Really excellent quality, for a product that will perform time after time, this is the machine.
nigel casseldine
Five Stars,
Hubby now a happy man as he has been complaining about his coffee with his previous machine
pauline saunders
Excellent coffee with Grinder,
Love this machine. Don't forget, you HAVE to have the Gaggia grinder to make a perfect espresso. Fresh ground coffee with the right grind is the only way to get a beautiful crema... and this delivers!
Denese Sanders
Good but needs a moveable steam wand.,
Good machine except the wand doesn't froth the milk very well and it can't be moved so there is little room to actually get enough milk in the jug for a BIGGER cup.
Diane M
Five Stars,
Easy to use excellent cup results
Peter H. Miller
Five Stars
Amazing Machine, loving every morning with it! Very well built, worth every penny.
Charles Hu
Five Stars,
Works Great with my Gaggia classic. Can easily choke out my machine
Charles Hu
Five Stars,
Great machine. Easy to use and makes a great cup of espresso.
Richard A. Fritz
Great Espresso,
Easy to use and makes great espresso!
M
Five Stars,
Great espresso machine! Solid build and GREAT coffees and cappuccinos! Love it!
Arthur R Monteiro
Gorgeous gaggia
It is more than I expected
Wonderful machine!!
ali
Simple and reliable.,
This coffee machine worked great for our family more then 7 years. Coffee quality was always good w/o any complains. It is very simple, has no electronics (all electric parts are switch and pump) and because of that it is reliable like Colt revolver. Only moment you need to take into consideration: this machine requires soft water. This is pure 5 stars machine, worth every cent it price.
Olexander K.
Five Stars,
Great espresso and priced right.
dspmo5
Five Stars,
Great espresso and priced right.
dspmo5
Five Stars,
Excellence espresso machine
Carmen De Diaz
Highly recommended
Outstanding machine - easy to use and brews a fine espresso. We had a very expensive, built in, all the bells and whistles machine and this is much better.
Kevin Connors
Five Stars,
Great product, fast delivery
Salvatore
Five Stars,
Easy to use and ;earning to make great coffee with good crema!
Tess0330
Easy to use, real Italian Espresso, use your own Fresh ground coffee,
Wow! This is very good! Grind up your own coffee and get the frothy, creamy foam from nothing but pure ground coffee the way Italian espresso is supposed to be. I am very pleased. I have a cheap automatic steam espresso machine too that burns the coffee and doesn't have the frothy bubbles like the Gaggia Espresso Machine can do. I give this 5 stars because it is easy to use, produces a real Italian Espresso, and you can use your own fresh ground coffee of choice.
JLaw
Good machine.,
A great machine. No issues at all, it needs to be cleaned a few times a year, and makes a nice hot, espresso.
Paul Humphreys
This is also my best espresso machine in 15 years
This is my third espresso machine in 15 years (the other two were NOT Gaggia). This is also my best espresso machine in 15 years. One must learn and practice the art of a barista to create the perfect espresso with this machine--but a perfect espresso is what you get. If you are passionate about espresso (cappuccinos especially ;^) and wish to experience that love at home AND are able to give the attention a quality espresso deserves, then this machine is for you.
It takes a little time and a little effort to learn the proper grind and tamping pressure--once that is accomplished (not a difficult task) one can easily claim to make the best espresso in the county--(at least equal it)!
Charles L Bates
Decent coffee!
I purchased this machine in July and fell in love with it. Finally a decent cup of coffee! It took a little time to assemble and thumb through the instructions for use. Once familiar the machine became an essential bit of kit which produced superb fresh coffee on a daily basis.
However after three months use it became less friendly and very slow to produce good coffee.
This machine needs filtered water to help prevent the build up of limescale. Moreover there is a fair bit of regular maintenance needed. It needs a little back pressure to flush the pipes and a blank basket is available to purchase that will help provide the pressure needed to do that 'back flush'.
The 'shower screen'' above the coffee basket requires disassembly and cleaning too. On my machine I cannot unscrew the screen as it is well and truly stuck and the fixing screw has become burred despite careful attention. Furthermore it is recommended to use Gaggia descaler on a regular basis to prevent furring of pipes and the tank.
With these maintenance and extra costs considerations my machine became increasingly unusable. A weak solution of vinegar brought it back to life by improving water flow through the machine.
