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.

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.

As coffee gains favour worldwide, its consumption is only ever-growing. The Perfect Daily Grind's report on coffee consumption found that the global market was expected to total 170.3 million 60kg bags in 2022, with Europe and North America accounting for half of the total use. In particular, people passionate about coffee are considering speciality-grade coffee, also known as "gourmet" coffee.

The Specialty Coffee Association's grading scale highlights how this coffee is grown in optimal conditions and cared for by farmers to be sold at a premium price. For quality coffee, indigenous communities are becoming reliable sources— allowing people worldwide to have sustainable options and support local farmers. Listed below are four indigenous coffee products you have to try that are available in the UK.

Yemen arabica

The origins of commercialized arabica coffee can be traced back to Yemen as early as the 15th century when most trades passed through the port of Mokha. As the beginnings of coffee, it has also become the namesake of different inventions such as mocha, chocolate-flavoured coffee, and the Moka pot. Depending on the time of day, Yemen drinks coffee in several ways, such as the kisher or qishr, less caffeinated coffee, or ginger coffee mixed with cinnamon and other spices.

In recent years, Yemeni-American coffee entrepreneur Mokhtar Alkhanshali organized the National Yemen Coffee Auction in London. This event supported Yemen farmers in connecting with coffee connoisseurs and businesses, enabling them to set higher prices than on a traditional market. This also allows them to earn without growing khat— a narcotic that would have otherwise been their cash crop.

Benguet Arabica

Benguet coffee originates from the northern part of the Philippines. For over 80 years, the indigenous community of Igorot people has cultivated the Typica variety from the Arabica species. Depending on your preferences, Benguet coffee can come in medium and dark roasts as well as a selection of flavour blends like vanilla and caramel. These are often sold through drip coffee bags or single-single pour-over coffee— making them a simple but affordable way to enjoy a freshly brewed cup without needing a coffee machine or elaborate equipment. In London, Muni Coffee Company has integrated Benguet coffee as a critical part of their menu to support indigenous farmers.

Vietnamese Robusta

Vietnam is the world's biggest producer of Robusta coffee, producing nearly $31.1 billion worth of coffee exports in the first nine months of 2022. This has continued to supply the European market, which consumes coffee at a 39% rate worldwide. In particular, the European market drinks coffee at a 39% rate worldwide. The UK is its fifth-largest coffee consumer, seeing as much as a 13.6% increase in coffee imports from 2021 to 2022.

However, compared to well-liked arabica coffee, robusta produces a smoky, bitter taste when brewed. To make up for the flavour, the Vietnamese have taken unique approaches to their coffee-drinking culture, with many adding sweetened condensed milk and other ingredients such as egg yolks. In most cases internationally, robusta is used to make instant coffee. On the other hand, brands like Black Insomnia and Death Wish are taking advantage of the coffee's high-caffeine content as part of their business.
Peru Arabica

While fair-trade coffee has become the standard for supporting farming families, mass farming can make it challenging to improve environmental sustainability efforts. But in the case of the indigenous Mayni community in Peru, they are able to cultivate organic, shade-grown coffee within the Amazon rainforest without clearing the land. Rather than maximizing yields and income, Peruvian farmers work hand-in-hand with UK coffee roaster Easy Jose Coffee Roasters to produce coffee in the most sustainable way. Given the rising interest in speciality coffee, these smaller-scale productions also have become economically sustainable– providing the farmers with a viable way of life.

If you're interested in learning more about coffee, make sure to visit James Hoffman and Professor Tim Spector's discussion on its implications on health and nutrition.

Written by Aleah Kristen Caple
Exclusive for gaggiadirect.com

This play list was created by Gaggia for Mothers Day 2020. We are thinking of all mothers at this difficult time when their sons and daughters are fighting for freedom. 
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Coffee is an experience made up of aromas, scents, sensations, emotions and sounds. And that’s exactly through music that we want to give something special to all moms, signed by Gaggia Milano. 

Coffee Strength and Taste
In this blog I would like to share my thoughts about the strength, body and taste of coffee that you can produce using a bean to cup machine. I am confining myself  to the Gaggia bean to cup machines but you may find it useful to apply these to other brands as well.

Grind settings
All our models of bean to cup machines are fitted with ceramic grinders for grinding the beans. The number of grind settings vary from 5 to 18 settings. If you look at the 5 setting grinder, '5' will be the coarsest setting and '1' will be the finest setting. On a 18 setting grinder, '18' will be the coarsest and '1' will be the finest. Usually the factory setting will be '3' on a 5 setting grinder and '6-8' on a 18 setting grinder.

Depending on the coffee you use, you can adjust the grind setting to suit the fineness you want. Finer the grind the slower the flow. This is because, the water will have to wet more particles of coffee and infuse the coffee for a longer time. If the grind is coarser the water will flow quickly through the coffee. This in turn will weaken the coffee that is produced.

The coffee strength can also be affected by the type of roast that you select. A darker roast produces a stronger coffee than a light or medium roast.

You can also vary the strength, taste and body of the coffee by selecting a blend that produces more body and strength. The mix of blend, depending on how much Arabica and Robusta coffees are in the bag of coffee, will have an influence on the strength, taste and body. Robusta coffees have more caffeine, earthy qualities and bittnerness. Arabicas have more sweetness and acid depending on where it is grown and how it is roasted.

Strength Setting
Some of our machines have a 3 strength setting [ Naviglio, Brera, Accademia]  and others have 5 strength settings.

Depending on the strength you select, the machine will grind an amount of coffee :
3 Strength setting Machines
[1 bean]               6.5g-7g of coffee
[2beans]              8.5g-9g of coffee
[3 beans]             10.5g-11g of coffee
 
5 Strength setting Machines
[1 bean]               6.5g-7g of coffee
[2beans]              7.5g-8g of coffee
[3 beans]             8.5g-9g of coffee
[4 beans]             9.5g-10g of coffee
[5 beans]             10.5g-11g of coffee

Please note that Gaggia machines have an 'opti-dose' system which measures the pressure it applies to the grind and the revolution of grinder and adjusts itself using an algorithm. This can therefore take a few coffees to get to the optimum dose needed.

Water Flow
The amount of water and the quality of water used in a drink can also have an influence on the taste of the coffee. The quantity of water in the cup can be about 10% lower than the amount the machine dispenses because some of the water is retained in the coffee puck. For example, on the Gaggia Magenta and Gaggia Cadorna, the screen says 40cc but you will get only about 36cc in the cup.

Temperature
Another variable to watch is the temperature of the coffee. This can be adjusted on some of the models.