This is an updated component to this review:
After a year of use, I am even more impressed by this machine. Whether I just figured out how to use it well, or the machine just got "seasoned" I'm not sure, but I am sure that the espresso coming out of this thing is actually better now than it was when it was brand new. I've descaled once in the past year (a few months ago)....but otherwise, maintenance has been nil and both the espresso maker and the steam wand work are working really great.
It is now the morning after this machine was received and set up. I've got my freshly ground favorite beans out and I'm ready to go. I think reviews on espresso machines are uber important and this is my second generation machine and there is definitely a learning curve. As I sip my espresso I am writing my first response review, but as will become clear, this is my second generation machine for a reason.
First, this is a European product. If you've even owned a European car or motorcycle than you know that European products are beautiful and highly engineered, but because they come from a slightly different cultural paradigm they are not necessarily as intuitive to use as American (I mean Chinese made) products or Japanese products which tend to be specifically designed for Americans. So is the case with this machine. It is completely gorgeous sitting on the counter but the usage instructions and controls are just a little less intuitive. But after a few practice runs last night, the espresso I'm drinking right now is very rich and high quality and I've got the machine figured out.
The first thing I noticed about operating the machine is that if you follow the instructions on warming, this thing gets nice and hot. The cups on the cup warmer are hot, the filter holder is hot and the porta filter itself is hot which was not the case with my first generation DeLonghi machine. As we all know, hot espresso machines make better espresso.
The second thing I observe is the stronger 17 bar pump (most are 15 bar) makes a difference. The shots pull quickly and a nice amount of crema sits properly on top after the pull. Just a note, my practice runs were done with some older beans left over from my last machine, and there was less crema than with the fresh beans this morning. The machine is a little loud, but I like the sound as it reminds me the pump is working. The pump sound is nice and strong as opposed to be my DeLonghi which always sounded like it was struggling.
Now for the less intuitive things. The water input is fixed on the top and the machine is tall which means I have to slide the whole heavy thing (and it is kind of heavy) out a little to use in the morning. The porta filter holder does not have a "thumb clip" that can used to hold the porta filter in place while ejecting the puck, which because as I mentioned earlier the thing gets hot, makes filter refilling a bit uncomfortable. The porta filter itself is large and I think it needs more than one scoop from the provided scoop to fill it. I had to screw around with this last night, and I think it takes about a scoop and a third. The nice thing is, the leftover grinds are coming out as a nice dry puck, something all home baristas will appreciate.
The most important thing however remains to be seen. The reason I have this machine is because my DeLonghi machine got "tired" after less than two years of moderate use. After I cleaned and descaled it I was able to liven it up a little, but the shots were just not real espresso quality anymore. A little research revealed the importance of boiler material for making a good espresso over time and Gaggia has the reputation of the making high quality boilers. So we will see if this is true as I will provide an add on review after six months and a year. But so far, so good, the machine seems like a high quality product.
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Color: Black
Color: Grey
Cup Capacity: Up to 4 Cups
Cup Capacity: 5 to 8 Cups
Product Grade: Commercial Grade
Boiler Material: Borosilicate Glass
Boiler Material: Ceramic
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From the manufacturer
About Gaggia
With humble beginnings as a cafe owner in Milan, Achille Gaggia's ingenuity and passion for coffee inspired him to invent a new way to brew espresso without the use of steam. That vision led to the creation of the Lampo device which produced the characteristic crema which has since become the hallmark of quality espresso.
Gaggia Classic
Home Espresso Machine
The Gaggia Classic is one of the best entry-level semi-automatic espresso machine available. Pull your own cafe-style espressos and cappuccinos. Frothing milk is easy with the pannarello wand, making lattes a fun, easy experience. The commercial-style 58 mm portafilter comes with a commercial basket for easier shot pulling and a thick crema even with pre-ground coffee or ESE pods. With the Gaggia Classic, you'll get a versatile machine packed with commercial features, built to last for years.
