When you’re searching for a new coffee machine you’re hardly spoilt for choice … so let’s make it easy for you.

The only one to look at is a Gaggia because this iconic brand matches exactly what customers want when looking for a new barista standard coffee machine for home.

In short, Gaggia UK is a family businesses selling top quality coffee machines that’ll last decades while providing the kind of customer service most of our rivals could only dream about … and that’s in their wildest dreams too.

Customer service is king and with Gaggia that’s taken to a whole new level, way beyond most customers’ expectations which is why we are shortlisted in the Institute Of Customer Service Awards 2025. https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/events/uk-customer-satisfaction-awards

Naturally, our machines come with warranties but when you buy them from Gaggia UK Direct they also come with what we call ‘forever customer service.’ This means that no matter how long you’ve had your Gaggia, contact us at any time for support and advice if you’ve any questions or problems at all.

We can do that on the phone but prefer Zoom so you can show us the fault there and then and we can give advice and even watch and guide you while you’re sorting it out. A lot of problems are often minor which can be quickly solved which saves the hassle and expense of sending the machine back to us for maintenance and repair … and means you won’t even miss that next all important cup of coffee. We’ll even talk through handy tips about general maintenance and how to clean and degrease your Gaggia so it’ll always be in tip top condition.

Gaggia UK has a virtually 100% five-star rating on Trustpilot and here’s just one review on Trustpilot in November 2024: “This is without doubt the best place to buy your coffee machine. It’s not only a family run business with people who care, but also the best customer service and back up for technical issues from any company I’ve experienced so far in my life (and I’m old). If you have a technical issue you can immediately Zoom with experts who will give you helpful, practical and honest guidance. Honestly, you almost want your machine to go wrong so you can contact them!”

Steady on there. We don’t want anyone’s coffee machine to go wrong but, rest assured, we are here for you if it does. And you won’t be subjected to some dreadful automated click this, that and the other button before you’re put on hold waiting ‘for the next agent’ who then can’t really help you as it’s a technical question.

With Gaggia UK you’ll be talking straight to a person – yes, an actual human being (I know, it blows the mind, doesn’t it) – who can help solve the problem immediately. If they can’t, they know a man who can as you’ll be then put through to one of our engineers and there’s nothing repairable they can’t fix.

Gaggia has a proud Italian heritage stretching back 80 years with a reputation for making stylish, precisely engineered yet robust coffee machines that would grace any kitchen. That ethos has never changed which is why we regularly give advice to people with Gaggia machines that are more than a quarter of a century old. The first Gaggia coffee machine for home was brought out back in 1977 and was orange to fit in with the psychedelic – some would say zany – colour schemes at the time.

Gaggia coffee machines are designed to be easily repaired or for replacement parts to be effortlessly fitted and we can sort out any parts you need, quickly and with no fuss.
Take the Gaggia filter holder where you put the coffee in to start making your perfect cuppa. Every filter holder - called a portafilter in Italy - are 58mm in diameter which means they can fit any Gaggia machine stretching back to the 1940s. That dimension has never changed which makes the machines so universal. No fiddling about … it’s sorted out.

It means Gaggia UK is the ultimate coffee machine one-stop shop.
The Gaggia range is always evolving with new machines being brought out such as the limited edition moonlight grey Cadorna Prestige and the Magenta Prestige to mark 25 years since Gaggia brough out its first domestic automatic coffee machine and, coincidentally, 55 years since humans first landed on the moon. They also herald the new generation of Gaggia coffee machines that will all have an iced coffee making function as well as the traditional hot one.

So, now we’re agreed it’s got to be Gaggia, let’s go get one. All you need to think about is do you want a manual or an automatic machine?

Oh, and then there’s quite a stylish range to look at too so hop over to this other blog to help you choose the coffee machine that’s perfect for you.

https://www.gaggiadirect.com/blog/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-a-coffee-machine
And if you’ve any questions at all before you make your final choice – or you even want to pop over to Elland near Halifax in West Yorkshire and see our machines for yourself – phone us on 01422 766972 or email [email protected]

Coffee expert James Hoffmann started his career with Gaggia … so we’re giving away one of his best-selling books with some of our machines
 
The UK’s best known coffee expert started his career with iconic Italian coffee machine brand Gaggia.

Now Gaggia UK is giving one of James Hoffmann’s books away free with certain machines and also has another for sale on its website.

James Hoffmann is an entrepreneur, social media influencer and international name in coffee who combines expert-level knowledge with a natural ability to communicate it in his books and on his YouTube and Instagram channels.

Two of James’ books now featured on the Gaggia UK website are How To Make The Best Coffee At Home, which became a Sunday Times bestseller, and The World Atlas Of Coffee (From Beans To Brewing, Coffees Explored, Explained and Enjoyed).

James won the World Barista Championship in 2007 after clinching the UK Barista Championship titles in 2006 and 2007.

He has more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube and has made well over 350 videos. He also has 689,000 followers on his Instagram feed, @jimseven.

