I came across the Gaggia Classic Pro espresso machine in the most dire of circumstances. It was my first day on the job here at BA, and my trusty drip coffeemaker simply stopped working just when I needed it most. I took it as a sign that it was, finally, time to seriously consider a home espresso machine.
As a former barista I drink espresso daily and know what I like. Most days it’s an Americano (a double shot of espresso topped with hot water and a generous splash of cream) made at home. Occasionally I’ll opt for a cappuccino—espresso with whole milk frothed to the approximate texture of the heady foam atop a great pour of Guinness draught. I know the telltale signs that beans have been over-extracted (bitter and burnt espresso) and I notice when a cappuccino has been frothed so aggressively that the milk has practically evaporated.
All this is to say that the semiautomatic Gaggia is a great espresso machine for someone like me who knows how they want their coffee to taste and isn’t afraid of a little espresso geekery. I appreciate the control I have over everything from the density and weight of the coffee grounds to the pressure used to froth milk. I didn’t want a machine with a touch screen or any “smart” features; I wanted to pull shots and steam milk by feel, learning the timing, texture, and temperature that was right for me. (Plus, in my experience with touch screen espresso machines in office kitchenettes and cafeterias, software or firmware issues can prevent you from actually using the machine, even if there’s nothing wrong with its mechanics. It’s frustrating enough to have to troubleshoot my laptop and its applications to do my job; I have no interest in having to contact IT about my morning coffee.)
Machines intended for the home coffee enthusiast can cost as much as $10K (and by all means, if you can afford a La Marzocco, get a La Marzocco), but the Gaggia Classic Pro had the mix of specs and features I wanted for a price that was comparatively more reasonable. At $449, it’s still pricey, but after over a year of continuous use, it has proven to be reliable for morning Americanos, after-dinner affogato, and, with a little practice, a deliciously sippable espresso shot with picture-perfect crema.
Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine
Score: 9/10
Pros:
- A commercial-spec portafilter, filter basket, and steam wand keep the taste and texture of drinks consistent with what I’d order at my favorite coffee shop.
- Since it’s a semiautomatic espresso machine, I get to control everything from the size and weight of my coffee beans to the length of my shot pulls, but I don’t have to spend lots of time tinkering and calibrating the boiler and water pressure.
- This baby is analog: three simple rocker switches toggle on-off functionality for everything from the power to the steam wand, and there’s no touch screen or “smart” features that require a computer engineering degree to troubleshoot.
Cons:
- The single-boiler design means that steaming milk can’t be done concurrently to pulling a shot, and if—due to user error—a shot is pulled while the boiler is cycling off, the espresso could be slightly under extracted and lukewarm.
- The plastic accessories, like a tamper and coffee scoop that come with the machine, feel cheap and aren’t terribly useful.
But first, here’s what you need to know about home espresso machines:
There’s an entire internet subculture (and, obviously, an entire profession) dedicated to the “essentials” of brewing espresso, but even if you don’t want to fall down that rabbit hole it’s important to understand the very basics of the process if you’re shopping for a home espresso machine. Great espresso starts with fresh, whole coffee beans that have been roasted within the month—or preferably, the week—they’re being used. Weighing out whole beans to the industry standard of 18–20 grams for a double shot is key to getting a good extraction. Next, grind your weighed beans in a burr grinder preset to the fine, powdery consistency needed for a potent extraction of coffee. A more coarse-grind setting like you’d use for a drip machine will cause your espresso machine to spew grounds-filled, 200-degree water at you, so do not try it. Transfer your ground beans to the portafilter basket (a portafilter is the handled apparatus that holds the coffee grounds up to the machine’s group head, where pressurized hot water is applied to the grounds themselves). Throw your weight behind tamping them into a level, compact little puck, secure the portafilter in the machine, and you’re all set to get brewing. Still confused? Rest assured that, like any appliance, the Gaggia comes with a detailed manual full of step-by-step instructions on how to use it—and, unlike baristas in training, you won’t have to worry about being pop-quizzed on the process or the parts.
The boiler of an espresso machine is responsible for heating the machine to the ideal temperature range for extracting espresso and steaming milk. These two temperature ranges are not the same, so higher-end machines often come with two boilers that allow you to pull a shot and immediately steam milk for a latte or cappuccino. As you might expect, those machines also come with a higher price tag. The single boiler design of the Gaggia keeps the cost lower than a double-boiler home espresso machine, but it can take a minute or two after frothing milk to lower the temperature enough to make another espresso drink. As someone who only occasionally indulges in a cappuccino or cortado, this barely impacts me, but it could be annoying for a household with two latte drinkers.
The basics of the Gaggia Classic Pro:
As far as actually good home espresso machines go, the Gaggia Classic Pro is fairly compact. It weighs a perfectly manageable 20 lb., which means moving it off of the counter for kitchen deep cleans is easy enough, whether or not I’ve been hitting Pilates on the reg (shoutout to Amanda’s arms sequence at New York Pilates; she does not mess around). And at about 14 inches tall by 8 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep, it preserves the already-limited counter space in my little galley kitchen. Those dimensions house the 72 ounce water reservoir and a little drip tray.
