My Baby Gaggia
To tell you the truth I don’t often make coffee at home, mainly because
1) I’m too lazy, and prefer to sleep in
2) When drinking coffee I’d rather be at an establishment with some atmosphere, an ashtray and some eye-candy
3) A good Barista with a commercial grade coffee machine, a grinder, and some nice beans beats what I can afford at home.
However, says the indolent bastard, I do occasionally use one of my Italian made pressure percolator’s or my Baby Gaggia. Consequently, today’s ramble will be about my one and only coffee machine – the Baby Gaggia.
The Baby is a relatively cheap and homely looking machine, however it produces consistently good espressos and is dead easy to use for a number of reasons; Firstly, due to the commercially sized portafilter (measuring 58mm in diameter), secondly the Gaggia’s unique boiling system allows the machine to heat up quite quickly, and finally the 3-way solenoid valve stops dripping and dries the used coffee grounds which makes the filter easier to clean.
" Portafilter – handle and filter holder, which is locked into the brewing group
3-way solenoid valve – reduces water pressure from the coffee grounds after coffee is made "
Conversely, there are some obvious shortcomings, for example, the drip tray is definitely too shallow and difficult to empty. Similarly, while the steaming power is adequate, the positioning and fixed nature of the steam wand can be a pain in the arse to maneuver around (however I just make espressos and the occasional short macchiato so meh).
Final ponderings: easy to use and consistent entry-level machine, which produces high-quality espressos.
1) I’m too lazy, and prefer to sleep in
2) When drinking coffee I’d rather be at an establishment with some atmosphere, an ashtray and some eye-candy
3) A good Barista with a commercial grade coffee machine, a grinder, and some nice beans beats what I can afford at home.
However, says the indolent bastard, I do occasionally use one of my Italian made pressure percolator’s or my Baby Gaggia. Consequently, today’s ramble will be about my one and only coffee machine – the Baby Gaggia.
The Baby is a relatively cheap and homely looking machine, however it produces consistently good espressos and is dead easy to use for a number of reasons; Firstly, due to the commercially sized portafilter (measuring 58mm in diameter), secondly the Gaggia’s unique boiling system allows the machine to heat up quite quickly, and finally the 3-way solenoid valve stops dripping and dries the used coffee grounds which makes the filter easier to clean.
" Portafilter – handle and filter holder, which is locked into the brewing group
3-way solenoid valve – reduces water pressure from the coffee grounds after coffee is made "
Conversely, there are some obvious shortcomings, for example, the drip tray is definitely too shallow and difficult to empty. Similarly, while the steaming power is adequate, the positioning and fixed nature of the steam wand can be a pain in the arse to maneuver around (however I just make espressos and the occasional short macchiato so meh).
Final ponderings: easy to use and consistent entry-level machine, which produces high-quality espressos.
posted by Ben at
6:44 AM
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