Many STW’ers recommend the Gaggia Classic, so we bought one.

It didn’t work (no pressure), so sent it back and got a replacement, which also doesn’t work (spits/spurts coffee sideways out of the head – all over the kitchen!)

So… what’s a great alternative coffee machine?

We don’t like the ‘pod’ style machines, so recommendations solely for ground coffee espresso machines pls.

sure it’s not user error?
if i grind to fine and over-dose the portafilter, overtamp and don’t put enough pressure when pushing the PF to the right water is going to escape.
it could be your group head gasket that’s gone but that shouldn’t happen on a new machine. (gaskets are cheap and easy to replace)

That shouldn’t be happening with the classic. But my sister in law got one recently and the filter is a really wierd thing – quite unlike my old one. It’s just got 1 tiny pinprick of a hole at the bottom which all the coffee has to exit through. I’ve been racking my brains to think why, and the only idea I can come up with is that maybe it’s for the coffee bags that are full of loose grounds and it’s up to the filter to apply the pressure.

Try the following:

1 – run water through with the filter removed. there should be a stream which fills a cup in 10 seconds or so.

2 – do the same with the filter attached, but don’t put coffee in it. You should get a reasonable stream still.

3 – put some coffee (not too finely ground – just like that from a packet of ground Lavazza) in the filter and DO NOT tamp it down. You should get a reasonable, weak cup.

If nothing’s coming through at 2, you might have a blank filter – one with no holes which is just used to backflush the machine.
To get a decent filter, go to Happydonkey.co.uk who will sort you out.

I just ordered an Iberital grinder from them. Seems to be the only grinder that is less faff than a tin of ground coffee because it dispenses a measured dose straight into your portafilter.

If you’re really struggling, post again and I’ll try to help, or speak to gaggia-service.co.uk which is an independent repairer.

that thing with the single hole is the ‘gaggia perfect crema device’
throw it away and use the normal double basket.

I bought a Rancilio Silvia & Rocky grinder about four years ago. Still working & in use most days. Built like a tank from stainless steel with a brass boiler. Worth every penny IMO & I can say without fear of contradiction you won’t get a better machine for the same dosh.

D.

Had a Gaggia Classic for a few years without any problem and now got a Gaggia Baby Class and not had a problem. The reason Gaggias are popular is because they work well.

Sounds like you are doing one or more of the following:
Too much coffee
Coffee ground too fine
Coffee tamped to hard or basket forced on too hard.

Any of these will stop the coffee coming through properly and could therefore spurt out of the side. As a rough guide the basket handle should point out at 90 deg to the machine when lightly finger tight

And if you’ve got the wierd little filter basket, you may also have that wierd little bit of plastic in the portafilter. Both are superfluous.

Having just googled, I can see what I described is the “perfect crema device”. Designed, as the man says, for getting a crema on stale, loose, coarsely ground coffee. Gordon Bennett. Attack it with a black & decker or throw it away.

I have too classics, both work perfectly, I think I’m gonna upgrade the steam wand today!

Jura ena5

I had exactly the same issue as the OP with my Gaggia classic. I was gutted.

In the end, I narrowed it down to the over-fine grind of the coffee I was using – I was trying different types of supermarket available pre-ground coffee and the offending one was Illy. I have since tried Illy again without any problems though, so maybe it was a dodgy batch??

I’ve got a Delonghi Iconica and its been great, I got it half price for 80 quid, I can’t comment on reliability yet, had it two months but it constantly provides really good espresso weather its prepacked or fresh ground (when I can be aresed)

– MrSmith, how’s it going you ever get out on an MTB these days?

dan. you disappeared are you back on FB? i’m back on the mtb tomorrow, not been in ages.

No, I’ve not ridden for ages either, I am on FB now, Ant is my Only FB friend as he said he’d moved his forum there!

see you in a bit.
thread hijack over. as you were.

If you are getting coffee squirting out of the join between the portafilter and the head, 3 things might cause that:

– Too much coffee, meaning you can’t get a seal

– Not turning the portafilter handle far enough to the right to get it to seal

– Not cleaning the edge of the portafilter / rubber seal and you have coffee stopping a proper seal.

There isn’t any reason why a metal to rubber seal won’t work if it is clean and locked on far enough.

slight hijack/

I’ve just been looking on the happy donkey website, as I also have the filter with the single hole, I’ve spotted the bottomless filters; are they worth getting?

/slight hijack

freddy – I’m going to get one of those – they are verily raved about all over the coffee g33k internet!

ooooooooooooh! And they look all shiny too…

Must…. resist…. credit card…. getting…. hot…. 😆

To OP,

For Gaggia Classic you might want to tighten some of the screws as they can be a bit loose, especially the screws near or at brew head screen and even the steam wand (mind is modified using Rancilio Silvia steam wand).

I use my Gaggia Classic everyday and hardly clean it since I bought it more than two years ago. Still going strong but need a bit of descaling soon but apart from that is is pretty much solid really.

I haven’t seen Classic being sold at my local dept store anymore but they have plenty of “baby” Gaggia which look a bit plastic.

Or the problem could be:

1) your tamping technique – never use the plastic tamper.
2) Grinder – make sure you get a proper grinder (£60 – £150 or more)
3) Portafilter – I use bottomless so might not suit you but you can try.

🙂

p/s: bottomless portafilter train you to tamp properly …

I’ve just made a lovely cup using an old tea strainer borrowed from a soil science lab.

