Customer Reviews

Gaggia 35004 Carezza Espresso Machine, White

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This machine is nothing short of a steal for someone on a budget interested in a true espresso machine. The innards of this Gaggia are identical to every one of their models from this one up until the Gaggia Baby/Classic (which adds a solenoid valve) which retails for around $450/$500. The brew group is the same commercial grade heavy hunk of brass with commercial 58mm portafilter, the aluminum boiler is the same as the Gaggia boiler found in the Classic. There is simply no comparison between this model and any non-Italian made competitor, such as Krups. A small drip tray (use an empty cup!) is a tiny price to pay for the awesome internals.

That said, one ought to realize that they cannot produce true crema-laden espresso without a grinder capable of producing an even, fine espresso grind, coupled with freshly roasted beans. This machine ought to be paired with the Gaggia MDF grinder, a Rancilio Rocky, or a Mazzer Mini. For those on a budget, you might be able to get away with a Capresso Infinity or Solis Maestro Plus --especially if you're content with milk drinks (since you'll have little leeway to tweak the espresso)-- but be very careful about other budget grinders. Gagggia's budget burr grinder (not the MDF), for example, is not up to the task. If you drink straight espresso, go with the Gaggia MDF for sure.

Be aware that the price seems to fluctuate on Amazon, but it can typically be bought for under $200 at the more famous espresso on-line places, and often here at Amazon.

Worth the $$$. I'd been served enough crappy "lattes" (scalded milk and watery espresso) at coffeehouses with cheap machines to know that I wasn't going to bother with a budget machine. I had also tried using one of those hand pump milk frothers with espresso from a cheap machine or a shot of coffee from one of those little Vietnamese drip devices. The results were a mediocre coffee beverage-not a real latte. (Though if it's a Vietnamese iced coffee you want, then that Vietnamese drip device is excellent.) When I decided to look for an espresso machine, I first tried the Cook's Illustrated review of good espresso machines under $200. I would've gone for one of those but the article was out of date and none of the models reviewed were available any longer. Then I found Nadav Caine's Amazon guide and got the Gaggia based on his recommendations. The price turned me off, but it's true that the machine will soon pay for itself given that I was spending $4.00 at Starbucks every day. It does take some time to learn to make a good shot of espresso and steam milk well, and I'm still learning, but even while improving my technique, I've been enjoying lattes every bit as good as Starbucks' ever since getting this machine.

I bought this machine three weeks ago, and I am absolutely delighted with it! I paid $179.00 plus shipping on www.smartbargains.com, after looking up prices on www.froogle.com. Prices do fluctuate, so make sure you visit froogle and compare prices.

I have only used LavAzza espresso coffee, which is wonderful, rich and can be found at your grocery store. I am yet to try Illy which I heard is very good also. I initially wanted to purchase a burr grinder, but will stick with ground coffee for now.

Buy it, it is worth every penny!

I've had the Carezza now for about three weeks and it is a great machine! I'm far from an expert at this point, but I did quite a bit of research and for the money I think this is a great pick. One thing to keep in mind though is that if you are going to get "serious" about espresso, you will need to purchase a burr grinder that will set you back a minimum of $150 - $300 (and higher!).
One or two minor complaints: Noisy on the initial pump each morning; drip tray is just way too small; steaming wand is OK if you leave the plastic "super frother" (or whatever it is called) but if you want to use the wand alone, you'll need a smaller pitcher.
But all in all a very good entry level "serious" machine.

Have had this machine about three months. Pleased with the espresso function, but frother leaks water constantly (has since the first use) and makes a big mess everytime it is used. Will be contacting supplier to return and hopefully replace with non-leaking machine.

I bought a Gaggia Carezza expresso machine and Gaggia MDF grinder one year ago now, & I've come to love my morning & lunchtime ritual of making latte's for me and my wife. I do it every day and have had no problems or issues - both machines are still working great.

The only maintenance we do is de-scaling with acid every 3 months and simple disassembling & cleaning the group head screen & diffuser every couple weeks. I've never done any maintenance on the MDF grinder except change the grind setting - it's still working great too.

My likes: really heavy & professional portafilter and group, fast heat up, simple cleaning.

My gripe: I wish I could get more steam - I have to re-prime and go through a second boiler-full to make all the foamed milk I neeed. But it does heat fast.

Where I live, I get direct access to some really good green ethiopian and yemen beans, so I've been roasting my own every week in a popcorn maker. Fresh roast + the Gaggia espresso machine & grinder = happiness!

This model has been well received by others but I can't recommend it to you. I had a Krups Novo Espresso for 15 years, which was a great machine, and made fantastic espresso quickly with no fuss. The Carezza 35004 is just a pain in the neck and does not make good espresso. It needs to be "primed," which takes heat-up time and a whole process, just to get the machine ready to make coffee. With my machine, not only did the pump not work predictably, but the espresso, when it did brew, was bitter and watery. I've been making espresso for 15 years and know what it takes -- this machine simply does not make good espresso. Perhaps the more expensive Carezza machines work properly, but this one is a dud. In addition to an annoying startup process and watery coffee, the machine is also hard to clean once a cup has been made; the coffee grounds are so wet, instead of coming out in the filter basked for disposal, they adhere to the "shower screen" and drip like tar onto everything when you try to manually clean it. All in all, a mess, and one additional annoyance you don't need in the morning. I read that the newer Krups' were not as good as the old ones, so I can't recommend those from personal experience. But maybe $199 is too little for a decent espresso machine; you might have to pay more for a reasonable experience.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas. It has probably been the best gift I ever thought of. Because the preparation of an espresso is something of a ritual, we do not use it on a daily basis. We save it for the weekends. It makes perfect coffee every time. As for the post-brewing drips, we place a coffee cup under the spout and mess avoided. We are very happy with this machine and would buy this brand again

I bought this machine July 2005, for six months it worked fine, then it started to take along time to heat up--then the cast housing that is also the heating element, cracked!!! I am having a very hard time finding who is supposed to replace this machine or even the part, because it should still be under warranty. They don't make it easy to find out any kind of tech,support or warranty aspects for this machine---beware----find out these things before you buy a product of this sort!!!

Excellent although it took a little practice.
Help/assistance phone call response was particularly understanding and helpful