Squidly Senior Member Joined: 7 Jun 2003 Posts: 5 Expertise: Intermediate
Posted Sat Jun 7, 2003, 1:15pm Subject: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
Hi...I purchased a Gaggia Espresso machine in March, and have been very happy with it until about a week ago. We never had a problem getting good crema, but suddenly we can't get any. We have always used the same coffee, Torrefazione (pre-ground), and since having difficulty have tried several other brands and grinds, all with no luck. I know it's not ME, as my husband is having the same problem. This is our first home machine. Please help! We live in a very small town without a good coffee shop and are going crazy!
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Sat Jun 7, 2003, 5:26pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
In fact, you had a lot of luck getting crema from pre-ground coffee in the first place. Supermarket grinders are quite variable, and mostly do not do an adequate job for espresso. On top of that, ground coffee goes stale very quickly, in a matter of hours. So using preground loses about half the taste.
The one recommendation every coffee lover will give is to get a grinder first. For espresso, the whirly blade grinders won't do well, neither will the low cost burr grinders, which mash rather than cut the beans.
The lowest cost grinder that will do the trick is the Bodum Antigua. It's noisy, but has an excellent burrs-set. The Solis Maestro is a more civilized version with the same burrs and improved gearing, but costs $130 instead of $60; it's available at all the espresso equipment vendors advertising on this site. Beyond that, are the espresso grinders with professional components. The lowest cost ones at present are the Cunill Tranquilo for about $210 and the Rancilio Rocky for about $230 (also widely available)
Ian Moderator Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 1,358 Location: England
Espresso: Euro2000,Rancilio Grinder: Mazzer,La Cimbali Vac Pot: Cona-->CraigA Drip: Belgique for emergencies Roaster: Primas with variac
Posted Sat Jun 7, 2003, 6:08pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
Sara, this might sound obvious, but are you cleaning the machine regularly with espresso machine cleaner? Oily residues cut down crema, I fell for this when I first started.
Squidly Senior Member Joined: 7 Jun 2003 Posts: 5 Expertise: Intermediate
Posted Sat Jun 7, 2003, 10:16pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
As to cleaning the machine, I ran a cleaner through it two days ago, and it didn't seem to make any difference. It was Urnex Cleancaf that I picked up at Starbucks. Should I try it again, or maybe a different brand? And as for the pre-ground coffee, that quite possibly could be the problem, although we opened a new bag that we had just received in the mail from Torrefazione, and it only took one day to get to us. We have never had a problem with their coffee, but I have a few more bags in the freezer. Perhaps I'll open yet another bag of coffee (we have five different ones of various brands and grinds on the counter already!) and see if that is any better. If no one else has any miracle answers, I suppose I'll be shopping for a grinder! Thanks, Sara
Ian Moderator Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 1,358 Location: England
Espresso: Euro2000,Rancilio Grinder: Mazzer,La Cimbali Vac Pot: Cona-->CraigA Drip: Belgique for emergencies Roaster: Primas with variac
Posted Sun Jun 8, 2003, 5:51am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
Pop the basket out of the portafilter, if it looks clean i.e. no brown marks then you're probably doing ok.
I would then suspect dry/stale or too coarsly ground beans. As Jim says above you really do need a grinder, you will probably find that the grind will vary with the weather; temperature and humidity etc.
Posted Sun Jun 8, 2003, 6:37am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
"Fresh beans that are properly ground make for great espresso". This theme is echoed throughtout this site and the espresso community. I became a beliver after several years of buying pregound or using a lowend grinder. Now I buy fresh roasted beans and grind (Rocky) only what I intend to use and what a difference. Believe me the results are well worth the investment. Good Luck
Squidly Senior Member Joined: 7 Jun 2003 Posts: 5 Expertise: Intermediate
Posted Sun Jun 8, 2003, 11:30am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso no longer has crema
OK, everyone's testimonials have convinced me. I'm going to shop around for a grinder today. I'm still wondering if there is some other problem, though. I find it odd that after four months and several pounds of coffee and having perfect shots every time to suddenly be unsuccessful. I forgot to mention something else about the machine, too. It has started over the last month to lose steam through the brew head while frothing milk. Could my troubles have anything to do with this, maybe the brew pump not getting hot enough?
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