| | |  | italian food gift for grandpa | Home » » Gaggia 102532 Espresso-Pure Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine, Black | | | | | | | Description: | | The Gaggia Espresso Pure’s classic, timeless design brings style and innovation to any kitchen or workspace. Brew grounds or pods on its chrome plated brass group head and filter holder, then froth and steam milk using its Pannarello frothing wand to make a latte, cappuccino, or macchiato. With a stainless steel boiler, a passive cup warmer, and a maximum pump pressure of 15 bars, each shot is sure to be brewed at the proper temperature and pressure for a thick layer of golden crema. Priced just right for the budget conscious, the Gaggia Espresso Pure offers you a multitude of commercial-quality brewing experiences while remaining stylish and elegant. | | | Features: | |
• 1100-watt espresso machine with stainless-steel boiler and 15-bar pump
• Chrome-plated brass brew group and portafilter provide excellent temperature stability
• Accommodates ESE coffee pods or ground coffee; Pannarello steam wand; cup warmer
• Removable water tank; 3 filter baskets, coffee tamper, and coffee-measuring scoop included
• Measures 10-4/5 by 8-2/7 by 14 inches
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.8 inches | | Product Width:
| 8.3 inches | | Product Height:
| 14.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 10.14 pounds | | Package Length:
| 18.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 12.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 12.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 12.2 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 12 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A great first machine for us.Jan 23, 2009
By lilybart29
We purchased this machine just after Christmas, and have fallen in love with it since then. We were looking at another, better-looking espresso machine, but were advised to get the Gaggia by some friends. This is our first REAL espresso machine, I had a Mr. Coffee machine years ago that worked all right, but the Gaggia Pure is head and shoulders above that one. It makes great espresso, although we are still working on getting great crema out of it...sometimes we do, sometimes we don't (this could easily be our fault). The frothing nozzle is also great, and although it's not as fancy looking as the all-stainless model we nearly bought, it is still a nice looking machine.
Negatives: no warming tray, and the first shots take awhile as the machine has to warm up first. This might be true with most machines, and it's not a big deal for us. We start it up, prep the milk and cups for a few minutes, come back and its ready to go. Subsequent shots go much quicker.
We would definitely buy this machine again.
37 of 48 found the following review helpful:
 Feels Flimsy, Looks Ugly, Brews Badly Without Highest Grade GrinderApr 17, 2009
By C. Kelleher
"cmkelleher"
Gaggia has a reputation for building relatively solid though finicky espresso makers. This machine is one of the new generation of Gaggias, which evidently are attempting to retreat from the reputation of solidity. This machine - the Espresso - has three iterations: the Pure (the simple black plastic cheap one), the Color (one color, red, costs more than the Pure evidently because of the color), and the Dose (which can be calibrated to deliver a fixed amount of liquid per button press, which costs even more. The units all have the same mechanicals - stainless steel boiler, roughly 3.5 ounces in size, a brass coated brewing group, and (note well) a non-pressurized 58mm "commercial" portafilter.
Right out of the box, the Espresso feels cheap and flimsy. No metal in sight, and the machine (in my case the Dose) looks like a big ugly hunk of plastic. The steam control knob feels like a child's toy and is so poorly mounted on its stem that it feels like you could twist it off. The water reservoir is a skimpy 42 ounces, and the alleged warming plate is ugly white plastic and produces markedly little warmth. This by far is the ugliest appliance in my kitchen and is also among the most expensive. Most importantly, the machine weighs only 10 pounds, which makes tightening the portafilter a chore as you have to pin the machine down to keep it from tipping over or just being shoved around the counter.
The mechanicals inside appear to be solid, and the portafilter is sturdy and serviceable. The boiler appears willing enough, though it is really tiny, and the steaming wand is excellent. The dosing function on my Dose model appears mainly useless, as my brewing results worked better with manual operation, and this pointless features adds about $50 to the price of the base model. Eyeball your cup's fluid level and save $50. No three way valve, but the filter puck is reasonably dry and easily emptied.