- Commercial components
- Cafe Quality Espresso
- Timeless Design Since 1991
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Pannarello WandDispense hot water, froth, and steam without needing years of practice. Make your own lattes and cappuccinos. |
Commercial and Pressurized BasketGet consistent shot quality and a thick layer of crema out of almost any coffee with no skill required. Or use the commercial basket with your own grinder. |
Commercial Style PortafilterThis durable 58 mm portafilter is the same size and style as commercial machines in cafes and coffee houses. |
3-Way Solenoid ValveTypically found in commercial machines, the 3-way solenoid valve relieves pressure off the coffee for a dry, easily discarded puck. |
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Heavy-Duty Build QualityThe sturdy stainless steel housing and commercial components makes the Gaggia Classic a durable, long-lasting machine. |
Passively Heated Cup WarmerRadiant heat from the boiler heats the top surface of the Classic, perfect for heating up your cups prior to brewing. |
Fast Heat-UpDual heating elements heat the boiler to brew ready in about five minutes, and steam ready 20 seconds. |
Easy ControlsThe heavy duty snap-acting rocker switches can be flipped for brewing, steaming, or hot water, and feature lights that display when the Classic is heating. |
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| Gaggia Carezza De LUXE | Gaggia Classic | |
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| Customer Reviews |
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825
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| Price | $299.00 | — |
| Portafilter | Pressurized | Commercial |
| 3-Way Solenoid Valve | ✓ | |
| Rapid Heating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reservoir Capacity | 47 oz | 72 oz |
| ESE Pod Compatible | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wattage | 1300 | 1450 |
| Housing | Stainless Steel / ABS | Stainless Steel |
| Frother Type | Pannarello Wand | Pannarello Wand |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Gaggia 14101 Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. 72 ounces, Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing. Brews for Both Single and Double Shots. |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $149.99 | $299.95 | -13% $349.95 List: $399.95 | $479.00 | -5% $523.17 List: $549.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it May 15 - 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | — | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Blending power | ||||||
| Easy to clean | ||||||
| Flavor | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Sungaze Coffee | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Whole Latte Love | Amazon.com |
| capacity | 72 ounces | 0.5 gallons | 47 fluid ounces | 54 ounces | 2.1 liters | 2.1 liters |
| material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel, Plastic, Brass | Stainless Steel, Plastic, Brass |
| input interface | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons |
| wattage | — | — | 1560 watts | 1450 watts | 1200 watts | 1200 watts |
| model name | — | Brew, Steam, & Flow | the Bambino® Brushed Stainless Steel | Dedica Maestro Plus | Gaggia Classic Evo Pro | Gaggia Classic Evo Pro |
| weight | 20 pounds | 1.5 pounds | 10.9 pounds | 13.67 pounds | 8.5 kilograms | 20 pounds |
Reviews with images
Gaggia Evolution vs Gaggia Classic
So I owned a refurbished evolution for a couple of weeks until the boiler gave out. That is why I purchased this after. I didn't want to get that same entry level machine and I never wanted to buy from whole latte love again since it cost me $70 in the end just to return a broken machine. Buy from amazon, return shipping is free and they don't revoke the free shipping. From what I hear on particular youtube videos is that this machine is very similar to the evolution. But they never explain that mysterious large price jump. This is what I found.Pros:- This machine gets very hot. I mean I usually prep it for 6min or more (which they had in the manual as a suggest time) and the whole thing heats up. I mean the empty portafilter is hot and the top gets warm. From my memory the evolution was much lacking that power. The cup "warmer" on an evolution is a complete joke. Remember you want the whole thing to be up to temperature from the brew head to the portafilter to the cup. Since anything that is not at tempurate will make your coffee that much colder when it comes out. By the time you leave to work your coffee will be warm if you don't have a machine with that power to heat everything up. That means the milk too!- I feel like this machine gets great steam power when it gets going. However read the cons about the steaming/steaming tip.