Gaggia Classic

When you ask about espresso and cappuccino machines, don’t be surprised when the name Gaggia (and specifically the Gaggia Classic) keeps popping up. Achille Gaggia, of Milan, Italy, produced the first modern steamless machines in 1938, using a pump method to force water pressure over ground coffee beans. By 1948, he had formed the company that is one of the top coffee machine manufacturers today.

By 1977, Gaggia expanded their product lines to include home use. Since then more and more people are buying their coffee machines to brew it themselves in their own kitchens, eliminating the $5 spent regularly at coffee houses like Starbucks. It is not only cheaper, but also more convenient to simply brew your espresso, cappuccino, or latte in the comfort of your own home.

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This best selling espresso machine is truly a classic among a lot of self-styled home-barista’s. Completely with many of the features only found on professional espresso coffee makers the Gaggia Classic is a coffee machine for the connoisseur.

What’s inside the Gaggia Classic?

The machine is a scaled-down, more compact edition of the same type of brewing system you’d probably find at your preferred local coffee home and makes espresso’s, cappuccino’s, latte’s and Americano’s just as well. And it doesn’t matter if you’re an expert or not, because there are detailed instructions and a CD that comes with it and it’s easy to use.

The Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine contains a stainless steel housing, choose between brushed and polished and has a high power 17.5 bar pump that allows you to quickly make more than one drink. It heats up really fast (only 5 minutes/ steaming function about 20 seconds). Its forged brass components stabilize constant temperature and has a 3-way solenoid valve and independent expansion valve that allows rapid drying of the interior.

There’s a Turbo Frother milk frothing wand for perfect “crema” every time to make genuine coffee drinks and a hot water dispenser, in case you want to make a quick cup of tea or hot chocolate.

It includes two stainless steel filter baskets (single and double shot), nice large water reservoir, coffee tamper and 7g measuring scoop.

You recognize that old problem where filter baskets don’t stay in the holder when dumping the grounds? Not so with this one. You have to hit it pretty hard to get the basket to pop out along with the grounds. Also, the Gaggia can use either regular filters with the ground coffee of your choice, or you can use convenient coffee pod when in a hurry.

The only downside to this maker in my opinion is the frothing wand. It takes a bit of practice to get to work properly, and is made of plastic which you don’t expect from a $500 coffee machine. But on the other hand, you can detach it easily and hide it until needed. And it’s much easier to clean than the typical rig that you first have to unscrew.

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Tips:

Filtered water works best in it, as in all types and brands of coffee makers. Using tap water usually builds up scale that blocks up the works.
If you keep the water in the boiler for too long, it doesn’t get cold but too hot (thus, it will burn your grounds). By letting water run through the shower before pulling the shot, the boiler will get fresh, cold water, the theromstat will pop on to heat it and as soon as that is done, the water will have the right temperature.

Customers say:

“WE HAVE HAD MANY ESPRESSO MACHINES… THIS IS THE FIRST ONE I GIVE 5 STARS WITHOUT HESITATION.”

“This coffee machine rocks, reminds me of the big Gaggia machines that I saw in the coffee shops in Italy, and delivers the same professional machine quality. Great buy!”

In short, if you’ve done your time with the low price stuff and you want to go more pro but still within a reasonable price-range for your home or as a present,  the Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine is all you need.

Rancilio Silvia V3

There is a reason that Rancilio has not seen fit to end production of the Silvia. Simply stated, it is widely recognized as one of the best home espresso machines on the market.

For years this is an espresso machine people buy because it is popular and there is a large online community for support and the parts are easy to find in case of any replacement. If you’re ready to leave the cheaper stuff behind to buy a higher quality espresso maker, this should be the one.

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What does the Rancilio Silvia got?

It still has the powerful brass boiler and durable pump that have made the Silvia stand head and shoulders above the competition.

New enhancement and upgrades for the Rancilio Silvia V3 include: a commercial grade, fully articulating steam wand with 1-hole tip for improved milk frothing, a new ergonomic grip for the metal steam wand to make it easier to open and close, a new ergonomic handle for the already heavy-duty porta-filter.

Yes, it’s a heavy mother, hence the free shipping. But it also has it’s good looks that can stand proud in any kitchen. The inside of the machine is built very well, marine brass boiler with a 1Kw heater bring her up to temperature quickly (>10 seconds), and a 3 way solenoid to stop spit back.

It looks like the only changes between V2 and V3 are cosmetic – brew group handle, drip tray design and the steam knob. Also, It is good that they have improved the design of this, since on V2 the tray had some very sharp edges and looked like it came out of a fabrication shop without the finishing touches.

As an optional upgrade you can replace the thermocouple with a PID from Auber Instruments (Pricey, not necessary, but fun and it gives more consistency in taste), which allows better temperature control, extraction timer and pre-infusion. if you can follow instructions, look at pictures and if you have an hour or 2-3 to spare on a rainy sunday afternoon, you can handle this.