One of James’ first jobs after joining the coffee industry in the early 2000s was working as a trainee barista/demonstrator and later was managing the concession and the Gaggia Caffe Academy  for Gaggia, in the high-end department store House of Fraser in Oxford Street.

Gaggia UK managing director Raj Beadle said: “I remember James so well from his time with us and they were great days demonstrating and selling Gaggia machines to the public in such a landmark London venue.

“We’ve followed his amazing career ever since and as he is the voice and face of coffee on the internet we thought it would be a nice gesture to help pass his immense knowledge on to our customers.”

The World Atlas Of Coffee will be sent to people who buy some Gaggia models – especially    the Gaggia Classic 2023 Evo PRO Gold - and Gaggia is also selling How To Make The Best Coffee At Home on its website.

James’s view is that coffee is central to many lives, writing: “A cup of coffee can be many things: a jolt of caffeine, fuel for our work, a social lubricant, a necessity or a luxury. It can be surprising, delightful and delicious and it can transport you around the world. It can also be a lot of fun.”

How To Make The Best Coffee At Home reveals everything people need to know to make barista standard coffee in their own kitchens, including the ideal equipment to buy, how to grind coffee, the basics of brewing for all major equipment from cafetieres to stovetop and understanding coffee from the perfect espresso to latte.

To watch James Hoffmann’s YouTube videos go to James Hoffmann - YouTube
For James Hoffmann’s Instagram feed it’s https://www.instagram.com/jimseven
To see James’ books on the Gaggia UK website go to https://www.gaggiadirect.com/barista-accessories
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Gaggia coffee machines were first invented in Milan in the late 1930s, revolutionising the way coffee was made and setting new stylish standards worldwide.

In 2003 Gaggia UK Direct was granted Cool Brand Leader status by The Brand Council which put the company alongside the likes of Aston Martin, Chanel, Royal Doulton, Bang and Olufsen, Jaguar Cars, Lambretta, Vespa, Moet & Chandon, Selfridges and Xbox.
This is because Gaggia changed the way coffee was made forever.

Until 1938 the only way to make expresso was to blast the coffee grounds with steam but Italian businessman Achille Gaggia felt this gave a poor, bitter taste and believed he could invent something much better. He had an ingenious mind and forced hot water to flow over the grounds at high pressure which first produced the crema unique to expresso.

The first steamless expresso machine Gaggia invented in Milan in 1938 revolutionised the way coffee was made. This extracted a range of aromas and natural coffee oils to produce a soft layer of ‘crema naturale’ on the top of the drink. The espresso became different and better, more intense and captivating, characterised by a rich and bold flavour.

In 1947 the invention moved to a  lever-piston brewing mechanism after Achille saw how an American jeep’s piston engine worked.

The Gaggia company was founded the same year and the Gaggia name has been renowned for making consistently high quality coffee machines ever since and continues to be widely acknowledged to be a leading authority within the coffee industry.

In 1952 Gaggia invented the first coffee machine for domestic use called Gilda, inspired by actress Rita Hayworth’s iconic performance in the 1946 film Gilda.

But it was in the 1970s when the Baby Gaggia coffee machine helped to propel the brand to the top of the domestic market as this machine made it possible for people to create a café standard expresso in their own home. Gaggia has kept its high position ever since with some machines so eye-catching you’d be right to consider them works of art.

Every Gaggia machine is made in Italy combining cutting edge technology, quality and reliability with traditional yet always stylish design. The latest automatic machines will grind the beans, measure the water and deliver the perfect cup of expresso coffee at the push of a button. Some now have digital screens showing the drinks with the top-of-the-range model offering 19 different coffee drinks.

The start to making a cup of coffee is the filter holder where you put the coffee in and all Gaggia holders - called a portafilter in Italy - are 58mm in diameter which means they can fit any Gaggia machine stretching back to the 1940s. That dimension has never changed which makes the machines so universal.

Gaggia UK’s outstanding customer service - known as ‘forever customer care’ – is also iconic.

The company has an almost 100% five-star rating on Trustpilot and is immediately accessible on the phone or by Zoom on the internet. This means that if there’s something a customer doesn’t understand about their coffee machine or they think it may have developed a fault, Gaggia UK’s highly experienced engineers can immediately join the call, see the machine via Zoom and talk the customer through how to solve the problem.

This special customer service helps everyone – the customer, the business itself and the environment and you can read more about it here:
​ https://www.gaggiadirect.com/blog/why-gaggia-uk-directs-forever-customer-care-service-is-the-best-in-the-coffee-business

As Gaggia UK managing director Raj Beadle says: “We used to get around 1,500 machines in a year for service, upgrade or repair but that number has now been halved, saving customers lots of money and their machines needing to be packaged up and sent on expensive, often needless, journeys back to us.”
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This all means that Gaggia is a truly iconic brand for today’s ever growing coffee culture.
 

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.

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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