satimis Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 36 Location: Hong Kong Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sat Jun 30, 2012, 9:10am Subject: about Gaggia semiautomatic espresso machine
Hi all,
I'm prepared to purchase a Gaggia semiautomatic espresso machine. There are 3 models: Gaggia New Baby, Gaggia Baby and Gaggia Classic. Which of them shall I select?
D4F Senior Member Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 1,193 Location: USA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Classic PID Grinder: Preciso
Posted Sat Jun 30, 2012, 10:06am Subject: Re: about Gaggia semiautomatic espresso machine
Classic! Look up a few of Andy's threads/posts. I believe that he owns or owned most of the Gaggia SBDU machines and has repaired and modded them, so knows them inside and out.
Why do car companies make more than one style of car?
I have a new baby in black. Although the case is plastic, it looks really nice and sitting side by side next to the classic (this is just personal taste) I think it looks much nicer than the classic. The Classic is all square edges and stainless - boxy looking. The Baby is rounded and glossy black and has nice look to it.
They both have the exact same pump, same boiler, same portafilters, same steam wand, same three way valve etc. They both pull the same excellent shots.
The plastic case warms up a little faster and holds the heat a little better - the classic radiates a lot of heat through the stainless case.
But the ergonomics of actually making espresso - the classic is heavy enough that I can lock the Portafilter in with one hand - the baby will slide around unless I use one hand to hold the machine and the other hand to lock the portafilter.
The Classic is easier to fill the water tank
The Classic has a flat top to set my tamper and cups and my brush and any other little tools (WDT needle etc) I may use.
The drip tray is larger and easier to empty on the Classic.
The pump noise is quieter on the Baby (plastic case may muffle the sounds better than the stainless - not sure why)
Steam knob on top of the Baby means you can use either hand to open/close - on Classic you are pretty much tied to using right hand to turn the knob. But having the knob on top of the baby means there is no surface on top to set anything - it is also a problem if you want the machine to sit underneath a low kitchen cabinet.
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