Gaggia Classic Pro Tips & Tricks!
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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The Gaggia Classic Pro is a great espresso machine for the money. So today, I'll be giving you 4 tips and tricks to get the absolute best espresso and steaming performance possible out of it, including how to do a poor man's pre-infusion using the steam valve
#espresso #coffee #gaggia
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Another tip I saw on Lance Hedrick's channel was how to temperature surf to get an ideal brew temp for coffee extraction. After heating up the machine:
1. Hit the brew button to purge water until the brew light goes off.
2. When the brew light comes back on, count to 10secs. At this point brew temp will be about ~90C/195F at the group (ready to brew for dark coffee).
3. For lighter coffee roasts after step 2, press the steam button and count to 5secs. This will elevate the temp to ~93C/201F at the group
4. Turn off steam button and hit the brew button to extract your coffee at that temp.
Also, regarding the tip on steaming power: the key here is to start and finish steaming without the steam light coming on during steaming. If the light comes on during, the heating element turns off and you run out of steam. I personally find 25secs ideal for my machine.
thanks for your tips. regarding steaming: you mean 25 seconds after clicking the steam button you start to steam?
@@lennarto5716 that's correct, but it has to be before the red light on the steam button comes on. You'll find the red light will come on faster after you have steamed milk once already. So just get used to your machine and you'll get a feel for when enough steam has built up for you to start before the red light comes on roughly 20-25secs for me
@@sAmiZZle82 thanks!! another question: how many grams of coffee do you use for the biggest basket ?
@@lennarto5716 I don't use the basket that came with the machine, but try a standard 18gm dose and aim for about 36gm yield in 25-30secs
@@sAmiZZle82 so you're using a bottomless one? how has that been working for you? I bought one from china for 20 bucks but it sucks haha.
And thanks again for your recommendation ! Ive seen people use 17 grams but that doesn't seem to work for me.
Great tips, and thanks for the shout-out! We'll have to give that pre-infusion trick a try!
AJ
Don’t forget the boiler is very small, if you open the steam valve you are going to make the brew water very cold.
I had a low profile drip tray 3D printed which is a great solution, a naked portafilter also helps :)
What is "very cold"? If I do a 10sec pre-infusion, will I get 85 degree shots?
Thanks for this, just got a new Gaggia Classic Pro. The more we can learn the better. I spent a couple of years researching entry level espresso machines and decided this has the most bang for the buck. I bought most of my accessories before I got my Classic Pro so I hit the ground running. First mod was a tune up kit with a brass shower plate, a precision shower screen and a silicone group gasket. Had a bit of trouble dialing in shots until I did the OPV spring mod. Cut three turns off to bring preasure down to around 9 or 10 bars. That got my timing down to a science. Still the shots weren't great. Experimenting with temperature surfing but that's kind of hit or miss. Saw a great video about how you can control temperature via the steam button. The guy had two temperature probes, one attached to the boiler and the other to the group head. I ordered a Smartpro dual probe temperature gage with a timer from Amazon for $25. It's a bit of work but for a small amount of money you can get the Classic Pro to perform like machines twice its price.
Tomorrow I'll try your pre-infusion and let you know how it goes. Thanks again.
Hi Dan. How do you use the temperature probe? Could you please share a link. Thanks
Hi D, I haven't gotten my probe yet but here's the link where Shades explains how it works. ruclips.net/video/K6sa6BFCFmM/видео.html
Good luck!
I don’t own an espresso machine... just enjoy learning from you 😊
(Just bought my first grinder)
Good first thing to purchase!
That's where I started, bought a grinder first then I couldn't stop lol
Which one did you buy? I went for the Sage dose control 😊
@@dawnmarie240 I got Krups first but had to return it as it was awful and then bought the awesome sage dose control
Great video! I would recommend shades of coffee’s OPV modification. Game changer. Changes the pressure from 14 bar to 9 bar.
The smart outlet is definitely a good touch!! Thanks for the ideas!!
Won’t work on European machines unfortunately
haha your shirt matched the color of the espresso machine once again :)
😏
Can you test these tricks and tips on the Profitec Go?!
Thank you for this great piece of information. Straight to the point without any distraction by mustache, thick-framed glasses, checkered trousers and different color socks. This is about the coffee machine at the end! :)
Was a pleasure to watch and learn. Big thumb up and thank you again!
