Gaggia Accademia

The Gaggia Accademia is an ultra-luxurious super-automatic espresso machine designed with Italian elegance and made in Italy. Over the years, I have owned several Gaggia models, including the Classic, the older version of the Accademia, and the Anima Prestige. Recently, I bought the newer Accademia, and it truly elevates the coffee experience. The espresso machine features a sleek, modern design and an exceptional build quality with an Italian-made steel housing. This machine is incredibly user-friendly, thanks to its super-automatic, full-color glass touchscreen interface, which makes it effortless to prepare 19 customizable barista-quality beverages at home. I like the 4-level programmable milk foam texture, water capacity, and the bean hopper. If you are a coffee connoisseur, you will enjoy "Una buona Tazza di Caffè (a perfect cup of coffee)at the right temperature, every time, with the Accademia, which includes essential accessories to optimize performance and ensure your espresso always has a robust Italian flavor. Overall, the Gaggia offers excellent value for its features.

Pros: It's a joy to use. Friends are amazed at the drink options which are all customizable. I usually start the day with a "Morning Special", the name I gave to my modified flat white, strong aroma, a little extra milk, a level higher of foam. Those two separate shots of espresso get me insta-woke. Then two cafe-au-laits for a mellow follow through. Four total shots seem to be the limit for the interior drip tray. Takes less than a minute to remove and empty the drip/puck tray, empty front drip tray, add water. If you plan on using this under a cabinet, use felt pads on the feet. Makes it really easy to add water and beans. I spent more time cleaning my old Breville porta filler, drip tray and group head than I do this machine. I compared this one to the Jura 8 and chose the Gaggia because you do not have to do a deep clean the milk line every day like you do with the Jura. It does a steam clean every time you close the frother arm. The only con is it does not make the milk-based drinks hot enough for my taste, but I just pop my drink into the microwave for less time than it takes for the milk frother to be steam sanitized and the carafe returned to the refrigerator.

DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE. The device worked for three months and then stopped producing steam. That is when I discovered the SCAM warranty. Gaggia outsources the warrant to "whole lot of latte". I live in SF and the company has ZERO technicians to service machines here. So the warranty service company did the following - told to do deep cleaning cycles (which i did) then told me to PAY $250 to send it back to them, then pre-pay for the return. I sent it in then they had the nerve to say that the device was fine and just needed a cleaning. This is not true. They wanted to charge me hundreds of dollars more for replacing compnonents on a brand new machine. They wanted to charge me more than $500m for a brand new product that is under warranty! To boot, I still don't have the machine. I have been without it for 3 months. I bought it less than 6 months ago. The Warranty is a total joke. You spend $2000 on this product and do not realize that it will cost you so much to seek repairs and the warranty is useless. I want my money back. I will fight this one and report back.

This machine makes very good coffee for about 9 months. If your machine breaks down within the warranty period, Gaggia will charge you $57.00 to send you the shipping materials so that you can ship your machine to New York for repair. You also have to pay the shipping cost of this 40 lb beast both ways which is going to cost several hundred dollars for fees and insurance. NOTE: Breville covers all costs during the warranty period as it should be. If you are deciding between Breville and Gaggia, I’d go with Breville. Breville’s customer service and warranty are much better! UPDATE: Whole Latte Love sold this machine through Amazon and also reapairs them. The total cost to repair this machine under warranty was $250.00 for shipping, insurance and packing materials. The worst part is that I received it back after one month and they kept the power cord! Buyer Beware orders from Whole Latte Love and Gaggia.

I had a Breville double boiler for it was like, a few years before it broke where I bought a Moccamaster because I couldn't bring myself to spend more money on more espresso equipment. After a year or 2 of normal coffee I bought this machine on a whim since I know how lazy I am about making espresso now(despite making it a couple times everyday when the machine worked). And man, some things just make me feel old and grumpy now. It has taken me about a week to get over the fact that this stupid machine makes better espresso than I ever did with a couple button presses and easier cleanup. Hell, it makes better coffee than the 3 coffee places near me(mostly because the beans I use don't taste burnt I think[Peet's Major Dickason's]). Hell, I've only tried the stale beans my parents gave me so far in it too. This machine is seriously awesome so far and I'd highly recomend it if you can afford it. I don't really know how any of the other automatics stack up but I don't regret getting this one.

Works very well as an automatic Espresso Machine with a large variety of coffee's you can make. Easy to program, use and the favorite setting allows you to push one button and get the exact beverage you prefer. For such a beautiful machine at this price point the machine prompts you to add water and clean too often. At $2000 you only get about five large cups of Cappuccino before being prompted to add water and empty coffee grinds. I would have expected more for a $2000 unit. Overall I like the machine and would purchase again. Let's see how long it lasts before needing repair. My last machine lasted about a year. The unit is not exactly small and does take up a good amount of counter space. So cleaning takes some work to move the machine around to add water and clean. It's pretty heavy and my wife can't move it around. Coffee tastes great which makes it worth the purchase.

Fantastic machine and a "daily driver" for a family of four. After nearly a year of full-time use, this machine is worth the price. There is minor maintenance that is require every few months, depending on your usage, where you have to remove the PERCOLATOR DE=35,8 ELFO from the BLACK COUNTER PISTON BREW UNIT 8GR.P124 to washout any potential coffee grounds that have caused reduced flow. Took me maybe 10 minutes to figure out at first, but now I can have the brew group parts disassembled and back in the machine operating in a couple minutes and the machines flow as good as it came out the box.

Had a Haggis before and it was a workhorse . No longer in use because no one services this model. Bought this new one and while expensive, it is awesome. Doesn't take too much to learn, but depending on your beverage, it may take a shot while before you're dialed in. Some reviews have complained about the heat of their drinks. Keep in mind factory settings for the stored drinks menu are a bit conservative on the temp. Good news is you can modify it and save off the drive k as a favorite. Tip: keep a large glass of water nearby and refill the tank after each brew. The rinse cycle takes up some water and you may see a frequent need to top off. Great machine!

Es una super maquina! Muy bonita, funcional y vale su precio. Es robusta y compacta. No es tan silenciosa, pero no es un ruido de esos molestos, son ruidos todos de una maquina de cafe moliendo, colando, espumando. Satisfecho mas de lo esperado.