- The bar pressure is adjustable (which is nice because when I got my machine I think they factory guy set the pressure way too low, and i'm serious. I put three shots worth in (21g) and hardly tamp it i mean very very small weight like 5-10lbs and the thing took 40seconds for 1oz. I adjusted the pressure and it was alot closer to 2oz in 25sec. Standard tamping pressure is 30lbs by the way and the bar pressure should be 8-9bar but the machine can do 15 or more. The main thing you want is 2oz in 20-30sec for 2 shot worth of coffee (14g). I also bought a gage from ebay which I'll calibrate the machine with later after it arrives).-Large water reservoir which is good for prepping alot of water in the machine and also for the water tray. That has a large tank as well, which means I can go longer without having to mess with it (nice for days when youre almost late for work).-The heater is not inside the boiler. They say the heating element being outside the boiler will cause this machine to last longer since 'the thing that usually fails on a machine is the heating element'.Cons:- Steam wand, this a piece of junk, go smash it with a hammer and buy something else. I already bought a different one on ebay. This steam wand is vitually only good with the large piece on it. Although it is removable and a small head is exposed that wont inject the air with the steam as the easy frothing tip does but this small one is pointless, since no milk frothing pitcher is that tiny for that thing to be in the proper position to use it. Smash it with a hammer and buy a new one from a different coffee machine brand since Gaggia doesn't make the fine latte art steam wand anymore. - Steam wand heat. Okay so I use to complain that the Gaggia Evolution heated the milk way too fast, now I am complaining this Gaggia Classic heats way too slow. It is near impossible for me to make latte milk (fine bubbles) at the right tempurate on this machine. It will only produce cappuchino milk since by the time it heats the milk my 6oz of milk fills the whole pitcher... Again smash this thing into bits it sucks. I'm waiting for my new non-gaggia brand steam wand. Why would a coffee machine nearly $200 more expensive than their entry level model use the same plastic steam wand, stupid.**Update I think the heating speed for the milk is just fine. Took me some time to get use to it but no complaints on the speed anymore. Still using a replacement latte art tip though. Also big update on the pressure. Before I got the pressure gage in I cleaned my Baratza Encore grinder. That was the issue.. it wasn't the machine. The grinder (probably being used for a whole month) without being cleaned actually changed the grind sizes. So cleaning the grinder meant the same setting made bigger grinds which means less pressure which means proper brew times on the machine.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2016
Style: OLD MODELPattern Name: Espresso MachineVerified Purchase
This is an updated component to this review:
After a year of use, I am even more impressed by this machine. Whether I just figured out how to use it well, or the machine just got "seasoned" I'm not sure, but I am sure that the espresso coming out of this thing is actually better now than it was when it was brand new. I've descaled once in the past year (a few months ago)....but otherwise, maintenance has been nil and both the espresso maker and the steam wand work are working really great.
It is now the morning after this machine was received and set up. I've got my freshly ground favorite beans out and I'm ready to go. I think reviews on espresso machines are uber important and this is my second generation machine and there is definitely a learning curve. As I sip my espresso I am writing my first response review, but as will become clear, this is my second generation machine for a reason.
First, this is a European product. If you've even owned a European car or motorcycle than you know that European products are beautiful and highly engineered, but because they come from a slightly different cultural paradigm they are not necessarily as intuitive to use as American (I mean Chinese made) products or Japanese products which tend to be specifically designed for Americans. So is the case with this machine. It is completely gorgeous sitting on the counter but the usage instructions and controls are just a little less intuitive. But after a few practice runs last night, the espresso I'm drinking right now is very rich and high quality and I've got the machine figured out.
The first thing I noticed about operating the machine is that if you follow the instructions on warming, this thing gets nice and hot. The cups on the cup warmer are hot, the filter holder is hot and the porta filter itself is hot which was not the case with my first generation DeLonghi machine. As we all know, hot espresso machines make better espresso.
The second thing I observe is the stronger 17 bar pump (most are 15 bar) makes a difference. The shots pull quickly and a nice amount of crema sits properly on top after the pull. Just a note, my practice runs were done with some older beans left over from my last machine, and there was less crema than with the fresh beans this morning. The machine is a little loud, but I like the sound as it reminds me the pump is working. The pump sound is nice and strong as opposed to be my DeLonghi which always sounded like it was struggling.