(but I do have a Gaggia at home)

Thanks for the suggestions chaps… to answer some of those though:

– The machine is brand new, so no dirt or poor seals

– Checked all screws – tight

– To tamp or not to tamp… seems to make no difference

– Different grinds of coffees? Have tried 3-4 different types

– Group head is all the way to the right.. any further and I’d break it

– Crema device (little back thingy) – is an optional extra and shouldn’t affect the fact that the machine is pi$$ing coffee all over the place

Machine now packed ready for return.

Will check out some of the others mentioned on this post but pls keep suggestions for alternative brands/models coming, ta.

Get a proper coffee maker and stop messing around with those poncey machines.

Perfect coffee every time. 😉

I’ve just been looking on the happy donkey website, as I also have the filter with the single hole, I’ve spotted the bottomless filters; are they worth getting?

I got one of these a few years ago. Entertaining for a while and great to watch, but tends to spit and make a mess. IMO, not really worth it in unless you want it as a gadget.

To the OP, I had a similar problem with spitting and leaking around the edge of the porta filter. As others have said, the reason was the grind was too fine. Backing off a couple of notches on the burr grinder sorted it out. Tamping pressure makes a big difference too.

I had similar issues recently.

As others have pointed out, it’s probably because of the pressurised filter basket that seems to now come as standard. These filter baskets have lots of holes on the top but only one small hole on the underside.

A new filter basket should sort the problem (e.g. http://www.xpresscoffeeuk.co.uk/product.php/582/gaggia-filter-basket—double)

Check out this thread on the coffeeforumsuk site:

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?2362-Messy-Spitting-gaggia-classic

Crema device (little back thingy) – is an optional extra and shouldn’t affect the fact that the machine is pi$$ing coffee all over the place

The perfect crema disk is essential a rubber disk to turn the gaggia portafilter into a pressurized portafilter. Most gaggia users just throw them away. The only time I would even think about using one of these is if you were going to use pods (eww). With fresh beans and a good grinder, the disk is a waste of time.

One big mistake in the manual is talk about the “perfect crema” disk that Gaggia makes and puts in the box with most of their machines. The problem is, it’s not included with Carezzas. But it’s not a problem after all – the disk is useless, and should be discarded anyway. So while the manual talks about it, don’t go looking for it in the box. If you do find one in a later model Carezza, toss it out.

Instructions for Perfect crema filter cup: Use coarser grind like the size of table salt grain. Level coffee grounds in the filter cup & lock the Portafilter into the group ring. It will compact itself about 1/4″ as the filter holder lifts up to seal. Turn hot water switch on. Crema disc builds extraction pressure to 9 Bars before allowing water to pass through the grounds & fill the cup. Always pull shots of 2-Oz. or less. Use a shot glass to check color of espresso and thickness of Crema. For larger quantity of espresso, add hot water from the same machine.

so if you are using fine ground espresso coffee it’s no wonder it’s pissing out the sides when using the perfect crema device

If the water is running through without the portafilter in, and the seal is in place correctly, then the grind must be too fine.
I bought a second hand Classic a couple of years ago and it’s not missed a beat.
Used Hasbean espresso grind for long enough, which still gave better results than most coffee shops, but finally got my hands on a Rocky grinder at Christmas, which has made a massive difference.

It’s possible that it’s one of the following:

1. Lack of over-inflated sense of social standing

2. Under tamped poncing

3. Loose band wagon jumping

Have you tried either of these methods?

1. Kettle and Nescafe?

2. Bashing it really hard?

P.S This is a wind up.

P.S This is a wind up.

Tut tut, apparently this is a very serious business and frivolity and fun is frowned upon. 8)

Sorry.

Nescafe = BSO in the coffee world.

I would echo what’s been said about the grind (We’ve got a Rancillio Silvia though).

As a really long shot / daft question: does a Classic come with a single and a double portafilter insert? If so- which one did you use?

Lesson learned. 😆

I bought an Aeropress for £17 for Christmas…its fantastic.

I added a £7 milk frother and £30 burr hand grinder and it makes brilliant Lattes 🙂

Only downside is I don’t have a microwave, so have to wash the milk pan up each time.

The Aeropress just spits out a hockey puck of grinds, then you rinse the end of the plunger under the tap and put it away.

http://www.creamsupplies.co.uk/gifts/aeropress-coffee-maker/prod_1476.html?category=139&gclid=CNXdlZLO3aYCFQ4f4Qod2E9l0Q

I bought an Aeropress for £17 for Christmas…its fantastic.

Do you really think that people who are going to spend in excess of 200 quid on a coffee maker are going to take your Aeropress seriously?

why not? it’s another way of brewing coffee, it’s not the same as coffee from a decent machine just different.

might try one of these;

Another thread hijack I have a Gaggia Classic and it WAS ok but I found this

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1143118905/0

it is a mod to a pressure valve and it WORKS and it is free

My coffee is now smoother and basicallly nice now

Please do not say I have issues with my grinding because I do not I am using a Rancillo Rocky grinder and I have tried all sorts of grinds and tamping pressures

I have a Dualit Espressivo and it is marvellous. You can pick them up at a decent price and it works very well.

Dogsby

a couple of my mates have got Nespressos, a couple have got ‘proper’ home espresso machines.

I’m buying a nespresso…

Are you priming before use ( ie, taking the handle off and running water through?)

saladdodger – Member

Another thread hijack I have a Gaggia Classic and it WAS ok but I found this

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1143118905/0

it is a mod to a pressure valve and it WORKS and it is free

My coffee is now smoother and basicallly nice now

Please do not say I have issues with my grinding because I do not I am using a Rancillo Rocky grinder and I have tried all sorts of grinds and tamping pressures

I’ve read through the entire threads but what does it do exactly?

Summarise please.

Why not simply adjust the grind instead?

❓

How would sir like to be burned at the stake? Rare/medium/well done. 🙂