Gaggia Automatic Coffee Machines

Espresso was born in 1901 in Ventimiglia, Italy. The first version was strong but bitter because of the brewing technique. In 1936, Gaggia founders patented a coffee extraction process that drastically improved the flavor. Today, Gaggia is an Italian coffee giant with a global reach. Headquartered in Milano, the company makes automatic and manual coffee makers, as well as their own brand of coffee.

Gaggia’s automatic line (discussed here) are bean-to-cup coffee makers. They include built-in ceramic grinders to deliver Barista quality ground coffee for the home user. The coffee machines themselves have a charming, retro quality to them. The styling is simple and clean, colors are mostly silver, stainless steel, or black.

The machines are easy to use, with LED screens, buttons and rotary switches to flip between beverage types. The Gaggia line is part of a movement toward steam-based coffee makers, outpacing drip and pod models for coffee aficionados. Residential use has a compound annual growth rate of 6.9% in the next six years.

While Gaggia is not yet considered a global leader, they have an extremely strong niche market. The authenticity of the Italian brand makes them a favorite with espresso traditionalists. The pricing on their bean-to-cup units is also much easier on the wallet than other European manufacturers. Most Gaggia automatic coffee makers are priced between $1000 and $2000.

Gaggia Models

This is a list of the company’s current models, features, and cost.

Brand Features

Gaggia is all about the company’s heritage. They tout their humble beginnings in a Milano coffee shop and still sell coffee. The past plays a part in the coffee machines themselves. Even the most technically advanced models have a retro look and feel. It’s not surprising the company still offers classic manually operated coffee machines in addition to their automatic models. They are an eco-friendly company, with no single-use plastic pods.

Gaggia sells on price to some extent. Their products are much more affordable than some of their competitors. They have the cachet of a European model at half the price. It should be noted their machine casings are plastic, which no doubt makes them cheaper to manufacture. But with a strong and loyal customer base, the company is building its brand one country at a time.

Brand Technology

Gaggia’s technology meets the standard for the industry. They offer TFT displays in addition to backlit buttons on most of their models. One nice innovation is Gaggia’s user profiles. Up to four coffee drinkers can program in their preferences for brewing strength, aromatic intensity, and even specific beverage recipes. It aligns with their coffee shop origins – regulars know exactly how they want their coffee.

The personalization is also apparent in high-end ceramic grinders with multiple settings. You can also purchase a model that’s programmed in 1 of 17 languages. Gaggia’s Optiaroma technology offers lets users adjust the aromatic intensity and preferred amount of coffee. The Quick Heat Boiler brings coffee to desired temperatures quickly.

CAPP IN CUP is a one-touch feature for barista-style beverages made with milk. A one-touch button automatically draws milk from the reservoir and froths it. Gaggia machines use one of two Intrenza+ filters – the Brita or Mavea. The high-quality filters are model-specific, as listed on the Accessories page of their website.

Coffee Machine Maintenance

Gaggia recommends a manual weekly and monthly cleaning process that is somewhat involved. Though the method varies slightly by model, it is a multi-step process that requires removing the brewing unit for manual cleansing. It cannot be wiped with a cloth and must be air-dried. The monthly cleaning expands to include clearing the system of coffee oils using on Gaggia’s coffee oil remover tablets.

Check Gaggia’s YouTube channel for video instructions.

The units come with an automatic descaling cycle, using Gaggia de-calcifying tablets for removing limescale build-up. For machines with milk, there is an automatic milk circuit cleaning cycle. The cleaning operations are available on the user interface, at the push of a button.

Summary: Gaggia Automatic Coffee Makers

Gaggia is all about Italy and its contributions to the espresso we know and love. They manufacture their machines there. They love their historical connection to flavor extraction in the brewing process. They share their recipes, have a nice selection of “how-to” videos and a blog.

Gaggia models are less technical than many of their competitors. Interestingly, they don’t seem to sell products from their current website. An eCommerce site for North America is not current. Without a link to their automatic coffee makers, they may be losing opportunities to increase their sales.