On balance I whole heartedly recommend the Gaggia Classic as an brilliant machine that produces superb coffee. But for it to continue to do so requires considerable maintenance and further purchases of supplementary kit. Therefore it is not for everyone. But if you love decent coffee and have a little time to spend achieving that then it is an excellent buy. The Gaggia Classic creates coffee as good as produced anywhere.
Coffeeitalia sales service was exemplary and my machine arrived within a day of ordering.
P. Brazier "Japan Bob"
Requires modifications for acceptable performance
As previous reviews have noted, you really need to buy a non-pressurised filter basket and a rancilio silvia steam wand.
Before making these changes I was very disappointed, and wished I had just bought another cheap machine (my old £50 delonghi produced better coffee and microfoam). It was very difficult to produce acceptable steamed milk, and more often than not the steam would run out mid-process. There were severe restrictions in the quantity of grounds you could add, and the tamping pressure you could use. With my old machine I could fill the basket to the brim and tamp with all my might, and produce a lovely dense, crema laden espresso syrup (although its temperature control was touch and go and the product was likely to be bitter).
After making these changes, what a transformation! The steam wand in particular is magical. The changeover is dead easy. Others have warned about having to deform the existing wand to extract it: don't believe them - after loosening the nut, it drops out, and the silvia wand slots in effortlessly. Then microfoam became a piece of cake, and you never run out of steam. With the new double basket, you can pile it full of grounds and tamp to your heart's content.
I'm still learning how to produce good coffee with the machine, but with these changes I am confident an excellent brew will come, and I'm now very happy with the Gaggia Classic. It's a pity that Gaggia couldn't provide the proper baskets and wand in the box.
A question for others with the machine: There is a light on the 'on-button', but it is very dim, and I can only see it when I cup my hand around the switch. Is this normal?
I. Humphrey
Good overall
I had dreamed of purchasing the Rancilio Silvia V3, but at £470 it was a little too pricey. This machine was originally around £300 and with it being offered at only £179 it was too good an offer to turn down. Makes good strong espresso, and with practice making good microfoam is possible using the steam wand. The trick is to use very cold milk [semi-skimmed or full fat, not skimmed milk] and use a stainless steel jug. Practice is needed to get the optimum angle and to become a true professional barista. For more tips check out wholelattelovetv on YouTube.
Rob W
Good machine
I was debating about getting an all in one, however ended up buying a second hand commercial grinder and this machine. After plenty of experimenting with grind levels and coffee weight I am finally getting decent coffee out of it. Yet to master espresso, however I've managed to get lattes matching or beating most coffee places.
J Chapman
Great machine with a couple of niggles.
I've wanted a Gaggia Classic for a long time and finally purchased one in Nov 2011. The build quality is superb and feels far more solid than other domestic machines, and the quality of the espresso it produces is great. However, there are a couple of minor problems that prevent me from giving it five stars. Firstly, the instructions need a serious overhaul. Other reviewers have mentioned the numerous slip-sheets added to the instructions and this was the case for my new machine. Philips really need to tear up the existing instructions and start again if their customers stand any chance of following the instructions in the order they are meant to be read. Secondly, filling the water tank is easy through the lid in the top, but to remove the tank completely requires removing the thin metal tube that enters the drip tray. Whilst not a big deal it's a shame that it can't be designed in such a way that removing the tank is quick and effortless. Thirdly and finally, the two rubber tubes that suck up the water from the tank do not touch the bottom of the tank. This means the machine can never use all of the available water in the tank.
Rob "jv-f1"
Froth
Nice heavy machine.
Disadvantages are the water tank is very difficult to keep taking out and in, most especially the 2 water pipes which have to be placed inside it, it is extremely fiddly to push them in.
Foamer: Still cannot achieve microfoam. tried every method going.
ms t l law
Gaggia Classic
We love this machine; our house smells like a coffee shop and evokes all the great holidays we have had.
the machine is easy to use; but not easy to clean.
Makes great coffee but the machine broke after 18 months
Would not buy another Classic
David Padgett
Poor filter baskets!
Although the machine is what we expected, the baskets that came with it are not. They are both pressurised. Apparently they have stopped providing the non pressurised baskets. Will have to buy another basket elsewhere.
Mr A G Ogden
Great coffee, poor reliability....
I have now had this machine for five years. Its generally only used an average of 3 or 4 times a week. I have to say it makes fantastic coffee and from that perspective I couldn't be happier. However, what's been disappoitning is the reliability. After three years - it had to be sent back for repair - cost £89. Now, after five years, it needs repair again - will cost at least £102. For me, this is disappointing.
