Gaggia 74841 Espresso Coffee Maker, Deep Red
You Save : £24.26 (12%)
Price : £180.00
Product Description
Treat your taste buds, with over 60 years of Italian espresso tradition
Gaggia is a company deeply rooted in Italian espresso heritage, yet its coffee machines have evolved over the decades, from the original pressure-generating, lever-activated piston, to the latest fully-automated, bean-to-cup technology which, at the touch of a button, grinds, brews and dispenses a delicious cup of espresso. However you prefer to brew your coffee--whether you want the simplicity of bean-to-cup or crave domestic barista status--there is a Gaggia for you.
History
In 1938 Achille Gaggia filed patent no. 365726, an ingenious invention which saw steam pressure applied to ground coffee, so that the water forced through the coffee extracted all its flavours and aromas to create a rich foam crema layer. However, the real revolution came 10 years later when Achille Gaggia filed a new patent, for a lever-operated piston machine incorporating a spring. This spring provided additional pressure, and this pressure forced water through the coffee in a shorter time, producing a short black espresso in just 15 seconds.
In the 1950s Gaggia found fame in the trendy coffee bars of Rome and Milan, and most notably in London’s prominent Sirocci in Soho. These coffee bars soon became icons of the '50s lifestyle. With the launch of Baby Gaggia in 1977 the company began producing domestic espresso machines, making the professional values inherent in Gaggia’s commercial machines widely available for use in the home.
Gaggia Espresso--deep red
This Gaggia Espresso coffee machine is a little jewel with elegant lines and a satinised stainless steel body characterised by compact design, simplicity of use and practicality of cleaning. With this Gaggia Espresso coffee machine, you can experience the taste of a delicious cup of espresso or cappuccino in the comfort of your own home. The Gaggia Espresso blends the traditional with the innovative, featuring red housing for a striking yet classic design and a durable stainless steel boiler to provide proper temperature and strong steaming power. The elegant red colour brings out the stainless steel detailing, and its chrome-plated brass filter holder results in a professional, café-quality shot of espresso. The machine is simple and straightforward to use, and the superior drinks it produces hearken back to espresso’s beginnings in Italy. With its commercial quality construction and time-tested design, this Gaggia model is sure to satisfy any true espresso lover.
Ground coffee or coffee pods
All Gaggia’s manual coffee machines come with two special crema perfetta coffee filters for one and two cups of ground coffee, and a special filter for ESE (easy serve espresso) pods.
Do you prefer pods or ground coffee?
Pods are pre-measured, pre-ground and pre-tamped servings of espresso, so they cut down on any mess. Ground coffee gives you more control over the size of the grounds, tamping pressure and dosage. Since this machine is compatible with both, it’s up to you which you prefer.Espresso coffee, originally created in Italy, is made by rapidly forcing water that has been heated to the correct brewing temperature through special, finely-ground coffee. The heart of the espresso machine is a precision engineered pump. The pump and water flow is easily controlled with just a flick of the switch. With its stainless steel body, the Gaggia Espresso brings coffee shop looks to your kitchen, as well as coffee shop taste.
Professional filter holder
A manual coffee machine is the most traditional and well-known way to make espresso using the filter holder and ground coffee. A professional chromed brass filter holder and ring, as used in Gaggia’s commercial machines, ensure a consistent temperature throughout the coffee making and dispensing process. The elegantly styled machine is designed for normal home use only. The material of the filter is safe and durable to use. It is inert and thus ensures the best results with consistent temperature.
Rotating steamer
The Panarello steamer attachment rotates for easy access to froth milk in seconds. It also delivers hot water for tea and other hot drinks. This coffee machine is ideal for preparing espresso coffee using either coffee pods or ground coffee. The Gaggia Espresso embodies this by combining advanced technology and classic form, underscored by the durability and elegance of its materials.
Anti-drip
Gaggia Espresso's anti-drip feature stops dispensing immediately for an accurate measure of espresso.
Design and featuresGaggia Espresso is a compact, classic coffee maker with a stylish, modern design. It is a simple-to-use manual machine that delivers excellent quality coffee in style and in the comfort of your own home. The Gaggia Espresso combines good looks, functionality and value for money. The deep red finish combines with the stainless steel detailing to make an extremely attractive machine.
The group head and the filter holder are made of chrome-plated brass, a system derived from commercial machines, which helps retain heat during the coffee making process, ensuring good extraction results. The easy-to-use switches and Pannarello milk frothing device ensure that even a beginner can make a superb espresso or cappuccino. The Gaggia Espresso also has a stainless steel boiler. It combines the technology and the tradition necessary for making the perfect espresso every time and is a superb entry-level espresso machine. It comes with one and two cup filters plus a pod option, chromed brass group and filter holder, pannarello frother, integrated, removable 1.25 litre water capacity and 15 bar pump pressure. With the help of provided care instructions, it is easy to take care of your Gaggia Espresso--just clean with a soft, damp cloth.
