| Brand | PHILIPS |
|---|---|
| Model Number | 9403/11 |
| Colour | Silver |
| Product Dimensions | 35.5 x 20 x 23 cm; 8 Kilograms |
| Capacity | 2.1 litres |
| Volume Capacity | 2.1 litres |
| Power / Wattage | 1200 watts |
| Voltage | 230 Volts |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Auto Shutoff | No |
| Special Features | Removable Tank, Milk Frother |
| Item Weight | 8 kg |
Gaggia Classic 9403/11 Coffee Machine with Professional Filter Holder - Stainless Steel Body
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
- Milk Frother
- Removable Tank
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This item Gaggia Classic 9403/11 Coffee Machine with Professional Filter Holder - Stainless Steel Body | Sage the Bambino Plus Espresso Machine, Coffee Machine with Milk Frother, SES500BSS - Brushed Stainless Steel | Gaggia Classic Manual Espresso Cappuccino Machine with Solenoid Valve - RI9480/19 | Sage BCG820BSSUK the Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Grinder - Silver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | 4.4 out of 5 stars (470) | 4.6 out of 5 stars (367) | 3.8 out of 5 stars (19) | 4.7 out of 5 stars (847) |
| Price | Unavailable | £262.99 | £429.00 | £168.95 |
| Sold By | — | idoodirect | Caffe Shop Ltd | Amazon.co.uk |
| Material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Brass, Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Wattage | 1200 watts | 1600 watts | 1425 watts | 165 watts |
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
| ASIN | B0000C72XS |
|---|---|
| Customer Reviews |
4.4 out of 5 stars |
| Date First Available | 1 Jan. 2003 |
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Product guides and documents
Product description
Product Description
Treat Your Taste Buds with Over 60 Years of Italian Espresso Tradition
Gaggia is a company deeply rooted in Italian espresso heritage. Yet its coffee machines have evolved over the decades, from the original pressure-generating, lever-activated piston, to the latest fully-automated, bean-to-cup technology which, at the touch of a button, grinds, brews and dispenses a delicious cup of espresso. However you prefer to brew your coffee--whether you want the simplicity of bean-to-cup or crave domestic barista status--there is a Gaggia machine for you.
History
In 1938, Achille Gaggia filed patent no. 365726, an ingenious invention which saw steam pressure applied to ground coffee, so that the water forced through the coffee extracted all its flavours and aromas to create a rich foam crema layer. However, the real revolution came 10 years later when Achille filed a new patent, for a lever-operated piston machine incorporating a spring. This spring provided additional pressure, and this pressure forced water through the coffee in a shorter time, producing a short black espresso in just 15 seconds.
In the 1950s, Gaggia found fame in the trendy coffee bars of Rome and Milan, and most notably in London’s prominent Sirocci in Soho. These coffee bars soon became icons of the '50s lifestyle. With the launch of Baby Gaggia in 1977, the company began producing domestic espresso machines, making the professional values inherent in Gaggia’s commercial machines widely available for use in the home.
Ground coffee or coffee pods View larger. Professional filter holder View larger. Rotating steamer View larger. Solenoid valve View larger.Gaggia Classic
There's nothing like a good cup of coffee to inject a little luxury into your daily life. The Gaggia Classic 9403/11 coffee machine is an ideal introduction into the world of Italian coffee and offers a real hands-on, professional coffee-making experience. The elegantly styled machine brings modern coffee shop looks to your kitchen, as well as coffee shop quality and great taste into the comfort of your own home. The simple-to-use and durable manual machine is perfect for everyday use, combining advanced technology and a classic, compact stainless steel body.
The 1300 watt, 8 kg Gaggia Classic is powerful, yet lightweight. It comes with a 15 bar pressure pump and 1.2 litre water tank for outstanding results. The removable water tank/reservoir and stainless steel boiler ensure that it's practical and easy to clean.
Your choice--ground coffee or coffee pods
Gaggia’s manual machines come with coffee filters for one or two cups of ground coffee, and a special filter for ESE (easy serve espresso) pods. All Gaggia’s coffee machines have two special 'crema perfetta' filters that allow you to use either ground coffee or coffee pods.
Professional filter holder
A manual coffee machine is the most traditional and well-known way to make espresso, using the filter holder and ground coffee. A professional chromed brass filter holder and ring, the same as used in Gaggia’s commercial machines, ensures a consistent temperature throughout the coffee making and dispensing process. The material of the filter is durable and safe to use. It is inert and thus ensures the best results with consistent temperature.
