Customer Reviews

Gaggia 12101 New Baby Manual Espresso Machine, Black

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Pros
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- Excellent price for a entry-level espresso machine
- Quality internal components

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Cons
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- Plastic housing
- Very particular about grind and tamping pressure
- Light plastic tamper included

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Summary
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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 ([...]).

I bought this espresso machine on the recommendation of WLL and did not want to spend a lot of money on a machine (over $500). This was a good machine for two years, but then little things began to go wrong. First it needed a new filter and WLL charged me 10$ just for shipping a screen on top of the screen price, then the on/off switch broke. At that point, as I have no electrical skills and after having the machine for only two years and already having these problems, I decided to junk it. WLL was no help at all. Save yourself some trouble and buy a better quality machine and not from WLL.

I researched this item carefully before purchasing. It seemed to be the right machine. The first one arrived broken. After returning it, the second arrived and worked well. However, I am only six months into using the machine daily and a gasket needs to be replaced. After contacting Gaggia three times, I was finally directed to Importika, who services the units in the United States. Was very disappointed to find out that the part I need is not covered under the warranty. Really? I'll buy the part, but I advise you to buy another machine. For the money you should be able to get a machine that will work without needing repair after only six months.

Having used another brand for ten+ years, when the third none finally gave out we decided to try another machine and had high hopes for the gaggia brand. The baby gaggia is flimsy with too much plastic. It feels like it will fall over when full of water. It has a few nice design features, but otherwise the quality is very poor.

It is difficult to get a good espresso or latte out of the baby gaggia. We've been making latte's at home for ten years - four a day - so pretty da oar with good and bad. The baby gaggia is bad. Very temperamental with the grind, and the steaming. Having purchased ours at a local coffee chain location, we took the first one in to "get trained" because after two weeks of use we just couldn't pull a good shot, let alone a good latte. No lie, we were in the store with the manager, who is responsible for training the barristas in the area - for two hours and he finally gave up. He couldn't get a good shot with crema, nor could he get a good frothy steamed milk.

Satisfied it wasn't user error, we tried a second machine, brand new as was the first one, with similar results. 30 days later, with the ready light not lighting any longer and a saeco via Venezia arriving mail order we returned the baby gaggia. Don't waste your time or money on this cheap and poorly made product. Life is too short to drink poor coffee!

I am sad to report that my Gaggia Baby was dead on arrival. New, out of the box, leaked from all corners and pumped the water through the housing of the unit instead of the coffee. I read several leak problems about the Gaggia. The importer (Importica) offered a free return shipment and replacement. But I do not want to take chances with it, even though I believe that the Gaggia is one of the better espresso makers....unfortunately it is not made in China.

The Gaggia makes good froth and with the right grinder, will make good coffee but its made of light, flimsy plastic that doesn't last. It weighs much less than my more costly Rancilio, which has a copper boiler and steel parts built to withstand the high temperature needed for steaming milk. Plus who wants all those plastic Gaggia parts overheating in your latte till it prematurely dies. Fortunately, I bought the Gaggia with my amex and when it died after 7 short but busy months, they fully refunded my purchase and I upgraded to the substantially more solid Rancilio from plastic Gaggia and never regreted it.