Gaggia Classic first impressions

Khannie

I'm Spartacus! (i.e. it was I that bought Re*ac*tor's classic. \o/ )

So I got home last night, my new baby (aka the classic) safely under my arm. The MDF has gone to a friend of mine whose girlfriend is about to step up in the "coffee nyom" world.

Anyway.....I set that bad boy up and made the following:

1 double espresso
1 latte
1 americano
2 hot chocolates (steam wand \o/). One for my wife, one for my son who was surprisingly excited at the prospect of steamed milk.

All of the shots turned out really well given my total noob status at making espresso, but in fairness, half of the work was done for me in that Re*ac*tor had dialed in the MDF and that's what I used.

I've put the mazzer up on top of the gaggia base (where the MDF would go) and it looks pretty damned sexy. (I'll stick up a pic later)

So....this morning I got up, slightly intimidated by the thought of the whole process if I'm honest, and stuck the mazzer on its finest grind and repeated the process from last night.....or so I thought....water went flying through the grinds / portafilter. Didn't have time to set it all up again so I just sucked up having a crappy coffee with my brekkie.

My wife has since made a few successful americano's for guests today, so it was probably just me / possibly my tamping / possibly some grounds left over from the last grind setting.

Got to sleep at around 2.30am last night after setting a new high score on donkey kong. Slept badly. CAAAAFFFEEEEEEEIIIIIINNNNNEEEEE.

Looking forward to getting home tonight to continue the experimentation.

Khannie

Oh: Pros and Cons.....

Pros:
Looks sexy
Heats up quickly
Steam. Yes!
Has the silvia steam wand (this even _looks_ like a substantial improvement over the normal one)
Makes a tasty coffee if you get it right
Surprisingly large water tank
Fairly compact machine

Cons:
Learning curve
Generally a lot more complex than the pour over
Steaming relatively noisey

RE*AC*TOR

Glad you're having some success. The Mazzer Super Jolly doser does not sweep very clean. I have a wee handheld vaccuum to clear it out every day (or more often). But this will cease to be a problem once you convert to doserless.

If I were you I would adjust the grind to a level that chokes the Gaggia (ie very slow to no coffee coming out) and work your way from there. I'd seriously recommend completely emptying the doser with each adjustment (vaccuum is best for this). Otherwise you are going to get a blend of grinds and it will be hard to identify the "right" setting.

Otherwise - bon voyage! Gaggia Classics routinely last 15-20 years with good care.

Khannie

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

If I were you I would adjust the grind to a level that chokes the Gaggia (ie very slow to no coffee coming out) and work your way from there.

Hmmmm. Interesting. I actually came up to do some research. I had adjusted to what I thought was a _very_ fine grind, but I'm getting some "spurting" out of the naked portafilter (no puns please!). Not sure if this is a sign of sh*t tamping or not, hence the research.

I've attempted about 10 shots this evening and they've all been a disaster.

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

I'd seriously recommend completely emptying the doser with each adjustment (vaccuum is best for this). Otherwise you are going to get a blend of grinds and it will be hard to identify the "right" setting.

Great idea tbh. Consider it done.

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

Otherwise - bon voyage! Gaggia Classics routinely last 15-20 years with good care.

Nice. I will love mine 'til death us do part (hopefully the machines death and not mine).

RE*AC*TOR

I would consider turning the burr setting till they touch (not while the machine is on). Then back off from that a little. That might be a good starting place.

Clumping isn't an issue on my mazzer, but maybe it is for you (do the grinds come out in little balls?). If this is the case you can employ the Weiss Ditribution Technique (stirring).

How fast is it coming out?

"Spurting" could mean channelling which could be an indication of poor distribution or poor tamping.

A video might help with the diagnosis.

Khannie

I took your advice and used the vacuum, then put it on an uber fine grind (until it was choking the gaggia) then worked my way back from there, vacuuming each time.

Let's just say....

Once I was the learner.....






Thanks for the suggestions.

RE*AC*TOR

Super. Dialing in can be a painful experience initially.

Mr Magnolia

That's great if you have it sussed already. Look forward to a few vids or photos.

Best of luck with the new machine. It has a history on this forum.

Khannie

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

That's great if you have it sussed already.

And then I got up this morning.....

I'll say n'more.

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Best of luck with the new machine. It has a history on this forum.

/me searches

SuperGrover

Reactor, you don't do home instructional visits, by an chance?

:rolleyes:

RE*AC*TOR

I don't get out of the bed for less than €10k

Khannie

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

I don't get out of the bed for less than €10k

Cheap whore.

SuperGrover

ok, 10k it is, so.

eclectichoney

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

I don't get out of the bed for less than €10

Fixed that for ye there Reactor

RE*AC*TOR

My good name... in tatters

Khannie

It was good once?

So.....been reading around a bit more. Seems this mornings coffee didn't work out because the beans were different; I used crappy lidl beans to dial in the grinder, then cleaned it out and put some nice ones in, expecting the same flow through. The beans had other ideas. Bit of an adjustment later and presto: Nyommy coffee again.