Rotating steamer
The panarello steamer attachment rotates for easy access to froth milk in seconds, and also delivers hot water for tea and other hot drinks.
Solenoid valve
Espresso coffee, originally created in Italy, is made by rapidly forcing water that has been heated to the correct brewing temperature through finely ground coffee beans. The heart of the espresso machine is a precision engineered pump. The pump and water flow is easily controlled with just a flick of the switch. The internal mechanism of the Gaggia Classic is composed of a solenoid expansion valve that allows rapid drying of the interior. Gaggia’s solenoid valve delivers a widespread shower through the coffee, eliminating hotspots which can burn the coffee. Its precise pressurisation ensures no drips and leaves drier coffee grounds after brewing, for easy cleaning.
Traditional frother
The Gaggia Classic coffee machine comes with a traditional frother. The higher the fat content in the milk, the denser the froth will be. The 'turbo-frother' will give you perfect, creamy froth, but just a tip--don’t let the milk come to the boil! It may require two or three attempts to become an expert barista, but you will be successful at frothing milk if you give it a chance. Just swivel the turbo-frother steam nozzle slightly outward so that you can get the frothing pitcher under the nozzle without knocking the base of the machine.
Important to know……
1. The taste of your coffee depends on the characteristics of the beans from which it is made, the type of bean, and where it was grown and processed. Coffee beans that are roasted for a longer period of time and at higher temperatures will be much darker in colour. Darker beans will produce a richer cup of coffee than lightly-roasted beans.
2. A variety of dark roasts are available from which you can choose to brew your espresso. Each of these roasts is a blend of coffee beans that are roasted at a specific temperature producing a specific type of flavour. There are also decaffeinated beans that have had up to 98% of their caffeine content removed. The next time you purchase coffee for your espresso maker, experiment with one of the many kinds of coffee on the market. You may just find that it tastes better than the blend you have been using.
3. A fine 'espresso grind' for pump-driven machines must be used. Be sure to ask for this when buying coffee or when having beans ground. Do not use a blade-type grinder because it makes too much coffee dust and produces an irregular grind.
4. The mark of real espresso is its dark colour, rich taste and the light brown, natural froth called 'crema' in Italian.
5. Cappuccino is simply a combination of espresso and hot, frothy milk. Cappuccino is usually topped with cinnamon, nutmeg or cocoa powder.
6. Espresso coffee should be served immediately after it is made.
7. Espresso should be served in 2 to 2½ oz demitasse cups. A 4 or 6 oz cup or glass should be used for cappuccino.
8. Ideally, coffee beans should be ground immediately before using. Remember, it must be an 'espresso grind' for pump-driven espresso machines.
9. Ground coffee tends to absorb food odours, so it’s best to store ground coffee or whole beans in an airtight container in your freezer.
Important information – How to descale your coffee machine
In hard water areas, minerals found in the water will accumulate and affect operation of the unit. Approximately every two months (this can vary depending on use and water condition), clean the machine with Gaggia descaler (in which case follow the instructions on the packet).
- Remove shower disc and clean.
- Pour solution into tank and turn on pump for 15 seconds. Allow solution to flow through brewing head and steam nozzle for several seconds. Wait 20 minutes, then repeat process until solution has been run through.
- Rinse machine thoroughly by running plain cold water through machine. Replace shower disc.
NOTE: Product failure due to scale accumulation is not covered by warranty. No other servicing should be attempted by the user. Use “Gaggia cleaner” for best results.
There has been a modification to some of the accessories included with the item, which will impact the way you use the machine. The machine includes crèma ground coffee filters and a black pin to hold the filter in place. In order to brew coffee, insert the black pin into the filter holder and then place the crema filter on top.
Box Contains
- 1 x Gaggia Classic manual coffee machine with professional filter holder
- 1 x Measuring spoon
- 1 x Instruction leaflet
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2015
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Before I talk about the machine I do want to very quickly take a moment to recommend a few crucial upgrades for this machine if you are serious about the quality of coffee you want this machine to produce.
