Craig620 Junior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Evolution Grinder: Solis Maestro
Posted Sun Oct 26, 2008, 9:00am Subject: 3 year old Gaggia Evolution tastes poor
I've had this machine for 3 years, use around 3-4 times a week, and have cleaned every 3-4 months. The first year I think it was something called Durgol, after that Urnex Cleancaf. But it just tastes bad now, and I'm had to resort to french press only. The temperature was off, and when I called whole latte love, they suggested a new group gasket in addition to a brew thermostat. I put those in and the temp is better but overall still tastes poor. I've tried to research this problem and read several posts about taking apart the boiler and using a dremel. I don't own a dremel, but wondered if this was really my problem before exploring an investment in a dremel or a new machine. From what I've read, it didn't look that bad. There was a blue shade left on the top of the boiler (must be cleancaf), and the lower part that comes off (is this side of it still called the group?) was a slightly rough crackly pattern. Pics attached. It didn't sound at all like some of the horror stories I read. On the upper half the surface was still smooth just a much darker shade of grey compared to the parts of it that are not exposed to water. So I dissolved some cleancaf and scrubbed it out with a toothbrush (all I had) so all the little specs of stuff are gone. I didn't have a brush that allowed me to scrub off the blue from the top of the boiler. Put it back together, didn't make a difference. The whole dis/re-assembly process was not bad. I should also mention that over my time with the machine, sometimes when just pulling straight water it comes out kind of cloudy looking. Let it sit for 30-60 seconds and it becomes clear. This has started happening again, and right now a plain water shot like this tates bad. So I am still seeking help on what to do about this. Is 3 years just the amount of life I should expect out of an entry level machine like this? Is the dark grey color on the inside of the boiler enough of a corrosion factor to ruin the taste? Do I need to invest in a dremel to correct this, or is the citric acid solution I read about more appropriate?
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