Any big (or small) minors?

But there’s also a slight learning curve involved in this beast and takes practice to get things right. As with any potential improvement in a passion should.
It seems to be a bit inflexible as to the amount of grounds to use, and the tamping needs to be firm or it sputters. Sometimes it can be wonky getting the portafilter in right. But these are minors that should become habit over time.

Also, there is a bit of annual maintenance that needs to be mentioned. First, The group head or porta filter gasket should be replaced every 12-18 months, but this is easy and fast.
Second, the thermocouple/thermostatic wire will need replacing some time, which is also fast and simple.

You might want to consider buying another tamper (58mm) though, because the one Rancilio includes isn’t of a very high quality and simply too small. All you need to make professional espresso’s is a consistent bean grinder (use Silvia’s brother Rocky), a good 58mm tamper, clean water, and fresh quality whole beans to be in coffee heaven soon.

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Costumers say:

” If you think you will be making espresso for years to come get this machine”

“What caught my attention were comments from people who had owned the unit for many trouble-free years. After many unreliable items, we wanted barebones simplicity and reliability. So far, we feel we’ve got that with this maker.”

“I purchased my Rancilio Silvia 10 years ago and it’s still going strong.”

Gaggia Titanium

The Titanium Espresso Machine is the pinnacle of the Gaggia line that is more than just an espresso machine. It is easily capable of making any style of cappuccino or latte. Most people use this machine to make “crema coffee” instead of drip coffee. This is the result of the pressure brewed process (8 to 10 atmospheres of pressure!) that beats the gravity based drip coffee systems with ease.

This is also called “pre-infusion”. The first step takes about 2 seconds as it moistens and conditions the ground coffee. Next a 2 second pause allows the aromatic oils to leach from the interior of the coffee. The second step activates the high pressure pump to ensure absolute maximum flavor extraction with a perfect crema topping.

The maker will also produce hot water for Tea or Steamed Milk for Hot Chocolate that is instantly available by turning the steam/hot water control knob and makes 8 oz for a cup of tea or hot cider in 30 seconds.

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What’s inside the Gaggia Titanium?

The Gaggia Titanium espresso machine features seven push-buttons. Just press the brew button and the machine does the rest. It will automatically grind and extract the coffee to your desired taste. When the coffee is finished brewing it will place the coffee grounds into an internal dump box for later disposal (it will even tell you when it is full). Brewing only takes 35 seconds and ready to go again.

The espresso machine boasts a cobalt blue LCD that will show you in words what is happening in the machine. It will tell you when to add beans, add water, when to decalcify and even if the brew group is out of place. Also, there are 5 different settings for maximum temperature control in case someone likes it hot, from maximum to low.

This coffeebeast has not one but two boilers! A stainless steel lined thermo-bloc brewing boiler and additional an aluminum thermo-block steaming boiler that speed-up the initial heating process and regulate the Rapid Steam System to eliminate wait time between brewing espresso and steaming milk. An automatic frothing attachment will drop pre-frothed milk directly into your cup.

It has a 60-ounce water reservoir, enough for 30 espressos or 10 cups of coffee at a time, a 15 bar pump and a built-in conical burr grinder with 18 adjustable grind settings providing all the control you want. The container is a 8-1/2-ounce bean hopper, enough for 30 espressos before refilling. There’s also a cup warmer which is on when the machine is on.

This feature measures 11 by 15-3/8 by 15-1/6 inches and lets you keep count of how many cups the machine has brewed. Just in case your grandchildren will ask about it later.

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As a few minors.. although Gaggia Titanium has an energy saving feature it requires that you set a turn on/turn off time. And every time the unit turns on, it uses some of the water in the tank to rinse the brew group. Normally, not a big issue, but since the water is drained into the pan beneath the unit, you DO have to remember to empty it. While this unit is SO smart…it doesn’t know when the pan is full (save for a pathetic little manual indicator) and if you aren’t careful, you may end up with murky coffee water all over the place!

Occasionally, the machine will report that the dregdrawer (where the used grounds are deposited) is full, when it actually isn’t. Best thing is to just empty it and replace the drawer.

And lastly…the grinder. i know that some people have had issues with it not feeding the coffee properly; this is mainly when the machine is new. “Oily” beans can clog the grinder (there’s an 800 number to call for suggestions). Once the oil from the beans have lubricated the unit, it is less of a problem. Tip: remove the small cap over the grinder (watch out for your fingers and don’t stick ‘em in when it’s on). You shouldn’t have any more problems that way.

Customers say:

“I noticed right away that the machine was packed well, which is always a good sign. I had the machine out of the box, read through the directions, and started brewing coffee in about 15 minutes. Wow.”

“I‘ve had no problems at all with this machine and I recommend it heartily.”

“There’s no question that this Gaggia espresso machine is a 5-star product. “