Which gaggia classic

The benefit of this PID is the level of control and the visibility of the boiler temperature that it gives you. The Gaggia Classic Pro is a single boiler espresso machine. This means that the water used to brew the espresso comes from the same boiler as used for steaming milk. Pushing the brew button releases a bunch of steam and helps the cooling. This means a certain amount of waiting from doing one to the other. Moving up to a dual boiler machine though means reconsidering your budget. The Pro wand is a good thing considering the market for this machine and has been universally appreciated.

Cappuccinos or lattes were easily achieved if taking a bit longer than on machines with more power. If you want to push a button and go, the Gaggia Classic Pro will reward you with good results, especially on a traditional Italian roast. Filling the water tank is straightforward with convenient access from the top. If your machine sits on your counter, under your cupboards, you still have just enough room to pour water from a Breville filter into the tank.

Like others who have reviewed this machine, the main area of disappointment is the cleaning regime. Depending on how hard your water is, you might be doing this once or twice a year.

Recently in fact, my solenoid valve did get blocked. Fortunately, fixing it was quite simple. I followed the advice in this video and it took 5 minutes to get it working again:. But if this is the extent of your needs, I think there are other choices to consider. Taking an integrated approach as we know has benefits, but brings with it limitations.

Having a grinder built into the machine makes it a doddle to use, requires less space and arguably looks nicer. If you bought a coffee machine from us with you are experiencing a problem, please rest assured that the item is covered under the manufacturers warranty and whatever is wrong with the machine we will get it fixed!

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Machine Only - R 7, Close Customer Login:. Forgot your password? Create An Account. Close Your bag 0 items. Your cart is currently empty. Continue Shopping. Total R 0. Shipping Taxes and shipping fee will be calculated at checkout. Check Out View Cart. You may also like. R You have successfully subscribed! This email has been registered. Have Questions? It's a still a good alternative if you really want a grinder and espresso machine in one, but if quality rather than convenience if your priority, partnering the Gaggia Classic with a good quality grinder is a much better bet in our opinion.

One other thing to consider is that the Gaggia Classic has earned itself a loyal following; so loyal, in fact, that some people have even seen fit to modify it with improved parts. These modifications can add features such as PID temperature regulation a regular feature on high end machines , or simply upgrade and replace elderly parts in years to come.

In short, this is a machine for which replacement parts are plentiful, and with sensible repairs may last longer than your kitchen. The build quality does feel rather agricultural, though.

The rather workmanlike construction continues throughout. The water tank just loosely slots into place and, when removing and replacing it, you need to take care not to pinch the two rubber hoses that hang down into the water. And since the drip tray sits just in front of the water tank, pulling both out is a bit of a faff. You get a single pressurised basket, which is ideal for brewing pre-ground supermarket coffee and is also compatible with ESE coffee pods , but Gaggia has now added a pair of unpressurised baskets for both single and double shots.

It works at a pinch, but buying a dedicated 58mm tamper is an absolute must in my opinion as it'll give far more consistent results. The Classic is simplicity itself to use. Press the on button — the leftmost of the three on the front fascia — and it responds with a beautifully crisp, sprung click.

Around 45 seconds later, the LED below the coffee button lights up to show the boiler is at the right temperature to start brewing.

Press it and hot water is pumped through the portafilter and through your coffee grounds. The top plate acts as a handy cup warmer, and the metal parts of the weighty portafilter get too hot to touch as well.