First off is the baskets in the portafilter, as standard Gaggia supply the machine with pressured single and double baskets. What these pressured baskets do is force the espresso shot through a single hole at the bottom of the basket and past a small plastic widget which introduces air and produces a fake crema (The creamy, light coloured layer on top of a shot of espresso). Crema naturally appears from in the most basic terms using the right grind on the coffee beans, an even and firm tamp on the coffee grounds in the basket and the heat and pressure supplied by the machine when you pull a shot, there are other small factors which can influence the presence of crema in your espresso but I won’t bore you with all of those. The quality of the crema is a good gauge for the quality of the espresso shot you have made, the main problem is that with the pressurised basket it is faking this element of the espresso which means that you would have no sort of indication that anything is wrong with your coffee until you drink it and then you may find it sour or bitter. Some users may then criticise the machine itself for poor results and bad tasting coffee when the real issue is that the not so well prepared coffee has been masked by the beauty of the faux crema.
So this leads to my first recommendation, please consider purchasing an double unpressurised basket (58mm is the size of the baskets for this machine and remember to remove the plastic widget under the basket in the handle as well). It will take a few tries and probably a bit of stress to obtain that real layer of crema on top of your espresso, but the difference in taste will be well worth it in the end. It’s worth noting if you have no interest in the mess and hassle of grinding beans yourself I can preach for the quality of ily pre-ground coffee, I use the medium roast espresso grind (250g in a red and silver tin) and the grind works well on this machine and produces a good crema and has a overall very nice taste.
My second recommendation applies for those of you that enjoy milk based drinks such as latte, mocha and cappuccino. As standard the machine comes with a steaming wand called a panarello wand. What this does is pull air into your milk through small holes at the top of the wand while you steam the milk and from experience you’ll most likely end up with loads of large bubbles which will not give you that smooth silky, almost creamy texture you get from drinks such as lattes in the coffee shops. The panarello wand is another cheat device, it attempts to fake the texturing of the milk and does a pretty poor job at it. I choose the most popular modification to the machine which is the Rancilio Silvia steam wand, you can purchase it on Amazon from Edesia Espress in a pre modified form which means all you have to do is unbolt the current wand from the machine and replace with the new Silvia one.
The benefit of the Silvia wand is that it delivers the steam from a single hole at the bottom of the wand, similar to that of commercial machines and it does not constantly let in air giving you a big jug of froth every time. Again like the unpressurised basket it will take a few tries to master, to give you an example for latte milk what you want to do it have the tip of the wand on the surface of the milk and open the steam valve, it will make a noise that is similar to the opening of a frizzy drink, a ‘pfffffff’ sort of noise is what you are looking for, not a high pitch screech. Do this for a few seconds (I was trained three seconds) and then submerge the tip just under the surface of the milk and angle the jug slightly until you find the perfect place and the milk begins spinning in the jug. What this does is incorporate the foam you created in the first few seconds into the rest of the milk, this process creates that silky smooth thickly textured milk called ‘microfoam’. Carry on steaming the milk until you reach 140°F or 70°C if you have a milk thermometer or without one feel the base of the jug with your fingers and palm and when it just begins to feel like it’s just about to burn your hand cut off the steam and remove the want from the jug. Wipe the wand with a damp cloth quickly or you’ll end up with dried milk on the wand. To finish the milk tap the jug firmly down, this pops the big bubbles and swirl the milk in the jug until it takes on a shine similar to glossy photo paper. It all sounds horrendously complicated and quite involved but once you’ve practised a few times this entire process of steaming the milk will only take you a few minutes and you’ll get fantastic results.
These two modifications cost around £10 at the most for basket and about £20 for the steam wand. So for £30 you’ve already massively improved the quality of the drinks you’ll get from the machine, sure you’ll have to work a little harder but if you really enjoy coffee than that little extra effort will be well worth it.
Finally we reach the overview of the machine, out of the box you get the machine itself which comes with a drip tray and clear water tank, a chrome plated brass portafilter, single and double baskets (those nasty pressurised ones I’ve mentioned above), a plastic tamp, a coffee scoop and the power cord.
The machine is finished in flawless brushed stainless steel with a flush front which curves around the sides that extend outward towards the rear of the machine to the back which is also a flush finish, this means it fits nicely against a wall without a massive gap between the machine and your wall . The front of the machine has three switches, one for the power; this turns on the elements and heats the boiler to prepare for brewing temperature, the second is for steam; flicking this switch lets the boiler heat to a higher temperature in order to produce steam and the third switch is for brewing; this pumps hot water through the grouphead for pulling a shot of espresso. The only other control on the machine is the steam valve on the right hand side which you turn to release steam from the steam wand, the more you turn it the more steam comes out. The power and brew switch have orange indicator lights, the power light illuminates to show that the machine is powered on and the brew switch light illuminates when the boiler was reached the correct temperature.
