4 tries to figure it out, and I must be honest – I thought that the machine was the worst coffee investment I ever made. Once I started packing the coffee (so tightly) 3/4 of the way through it could squeeze itself into position. I only use the large espresso holder – the other two that come with the machine don’t really pack a punch (tried them also, but the coffee was weak). All of a sudden I had a cup of coffee, but no crema, so I was still mad at my skills. Then came the real a-ha moment. I got my burr grinder and ground a very good quality coffee (again from El Sal, but better than the first version). I used the fine grind setting (not the very fine – the Gaggia didn’t really take the fine grind well). So, I pack it tightly, turn the machine on, wait a few minutes for the green light to shine, and ASI ES – pure crema with a strong cup of coffee. This machine is amazing once you try it a few times. I strongly recommend the burr grinder – without it you’re not getting the best out of it. Now I have two strong espressos before going to work, and then another two afterwards. So, I can’t get no sleep and I wanted to write this review about my new best friend from Milano.
This makes one great espresso after another. Froths a cappucino like a pro. The porta filter is heavy duty like the pros use.
This was a tremendous disappointment, given the Gaggia reputaiton for quality. The flimsy plastic handle to the portafilter broke in half in under a month. The machine is very bulky, noisy and cleaning it requires a Phillips head screwdriver, a socket wrench and an Allen wrench–and it needs cleaning often. Th eplatic looks much cheaper than the cost.
It is fussy about tamp and grind. It requires frequent decalcification.
Customer service does not respond to voicemails.
Save your money.