Now the real problem - if you plan to use your own beans for this, you need a $300 grinder from Gaggia. That's it, end of story. My $90 Capresso Infinity after much experimentation with tamping and grind proved incapable of making anything other than sludge due to the non-pressurized portafilter. I called the vendor up and their service staff informed me (in a sympathetic and polite manner) that the Infinity simply couldn't produce a consistent fine grind. Even the popular Baratzas (in the $100-$200 range) can't produce a "Gaggia grind" without being disassembled and modified by the user. (This is true - check the Baratza website FAQs). Upshot: nothing less than a $300 grinder can produce home ground coffee for this machine.
The vendor told me to try pre-ground espresso, and sure enough the commercially ground coffee I tried was much much better, but this means dealing with a short lifespan and keeping the coffee in an airtight container in the freezer. Even after trying that, I found that the pre-ground produced nice crema only when very fresh, like 1-2 days, and generally not after it came out of the freezer. If you don't mind running off to a local store for a small dose of commercially ground coffee every day, this is your machine. Or you can buy a grinder that costs as much or more than your Gaggia machine does.
Anyway, the disappointment for me here was not necessarily that the machine has such extensive "special needs". If it was elegant and solidly made, I would still give it a pass, though maybe not for me personally as buying $600 worth of home espresso equipment is beyond my budget. However, even if we factor out the demanding grind requirement, the flimsiness of this machine and its ugly plastic frame simply is unacceptable at the $250-$300 price point. A Saeco Aroma in the same price range is made of metal, has a bigger steel boiler, weighs 30% more, and uses a pressurized portafilter that works nicely with less finely ground coffee.
The Gaggia has a better reputation for durability, but the new Gaggia Espressos look like they are made on the same assembly lines as Saeco's (the companies are commonly held) with the main difference being the portafilters, so I have little reason to assume that this cheap plastic eyesore will prove any more durable than a comparable Saeco. The Aroma is much easier to use, does not need a grinder that costs as much as it does, IMO is more attractive, and is at the same price point. I don't know why anyone would buy one of these Gaggias. Maybe if you have an expensive grinder, and your old espresso machine died, and you need a cheap replacement? Whatever. I am underwhelmed.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Easy to use + Delicious resultsMay 24, 2010
By NHgirl
Seemed complicated at first, but is actually quite easy after the first time or two. Yummy espresso. Foaming wand makes thick, delicious foam for cappuccino. Easy to clean. The pump is quite loud when passing water for the espresso, but that's only a minute.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great Machine For The MoneySep 23, 2009
By J. Dolan
Yes, you do need properly ground coffee to make the best of this machine. However the $[...] Capresso Infinity is fine for the job. This is an impressive machine for the money but it does have a learning curve. Follow the directions in the book, get a tamper that is sized to the portafilter (58mm), [...] use some fresh roasted ESPRESSO beans and you'll be making coffee better than 95% of the shops with a little bit of practice. One added suggestion, a ridgeless portafilter, which allows for better tamping.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Par with coffee shop espressoJan 17, 2010
By ashilps
I am pleased with the Espresso Pure for my entry-level espresso maker purchase. I wish it had a warming plate, but as another reviewer said, the body is all plastic. I also purchased the Baratza (or is it Solis? I'm confused about the relationship of those two companies) Maestro Plus grinder for around $140 and they work well together. You do have to spend some time breaking in the machine and experimenting with grind size and tamping pressure. You also have to let the machine heat up well, at least 8 minutes. But after I turn on and let it heat up, it doesn't take me more than 5 or 6 minutes to make a latte or cappuccino.
I like the size of the water tank because there are only 2 of us. I also like that there is enough clearance for a standard 8 oz mug beneath the portafilter. The steam wand produces great foam with whole milk and there's enough clearance there for a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Yet the machine does not take up a lot of space - in fact it's less than the Mr. Coffee machine it replaced.
I think its interesting the Espresso Color got higher reviews than this one, because they are the same machine. The Color is $50 more, but otherwise they are exactly the same. And I read on [...] that the red colored paint starts chipping off after awhile.
For now (1 month after purchase) and for what it is, I think it works great, and at a young, frugal person kind of price.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
