Gaggia 12100 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Ivory

Gaggia 12100 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Ivory Review

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Pros
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- Excellent price for a entry-level espresso machine
- Quality internal components

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Cons
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- Plastic housing
- Very particular about grind and tamping pressure
- Light plastic tamper included

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Summary
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This espresso machine has many components that are normally found on high-end more expensive espresso machines. It includes a commercial size 58mm chrome-plated brass portafilter, 3-way valve, and solid brass group head. (More information on its components can be found at [...]).
There are a few things to note with this machine. A good espresso burr grinder is a must with this machine. My ~ Cuisinart Burr Grinder did not produce proper results because the grind was not fine enough and/or too inconsistent. The resulting coffee would come out dark for a few seconds and then become watery resulting in something akin to watery regular coffee. As a result I purchased a Gaggia MDF grinder Gaggia 8002 MDF Burr Grinder with Doser, Black, set the grind setting to 5 and what a difference it made. The liquid that came out was much closer to what espresso should taste like with a complexity of flavors and a real kick. I'm still tinkering with my grind setting (usually between 5 or 6) and my tamping pressure in order to get the perfect cup. Another acceptable espresso grinder according to sites like Coffee Geek and Sweet Maria's include the Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. Also, I would highly recommend buying a better tamper like the Rattleware 58-Milimeter Round-Handled Tamper, Long to replace the cheap and hard to use plastic one included.
Overall this machine does what it was designed to do. So long as you put fresh quality coffee beans in it that was ground about a minute before you pull your shot there's no reason you can't eventually get the perfect shot. If you're new to making your own espresso it make take some time to find the right combination of bean grind and tamping pressure, but you'll get there eventually. I expect that this machine will be able to serve me for years as it comes with a 2 year warranty through Importika ([...]).

Gaggia 12100 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Ivory Feature

• Espresso machine with chrome-plated brass brew group and portafilter
• 15-bar pump; high-wattage boiler; 3-way solenoid valve; push-button controls
• 64-ounce removable reservoir; can make 2 cups simultaneously; steamer for frothing milk
• Includes single-shot, double-shot, and E.S.E. filter basket; coffee tamper; and coffee scoop
• Measures 10-2/5 by 9-3/5 by 15-2/3 inches

Gaggia 12100 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Ivory Overview

Includes Gaggia 12100 Gaggia New Baby Stainless Steel Semi Automatic Gaggia Espresso Machine.

Gaggia 12100 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Ivory Specifications

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jan 05, 2010 07:34:12

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