Gaggia Classic – Coffee Machine

2 reviews for Gaggia Classic – Coffee Machine

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Dennis Hibbert – April 12, 2014:

   Our first Gaggia Classic lasted over 12 years and we used it a lot, even took it on holiday. The new Gaggia Classic we bought from coffeebarista is even better: the crema is excellent. You do make the coffee in this machine, just like a professional one only smaller. To ensure that your Gaggia Classic lasts longer than 12 years, descale it regularly, especially if you live in an area having a hard water supply.
2. 

   3 out of 5

   Steve H – October 20, 2014:

   Warning: this review is for lovers of real coffee only.

   My previous Gaggia Classic lasted well over a decade, so when it died buying a replacement was essential. This is the machinery needed to make coffee the ‘real’ way and it is so easy to use that I do not understand the current fad for overpriced, upmarket instant coffee makers.

   I have now had my replacement Gaggia for over 4 months, so enough time has passed for me to offer an informed review.

   First thing I noticed, straight out of the box, was that while the new Classic is still very well-built, its finish feels slightly coarser and cheaper than the older model. This is relative and most new users won’t even notice. As I say, the ‘new’ Classic is well-built and heavyweight but it just lacks that touch of finesse one used to associate with this machine (possibly due to the change of Gaggia’s owner that occurred in the interim).

   Perhaps the most obvious example of this is that the filter is shaped a little too elliptically for the filterholder, making it harder to snap in and out of place (I trapped my skin on two occasions, causing my hand to bleed just once), and occasionally I have had to remove it using a blunt knife. However, this has calmed down over the months as the filter has gradually become ‘forced’ to shape.

   Users of the previous model will also notice that the new Gaggia has an almost entirely new filter system. Whereas the old filter baskets used to be filled with holes, the current filter has a single hole which feeds coffee through to the entirely new (plastic) frothing jet device. Also the delivery spout is now fixed permanently to the filterholder — so what used to look like the two-cup adaptor is now the sole delivery mechanism. According to the manual, all this is done to ensure the perfect crema with every cup. And, in all fairness, it does. But, to be honest, I’ve never given a fig for crema. Yes, correct airation can enhance flavour, but the bottom line for me has always been the taste…

   Now this is where my review gets ridiculous, and some people will say it’s a psychological effect of me adjusting to the machine, BUT I think this machine needs some ‘bedding in’ time. For the first week or so, I didn’t think the taste was quite there and this gave me some concern. I even compared with a friend’s old Classic and my replacement seemed a little lacking in punch. But this problem completely went after a month or so of daily coffee making. Again, I compared results with my friend’s and we both agreed that my new machine is now as good as his old. Problem solved.

   The bottom line is that this is a real machine for real coffee drinkers. Any quibbles I’ve expressed here are the difference between, say, a 95% to 100% score. My Classic is now giving me my daily hit of espresso in the way most machines and restaurants simply cannot match. I was recently in Italy and found this to be the only place where around 65% of cafes/restaurants were able to match the quality of my machine (in the UK, I’d say less than 10% do this – including the famous coffee chains who occasionally serve up the most appalling muck). Seriously, I just won’t have coffee after most UK restaurant meals, as I don’t want my meal ruined by some bitter, dull filter rubbish.

   If you like good strong coffee (you can make weaker cups simply by adding hot water, milk etc.), this is the only machine you should be looking at. Don’t let the clumsily written manual put you off (and be certain to take off all the large sticky wrapping they now slap onto the machine), the Classic is easy to use and stands head and shoulders above almost every other machine. Most other machines assume drinkers are used to poor coffee (instant, filter etc.) and so can only come out looking superior. The Gaggia Classic, by contrast, assumes drinkers are used to the best coffee and gives you the exact same equipment you need to make it yourself. It’s not a gimmick or a gadget, it’s the machinery used to make real espresso.

   Tip: if you want the full-on espresso hit, try to lay your hands on either Mako, Kimbo or Passalacqua Espresso Cremador. Either work stunningly well with this machine.

   Finally, thanks to coffeebarista for giving me easily the cheapest price on the internet and for their great customer service (though I’m still waiting for those coffee samples which they think will beat my beloved Mako…)