Filling the machine with water is simple, there is a black cover on the top of the machine lift this off and you just pour water into the hole. The water level can be easily viewed from the front of the machine where the tank is showing with the clearly shown max fill mark. When preparing to use the machine leave the portafilter in the grouped at all times, even when there isn’t any coffee in it. The reason for this is that you want to have an even temperature for when you pull a shot, if the portafilter was cold then the water would begin to cool down as it hits the portafilter and this may leave you with a bitter or sour espresso shot. So, leave the portafilter in the machine locked in place and leave it to heat for at least 15 minutes. This allows enough time for everything to heat up, the boiler, the grouphead and the portafilter. Rather than explaining the process of making espresso I’d recommend visiting Youtube for some tutorials on pulling espresso shots and texturing milk if you are completely new to this, there are people out there that have created some very well explained how-to videos which will take you step by step through each process in an easy to learn manner.
The machine features a three way solenoid, what this does is remove the excess water from the grouphead after you have pulled a shot. This is a good thing as it leaves the ‘puck’ of used coffee grounds dry and easy to remove from the portafilter with a light tap rather than a wet mess of used grounds which you’ll always get from machines without a three way solenoid. Using the included plastic tamper and an unpressurised double basket I have no issues pulling a double shot with a decent crema. A metal 58mm tamper is an ideal upgrade to make the process a little simpler but not essential, the included plastic tamper (as always with any machine) is slightly too small for the basket which means you have to go around the edges manually as it doesn’t completely cover the coffee grinds in a single press. It’s not useless but for £20-30 you can get a massively improved flat based metal tamper which allows you to tamp in one push and makes much less mess.
The machine does also dispense reasonably hot water on demand (while in brew mode, just the power switch on and steam switch off), this is performed by opening the steam valve and turning both the steam and brew switches on at the same time and again in reverse to turn it off. This produces hot water straight from the steam wand, perfect for making an americano for making a cup of tea. For steaming milk the machine has impressed me in terms of pure power, compared to the professional machine I use at work. I have no issues steaming a jug of milk for one large latte so I’m sure it wouldn’t have any issues making enough for two small cups but I wouldn’t push it any further than that as you might damage to boiler by drying it out
.
The machine is highly versatile, with the combination of espresso shots, hot water and milk you can create, americanos, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, flat whites, macchiatos and even hot chocolates using just the steamed milk. I’d say this is an ideal machine for someone that loves coffee and wants to learn more about the process behind a good cup of coffee or perhaps the aspiring home barista that wants to step-up their current coffee skills. If you want a machine that makes no mess and requires no effort and you don’t want to learn about the skills required to produce a great coffee then this probably isn’t the machine for you, maybe a Tassimo or a Nespresso pod based machine would be better suited in that case. The machine does take ESE coffee pods but if you plan to use only these then you are honestly better off to save your money and spend much less buying a dedicated pod machine.
Overall I highly recommend this machine for the sturdy build quality, great tasting coffee and huge community of support from other coffee passionate people on various coffee forums for standard machines and modified machines. A two year warranty is supplied so you may wish to wait until this runs out before performing warranty voiding modifications such as installing a PID or adjusting the over pressure valve (OPV mod) to get the perfect 9 bar pressure when pulling a shot but the usability of this machine as standard is absolutely adequate and should keep me happy and well caffeinated for many shots to come.
If anyone does happen to have a questions about this review or the Gaggia Classic in particular please feel free to leave a comment on this review and I’ll get back to you as soon as a can. Please do keep in mind I am a beginner barista so some of the terms and techniques may be slightly incorrect or explained in a odd way as I have tried to make the technical details of processes as simple as possible so that (hopefully) everyone can understand, so please do excuse any errors due to this. People do tend to have different ways of making coffee which often end up in the same results and I have explained here the methods I have been trained on to date. With some trial and error you’ll find your own way of producing great tasting drinks that you will feel comfortable making, just give yourself plenty of time and a good bit of patience as just like any other skill you are unlikely to fully master it on the first go.
Happy brewing!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 14 February 2015
Before I talk about the machine I do want to very quickly take a moment to recommend a few crucial upgrades for this machine if you are serious about the quality of coffee you want this machine to produce.
