Gaggia 16001 Espresso Cappuccino Machine, White

by Gaggia

Product Features

• 1425-watt espresso machine with 17-1/2-bar pump and 64-ounce reservoir capacity
• Commercial-style chrome-plated brass grouphead and portafilter; self-priming pump
• Turbo Frother steam wand for frothed milk; simple fingertip controls; built-in cup warmer
• 2 stainless-steel filter baskets, coffee tamper, and 7-gram measuring scoop included
• Measures 25 by 13 by 12 inches; 1-year warranty

Product Details

Product Manual [197kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 25 x 13 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000CFET6
• Item model number: 16001
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,756 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

The Gaggia Espresso is a great choice for an espresso machine in the low $200 price range. No other espresso maker will bring you the pump power, heating capacity, brass components and pure results at this price. Hi-tech performance combined with simplified fingertip control takes the guesswork out of making delicious espresso and cappuccino at home or in the office. Each cup will be creamy, tasty, robust and rich with flavor. Gaggia is in the process of rolling out a new Turbo-Frother wand replacing the metal frothing wand and sleeve. Your Gaggia may have shipped with the Turbo-Frother wand or the frothing wand. Both are designed to help you get great froth with minimum fuss. Includes two stainless steel filter baskets (one and two shot), coffee tamper and 7g measuring scoop.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes great espresso, steam wand not so good, December 2, 2006

By 

Dominique Brezinski "Dom" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gaggia 16001 Espresso Cappuccino Machine, White (Kitchen)

With a correctly ground bean and proper tamping in the portafilter, this machine can produce very smooth espresso. Depending on the bean, the carmel or smokey spice will come right through. It is like drinking fine chocolate rather than bitter swill.

The Good:
- it is possible to pull great shots of espresso from this machine.
- operation of the machine is easy (caveat below) once you get the simple procedure down to prime the pump before use and bleed off the steam pressure before removing the portafilter to empty the used grinds (both common issues on mid-range, quality machines).
- the portafilter assembly is sturdy and of a professional design, so learning to tamp and pull shots on this machine means you are set to use even the highest-end espresso machines
- holds enough water to make three or four lattes in a row, and it is easy to re-fill

The Bad:
- the steaming wand (for frothing milk) does not have enough vertical clearance, so removing a pitcher of steamed milk is tricky and messy unless the machine can be placed at the edge of a counter (right side). The wand really needs to be more articulated and repositioned higher on the machine.
- the "turbo frother" attachment is terrible, but the steam wand is too short to use without it. I learned to steam milk on a commercial-style machine, and the turbo frother attachment tries to simplify the frothing process, but the result is that you lose most of your control. It will make fluffy cappuccino foam, but latte foam should be thick and creamy and is very difficult to coax out of this machine.
- the plastic body is not nearly as durable as the actual internals, but that is probably a better trade-off to meet the price point.

If this machine cost more than $200, I would give it 3 stars due to the steam wand problems. Given the price and quality of espresso it is capable of making, I think 4 stars is fair. For $200 I don't expect it to be a Pasquinni.

BTW, I lived in Seattle for a very long time. When I complain about the quality of foam for a latte, it is partially because foam of that quality is necessary to make coffee art. If you have no such expectations, the turbo frother will probably not bother you at all. The position of the steam wand is a general problem that will affect all who use the machine.

I also use the Gaggia MDF grinder, which I am happy with and grinds a fine bean.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gaggia Espresso Machine, March 11, 2005

By 

Oily (Denver,CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gaggia 16001 Espresso Cappuccino Machine, White (Kitchen)

Just received the machine. I haven't had any prior experience
with espresso makers. Made a good shot on the second try!, thanks to the enclosed CD of instructions. Appliance is of good quality and the boiler for additional shots reheats quickly. I like the "ready light" function on the brew switch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent espresso -not so great foam, August 18, 2007

By 

E. Duttle "lizard mom" (Portland or) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gaggia 16001 Espresso Cappuccino Machine, White (Kitchen)

I was very anxious about choosing the wrong espresso machine, as this was a large luxury purchace for me. Last year (after reading dozens or reviews) I choose this Gaggia and have been extremly pleased with it. I can't stress how important it truly is to get a good burr grinder to go along with it, the quality of my shots went up enormously. I started out getting the coffe bar down the street grind my Stumptown beans, but it was tricky working with the barista to get the grind just right. Once that was down I noticed my espresso tasted much better the day the beans were ground, so I was constantly running back and forth chasing the perfect shot. After a few weeks I brooke down and bought an economy grinder (Leilo). To my dismay, you apparently can't skimp on a grinder and expect a good espresso grind. I exchanged it for the more expensive Capresso and my shots are now always great. The complaint the other reviewers had about the frothing wand is 100% accurate, it is way to short and awkward. My husband bought me one of those hand-held frothing wands to make lattes, and suprisingly it actually works pretty darn well. I too agree that the quality of espresso more than makes up for this machines steaming drawback.