Stainless steel control panel
You’ll see the stainless steel control panel on top of the machine. The left push button, identifiable by a coffee cup icon, controls brewing and hot water--it also has an indicator light next to it to show when the machine is at brewing temperature. The centre knob has a steam cloud and water droplet icon, and opens the steam valve. The right push button has a steam icon, and heats the machine up to steam temperature--you’ll know it’s reached that temperature when the indicator light next to it illuminates. An on/off button is located at the back of the machine. Thanks to the commercial quality stainless steel boiler, heat-up time takes only a little more than five minutes, so you’ll soon be able to start brewing using your chrome-plated brass portafilter.
Filter basket for brewing
Choose the appropriate filter basket for brewing a single shot, double shot or pods, and add your coffee. Insert the chrome-plated brass portafilter into the group head and press the coffee/hot water button. Coffee will begin dispensing--all you have to do to stop the flow of coffee is press the button again.
Crema-enhancing filter
Crema is the layer of golden, marbled foam that is produced from a properly-brewed shot of espresso. It helps seal espresso’s flavours and aromas. Use this filter when brewing single or double shots to achieve a thick layer of crema.
Stainless steel boiler
The stainless steel boiler does more than heat water for brewing and steaming--it also heats the cup warmer located on top of the machine. Brewing espresso into a warm cup helps preserve its temperature, so you can enjoy your espresso longer. Store your demitasse cups on the cup warmer for a great display and hot espresso.
If you’re a beginner to frothing and steaming, don’t worry. The Pannarello frothing device is designed to inject hot steam into your milk, so it’s easy to make cappuccinos, lattes, and more. Just press the steam button and wait for the temperature ready light to illuminate. Once it’s lit, open the steam knob carefully to begin frothing and steaming. Close the knob and press the steam button again to stop the flow of steam. If your house is populated with tea drinkers, the Gaggia Espresso will win them over with its hot water dispenser. As long as the machine is at brewing temperature, you can press the coffee/hot water button and open the steam knob for hot water--perfect for tea, an americano or hot cocoa. When you have your desired amount of hot water, close the steam knob and press the coffee/hot water button again to stop the flow of steam.
Water reservoir
The reservoir is located in the back of the machine, so all you need to do is pull it straight up to remove it. Gaggia recommends using purified or bottled water, as it increases the length of time between necessary de-scaling cycles. When de-scaling is necessary, check you user manual for simple, step-by-step instructions on how to proceed.
Cleaning
Keeping the Gaggia Espresso clean is simple--just wipe down the housing when needed with a damp cloth. A water level indicator becomes visible when the drip tray fills, so just empty and clean the drip tray and cover with warm soapy water. Remember to clean the steam wand after using it to foam and steam milk. Wiping it down with a damp cloth and running steam through it will prevent milk residue from building up, keeping your drinks tasting fresh.
Important to know……
1. The taste of your coffee depends on the characteristics of the beans from which it is made, the type of bean, and where it was grown and processed. Coffee beans that are roasted for a longer period of time and at higher temperatures will be much darker in colour. Darker beans will produce a richer cup of coffee than lightly-roasted beans.
2. A variety of dark roasts are available from which you can choose to brew your espresso. Each of these roasts is a blend of coffee beans that are roasted at a specific temperature producing a specific type of flavour. Decaffeinated beans have had up to 98% of their caffeine content removed. The next time you purchase coffee for your espresso maker, experiment with one of the many kinds of coffee on the market. You may just find that it tastes better than the blend you have been using.
3. A fine 'espresso grind' for pump-driven machines must be used. Be sure to ask for this when buying coffee or when having beans ground. Do not use a blade-type grinder because it makes too much coffee dust and produces an irregular grind.
4. The mark of real espresso is its dark colour, rich taste and the light brown, natural froth called 'crema' in Italian.
5. Cappuccino is simply a combination of espresso and hot, frothy milk. Cappuccino is usually topped with cinnamon, nutmeg or cocoa powder.
6. Espresso coffee should be served immediately after it is made.
7. Espresso is served in 2 to 2 ½ oz. demitasse cups. A 4 or 6 oz. cup or glass is used for cappuccino.
8. Ideally, coffee beans should be ground immediately before using. Remember, it must be an 'espresso grind' for pump-driven espresso machines.
9. It’s best to store ground coffee or beans in an airtight container in the freezer as ground coffee tends to absorb food odours.
