bluescreen Senior Member Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 9 Location: USA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2007, 3:46pm Subject: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
Hi all,
I'm about to purchase my first serious coffee machine. I'm a Gaggia fan, but don't know which model is best for me. I own a NEMOX plus grinder.
I am thinking to have one of the new models: "Gaggia new baby" / "Gaggia new baby dose" / "Gaggia new baby class" or the old discontinued "Gaggia classic". The issue is that I didn't find yet reviews on these machines so I don't know how these NEW machines perform compared to the Gaggia classic.
Does anyone have an opinion (or even better a relevant experience) with the above new machines?
Bott Senior Member Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 189 Location: USA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Expobar Athenea Lever
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2007, 5:51pm Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
The Gaggia Baby Twin has caught my interest recently. If I was buying a Gaggia (and had a big budget), it would be on the top of my list. Anyone out there with experience with it?
Posted Sun Nov 11, 2007, 7:03am Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
i wrote this on the New Espresso Dose a few weeks ago, hope it helps you...
slowake Said:
for those interested, here's an introduction to the new Gaggia Espresso
The new espresso comes in three variations. The new Espresso is made of black plastic, Espresso Color comes in red, and Espresso Dose is silver and additionally has a dosing function.
I bought the Espresso Dose two weeks ago. Designwise its not great, however a great improvement compared to the old Espresso. Also its quite small (probably same size as the old Espresso) and fits into every kitchen. It comes with 4 filters, a pod filter, one cup filter, two cup filter, and perfect crema filter, all made of stainless steel. The perfect crema looks exactly like the two cup filter, except for the bottom where it has only one hole. The portafilter handle is nice and round, not boxy as on some older gaggias. It could have been made of tougher plastic though. Heating time is around 3 minutes, 10 minutes is ideal to heat up all the brass in the brew gasket and portafilter. Heating the boiler for steaming takes a bit longer than a minute. The water reservoir has a capacity of 1.2 litres, and has a water mark level on the left of the machine. The "cup warmer" is a joke and useless.
The biggest difference compared to the old espresso is the new design and stainless steel boiler. I looked at the boiler and it looks very similar to the one in the saeco via veneto (never saw the saeco, just guessing by the pictures from the review on this site). A surprise was the water reservoir. It doesnt have those "straws" that get inserted from the top into the water reservoir, however two "spring valves" from the bottom (i think its the same system Krups uses on its XP espresso machines). It makes it easier to insert the reservoir, however im not convinced of the durability of this system. The buttons seem very cheap too, I really hope they last a few years. The steam knob is on the top like on the Gaggia Baby (not on the right of the machine as on the old Espresso), I find this much better as I can use my left hand to turn the knob. Additionally my model (Espresso Dose) has a dosing function, which works quite well. Now some pics
Beezer Senior Member Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 420 Location: Fresno, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Quickmill Anita Grinder: La Cimbali Max Hybrid
Posted Wed Nov 14, 2007, 4:05pm Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
I think the new Gaggia machines are just now coming on the market in North America, so I'm not surprised about the lack of replies.
The use of a stainless steel boiler seems like a nice improvement. Many people complain about how the old aluminum boiler corroded after a few years of use. How large is the boiler? If they increased the size by even two or three ounces, they'd probably improve steaming and temperature stability significantly.
Not sure about the new water feed system though. Seems like the old system was just fine, and the new valves might be prone to sticking.
Posted Fri Nov 16, 2007, 3:52am Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
yeah sorry, I'm new to the espresso world myself. From what i know, its more than 20 years that the baby models are famous for their durability. I dont think it will be different with the new generation. Compared to the Espresso models you additionally have the solenoid valve, which makes pulling additional shots faster. Also the baby weighs much more than the espresso, which is a plus in my opinion.
The advantages of the Espresso are the lower price and stainless steel boiler(if you're not a big fan of aluminum).
Posted Fri Nov 16, 2007, 7:12am Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
I had recently spent a couple of months considering this group of Gaggia's. If I had the money, then I would go for the Twin because of the thermoblock. I didn't have the money, so was considering a Pure, until I found out that it doesn't have a 3-way valve, and so was then considering a Dose which does have one. Along came a chap who sold me on the New stainless Nemox Fenice with brass internals, and I went that route. But the point to answer the question was: If you can, then the Twin would be my choice.
**I guess that you didn't go for the Evolution model in August?
|| http://www.flickr.com/photos/olph4rt/ | + | It takes an average of 42 beans to make a shot. Douglas Adams wrote in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, that 42 is the meaning of life...coincidence?
Seattlecoffeegear_Tech Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 15 Location: Lynwood, Washington Expertise: Professional
Posted Fri Nov 16, 2007, 8:38am Subject: Re: Which new Gaggia espresso machine?
If you are in the USA your choices on the Gaggia Traditional machines is still limited to the Aluminum Boiler Machines. The new Baby machines look nice and come in both Plastic and SS, but as for function they do exactly the same thing. I have no ideah when the Gaggia Espresso is going to hit the USA, but when it dose it will be a great improvement if it has been upgraded with a SS Boiler.
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