I came across the Gaggia Classic Pro espresso machine in the most dire of circumstances. It was my first day on the job here at BA, and my trusty drip coffeemaker simply stopped working just when I needed it most. I took it as a sign that it was, finally, time to seriously consider a home espresso machine.As a former barista I drink espresso daily and know what I like. Most days it’s an Americano (a double shot of espresso topped with hot water and a generous splash of cream) made at home. Occasionally I’ll opt for a cappuccino—espresso with whole milk frothed to the approximate texture of the heady foam atop a great pour of Guinness draught. I know the telltale signs that beans have been over-extracted (bitter and burnt espresso) and I notice when a cappuccino has been frothed so aggressively that the milk has practically evaporated.All this is to say that the semiautomatic Gaggia is a great espresso machine for someone like me who knows how they want their coffee to taste and isn’t afraid of a little espresso geekery. I appreciate the control I have over everything from the density and weight of the coffee grounds to the pressure used to froth milk. I didn’t want a machine with a touch screen or any “smart” features; I wanted to pull shots and steam milk by feel, learning the timing, texture, and temperature that was right for me. (Plus, in my experience with touch screen espresso machines in office kitchenettes and cafeterias, software or firmware issues can prevent you from actually using the machine, even if there’s nothing wrong with its mechanics. It’s frustrating enough to have to troubleshoot my laptop and its applications to do my job; I have no interest in having to contact IT about my morning coffee.)Machines intended for the home coffee enthusiast can cost as much as $10K (and by all means, if you can afford a La Marzocco, get a La Marzocco), but the Gaggia Classic Pro had the mix of specs and features I wanted for a price that was comparatively more reasonable. At $449, it’s still pricey, but after over a year of continuous use, it has proven to be reliable for morning Americanos, after-dinner affogato, and, with a little practice, a deliciously sippable espresso shot with picture-perfect crema.Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso MachineScore: 9/10Pros:A commercial-spec portafilter, filter basket, and steam wand keep the taste and texture of drinks consistent with what I’d order at my favorite coffee shop.Since it’s a semiautomatic espresso machine, I get to control everything from the size and weight of my coffee beans to the length of my shot pulls, but I don’t have to spend lots of time tinkering and calibrating the boiler and water pressure.This baby is analog: three simple rocker switches toggle on-off functionality for everything from the power to the steam wand, and there’s no touch screen or “smart” features that require a computer engineering degree to troubleshoot.Cons:The single-boiler design means that steaming milk can’t be done concurrently to pulling a shot, and if—due to user error—a shot is pulled while the boiler is cycling off, the espresso could be slightly under extracted and lukewarm.The plastic accessories, like a tamper and coffee scoop that come with the machine, feel cheap and aren’t terribly useful.But first, here’s what you need to know about home espresso machines:There’s an entire internet subculture (and, obviously, an entire profession) dedicated to the “essentials” of brewing espresso, but even if you don’t want to fall down that rabbit hole it’s important to understand the very basics of the process if you’re shopping for a home espresso machine. Great espresso starts with fresh, whole coffee beans that have been roasted within the month—or preferably, the week—they’re being used. Weighing out whole beans to the industry standard of 18–20 grams for a double shot is key to getting a good extraction. Next, grind your weighed beans in a burr grinder preset to the fine, powdery consistency needed for a potent extraction of coffee. A more coarse-grind setting like you’d use for a drip machine will cause your espresso machine to spew grounds-filled, 200-degree water at you, so do not try it. Transfer your ground beans to the portafilter basket (a portafilter is the handled apparatus that holds the coffee grounds up to the machine’s group head, where pressurized hot water is applied to the grounds themselves). Throw your weight behind tamping them into a level, compact little puck, secure the portafilter in the machine, and you’re all set to get brewing. Still confused? Rest assured that, like any appliance, the Gaggia comes with a detailed manual full of step-by-step instructions on how to use it—and, unlike baristas in training, you won’t have to worry about being pop-quizzed on the process or the parts.The boiler of an espresso machine is responsible for heating the machine to the ideal temperature range for extracting espresso and steaming milk. These two temperature ranges are not the same, so higher-end machines often come with two boilers that allow you to pull a shot and immediately steam milk for a latte or cappuccino. As you might expect, those machines also come with a higher price tag. The single boiler design of the Gaggia keeps the cost lower than a double-boiler home espresso machine, but it can take a minute or two after frothing milk to lower the temperature enough to make another espresso drink. As someone who only occasionally indulges in a cappuccino or cortado, this barely impacts me, but it could be annoying for a household with two latte drinkers.The basics of the Gaggia Classic Pro:As far as actually good home espresso machines go, the Gaggia Classic Pro is fairly compact. It weighs a perfectly manageable 20 lb., which means moving it off of the counter for kitchen deep cleans is easy enough, whether or not I’ve been hitting Pilates on the reg (shoutout to Amanda’s arms sequence at New York Pilates; she does not mess around). And at about 14 inches tall by 8 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep, it preserves the already-limited counter space in my little galley kitchen. Those dimensions house the 72 ounce water reservoir and a little drip tray.