I.Barber
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2025
Robust machine that makes good espresso. Pleased with purchase.
Danger Mouse
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2025
Heats up quickly and makes great Espresso. There is a learning curve to using this single, aluminum, boiler machine. You'll want to understand Temp-surfing, how to steam milk properly, and how to purge the boiler after each steam. Note that US sales models imported by Whole Latte Love will come pre-installed with 9bar OPV springs, so you don't have to purchase anything else. Go watch their YT videos so you get a grasp on what you are doing. If you intend to do a Gagguino mod, do your research on this well in advance of your purchase.
S W
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
I like the way this Gaggia looks. Way better looking than all other espresso machines in this price point. But beware. You have to hack this machine. My partner has a Breville and it works perfectly every single time. This Gaggia though is a pain. I had to watch hacks to preheat (at least 30 min, most days an hour), to pre infuse, to get the machine to heat the espresso so it’s a hot enough, etc etc. I didn’t believe the people or info on the internet when they said you have to hack this machine. I thought, I’m not going to do that - it’s unnecessary. But I learned the hard way. It is absolutely necessary. Ive had horrible cappuccinos, cold cappuccinos… so now i have to spend an extra few minutes and effort every morning to get a decent cappuccino. And the hacks aren’t always effective. This machine is alive (in a sense). If you want to make the effort, ok I guess you could consider this Gaggia. But honestly I would go with a good Breville instead. Wait for a sale. You can get a Breville on sale for the price of this Gaggia. And it does leak paint chips. All the reviews on the internet are true. I’ll use it because I didn’t return it in time. But every morning I regret my purchase.
Seema Kathuria
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
I've had this for a couple years now, maybe more. Love it. Was easy to use from the beginning and was making cappuccinos better than 80% of ones I had been drinking around Portland (OR) for 15 years...which is saying something since Portland is a serious coffee town. Of course, great local beans (Coava) and fining milk that suits my taste was part of that equation.Great machine - and looks cool to boot!
pems-integ-tests
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2024
There’s a learning curve, but it isn’t long. After just a couple weeks I’m making espressos that I really, really like.
CD
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024
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Voltaire
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2023
This Gaggia classic make superlative double espresso long for me. Using Starbucks Sumatra beans and a Breville smart grinder, I made the espresso in the photo. If I had to get rid of my Elektra T1 commercial espresso machine in my basement, it would not be much of a loss, compared to the Gaggia Classic. I have had many espresso machines: ascaso dream zero, a few breville machines, rancilio silvia, ECM giotto, etc.. They do not equal the gaggia classic, in my opinion , and for the price.The winning factors is the boiler unit and the heavy brass commercial 58 mm handle.Paying for in at Amazon.ca, is a no brainer over 12 months at 0% interest.With a decent grinder and coffee, you will/should be very happy.Just now, I see the asking price, on Amazon.ca is about $1140. !? as of march 24, 2024, in Canda. Its still $650 elsewhere in Canada.
william
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023
The Gaggia Classic Pro is the Golden Standard for "Entry Level" espresso machines.It is well made and is quite sturdy.If you just want a coffee machine that makes decent espresso in the morning without much hassle, stay away from this machine. It's kind of a Blue Pill/Red Pill situation.Get a normal espresso maker and you will be satisfied of the result and with your life.Get a Gaggia Classic Pro, and you will find yourself buying a Coffee Scale, a New +$300 coffee grinder, a stirrer, 2 new tampers (because you will buy a 58mm tamper only to discover that you need a 58.5mmm) etc.You will find yourself deep into forums trying to figure out why you don't get any crema? why is you coffee too sour? why is it too bitter? You will start a series of modifications to the machine (opv spring, PID temp controller etc).At the end of this tunnel you will be reworded with a wonderful tasting espresso, and you will realize that most coffee shops just don't know how to make espresso.In short, if you want all your friends to hate you for becoming a coffee "Expert" and not being able to shut up critiquing the drip coffee at the gas station, buy a Gaggia Classic Pro.
