Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine: Perfect Crema and Rich Flavor Every Time

Sean NartiffSean Nartiff: I bought this Gaggia machine after doing research on Reddit and being incredibly disappointed by the Philips 3200 super automatic machine (returned). I also had a Nespresso previously, which I admit was decent for a zero effort machine, but wanted to elevate my coffee experience and get away from pod type coffee.

All I can say is wow - I paired this with Lavazza Super Crema beans and it's easily on par or better than most cafes.

The machine is simple, yet powerful, and there's a tiny learning curve but I was making great espressos after watching a few YouTube videos. Still getting a hang of milk steaming but it's worth the extra effort.

The stainless steel version feels sturdy and I expect it to last years. No built in grinder and no screens is actually a good thing - fewer points of failure in the future.

Some tips for beginners:
Give the machine at least 5 minutes to warm up for hot espresso. I recommend filling ceramic style espresso shot glasses to slightly less than 1/2 way point for best taste. This may vary slightly depending on your size.

Use fresh beans and grind them to finest powder to start.

After you remove the portafilter,...

United States on Nov 27, 2023

CecyCecy: The media could not be loaded.  Escribo esta opinión después de más de año y medio de tenerla, es una máquina estupenda y de gran calidad, por el precio que se paga por ella. Se paga con creces , en un principio la comencé a usar tal cual te viene de fábrica , si ese va ser tu caso te recomiendo ampliamente que comiences con la canastilla presurizada , si ven en la fotografía mi primer molino es un Smeg que si bien es lindo no es funcional para un molido para expresó por lo que fue muy frustrante para mí ,por lo que tuve que ceder y usar la canastilla presurizada, si ya ves que es lo tuyo el expresó, se paciente por la curva de aprendizaje de esta linda máquina, el molido del café es la base para tener éxito en tus bebidas, pero si no tienes un alto presupuesto para un molino te recomiendo el otro que se ve en la foto es un Turín o sd40 , que en tostados medios logra excelentes molidos para esta máquina , otra cosa que puedes modificar y ayuda mucho en tus extracciones es cambiar el resorte a 9 bar , también lo compré en Amazon a un precio muy accesible y es muy sencillo hacer el cambio, claro que lo hice hasta que pasó la garantía, más por precaución...

Mexico on Oct 23, 2023

Au Kwok HoAu Kwok Ho:

Canada on Sep 23, 2023

aaron: Compre esta cafetera "Nueva" pero recibi un producto usado. La carcasa tenia marcas de agua y la charola de goteo ya no tenia la membrana que protege contra rayones y también tenia marcas de agua. El unicel protector venía roto y hecho casi polvo y se metió en todo el mecanismo. Fue difícil de limpiar. Me gustaria qué especificaran si es un producto usado para hacer una compra más educada. O que lo rebajaron de precio si ya no es nuevo. Decidí no regresarlo por que me hace falta y ha funcionado bien. Solo le doy 3 estrellas por la deshonestidad del vendedor. Recomendaría a compradores qué pregunten y se aseguren qué es un producto nuevo.

Mexico on Sep 14, 2023

Ayraykay: I purchased this machine in 2020 after the pandemic hit. It worked great for about a year and a half and I believe it was well taken care of. Our water is not hard so we disassembled and cleaned/descaled the boiler and all parts every few months. It poured excellent, cafe quality shots and the steam wand is fairly good too. We felt it was beyond worth the price.

Last year, it started to pour poorly. Slowly and inconsistent. We thought maybe it was something about the beans we were using and tried several types. There has hardly been any scale every time we’ve cleaned it out and have watched tons of troubleshooting tutorials. Eventually, it didn’t pour any water at all through the group head, but still fine through the steam wand so we knew the pump was okay. We replaced the solenoid valve and it didn’t help. After resetting the solenoid valve manually a bunch of times, it worked on and off…. But then it started spraying/dripping water around the group head every time we pulled a shot. Not good quality shots and a big mess, but for a $700CAD machine, we can’t afford to replace it. So we clean, and fiddle with it, and it still pours, albeit terrible coffee. We’re...

Canada on Sep 05, 2023

Andy MilneAndy Milne: Makes a decent espresso, did accept my 20g 58mm basket, and I could use my 58mm tamper. Dialed in the ground in just a few attempts. So, great espresso!
Disappointed they don't use a standard 58mm fitting, so I could not bring over my 58mm bottomless portafilter. Had to open up the machine before using it because there was a screw wedged where it shouldn't have been. Turned out to be benign, looks like it was just an extra that fell into the machine during manufacturing. Other than that build quality looked ok. I'd have preferred slightly more distance between base and the portafilter to fit a big mug and weigh scale, but I managed to work around that. The water fill is nice, but not super easy to see where the level is and easy to overfill, which will silently spread over your counter out the back.
I like to make latte and my wife likes the milk foam with hot chocolate. I learned stretching and smoothing milk with a proper steamer (Andrea Premium), but spent a year or two steaming milk with a $300 Breville - which is more comparable with the Gaggia. The Breville has a single pin hole for the steam, and I assume that's because of the lack of steam pressure when you're...

United States on Aug 30, 2023

Michel Lacaille: Just an amazing, simple expresso machine, Makes excellent expresso, cappucinon, no fus, no need for complicated instructions ... and if you want, buy accessories elsewhere to bring the delicate world of expresso to the max, but if you are like me, "I NEED MY EXPRESSO NOW! it's perfect

Canada on Aug 13, 2023

R. Klein: I've been enjoying coffee for almost sixty years.

I've worked as a barista in my early twenties. I know my way around coffee; particularly when selecting beans; the roast; how to get the best grind using the best grinder; how to achieve the best cup of coffee using almost every conceivable method and device.

These days I am prefer a delicious, smooth-bodied, crema-rich cappuccino when I wake up. Unfortunately, health concerns have limited me to just one cup of coffee a day, so I make damn sure I enjoy the best tasting espresso or cappuccino every morning.

Ordinarily, I would have been using my time-tested and still reliable 1968 La Pavoni espresso machine. This machine took me over a year to master and once I had it down, no other espresso machine even came close to pulling the finest tasting espresso or caps you could drink.

But the La Pavoni is a bulky and intensively time-consuming machine to use; especially in the morning once you're out of bed and your brain still isn't operating at 100% until AFTER you've enjoyed your coffee.

I needed to find and purchase an interim type of counter-type of espresso machine. Oh, I will still use my La Pavoni...

United States on Dec 02, 2022