I do not know its predecessor, and had no nostalgic reminder. For me count my personal experience with the device, as I have before me. Here I note:
The pressure switch work perfectly, so I miss no toggle. The Plastikausläufe portafilters do their job, they are good enough and I also do not look ugly.
The water heater of the device is no longer made of aluminum, but made of stainless steel. Steel insulated heat worse than aluminum, but I could not notice any negative impact on the water temperature. Incidentally, aluminum has come in contact with food into disrepute and I would not use any coffee with aluminum heater.
The machine switched on after 9 minutes from disuse. This increases energy efficiency, but is quite annoying.
I also have a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine in use and thus can assess the quality of a simple Siebträgermaschine good experience. Of course, the Gaggia can not keep up with the Rancilio, that's not to be expected, because it costs a lot less. But it has the necessary features and meets the basic requirements.
The machine is supplied with so-called Crema-seven. These are screens with a double bottom, which build an elevated pressure and thus allow the formation of a crema, even if the quantity and degree of grinding of the coffee powder and the contact pressure are not optimally matched. This includes the rubber valve that sits below the filter holder. So the Gaggia makes it easy for beginners. However, to get to the interior of Crema sieves not approach, even for cleaning.
Higher machine without such tricks, but require more training and especially the use of a very good (and expensive) coffee grinder. Incidentally, it is easily possible to replace the Crema sieves against normal screens. The rubber valve you have to remove it from the filter holder. Coffee pads are, however, no longer be used.
(Who still has no experience with traditional espresso coffee machines and want to become familiar with the basics, which helps to look at the website KaffeeWiki de.)
There are a few points that bother me:
This starts with the processing of the case. The stainless steel sheets are up and down so sharp that I only once was afraid I could push me at careless movement on it and hurt.
Clamping portafilters requires force application, and does not have enough to oppose the machine stability. One must, however pressing with the other hand so that it does not slip away.
Because the machine has no solenoid valve, it drips from the brew head after removing the cup after vigorously. This means that at the next cup from below can hang drip residues that must be cleaned only once. But it also means that you can not with a blind filter backwashing the unit to prevent rancid expectant coffee fat deposits. (The backwashing with coffee degreaser really belongs to the daily or at least weekly routine at a much genutzen espresso machine!)
The foam can be generated, is to my taste fine.
Disturbing I find the consistency and the presscake. They are not strong enough, always act somewhat muddy. Often this indicates a false freeness of the ground coffee. So far, there is not, I managed to find the right degree of grinding for coffee beans, with the leaves changing. It could also be due to the Crema Seven or the lack of a solenoid valve, as I was told in comments on this review. If it also does not affect the quality of espresso, so it causes but annoying pollution spurting coffee grounds particles when tapping the screen support.
My Conclusion:
With this device you can get at a bargain price a Siebträgermaschine with which good espresso or cappuccino can prepare. It is easy to use.
What most bothers me personally because the aqueous-muddy nature of the coffee puck, which provides around the tapping of pollution, and the long hunting of liquid from the brewing head. This really is not nice, but you can live with it. I also think it's not good that you can not with blind filter backwash. How this affects the long term, I do not know.
Regardless of my criticisms of Espresso produced is good. For that matter, I can recommend the machine.
I wish I could give 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Because the but's more, because I see that a lot of the reviewers depreciates the machine, and that partly for the wrong reasons, I choose here for 4 stars.