Ferry Rider
Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2023
This was a birthday gift for my sister in Montreal. I live in California so ordering from the Canadian Amazon website seemed the best way to go. I ordered it about a week before Christmas and the expected delivery was between Dec. 27 and Jan. 4. That was okay since her birthday is in January. The seller and shipper was iDrinkCoffee, not Amazon.ca, so I was a bit unsure. I needn't have been. The seller was great and shipped immediately. The machine actually arrived on Dec. 23, just a couple of days after I ordered it. I was impressed.As for the product itself, I have the same one. It's a great little machine. There are a couple of tweaks to make better espresso, that involve getting the machine hotter by using the steam setting. I'm not describing it well, but there are several helpful videos on YouTube that explain the process very well.
Lisa Fox
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022
This was what I expected. I am particular about my coffee and this, being manual, allows me the control that I need in order to make the coffee the way I like it. I know there were complaints about the coffee not being hot enough. If you let it warm up long enough it is quite hot. The light goes on and you can get hot coffee until it goes out. If the light goes out stop brewing and wait for it to heat up again. If keep brewing after the light goes off it is just warm water. It's pretty simple really. It seems that the longer you wait the hotter it gets...to a point. I'm pleased; it's what I expected and seems sturdy enough. I haven't gotten the foam quite right yet but I assume that it is still user error and I will get it down with practice and have a proper pitcher to use. If you like to push a button and have everything done for you without thinking, then this is probably not the machine for you. If you like to cook and have your coffee the way YOU want it then you will be happy with this machine.
Ernesto de la Cueva
Reviewed in Mexico on February 10, 2022
Después de algunos años con a Delonghi Dedica decidí dar el paso para arriba y me decanté por esta cafetera por algunas razones concretas:1. Porque es arreglable. La Barista Express es una cafetera más grande pero no cualquiera le puede meter mano. Esta es fácilmente reparable en caso de alguna eventualidad. Es realmente simple.2.- La comunidad. Es enorme. En internet hay cientos de foros y de canales con gente que te pueden ayudar a casi cualquier duda que tengas.3.- La escalabilidad. Es fácil reducir el flujo de agua para hacer una mejor extracción. Es posible instalarle un PID para control de temperatura. ¡Hasta se puede superautomatizar con Arduino en caso de que lo quieras!4.- El portafiltro. De 58mm. Todas las demás de este rango de precios lo tienen de 51 o 54.5. Los accesorios. Es relativamente sencillo conseguir accesorios para esta máquina y mejorar la experiencia. Además de que el estándar es 58 mm.Contras:1. La curva de aprendizaje es más larga de lo habitual. Se necesitan muchas horas-café para domarla.2. La bandeja inferior es muy estorbosa.3. El molino. Es necesario contar con un buen molino. Un gasto extra importante.4. No es la máquina más hermosa del mundo.Solo recomiendo que se considere esta máquina si eres un verdadero entusiasta del café. De lo contrario, podría ser frustante. Y no compres la roja si tu pared es roja, jejeje.
Customer
Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2021
Definitely not the cheapest product out there but if you are more serious about your espresso / espresso based beverages than the average person this is a great machine (note that this is a machine, not an appliance).I've had my Gaggia for over 3 months now and I absolutely love it. You have just enough control that you can customize your espresso by adjusting different settings, but not too much that it is overwhelming (such as pressure etc.). Keep in mind that to get the best out of this machine, you will need a decent coffee grinder that allows you to adjust the grind and fine tune it to your taste.This machine comes with a heavy duty portafilter and 2 baskets (one pressurized and one non-pressurized). It also comes with a few other things like a plastic tamper and coffee scoop. I highly recommend that you get a jack leveller instead of tamper though if you want the most consistent results time after time. Cherry on top is that it is made in Italy