A nice looking machine that makes good espresso, but probably isn't worth the money. If you are stuck on buying a dual purpose consumer machine get a Silvia, or take the plunge and get a used HX machine.
Positive Product Points
Beautiful Stainless Chassis, Plenty of power, Huge resevoir and drip tray.
Negative Product Points
Stubby steam wand. Forgot to mention in my origional review, but the stainless acorn type nut that hold the steam knob on gets scortching hot and can literally burn you if you touch it.
Detailed Commentary
After bouncing around the whole range of the Saeco/Estro line of small semi-autos, from the tiny inexpensive Maestro to the flagship Classico, and several Gaggias I decided to spend some $. I had never spent more that $150 on a machine, but caught wind of the SuperGiada as a vaible alternative to a Silvia. The SuperGiada is similar to a Silvia in basic appearance with the exception of the pressure guage and the retro toggle switches. The guts of the SuperGiada are impressive. A big all brass 5oz boiler, don't know the rating on the pump (probably 14 or 15 bar), but plenty of power. It heats quickly and the trick of goosing temperature with 15 seconds of the steam switch 'on' gets it up to speed fast. Mated with a trusty Gaggia MDF grinder, shots are always consistent. I am a cappuccino drinker, so I am not quite as strict about the quality of my shots, but I always shoot for 25 second pulls with a nice, thick mottled golden brown crema, that have often drawn high praise from straight espresso drinkers, so I say this with some authority , but the old $40 Saeco Maestro pulls a shot that is a hair away from the quality of the $350-$500 machines. Overall I am pleased with the beauty and style of the SuperGiada as well as the quality of the shots, but I am still most intigued by the whole gamut of used machines available on Ebay that can be had for under $150 and make outstanding coffee.
Buying Experience
Bought from S. N. Designs on Ebay, owner Susanne is great!
Three Month Followup
It is probably inappropriate to write anything, as I no longer own the machine, but I have to say while the Super Giada is a nice looking machine, it has nothing on a wide variety of dual purpose machines that can be had for $100-$150 less on fleabay, eg. Gaggia Coffee, Baby, all the cheaper Saeco semi-autos, etc. I owned the machine for 1 week before selling it and moving up to a used Salvatore Famosa HX machine for $450. The BEST move I ever made!!! If you need to truly scratch the itch, there is no substitute for an HX machine, and a variety of great used machines appear regularly on fleabay in the $400-$1000 range. There is no comparison, all the dual purpose boiler types seem like toys. So rather than spend $350-$450 for machines like the Silvia, you can get something that just plain blows doors. Sorry Silvia owners.