Now for the less intuitive things. The water input is fixed on the top and the machine is tall which means I have to slide the whole heavy thing (and it is kind of heavy) out a little to use in the morning. The porta filter holder does not have a "thumb clip" that can used to hold the porta filter in place while ejecting the puck, which because as I mentioned earlier the thing gets hot, makes filter refilling a bit uncomfortable. The porta filter itself is large and I think it needs more than one scoop from the provided scoop to fill it. I had to screw around with this last night, and I think it takes about a scoop and a third. The nice thing is, the leftover grinds are coming out as a nice dry puck, something all home baristas will appreciate.
The most important thing however remains to be seen. The reason I have this machine is because my DeLonghi machine got "tired" after less than two years of moderate use. After I cleaned and descaled it I was able to liven it up a little, but the shots were just not real espresso quality anymore. A little research revealed the importance of boiler material for making a good espresso over time and Gaggia has the reputation of the making high quality boilers. So we will see if this is true as I will provide an add on review after six months and a year. But so far, so good, the machine seems like a high quality product.
After a year of use, I am even more impressed by this machine. Whether I just figured out how to use it well, or the machine just got "seasoned" I'm not sure, but I am sure that the espresso coming out of this thing is actually better now than it was when it was brand new. I've descaled once in the past year (a few months ago)....but otherwise, maintenance has been nil and both the espresso maker and the steam wand work are working really great.
It is now the morning after this machine was received and set up. I've got my freshly ground favorite beans out and I'm ready to go. I think reviews on espresso machines are uber important and this is my second generation machine and there is definitely a learning curve. As I sip my espresso I am writing my first response review, but as will become clear, this is my second generation machine for a reason.
First, this is a European product. If you've even owned a European car or motorcycle than you know that European products are beautiful and highly engineered, but because they come from a slightly different cultural paradigm they are not necessarily as intuitive to use as American (I mean Chinese made) products or Japanese products which tend to be specifically designed for Americans. So is the case with this machine. It is completely gorgeous sitting on the counter but the usage instructions and controls are just a little less intuitive. But after a few practice runs last night, the espresso I'm drinking right now is very rich and high quality and I've got the machine figured out.
The first thing I noticed about operating the machine is that if you follow the instructions on warming, this thing gets nice and hot. The cups on the cup warmer are hot, the filter holder is hot and the porta filter itself is hot which was not the case with my first generation DeLonghi machine. As we all know, hot espresso machines make better espresso.
The second thing I observe is the stronger 17 bar pump (most are 15 bar) makes a difference. The shots pull quickly and a nice amount of crema sits properly on top after the pull. Just a note, my practice runs were done with some older beans left over from my last machine, and there was less crema than with the fresh beans this morning. The machine is a little loud, but I like the sound as it reminds me the pump is working. The pump sound is nice and strong as opposed to be my DeLonghi which always sounded like it was struggling.
Now for the less intuitive things. The water input is fixed on the top and the machine is tall which means I have to slide the whole heavy thing (and it is kind of heavy) out a little to use in the morning. The porta filter holder does not have a "thumb clip" that can used to hold the porta filter in place while ejecting the puck, which because as I mentioned earlier the thing gets hot, makes filter refilling a bit uncomfortable. The porta filter itself is large and I think it needs more than one scoop from the provided scoop to fill it. I had to screw around with this last night, and I think it takes about a scoop and a third. The nice thing is, the leftover grinds are coming out as a nice dry puck, something all home baristas will appreciate.
The most important thing however remains to be seen. The reason I have this machine is because my DeLonghi machine got "tired" after less than two years of moderate use. After I cleaned and descaled it I was able to liven it up a little, but the shots were just not real espresso quality anymore. A little research revealed the importance of boiler material for making a good espresso over time and Gaggia has the reputation of the making high quality boilers. So we will see if this is true as I will provide an add on review after six months and a year. But so far, so good, the machine seems like a high quality product.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2011
Style: OLD MODELPattern Name: Espresso MachineVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
Style: OLD MODELPattern Name: Espresso MachineVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Dan
Makes great expresso
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Mao Robles
Excelente máquina espresso
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おにぎり
旧型は入手困難
Reviewed in Japan on May 13, 2021Style: OLD MODELPattern Name: Espresso MachineVerified Purchase
Tommy Caron
Top for bucks
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Daniele R.
Macchina del caffe realmente italiana
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