Gaggia 74886 Coffee Deluxe Espresso & Cappuccino Maker

And there are cheap espresso machines, between £50 and £100, which make espresso which tastes like mud and create a thin, foamy milk for cappuccino.

Like most people, my first espresso machine was one of the cheap kind. We rarely used it, and it was always a disappointment. When we bought the Gaggia (having wondered for a long time about _why_ they were so much more expensive) we were instantly knocked over. So instantly that we went out and bought another one (the first one was to give to someone else, although we decided to 'test' it first). There is quite literally a day and night difference.

However, it is quite a lot of money, so the following may help you make a decision.

Pros:
Gaggias are built to last, and you can still get parts long after they are discontinued

Outstanding espresso, with just the right 'crema'
Outstanding frothed - milk, but see below

Cons:
You have to take care of it. You need to clean the spout after each milk frothing. You also need to clean the coffee basket regularly if you want to keep the taste pure.
If you grind your own beans (recommended) you'll need to invest in a _burr_ grinder, as _blade_ type grinders are completely unsuitable for espresso.
Frothed milk isn't instant - even though it's a lot quicker than the cheap machines - it takes a couple of minutes to heat from espresso setting to frothing setting, and then you'll be a minute frothing.

Alternatives:
You can make reasonable cappuccino with a domestic coffee machine and a special kind of whisk, available at coffee shops. To do this, put in your usual amount of coffee but only about half the quantity of water. While it brews, heat milk either on a stove or a microwave, but don't let it boil.
Take your cappuccino whisk and swizzle it in the milk until frothy. Add the milk to the coffee. It won't taste quite the same, and the milk will be hot not cold, but it's still a lot better than the cheap espresso machines.

Recommendation: if you love coffee, you'll love this, but don't think of it as a 'switch on and forget' appliance. Love and care are still required.

We have only had it two days and so far have come up with these conclusions:

1. Read the instructions fully all of the way through before attempting to swtich on! They are translated direct rfom Italian and Italian instructions are terrible for cutting corners.

2. Give it a good flush through with water before use but NEVER pump whilst it is empty (they mention this at the end of the instructions!!)

3. Use the measuring spoon otherwise the handle won't fit.

4. Before getting one read a site like http://www.xpressivo.com/theespressoguide/cafe.asp. The brewing guide you get with it is pretty poor.

As for price, I searched the web high and low and I could not find it cheaper than Amazon, however, this morning I saw it for 135 at http://www.gaggia.uk.com/ click on SHOP - typical!!! My one complaint is that you do not get the "Perfect Crema Device", which you have to buy additionally. The creama (brown foam) is for me one of the best bits of Espresso and i think Gagia are being a bit stingy, however some sites doubt that you really need it if you use good freash coffee.

Overall, an excellent machine but worth doing some Espresso reading on beforehand.

I also use the Dualit grinder and the combination of these two units guarantees a good cup every time. I have set the grinder to either the finest or second finest setting and this, with a 30lb tamp, gives consitently good results.

I would rate in order of importance, the correct grind must be used (very fine), the beans must be fresh (opened less than 2 weeks and ground immediately before use), the correct amount used (7g per shot) and after this it is just a matter of getting the feel for the machine, ie tamping etc.

As far as domestic machines go, I haven't seen any to perform better than this one, even on a larger budget. I drink mainly espresso and it is easy to get a consistently extracted cup with a generous amount of crema. My wife drinks mostly cappuccino and latte so the milk frother has had plenty of use too, the froth produced is thick "microfoam" which stays stiff for a long time and a jug can be frothed in a relatively short space of time.

Cleaning is no problem, to keep the machine in peak condition I just remove the shower screen and group head once a month or so and steep for a while, which means removing three screws.

To conclude I would say that this machine does all you could expect of it and does it well. It was well worth the money. I would also recommend "Espresso" by Kenneth Davids which covers everything from the practical side of assembling different drinks to the history of coffee culture throughout the years.