Gaggia celebrates 85 years this year. 1938 - 2023.
To mark 85 years, we have introduced the GAGGIA Classic in GOLD. This is a limited edition model and is currently available on our website. Don't miss out.

Q : How long does it take for the machine to heat up to make your coffee ?

A : The boiler is fitted with two thermostats which control the temperature in the boiler. When you press the ‘on’ switch, the boiler starts to heat up and will get to the initial temperature of 70degrees in about 50 seconds. It continues to increase in temperature up to about 90 degrees, in another 20 seconds, and the thermostat will switch off and it keeps it within the 70-90 degrees level. To be able to make the coffee, you need to make sure that the filter holder is warm as well. The most effective way to do that is to run some water on the filter holder when the temperature reaches 90 degrees, ie within about 80-90 seconds of switching on the machine. Then you are ready to brew.
 
The other thermostat is for steam. When you switch on the steam switch, it will take a further 30 -40seconds to get steam. You can start steaming even before it reaches full temperature.

Viale Premuda, Milan, 1930. Achille Gaggia works as a barista in his family’s coffee shop, named “Caffè Achille”.
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He is a tireless and committed worker, trying to satisfy his demanding clients.  At that time, coffee was made by “column-style” machines that produced a bitter, dark, and burnt beverage, that was not highly appreciated by people. Achille, who has always been fascinated by the engineering and functioning of the machines, decided to study a way to improve the taste and texture of coffee, experimenting in his family’s coffee shop.

With the support of Antonio Cremonese, an engineer, Achille could perfection his idea to enhance the process of making coffee.

He developed a prototype of espresso machine that used the pressure of hot water instead of steam, that was used back at that time. With that system, hot water passed through ground coffee at a high pressure, extracting coffee oils and making a drink with a rich aromatic body and a delicious taste, with a layer of hazelnut-colored cream on top. Achille deposits the patent n.365726 on Sept. 5, 1938 for what he called “Sistema Lampo” (Lampo System).

 It was thanks to that invention that the famous and beloved Italian espresso with “crema naturale” (natural cream) was born. It is called “natural” because it naturally originated from the passage of hot water under pressure through ground coffee.

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STORE COFFEE IN A COOL DARK PLACE
Our coffees have a best before date on the bag, usually they have best before date of about 18 months after production date. Once opened, the coffee will deteriorate rapidly, unless you keep it air tight and in a cool dark place. My advice is to keep it in the bag it came in.  Take out the air, by tightly squeezing the air out, and then keep it tightly wrapped with a rubber band.
 
You can also get resealable bags which have a valve. The advantage with the valve is that, it lets gasses out but does not allow air to enter. The original bags, the coffee comes in, has that valve for that purpose.

 STORING COFFEE IN A REFRIGERATOR ?
In my opinion, storing coffee in the refrigerator is not a good idea, because, it can absorb smells from other food items in the fridge and also give out coffee odour for other food products in the fridge. If you are keeping it in the fridge, make sure that you wrap the airtight bag in more wrappings before you put it in.

STORING COFFEE IN A FREEZER ?
If you are going away for a long period of time, it might be worth putting used beans in an airtight bag, with plenty of wrapping and leaving it in the freezer. Once you take it out, you need to dry it, of any moisture before using it. You can also leave un-opened bags of coffee this way.
 
STORING COFFEE IN A TIN ?
Leaving coffee in tins is not a good idea either, as there is an amount of air in the tin that you cannot take out. It is the air that does most of the damage and therefore the following advice is a good starting point :
 
1.          Buy only what you need for the month or two. If you do not need too much, you can buy them in small pack sizes. Eg 500g instead of 1kg.
2.          Store the unopened or opened coffee in a cook dark place.
3.        Un-used coffee beans should be in a bag [ preferably with a valve], with air squeezed out of the bag and wrapped with a rubber band
4.          Keep as little coffee in the bean hopper as possible
5.         Ground coffee once opened should be used within about 7 days. Always keep it airtight.