First off is the baskets in the portafilter, as standard Gaggia supply the machine with pressured single and double baskets. What these pressured baskets do is force the espresso shot through a single hole at the bottom of the basket and past a small plastic widget which introduces air and produces a fake crema (The creamy, light coloured layer on top of a shot of espresso). Crema naturally appears from in the most basic terms using the right grind on the coffee beans, an even and firm tamp on the coffee grounds in the basket and the heat and pressure supplied by the machine when you pull a shot, there are other small factors which can influence the presence of crema in your espresso but I won’t bore you with all of those. The quality of the crema is a good gauge for the quality of the espresso shot you have made, the main problem is that with the pressurised basket it is faking this element of the espresso which means that you would have no sort of indication that anything is wrong with your coffee until you drink it and then you may find it sour or bitter. Some users may then criticise the machine itself for poor results and bad tasting coffee when the real issue is that the not so well prepared coffee has been masked by the beauty of the faux crema.
So this leads to my first recommendation, please consider purchasing an double unpressurised basket (58mm is the size of the baskets for this machine and remember to remove the plastic widget under the basket in the handle as well). It will take a few tries and probably a bit of stress to obtain that real layer of crema on top of your espresso, but the difference in taste will be well worth it in the end. It’s worth noting if you have no interest in the mess and hassle of grinding beans yourself I can preach for the quality of ily pre-ground coffee, I use the medium roast espresso grind (250g in a red and silver tin) and the grind works well on this machine and produces a good crema and has a overall very nice taste.
My second recommendation applies for those of you that enjoy milk based drinks such as latte, mocha and cappuccino. As standard the machine comes with a steaming wand called a panarello wand. What this does is pull air into your milk through small holes at the top of the wand while you steam the milk and from experience you’ll most likely end up with loads of large bubbles which will not give you that smooth silky, almost creamy texture you get from drinks such as lattes in the coffee shops. The panarello wand is another cheat device, it attempts to fake the texturing of the milk and does a pretty poor job at it. I choose the most popular modification to the machine which is the Rancilio Silvia steam wand, you can purchase it on Amazon from Edesia Espress in a pre modified form which means all you have to do is unbolt the current wand from the machine and replace with the new Silvia one.
The benefit of the Silvia wand is that it delivers the steam from a single hole at the bottom of the wand, similar to that of commercial machines and it does not constantly let in air giving you a big jug of froth every time. Again like the unpressurised basket it will take a few tries to master, to give you an example for latte milk what you want to do it have the tip of the wand on the surface of the milk and open the steam valve, it will make a noise that is similar to the opening of a frizzy drink, a ‘pfffffff’ sort of noise is what you are looking for, not a high pitch screech. Do this for a few seconds (I was trained three seconds) and then submerge the tip just under the surface of the milk and angle the jug slightly until you find the perfect place and the milk begins spinning in the jug. What this does is incorporate the foam you created in the first few seconds into the rest of the milk, this process creates that silky smooth thickly textured milk called ‘microfoam’. Carry on steaming the milk until you reach 140°F or 70°C if you have a milk thermometer or without one feel the base of the jug with your fingers and palm and when it just begins to feel like it’s just about to burn your hand cut off the steam and remove the want from the jug. Wipe the wand with a damp cloth quickly or you’ll end up with dried milk on the wand. To finish the milk tap the jug firmly down, this pops the big bubbles and swirl the milk in the jug until it takes on a shine similar to glossy photo paper. It all sounds horrendously complicated and quite involved but once you’ve practised a few times this entire process of steaming the milk will only take you a few minutes and you’ll get fantastic results.
These two modifications cost around £10 at the most for basket and about £20 for the steam wand. So for £30 you’ve already massively improved the quality of the drinks you’ll get from the machine, sure you’ll have to work a little harder but if you really enjoy coffee than that little extra effort will be well worth it.
Finally we reach the overview of the machine, out of the box you get the machine itself which comes with a drip tray and clear water tank, a chrome plated brass portafilter, single and double baskets (those nasty pressurised ones I’ve mentioned above), a plastic tamp, a coffee scoop and the power cord.
