Gaggia Classic 2 Cups Espresso Machine

Purchased to replace a cheapo brand espresso machine that broke after relatively little use; this is in a different league altogether. Heavy and well made, with a professional solid chromed brass filter holder. Will last a lifetime - spares are plentiful. I had a quick peek inside to have a look at the boiler / solenoid / pump / thermostats / wiring - (I'm a sucker for well engineered products and can never resist a quick look where possible) - and pleased to report that the build quality of the internal components is even better than the exterior would suggest. There are increasingly few modern consumer products that combine functionality with form - (most now appear to place style over substance)- but the Gaggia Classic genuinely harks back to a less disposable, more solidly engineered era. Phillips have now acquired the brand, and my item is labelled as being assembled in Romania but the design and components appear to be identical to earlier models - only time will tell if Phillips properly cherishes the brand, or takes it downmarket with cheaper / inferior parts and casings.
To get the best out of it -
1. If yours came with pressurised filter baskets and the black "crema widget" - ditch them and order after market non-pressurised filter baskets - (about £5 each).
2. Freshly ground beans (as fine a grind as you can acheive) as opposed to ready ground coffee makes all the difference in the world to the flavour and appearance of the coffee produced. Tamp the grains into the filter basket with as much force as you can muster the create a really dense solid mass for the water to pushed through.
3. Switch the machine on 5 minutes or so before use to get everything, especially the filter holder, warm before starting to dispense.
4. Sit back. Enjoy.

This model has been around for many years now and with good reason, its a solidly built, heavily engineered and very well designed unit that is probably more like a scaled down commercial machine than a domestic one, and it shows in the build standard, metal framed casing, solid brass portafilter holder and unlike most domestic machines a removeable and replaceable group and showerhead unit.
The machine is also fitted internally with a built in 3 way solenoid valve which allows you to backflush the group head for cleaning purposes, essential maintenance if you intend to get any kind of decent results.
As has been mentioned on previous reviews this is a serious piece of kit and you will need a serious bean grinder to go with it or you just wont get the great results this machine is actually capable of.
Spares and replacement routine items like head gaskets are easily available from a variety of dealers and you even get a parts breakdown schematic in the instructions so if anything does break you can get parts to fix it unlike a lot of the cheaper units out there.
Its very easy to use, only 3 buttons and one rotary knob all very self explanatory, it heats up very quickly and holds that heat well so its easy to get consistent repeatable results but it is a big hefty heavy unit so make sure you check that out when you decide where your going to fit it in the kitchen!
So any problems? well maybe the water tank could have been made a bit bigger, and it would have been nice to have a filter built into the tank but as you can get cartridge filters to attach to the feed line in the tank its no big deal, minor niggles really more than major problems.
So if your serious about good coffee and want a decent machine that will last for years you wont get much better than this in the price range.

Hi every one in Ebay land. I am a coffee snob. Espresso all the way. So I was delighted to buy this machine. It looks great, and is nice and solid. But, there always is a but, when I make an espresso I want a good crema on it. This machine is not good at those. I tried all sorts of coffee, the best being Lavazza crema e custo. But still did not get much of one. So in the end I went to www.caffeshop.co.uk and got a Crema filter for £12.99. Now I get a great crema very time. But hay I'm just being picky, its a good machine and I hope I have it for a long while.

This machine is for someone that is prepared to spend time to make a great cup of coffee.
To get the best out of this particular coffee maker it is most important that a very fine grind is used. Most grinders just will not do.
I like to have real coffee on a Saturday and Sunday morning when I am not in a hurry and for this it is just fine.
If one wishes convenience, look else where.
It is possible to buy all the main parts and have it serviced, so I expect to be using this machine for many years.

Very nice and classic design. small size and easy to clean.
It makes very nice coffee. For home use is very good.
You have to do all the coffee first and then make the froth milk as you will have to wait a bit longer for the temperature of the water to cool down. Otherwise the coffee will be bitter.
In general a very good and compact machine.