Harmony in music comes from a collection of elements combined with balance, a perfect equilibrium that expresses itself in a sort of musical alchemy that requires knowledge and sensitivity.
The pleasure coming from executing and the bliss originating from listening are the emotional responses to this balance. It is not easy to find, but the protagonists of this story committed to this challenge. The EVE Ensemble is a group made up of three youngsters: Elena Poleni, a cellist, Elena Vittoria Vincifori Troili, who plays violin, and Virginia Genovese, soprano, who first met at the Conservatorio Gaetano Donizetti in the city of Bergamo.
Elena Poleni wanted to study piano at first, but she was immediately caught by the rich and mellow sound of the cello. She thinks of herself playing harmoniously with other musicians, more than solo that, she says, “doesn’t fit her personality”.
“Music makes me feel good” – she tells us – “To feel the instrument, to have it in your hands, it is a satisfying physical sensation”.

Between rehearsals, to balance the efforts, commitment and dedication, there is always time for a break, to rejuvenate with a nice espresso or with a warm and creamy cappuccino. So, this moment becomes an occasion to meet, socialize, know each other, and personalities and attitudes get together in harmony.
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Further to my blog about the new 2023 Gaggia Classic, please find a video review by 'The Home Barista'  - an accurate and useful explanation. Thank you Anthony.

I have written a blog on this subject before and I felt it was time to give you an update on my thoughts. More and more people are getting modifications done on the Gaggia Classic, as people learn more about the benefits of controlling every part of your brewing process.  We have started to work with a UK company who do these fittings. They buy the machines from us and modify them and give their own warranty on the machines and the parts they fit. 

I therefore felt confident on referring people who come to our website, to go to The Home Baristas website to get more information about modifying the Gaggia Classic. Anthony who runs The Home Baristas is very knowledgeable about the Gaggia Classic and has worked with us in the past two years.

He sent me a picture of the Gaggia Classic 2019 version with the PID and Guage fitted. I must say, it looks fabulous. Why not click on the picture and get more information from The Home Baristas Website.
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CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING TRADITION
Gaggia continuously evolves their production and assembly processes while improving the quality of products.

The Gaggia Classic 2019 is considered one of best coffee machine in its class and has won accolades and positive reviews  from Expert Review, Kevin from Coffee Blog, James Hoffman and other important experts in the field of Coffee. Gaggia Classic has been around for over 30 years and, largely, the external parts and accessories and the internal boiler have remained the same. 

The 2023 model retains the best features of the 2019 model and makes it fit for the next 30 years by improving the model further.

The main external parts that you see are the Stainless Steel Body, the Filter Holder and the Brew Head. The Filter Holder [portafilter] and the Brew Head were made out of brass and chrome plated externally on the older model. on the 2023 Evo model this has been changed.

The Filter Holder on the 2023 Evo model is now made out of Stainless Steel, similar to the metal used in the Ash handled filter holder, we introduced a couple of years ago and is of professional filter holder quality.  The weight and the heat profiles remain the same and is  lot more pleasing than the one we had before.

Chrome Plating has been around for a very long time and although the end products are perfectly safe and compliant, manufacturers are going away from plating, as the process involved in chrome plating can be harmful for those involved in the process. Gaggia has taken the decision to change some of the parts to more modern and safer alternatives.
 
The Brew Head is also going to be Brass (CW510-Lead free brass*) *Compliant to Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
 
The Boiler inside is the same traditional boiler but coated with non stick coating, rather than the previous anodized coating.

The Pro Steam wand, that was introduced in 2019 model, is the same on the new model.
 
CARE FOR PEOPLE
The new pump and heating system pre-assembled and the simpler wiring connection make the production more ergonomic for workers, and any intervention on the machine is easier and quicker.
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CONSCIOUS AND COMPLIANT
The company adopts a conscious and responsible approach to develop products that are fully compliant with the new rules, and to guarantee sustainable processes.