This comment gave me a good chuckle. Thanks for watching!
I wonder who are you referring to. I never seen a RUclipsr who matches your description.
Short, sweet, to the point, as always superbly done,
Nice tip and congrats on the mention on Whole Latte Love...
Kudos!!! As well, I love you info toward videos , before and will just as much after the nod
Your super informative
The pre-infusion tip should work with other single boiler machines too, right? Like my ECM Casa V?
I'd rather find a way to disable the three-way valve, I'm used to releasing pressure in the group through a steamer, using this trick for many years on cheap machines
I have an old Bunn Espress machine and its identical to this one so thanks for posting since it didn't come with an instruction manual.
I was wondering if you tried or maybe think its a good idea to let the water flow from the nob the whole time, maybe less than the pre-infusion, so we can fix a little bit the high pressur thing and have a 9 bar pressure instead of changing the opv. Do you think its a good idea?
If you don't turn off the steamer, will steam keep coming out until water runs out or is there a limited amount of steam per cycle?
Another great video! And I got another recommendation lol would you consider reviewing the Bezzera BZ10, I'm thinking about buying one and I feel like it's on par with the appartamento as the best non-pid HX machine, just feel like it doesn't get as much love considering it's quality and price. Cheers
Definitely looking to get some Bezzera in the studio at some point
Your videos are really really good. Keep it up. I watch all of them!
Perhaps I should actually say something about this video. My current satiation is that I'm using a Moka pot (which I love). I'm kind of dialing it in right now to reduce some bitterness. But I think the Gaggia Classic Pro will be my first true espresso machine in a few months. I want a legit espresso "machine" I can tinker with and mod later on with PID, adjusting pressure, better portafilter/baskets, etc. Maybe a few years down the road I'll upgrade to something more sophisticated.
Thanks Dean!
Great tips. Thanks also for showing where the straight pipe goes.
If you use the steam knob to pre infuse how long should it take to fully close it ?
There's no "right" answer, so play around and see what you like!
Pre-infusions generally can run anywhere from 5 seconds up to over 20!
Love the smart outlet idea. Need to try it!
Got some new tricks to try later today. Thanks !
Does turning the steam wand on while brewing, make the machine run at less then 11 bars of pressure?
no, pressure in the portafilter matters, once pressure is build in the portafilter it requires less flow rate to keep at that pressure. let me give you my tip, open steam wand so slightly only the excessive pressure will be released that way you can almost know how is current pressure build in the portafilter and it will give you better flow profile since it will not make over pressure.
What about temperature? Does this thing tend to brew at a proper temperature out of the box, or do I need to surf?
It isn’t equipped with a PID, so a surfing / purging routine will be needed if you want degree perfect temperature
Just purchased a Gaggia Classic Pro. 9 bar spring on order as well. Does anyone use the pre-infusion tip in conjunction with temperature surfing? If so, do you follow the steps as described by Lance Hendrick? Thanks.
Great ideas! Really appreciate your ingenuity!
Just got my gaggia and a PID from auberins. Totally a worth upgrade and even has an automatic preinfusion. You should get one and do a video on it. Love the vids. Keep them coming
Was the Auberins PID difficult for a non tech guy. I was assuming that the Mr Shades PID was the only one available for GCP.
I see the smart outlet is rated for 120V AC,10 amps. The Gaggia Classic says in the specifications that it is 110V AC, 11.88 amps. Will the linked smart outlet have an issue with the Gaggia? Thanks and fantastic video!
Still the power is ~120W (W=VA)
This good for any single boiler machine. Great!
ST
Tip #4 makes me think my machine is defective or at least different from most. The power switch on my GCP doesn't click into the On position. The machine does turn on and off when you press it, but the switch then goes back up.
I believe that is a European safety requirement so that it can turn off automatically
Thank you for the steaming trick!
I was wondering if you have a PO Box so I can send you some coffee that is roasted locally in Racine.
That's sweet ☕
At my Gaggia Classic 2018/19 when I turn the steam wand all the way there is no water coming out of the shower screen. 😢
Of course, because all the water is being redirected out the steam arm! :)
You need to turning it partially as shown in this video to modulate the flow
These tips were great. Thank you!
what size cup is he using here?