The machine is finished in flawless brushed stainless steel with a flush front which curves around the sides that extend outward towards the rear of the machine to the back which is also a flush finish, this means it fits nicely against a wall without a massive gap between the machine and your wall . The front of the machine has three switches, one for the power; this turns on the elements and heats the boiler to prepare for brewing temperature, the second is for steam; flicking this switch lets the boiler heat to a higher temperature in order to produce steam and the third switch is for brewing; this pumps hot water through the grouphead for pulling a shot of espresso. The only other control on the machine is the steam valve on the right hand side which you turn to release steam from the steam wand, the more you turn it the more steam comes out. The power and brew switch have orange indicator lights, the power light illuminates to show that the machine is powered on and the brew switch light illuminates when the boiler was reached the correct temperature.
Filling the machine with water is simple, there is a black cover on the top of the machine lift this off and you just pour water into the hole. The water level can be easily viewed from the front of the machine where the tank is showing with the clearly shown max fill mark. When preparing to use the machine leave the portafilter in the grouped at all times, even when there isn’t any coffee in it. The reason for this is that you want to have an even temperature for when you pull a shot, if the portafilter was cold then the water would begin to cool down as it hits the portafilter and this may leave you with a bitter or sour espresso shot. So, leave the portafilter in the machine locked in place and leave it to heat for at least 15 minutes. This allows enough time for everything to heat up, the boiler, the grouphead and the portafilter. Rather than explaining the process of making espresso I’d recommend visiting Youtube for some tutorials on pulling espresso shots and texturing milk if you are completely new to this, there are people out there that have created some very well explained how-to videos which will take you step by step through each process in an easy to learn manner.
The machine features a three way solenoid, what this does is remove the excess water from the grouphead after you have pulled a shot. This is a good thing as it leaves the ‘puck’ of used coffee grounds dry and easy to remove from the portafilter with a light tap rather than a wet mess of used grounds which you’ll always get from machines without a three way solenoid. Using the included plastic tamper and an unpressurised double basket I have no issues pulling a double shot with a decent crema. A metal 58mm tamper is an ideal upgrade to make the process a little simpler but not essential, the included plastic tamper (as always with any machine) is slightly too small for the basket which means you have to go around the edges manually as it doesn’t completely cover the coffee grinds in a single press. It’s not useless but for £20-30 you can get a massively improved flat based metal tamper which allows you to tamp in one push and makes much less mess.
The machine does also dispense reasonably hot water on demand (while in brew mode, just the power switch on and steam switch off), this is performed by opening the steam valve and turning both the steam and brew switches on at the same time and again in reverse to turn it off. This produces hot water straight from the steam wand, perfect for making an americano for making a cup of tea. For steaming milk the machine has impressed me in terms of pure power, compared to the professional machine I use at work. I have no issues steaming a jug of milk for one large latte so I’m sure it wouldn’t have any issues making enough for two small cups but I wouldn’t push it any further than that as you might damage to boiler by drying it out
.
The machine is highly versatile, with the combination of espresso shots, hot water and milk you can create, americanos, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, flat whites, macchiatos and even hot chocolates using just the steamed milk. I’d say this is an ideal machine for someone that loves coffee and wants to learn more about the process behind a good cup of coffee or perhaps the aspiring home barista that wants to step-up their current coffee skills. If you want a machine that makes no mess and requires no effort and you don’t want to learn about the skills required to produce a great coffee then this probably isn’t the machine for you, maybe a Tassimo or a Nespresso pod based machine would be better suited in that case. The machine does take ESE coffee pods but if you plan to use only these then you are honestly better off to save your money and spend much less buying a dedicated pod machine.
Overall I highly recommend this machine for the sturdy build quality, great tasting coffee and huge community of support from other coffee passionate people on various coffee forums for standard machines and modified machines. A two year warranty is supplied so you may wish to wait until this runs out before performing warranty voiding modifications such as installing a PID or adjusting the over pressure valve (OPV mod) to get the perfect 9 bar pressure when pulling a shot but the usability of this machine as standard is absolutely adequate and should keep me happy and well caffeinated for many shots to come.
If anyone does happen to have a questions about this review or the Gaggia Classic in particular please feel free to leave a comment on this review and I’ll get back to you as soon as a can. Please do keep in mind I am a beginner barista so some of the terms and techniques may be slightly incorrect or explained in a odd way as I have tried to make the technical details of processes as simple as possible so that (hopefully) everyone can understand, so please do excuse any errors due to this. People do tend to have different ways of making coffee which often end up in the same results and I have explained here the methods I have been trained on to date. With some trial and error you’ll find your own way of producing great tasting drinks that you will feel comfortable making, just give yourself plenty of time and a good bit of patience as just like any other skill you are unlikely to fully master it on the first go.