Box Contents
Customer Reviews
First - it makes delicious coffee - the Cappucinos are light and frothy, the Espressos dark and dominated by a wonderful crema that sits, porter-like, dreamily upon the hot dark depths that lie beneath. And the difference between beans becomes so much more noticeable. The sharp focus of taste with coffee made this way make cafetieres and filter machines seem like fuzzy approximations in comparison.
But you have to remember how strong the Gaggia name is when you get one of these - they're actually part of the Philips network of companies now, and it helps to understand the somewhat more plasticky nature of this machine than I was expecting - the metallic cover makes it look like a nice piece of polished steel, but it's actually plastic. As is the cup tray. And the reservoir lid. However there are positive sides to this 'brand awareness' coin - it's lighter to move around, and it's better for the environment as well as being cheaper for yourself too.
So I try to relate to it as a Philips machine as I seem to expect less from it that way, somehow. It keeps the 'if only it had...' thoughts at bay. It's a really pretty machine (I got the red one), and it would just be so perfect if it was made from metal.
The design is very fetching and it certainly looks special. However, there are little quirks like having the water gauge on the left rear corner of the machine (thus making it difficult to use in one corner of the kitchen, because it becomes impossible to see how much water you have left), which make me wonder just how thought-out the machine actually is.
I thoroughly recommend using a BRITA Marella Cool White Water Filter Jug if you live in a hard water area - it'll improve the taste as well as avoiding limescale build-up, and prolong the life expectancy of the machine by a large percentage.
You need to be prepared to establish a strict routine of washing and wiping this machine, but it's worth doing - if you want really good coffee, you've got to expect a little bit of work. It's worth the effort though! If anyone's interested, I'll list it in the comments section!
The price seems high, but with regular use this machine is worth it. In terms of your relationship with coffee, this machine is an aphrodisiac. Be prepared for regular trips to local coffee merchants, a whole range of new drinking utensils - the whole works.
Believe it or not, I think this expensive machine is actually one of the entry-level models if you want a good quality pump espresso maker. It's well worth making the step up to this level.
It's one of those ideal luxury items that becomes indispensible as soon as it comes into use. If you're a coffee lover, or know smeone who is, this will open their eyes about just how good coffee can taste. Forget Nero and Sbucks, you can make it yourself, and it tastes so much nicer too.
I reluctantly have to take a star off for build quality - while this makes the machine easier to move about and more economical, it also makes it feel lighter and... cheaper!
Edit 08/01/11: Water has started escaping through the main filtercup feed when using the steamer; while the machine still makes the same excellent coffee, I can't help but suspect that it signifies a future breakdown of function. At the very least, it hardly inspires confidence in its mechanical reliability.
Edit 11/02/11: The leak is getting much worse. I've googled the problem, and it seems to be due to an inherent design fault! I'd suggest that anyone thinking of buying this machine should look at a different model.
Edit 07/02/12: It's still going strong, despite the leaks. The pump seems a bit weaker than it used to be, but the coffee still tastes good! When you first get the machine, the top plate and the drain plate are both covered with a white PVC coating. These both peeled off after about a year or so - underneath was nice shiny chrome. So bear in mind that you can peel the white plasticky coating off if you don't like it.
This is a brilliant machine for the real coffee lover - stunning good looks in deep shiny red, combined with superb coffee making. It really is a machine for making the best coffee you can at home. I am delighted with it in every way, and look forward to my weekend treat now coming from my kitchen rather than being bought when out shopping. That said though, I have some recommendations to make.
Do give yourself plenty of time (and repeat attempts) to work through the machine and all its features before trying to make your perfect cup of coffee. It takes a little while to perfect the method and is worthwhile taking the time to do it properly.
Have a cheapy bag of espresso to try out first, as there may be failures in your first few goes (there was here and I didn't mind throwing out a few cups as it was supermarket espresso).
When confident and proficient, do make sure you use the finest espresso you can. Preferably grind your own beans to the finest setting (Australian beans are divine) with a burr grinder such asDualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002.
Think about the type and size of cups to use (mine were a touch too big so the espresso was a little dilute to start with until I swapped them for smaller ones).
Have a j-cloth or similar ready for wiping, especially for the milk frother.
This coffee machine really does perform well, and is ideal for weekend indulgence of good, proper espresso. (I wouldn't recommend for weekday everyday use simply because I wouldn't have the time to perform the whole pleasing ritual of warming and brewing and the very important cleaning). The machine also has a pressurised frother which pleasingly makes delicious creamy frothy milk, perfect for capucinno, hot choccies or just warm milk (or water). Given enough time for 'playing' you will be a domestic barista par excellence!
Top marks for style, substance and performance from me. I'd highly recommend this to any good coffee lover. Superb.
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