Genius idea for the pre-infusion! Will definitely try it! For how many seconds should we pre-infuse before going back to full pressure? Also, any tips for not running out of hot water quickly? My Gaggia is never able to pull a shot of espresso with the heating light on for the full 25-30 seconds. Is that normal?
yea sadly. watch some vids pulling shots on it and you'll see it happening too. solution is aftermarket PID
i saw a tip on another video: when the shot light comes on, turn on the steam switch for about 20 seconds then turn it back off. bleed the steam briefly, then pull your shot. this raises the temperature above the normal temp for a shot, but it quickly drops back down and then decreases from there. otherwise, you experience what you mention - the temperature drops quickly and sharply as soon as you start to pull your shot. by goosing the temp with the steam switch, you get the boiler hotter and it is able to maintain the heat during your shot extraction. if my machine is fully warmed up, i don't need to leave the steam switch on very long. so you will have to experiment and be aware of how warm your machine is...HTH
I have a request, can you please tell if I can use this machine for my small coffe shop?? And can you please make video in which you make 2 cups of latte simultaneously along with the measurements.
No, this machine is not suitable for a small coffee shop. Both from a speed and durability perspective
In your opinion, pull shot or steam first? This question comes up often in forums on single boiler machines.
I generally pull the shot first and then steam. Steaming first does allow your shot to sit for less time, but it also takes much more water being dumped to quickly cool the boiler back down to brew temp... both have their advantages and disadvantages, so pick what works best for your workflow!
Any tip on the portafilter having problems securing to the machine?
Can you provide some more details?
Group heads are normally quite stiff straight out of the box. It will loosen over time
The smart outlet is so smart I didn’t even think about this
Super convenient!! Nobody likes waiting for a portafilter to heat up
Thanks for great video. I’m confused in the pre-infusion suggestion. Is that done with the Porto filter locked into the group head filled with espresso or is done prior to brewing without the Porto filter locked into the brew head.
clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/what-is-pre-infusion#:~:text=Pre%2Dinfusion%20refers%20to%20the,through%20it%20once%20extraction%20begins.
It's with coffee in the portafilter. By diverting the water you are able to lower the water flow to gently soak the coffee and get it to expand which will reduce channelling and improve your extraction when you close the steam knob and let the full flow rate perform the extraction
Great video once again and thank you for the tips. One question regarding the last tip regarding a smart switch. Do you think there is a problem in the long run (meaning the power button is always switched on even though i understand it’s off) ruining the machine? Thank you
No, this should not damage the machine in any way :)
I read somewhere that keeping the portafilter locked in all the time could wear out the head group gasket faster
For the pre-infusion, do you have the steam wand opened up before or after you turn the brew pump on?
Before, so that the first drops the puck sees are at the lower flow rate
Great tips. Thank you 👏 👏👏
This video was helpful. Thanks
Excellent, thank you.
I have been following you for a while and really appreciate your reviews. Can the hack to reduce water flow be done on any espresso machines with a boiler? Can it be done on one with a thermocoil like the Breville Infuser or Barista Express?
It will really depend on the water routing of each specific machine, but I'm sure it will also work on certain other single boilers.
It won't work in this way on any of the Breville machines, but Lance Hedrick did a video on a "dimmer switch mod" that can accomplish the same thing!
@@LifestyleLab_ thank you so much for your prompt response. Yes, I have seen Hedrick's stuff on dimmers and flow control., but your hack is simpler to experiment with changing the flow, so I was wondering if it was possible in a Breville. Thanks again.
There is no way to measure the pressure within it right?
Hi! you made an excellent video! awesome! excuse me, i have a GCP 2019 (actually blue like yours LOL) and i found very interesting the pre-infusion process but do you recommend use pre-infusion for every single kind of coffee roasts or how can i distinguish how much time i have to do the pre-infusion? thanks a lot!!!
Play around with it!
There aren't really any set rules (as with most of espresso) but you'll likely find that using a pre-wet will allow you to grind slightly finer without choking the machine. This can be beneficial for lighter roasts that are hard to extract, but also give benefits to the flavour and body of some darker roasts
@@LifestyleLab_ great! Thanks for answering
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
Any advice on what's my mistake and how to correct them? I recently got the gaggia classic pro, using a bottomless portafilter, using 16g of coffee (18g is spilling over and i don't get a proper lock) grinded through niche zero with settings around 6. The espresso still comes splashing.. like in 16 seconds its around 40g already. :(
WDT, tamp very hard, and if still running fast, plenty of room to grind finer still!
