Solenoid Valve or Mechanical Valve : On Classic and Baby models there is an extra feature - Solenoid Valves as opposed to mechanical valves. This gives a better pressure at the point of delivery of coffee.

Mechanical valves use spring and ball to control the water flow under pressure. It is not as effective as a solenoid valve, which operates electrically and allows a more precise way of controlling the pressure at the point of delivery.

Boilers : More powerful boilers (higher wattage) heat up quickly and recover quickly and are useful when you are making coffee after coffee or using steam to froth milk.

Body Type : Metal or Plastic, make machines aesthetically different but also determines the weight of the machine. Heavier robust machines give you better control when using heavy filter holders.

Milk Frothing :All models have hot water/frothing arms. The steam is generated either by the same boiler that produces hot water for the coffee or a separate boiler for steam (on Baby Twin). You can either use the wand which usually comes fitted with a plastic 'pannerello' frother (metal pannerello frothers are also available on our accessory page) to froth milk in a jug or fit a 'cappuccinotore' which gives the ability to draw milk from a container and froth straight into a cup.

Pump : The pump pulls the water from the tank and pushes through the system. The pump is normally rated at 15 bar. This is the nominal rating of the pump. 15 bar is more than sufficient on espresso machines.

ESE Pods: All Gaggia tradional machines can take ESE pods. We sell the GAGGIA 7g and 13.5 g pods. You can use the 7g ESE pods in the single baskets. For the 13.5g (Double) pods, you have to have a special 14g basket, available on our accessory page.

Bean to Cup Machines More useful tips
Internal mechanism : Since the coffee brewing and dispensing takes place inside the machine, it is good to have a system that can be easily removed and cleaned. All Gaggia models of bean to cup machines come with a removable brewing group that can be taken out easily and washed/rinsed under a tap of water. Most new models have an automatic rinsing cycle which will rinse every time you start the machine. Some new models also have an auto rinse when it goes on to standby mode.

Grinder : A good selection of grind settings are useful to make different strengths of coffee. The finer the grind the more restricted and stronger the coffee. Some new models have strength selector as a feature.

Conrol and Menu : There are varying levels of sophistication - from simple dial to control only the size of coffee, to digital displays and touch screen which have menu selections for various functions. language, rinsing, counters, setting hardness levels, temperature adjustments, strength selection etc.,

Milk Frothing : Some models have frothing arms and some have the ability to draw milk from a container and froth straight into a cup (Gaggia Accadamia).

Capsule Machines

System Capsule machines can be broadly devided in to two categories - Closed System or Open System

The machines we generally support are the open system developed by CAFFITALY. This allows a number of independent roasters to put coffee into the Caffitaly system capsule. There are over 30 roaster who now put coffee into the Caffitaly system worldwide. Ecaffe capsules are based on the Caffitaly system and are available in several coffee blends, chocolate, milk, tea and other beverages.

Brewing The capsule contains 8g of finely ground coffee (in most blends) and infuses inside the capsule using a patented system with two filter discs. This allows a controlled infusion that helps to produce a perfect coffee of your choice everytime.

Conversion to Caffitaly :You can even convert some of the Gaggia models (Gaggia Classic, Baby, Carezza, Evolution, Coffee) to work with Caffitaly capsules. Conversion kits are available on our accessory page.

Milk Frothing :Some models have hot water/frothing arms. You can either use the wand which usually comes fitted with a plastic 'pannerello' frother to froth milk in a jug or fit a 'cappuccinotore' which gives the ability to draw milk from a container and froth straight into a cup.