| | |  | italian food gifts for mom | Home » » Gaggia 12101 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Black | | | | | | | Description: | | The original high-end home espresso machine, the Gaggia Baby has been redesigned with new style elements to complement a long list of features. The New Baby can create consistent, great tasting espresso thanks to its commercial-grade components, including a chrome-plated brass brew group and portafilter, high-wattage boiler and built-in Turbo Frother. The newest addition to the Gaggia Baby is its polished stainless steel front panel, adding an extra touch of class to one of Gaggia’s most famous espresso machines. | | | Features: | |
• 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
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.4 inches | | Product Width:
| 9.6 inches | | Product Height:
| 15.7 inches | | Product Weight:
| 9.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 18.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 12.6 inches | | Package Height:
| 12.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 17.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 15 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 15 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Pretty Good BargainSep 02, 2010
By B. Speer
Making my own espressos for about fifteen years. This is my second machine. Using it for close to six years. My model is the same with a slightly different exterior. Buttons in the same space with the knob on top. Also have the Silvia/Rocky Grinder. Each cost close to $350.
If you want to foam milk for most of your espressos this machine will be frustrating because the heater cannot keep up. Although I prefer espresso without milk when I want Lattes I simply microwave to heat and whip with Aerolatte 5 Milk Frother ($16). Friends this whips milk to "wet paint" thickness in seconds. I would never pay hundreds extra for a machine that makes lots of steam for frothing. If I owned one anyway I would still use the Aerolatte. Can you say "ten seconds"? Only thing you have to be careful of is WHIPPING THE MILK TOO MUCH, too thick, and it happens so fast it take practice not too.
Back to the coffee. Gaggia Baby has always worked well for me. Main skill is getting the grind correct. Not because of the machine because of the bean. That is why I paid as much for the Rocky grinder as the Gaggia espresso machine. Fresh beans can be ground larger first few days than a week after you open the package. Freshness is lost to volatility........it evaporates. Too much work for me but that is why roasting your own is best flavor.
The Gaggia brews just fine but no better than the bean you use. Warm up is fast due to the heater inbedded in the walls of the aluminum tank. Yes aluminum. This is why the machine heats up so fast for brewing. Many machines tanks are stainless. Our local water is very high quality and easy on aluminum. Always rinse and back-flush after brewing. Only takes seconds. Use Cleancaf cleaner and descaler once or twice a month depending on how much you brew. Without this espresso will become more bitter. Guess how I know ;D ?
Last but far from least: About a year ago I tried coffee pods. This machine has a smaller insert for pods many do not. Cost a little more per cup but brewing is much easier including clean up. Flavor is outstanding due to freshness. Brewing times vary by brand. Many beans are not available in pods so I still make lots from scratch. For the money this is a good machine. Got an extra $150? Then get the Gaggia Classic but they are the same inside. At $150 steps I would choose the Gaggia Baby.........Gaggia Classic........Rancilio/Silvia ($650). They all make good espresso IMHO.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Great machineMay 07, 2010
By Chris
"Chris"
Truth be told I noticed most reviews about this machine are because they receive broken machines which are not fair at all. This machine is a very good starter machine and the guts of the machine are the exact same as the highly regarded Gaggia Classic. The only difference is the outer shell is a hard plastic where the Classic is all stainless steel. Not much difference in terms of shot quality between the two. if you want to save the money , I highly recommend this machine. It produces just as good of a shot if not better than my friends Breville machines that gets great reviews here on Amazon (not sure of the model number off the top of my head at the moment. I gave it 5 stars to give it a higher overall rating, but I'd truthfully give it 4 stars as I have tasted shots from machines that cost over 1k and produce amazing quality.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great entry level machineJan 17, 2011
By T. Gerber
I think for the money it is hard to beat this machine. I can't help but think that all of the people that are reporting spraying may not be giving this unit a chance. This unit WILL SPRAY if you do not have the right filter in the portafilter. The unit comes with a little plastic piece that fits into the portafilter. This a crema enhancer and if used MUST be used with the filters that have ONE HOLE on the bottom. If you are NOT USING THE PLASTIC PIECE then you need the double shot filter with MULTI holes in the bottom. Great little machine.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Don't believe the complaints, it's greatNov 03, 2010
By Leo Dioguardi
The Gaggia New Baby was my first espresso machine and some of the reviews had me a little nervous. It heats quickly (not six minutes as some said), has no issues, and makes great coffee. It arrived in very substantial packaging and was up and brewing in no time at all.
5 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Entry-Level Espresso MachineSep 08, 2009
By C. Kuriyama
==========
Pros
==========
- Excellent price for a entry-level espresso machine
- Quality internal components
==========
Cons
==========
- Plastic housing
- Very particular about grind and tamping pressure
- Light plastic tamper included
==========
Summary
==========
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 ~$50 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 ([...]).
See all 15 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
