The Quest for espresso perfection
While working in the gourmet coffee industry, I have to admit, I got a little
too picky about my espresso. It is to the point now where I will go out for a cup and silently critique everything the barista does right or wrong. In my search for the perfect shot of espresso at home, I finally arrived at the conclusion that Gaggia’s Classic is the best machine that you can get for less than $1000.
Espresso basics
Let’s get the basics of espresso before we get into what might otherwise be the confusing technical aspects of the Gaggia Classic. First, there are three parts to the perfect shot (of course you cannot have a perfect latte or cappuccino without a perfect shot). The parts of the shot are the body, the heart and the crema. The
body is the dark liquid portion of the shot. Floating on top of the body will be a quarter inch thick layer of light colored, creamy textured
crema, and if all is perfect, there will be a lighter nearly white colored
heart in the center of the crema. Failing all of these components, the shot will taste either sour or burnt.
What the machine does
There are two variables the home espresso machine controls to lead to a perfect shot. These are the temperature of the water (which should be 200 degrees + or – 5) and the bars of water pressure. Unfortunately there are a number of other factors that the barista needs to control and will only learn through practice and patience. Among these would be the volume of water flowing through the grounds, the way the coffee is tamped into the portafilter, amount of coffee used and how fine or coarse the grind is.
Pulling shots with the Classic
The Gaggia Classic keeps perfect temperature and has the highest water pressure I have ever seen in a home machine.
One thing that I found very interesting was the fact that the Gaggia Classic actually pulls more pressure than the $10,000 commercial machine that I was using in my business. Generally, the time to pull a shot should be a consistent 20 to 23 seconds. Using the Classic I was getting frustrated because my shots were pulling in about 15 seconds. So, I put the Classic beside the $10,000 La Marzocco (which is considered the Cadillac of commercial espresso bars). Using the same grind and tamp, I found that the Gaggia was consistently pulling a much faster shot. Eventually I put my frustration aside and tasted both shots. The Gaggia was every bit as good as the shot that was coming out of the La Marzocco machine.
What I came to realize was that the much higher pressure that the Gaggia machine was putting out was not a flaw. In fact it made pulling a perfect shot nearly foolproof. I let several of my customers try out the machine, most of whom had never tried to make espresso in their lives. Everyone of them had a ¼ inch of crema and a nice heart in their shots. Bottom line, the Gaggia Classic helps to minimize the human factor with its higher that normal pressure.
Beyond the perfect shot
Now most people don’t drink straight espresso, so we have the other part of the machine still to discuss. The steam wand on the Gaggia is the first one that I have seen on a non-commercial machine that actually makes very good foam. Foam making is perhaps as much an art as pulling a quality shot of espresso. Most brands of home espresso makers have some sort of gimmick to make foam simple for the casual user. Most of them do little more than make a great deal of noise and some big bubbles that pop before you sit down to enjoy your drink. After all the poor attempts I had seen on other brands, I was pretty surprised to find that Gaggia had made this portion foolproof as well.
The design of the steam wand has a plastic piece which draws air into the milk through a tiny hole. There is enough pressure with the Classic to easily make cappuccinos that are as frothy as those of any local coffee shop. Amazingly, you don’t need any practice to do it either. Just pop the wand in your milk, turn the valve, and boom, instant foam.
Other stuff
Some other little known features of the Classic are that it can be left turned on twenty-four hours, seven days a week without risking damage. This might be a little silly for your house, but in small offices it makes sense. Also, the reservoir in the machine holds enough water to pull twenty-four shots of espresso without refilling it. Most machines in this price range give you less than ½ that capacity. Granted, with steaming of milk that number will be reduced, but for a home-style machine that is a very generous amount of water. Also, Achilles Gaggia, founder of the company, was the man to first patent the electric pump espresso maker. I think that means they had a bit of a head start on the competition.
The stainless steel finish of the Gaggia Classic makes it nearly as bulletproof on the outside as it is on the inside. It is a very attractive machine, especially compared to the plastic cases that all of its competitors offer. I have had my machine working hard to make about 14+ drinks a week for nearly three years now. It is going as strong as it did the day it was new.
Cleaning up
Cleaning is never a fun part of espresso making. It is a messy business no matter how careful you are. The Gaggia Classic is as easy to clean as any other home espresso maker I have used. The main thing to remember is to do it right away. If you wipe down the wand and screen and dump the grounds right away, you’ve taken care of most of the hard work. Running a little Puro-Café cleaner through the machine once a week or so will take care of any grounds that get drawn make through the screen. The only thing that is a little more difficult to clean on this machine is the sleeve that makes foaming milk so easy. Pipe cleaners or a small nylon brush (available at most restaurant supply warehouses) will help a great deal with this.
Other considerations
Another thing you should consider before buying any espresso maker are what type of pressure device does it use. The most inexpensive machines on the market all use steam pressure to force the water through the grounds. Pass on all of these machines, they simply do not have anywhere near enough pressure to pull a quality shot. Next you will have lower end machines with electric pumps. Some of these might make a near passable shot, but likely never have the pressure to pull a perfect one. Lastly, there are manual machines. This type uses a handle that is pulled down to regulate pressure. It might be possible to buy a manual machine in the same price range as the semi-automatic Gaggia, and with practice it will pull a perfect shot. However, it will take a great deal of time and practice to get the level of quality that you will reach almost at once with the Gaggia Classic.
Parting Thoughts
To summarize, this is a nearly foolproof way to make espresso at home. Five hundred dollars is not inexpensive for a coffee maker by most people’s standards. But the quality of construction that Gaggia uses will ensure that it is money well spent. The connoisseur of gourmet coffee will enjoy this machine for a very long time. You could easily spend twice the money to get a machine that isn’t half as good.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Capresso MT 500 Coffee Maker
Capresso 551 Burr grinder
Nissan Insulated French Press
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