A lot of learning going on here.

RE*AC*TOR

Khannie wrote: »

It was good once?

So.....been reading around a bit more. Seems this mornings coffee didn't work out because the beans were different; I used crappy lidl beans to dial in the grinder, then cleaned it out and put some nice ones in, expecting the same flow through. The beans had other ideas. Bit of an adjustment later and presto: Nyommy coffee again.

A lot of learning going on here.

A rookie mistake

Khannie

Mr Magnolia

Well it's been a week now, how are you getting on Khannie?

How do you think the americano compares to the pour-over/filter brews?

RE*AC*TOR

I think the americano vs filter question is an interesting one. To me one of the great crimes against coffee has been the near universal move to espresso based drinks. I love espresso, don't get me wrong, but for a long black coffee, filter is unbeatable.

Some coffees with high acidity/brightness are inherently unsuitable for espresso and therefore americano. But these same coffees often make the most amazing filter cups. The subtle aromatics that can come across in a well brewed filter coffee are beyond compare.

Of course when I say "filter" I mean any of drip / press / vac.

Espresso is very sexy. The whole culture is. Its complicated, requires a lot of skill to perfect. The equipment itself is often a work of art (Elektra Microcasa good example).
Filter coffee has a more dowdy, quaint image. It is simple, and often the best equipment is cheap and a little bit ugly (mellita filter cone).

Mr Magnolia

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

I think the americano vs filter question is an interesting one. To me one of the great crimes against coffee has been the near universal move to espresso based drinks. I love espresso, don't get me wrong, but for a long black coffee, filter is unbeatable.

Couldn't agree more. This is why the pour-over is coming back out of the press. Have to do something about a grinder though, I think I'll try a whirry blade one to start.

RE*AC*TOR

*Cough* Mazzer *cough*

Khannie

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Well it's been a week now, how are you getting on Khannie?

How do you think the americano compares to the pour-over/filter brews?

Interesting day that you should ask. I was just considering it this morning.

Today I got up and made a mug with two doubles and some hot water. One double just wasn't cutting it. Anyway, to be honest.....I think I prefer the pour over for mugs of coffee.

I wasn't expecting the vastly different flavour from the americano v's the pour over. It's a much more bitter taste.

I think this sums it up nicely....

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

for a long black coffee, filter is unbeatable.

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

Espresso is very sexy. The whole culture is. Its complicated, requires a lot of skill to perfect. The equipment itself is often a work of art (Elektra Microcasa good example).
Filter coffee has a more dowdy, quaint image. It is simple, and often the best equipment is cheap and a little bit ugly (mellita filter cone).

When I showed my pour over to a coffee fan in here on the day I bought it, he had a good laugh at it (he owns a classic). Honestly, I consider it a really really good piece of brewing kit, but I always thought that the "right" thing to do was to have a "proper" coffee machine.

When I have the doserless mod complete I'll be able to do an apples to apples comparison then. Having said that, I don't have the language skills to properly describe differing flavours, so don't expect too much.

Khannie

But.....I'll continue to try espressos from time to time. I've noted before that the tendency is towards them as you drink more coffee. I also learned that putting sugar in your espresso is considered socially acceptable in Italy.

Mr Magnolia

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

*Cough* Mazzer *cough*

fcuker. It's going round in the back of my brain. Very hard to justify though... AAAaaargh!!

Khannie wrote: »

Interesting day that you should ask. I was just considering it this morning.

Today I got up and made a mug with two doubles and some hot water. One double just wasn't cutting it. Anyway, to be honest.....I think I prefer the pour over for mugs of coffee.

No shame in that at all.

Khannie wrote: »

But.....I'll continue to try espressos from time to time. I've noted before that the tendency is towards them as you drink more coffee. I also learned that putting sugar in your espresso is considered socially acceptable in Italy.

Try a 2oz espresso (double) with a 1oz shot of baileys after a meal. It's really good. My wife would drink one and she'd never drink espresso.

RE*AC*TOR

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

fcuker. It's going round in the back of my brain. Very hard to justify though... AAAaaargh!!

That's cool. In no rush to get rid anyway. The Ascaso is ordered, hopefully will have it tomorrow. Have to make sure my espresso quality isn't going to suffer by going from the Mazzer to the Ascaso. Having gotten used to the Mazzer and the Oscar, I will say my espresso has reached new heights.
Anyway, I won't advertise the grinder on ebay, or any other coffee forums for little while. So think on...

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Try a 2oz espresso (double) with a 1oz shot of baileys after a meal. It's really good. My wife would drink one and she'd never drink espresso.

:eek:

Baileys! Yuk (personal preference).
For caffé corretto (which translates as "corrected coffee") I love a shot of grappa, but sambuca works well too. Haven't tried it, but grappa is quite similar to brandy - so I imagine Hennessey would work well.

Khannie

Sounds like guinness and blackcurrant to me lads.