Happy brewing!
If you intend to buy this machine you will need to budget for the following:-
1) A decent grinder - I have my old Pavoni Jolly which is excellent. You will need a grinder with proper grinding wheels - much like a pepper grinder. A cheap pulverising blade type grinder is not good enough. if you are taking the trouble to make a decent espresso, don't bother with pre-ground coffee, no matter what brand, you will never get the crema quality of freshly ground.
2) Proper perforated baskets - the 'perfet crema' basket supplied with the Gaggia are meant to make it easier to achieve good results with any coffee, however they are a total waste of time. I cannot understand why a top quality machine such as this is not supplied with proper baskets. I even phoned Philips (who now own Gaggia) and complained about this, pointing out that had I bought this machine in the USA I would have received set of both 'perfet crema' and standard baskets. Of course they didn't want to know and suggested I contact Amazon - totally pointless because Amazon are not at fault. Why are the perfet crema baskets crap? Firstly, they froth the coffee rather than produce a proper crema, Secondly, they have to be used with a daft plastic 'crema' device - its tiny and almost guaranteed to get lost. Thirdly, they get blocked - if you inspect them carefully you can see that there are 2 layers of metal - the top one with many tiny holes and the bottom one with the single outlet pinhole. Between these layer is a void, albeit very small, but it is in this void you will find coffee grinds get jammed and cannot be removed - even the instructions allude to this and suggest soaking the basket to unblock it. Completely hopeless, buy yourself some proper standard baskets (a double and a single) - I ordered mine from HappyDonkey.com for a few quid each.
3) A decent tamper. The plastic one supplied is the wrong size and won't do the job properly. Many websites recommend about 30 lbs of pressure to tamp the coffee in the basket. If you want to know what 30 lbs pressure feels like, just use your bathroom scales, put your basket on it and press down on it with the tamper until you reach 30 lbs. You can spend a fortune on a tamper, I bought a good quality metal with wooden handle one from Happy Donkey for about £15.
4) Correct sized espresso cups - a mug will not fit under the basket.
5) Stainless steel jug for frothing milk - I already had one, but make sure its not too big or it won't fit under the steam wand.
6) Milk thermometer - I have a Gaggia one which clips on the jug and has temperature dial on top. When you steam milk, you need to turn off the steam as the temperature is rising, just before it reaches 70 degrees. The aim is to end up at exactly 70 so you get a hot drink, but not overheated which tastes bad. You might be able to judge it by hand, I can't so I recommend a thermometer.
Be prepared to experiment a little. You probably won't get a first class espresso the first few times. There is a delicate balance required between how fine you grind the coffee and how hard you tamp. It should take around 20-25 seconds to produce an espresso, if its wildly different from this, you will need to adjust the tamp pressure and/or the grind fineness. Once you get it right you will understand. I can now get a fantastic espresso pretty well every time. By fantastic espresso, I mean one which is easily as good or better than any high street chain (and yes, I have tried them all, numerous times) or restaurant.
Negatives:-
1) The steam wand is adequate but not great. Many reviews complain about this - in my opinion, its not too bad, but tends to make bubbles as much as it makes foam. Tapping the milk jug onto a hard surface will reduce the bubbles during steaming.
2) The steam output is bit slow - not particularly bad, but nothing to write home about. I can make a decent capuccino with it.
3) The lights are confusing until you understand how it works. eg if you switch the machine on, the 'brew ready' light will come on once its warmed up, but will subsequently go off and on, cycling as dictated by the thermostat. Imagine your steam iron, but with light working the opposite way round. Similarly with the steam switch. So it can be 'ready' with the light on or off!
4) The switches are confusing. Its dead simple, but the instruction make a big deal out of it. The left hand switch is the mains power on/off. The centre switch is for steam. The right switch is for brewing coffee. Centre and right together pumps hot water from the steam wand. That's all there is to it. There are a few youtube videos worth watching to show how it all works.
5) The instructions are poor - there's no end of leaflets and diagrams, some contradictory. Read the instructions, watch youtube and experiment, you'll soon get the hang of it.
6) Some folk complain its noisy! Not compared with my coffee grinder it isn't!
All in all, this is a great machine. Ok it doesn't look as cute as many (including my Pavoni). However if you want decent espresso, this machine will do it. I am dead chuffed with mine. I use it about 3 times a day and no problems so far (3 months).









