Product Features

• 1425-watt espresso machine with 17-1/2-bar pump and 2 thermostats
• Frother attachment; 72-ounce removable water reservoir; hot-water dispenser
• Built-in cup warmer; anti-drip system; Illy-pod capability; rocker-style switches; safety valve
• Detachable parts for easy cleaning; 2 filter baskets, tamper, and 7-gram scoop included
• Measures 14-1/2 by 8 by 9-3/4 inches

From the Editors

1999 Consumers Best Buy! The Gaggia Coffee is an espresso and cappuccino machine that shares the same styling as the "top of the line" Gaggia Classic. Equipped with two thermostats that automatically regulate the correct temperature of water for brewing coffee and steam temperature for frothing. This espresso machine is constructed of heavy duty materials for longevity and forged brass components to stabilize temperature, keep your brewed espresso hot and your extraction perfect. Includes two stainless steel filter baskets (one and two shot), coffee tamper and 7g measuring scoop
Product Description

Accessories for the Gaggia 37002 The Coffee Espresso Machine, Grey Model 37002

Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, Black

Customer Response

I hate this unit!
I purchased two units--one for our home and one for our vacation home. Within a few days, the unit at home was no longer making good crema. The water pump at the one at our vacation home died within about 10 uses.

I'm sending both units back and buying another brand.

If they had worked properly, I'm not sure I would have like them even then. The design of this unit is "odd". I've had home espresso machines for 12 years and this one is just weird. If you remove the espresso coffee holder too soon after you brew, the grounds and steam explode all over. I also suspect that the thermostat is broken. It allows the water to boil--which does not make tasty coffee.

Overall, I hate this unit. I'm going back to shopping!

Best machine in this price range
I've been using this machine for a good month now, and I'm very happy with it. While I'm no stranger to espresso, having spent many dollars at my local coffee houses, this is my first home espresso machine.

It only took me a few attempts to get decent espresso, and not much more to get the hang of steaming / frothing the milk (not sure about the frother attachment, it does ok, but I'm sure purists would tell me to replace the wand with a high end one).

If you want real espresso, you can't find a better starter machine. Most of the cheaper models are "steam" machines, resulting in strong coffee that reminds you of espresso, but not real espresso. This one is solidly built, has a brass grouphead and portafilter, and a strong pump. The boiler is aluminum, but this can be an advantage as it heats fairly quickly. I usually turn it on before I take a shower, and it is nicely heated up when I return. If you don't like waiting, after about 5 minutes you can pull a couple blank shots through, which should ensure everything is heated well enough to make an espresso.

One safety comment, be very careful with the metal drip tray when cleaning it. When unpacking my machine there was a lot of adhesive goo on the drip tray so I went to the sink to scrub it off. As it turns out, the edges on the tray are rather sharp and I cut my finger on it. Since then I've been a bit more careful with it and haven't had any issues, but normally all it takes is a quick rinse of the tray and plastic tub underneath it to get it fairly clean.

great for small quantities; check your warranty terms
There's a lesson in this review: make sure to check with the warranty provider how long it takes to fix a broken machine. With some providers, it may take up to three months where you'll be without your machine, and since these small espresso machines might break often, it's an important factor.

Initially it worked fine. I wouldn't compare it to industrial machine since an industrial machine can prepare shot after shot of espresso, and steam at the same time, whereas with the Gagia Coffee you can prepare an espresso, wait a minute or two, froth some milk, wait a minute, and repeat if needed (so it's tidious to make cappuccinos to a group of 4+ people. It can take 20 minutes for a group of 6-8, so when the last one is ready, the first ones are rather cold). But other than the pace, and for personal use (even two cups at a time), it produced excellent results: the espresso had lots or crema, and the steamer had lots of pressure. I was able to froth milk just like I wanted and was improving on my latte-art techniques.

After about a month of daily usage (about 2-3 times a day, on average) I noticed the steam pressure started to decrease. Within a few weeks it reached the point where I had to do stops when frothing milk, to allow the machine to generate more pressure. When making a latte or cappuccino, you have to prepare the espresso first and then froth the milk. If you have to stop a few times when frothing the milk, the espresso gets cold and loses its crema. It's also hard to be consistent with frothing in between stops. At this point using the machine has stopped being fun anymore and the quality of the drinks got worse and worse with time.

I don't know yet what went wrong with the machine and if it is just a statistical problem or that this is the nature of all small machines, to work well only in the first few weeks/months. I must say that I didn't get the machine from Amazon, but rather from WholeLatteLove.com, and their customer service is so bad that almost 3 months after sending them the machine, they admitted they still didn't look at it and I don't know when I will get it back. Worse than that, I don't know in what condition I will get it back, and if the problem arises again, I will think very seriously whether to send it for repair again.