Solid, consistent, a fast heater, a good looker, a bit noisy but worth it in the end!
Positive Product Points
A solid little machine! Looks great, makes great espresso to boot.
Negative Product Points
A tad on the noisy side. The cat was freaked out at first but now sleeps right through the morning brew... ahhh now she has to get used to our new grinder! Gaggia Coffee is a bit leaky and the puck is a bit soupy but I read that is quite normal for this machine. Temperature is a bit finicky to nail down.
Detailed Commentary
Me and my partner agree that we can make better espresso and americanos at home with this machine than any coffee shop or cafe that we frequent especially since we invested in a Maestro burr grinder that compliments our Gaggia perfectly! We were lucky to receive this machine as a hand me down. Why/How you ask?? Well my girlfriends father couldn't get a good shot out of it. And neither could we for a very long time. This machine heats up fast! Let out that steam! A good tip is to flush the boiling water out for a couple of seconds before placing the portafilter back just prior to a shot. This helps bring the temperature down a bit. Another tip, get a burr grinder! It was impossible trying to get a decent consistent shot from store grinders. Now I get consistent, perfectly timed shots, with fresher coffee as a bonus. The rubber crema enhancer that came with this machine has now been retired indefinitely as it only added confusion as to what exactly its purpose was. As many other reviewers have said, this isn't the machine you want for parties, although with the small boiler, it is possible, just takes a bit more time. Monthly (or more often) cleaning with cleancaf is a must and taking apart this machine is a breeze with the right size bit. All in all, I would definitely recommend the Gaggia Coffee for first time espresso machiners out there.
Buying Experience
This was given to us as a hand me down. It was originally purchased from Peets coffee.