I guess it depends on your portafilter basket volume. Mine is so small I have to put 14g if I go to 16 the water cannot come out.
I find myself in the need of replacing my delonghi dedica 680 due to lack of pressure...would you reccomend this gaggia or a breville bambino plus? They seem to be around the same price and provide similar features...but i‘m still unsure
I would definitely recommend the Gaggia between those two choices. You won't have some of the "features" that the Bambino Plus has, but you will get a much higher quality machine, and the potential to make much higher quality espresso. Steaming is about equal between both machines.
@@LifestyleLab_ good call!! 👍 Had mine 3 months and love it. Also its 58mm porta filter so easy to change handles later.
Does the smart outlet work on breville machines?
Unfortunately no, because the power button is not a physical switch
I spent 3 months with technicians troubleshooting my low steam problems, turns out it was the smart plug I was using the entire time, tried another - same issue
May have to try some of those. I got mine recently and love it. I've heard several suggestions about replacing the rubber gasket with a silicone one. I've got one coming, along with a barista pro nanotech basket tomorrow. I also plan to upgrade the shower head at some point, but they were out of stock. I think you can also buy a lower profile drip tray.
Its a great machine, because of the standard 58mm you're opened up to a world of aftermarket possibilities (as you're seeing!)
@@LifestyleLab_ For sure, that was a big reason I got it. I had used a De'Longhi Stilosa for a bit before I got this one, but when it came to wanting to upgrade it, I figured it was better to get something with more standard sizes so if I do ever upgrade machines I can use at least some of what I've bought elsewhere. The De'Longhi was a decent beginner machine for the price, though. Their pressurized system lets you use a much coarser grind and still get something decent out of it.
i think the Gaggia classic pro has thsoe already- (Not the basket- but the gasket and upgraded shower head)?
@@Nazareth434 Yeah, it has a better group head, I meant the shower screen. The gasket is still a rubber one but I replaced it with silicone.
@@MetalPirate ah yep- that's right- it was the upgrade grouphead- I couldn't remember what WLL said about the upgraded parts on the new pro- -
Would you prefer this unit or Rancilio Silvia for home use or small cafe?
Neither will be appropriate for a small cafe from a duty cycle standpoint.
I prefer the Silvia, but there is obviously a big difference in price. I have a video comparing the two
@@LifestyleLab_ Have you got a video recommending coffee machine for a cafe startup?
No, I don’t really deal with commercial level machines at the moment. Linea Mini is a safe “small cafe” bet
@@LifestyleLab_ thank you. I am also impressed by the new dual boiler Rancillio Pro X
It’s a great machine!
Is there a way to get hot water dispensed out of this machine?
Yes, the steam arm can act as a hot water spout as well.
Thanks.. this machine makes me want to just buy a dual boiler 🤣
Just bought new classic pro. Out of the box, the water tempreture is 73-74-72 C. Is this normal?
I'm guessing that you are simply not measuring it in an accurate way (no fault of our own!) In order to measure brew temperature you would need to use a scace device. Otherwise, the water will rapidly cool as the droplets pass through the air, and heat will be drawn away by whatever cup you're pouring into
@@LifestyleLab_ Thank you, for your prompt replay.
For some reason I am worried about the smart switch and it turning on by accident some how and running the entire day or night. I just get up in the morning and first thing i do is walk down stairs turn the machine on then shower, get ready for the day and by time i am finished it is hot enough for use
Been using Amazon smart plug for over year with Classic and never had an issue
@@toddredlin5634 is your smart plug the same as the one linked in the description? The linked plug is rated for 10 amps but the Gaggia Classic Pro says it pulls 11.88. Have any issues with that?
@@rysdunn1 I use the Amazon smart plug and have had no problems these past two years I also use this smart plug to turn on Lelit Mara X with no problems and being wireless I turn on machines remotely when I am out and about
@@rysdunn1 Amazon smart plug input 100-120VAC 60hz 15A Max
Output 15A Max
@@toddredlin5634 thanks for the specs! I purchased the one in the link description and unfortunately that one can’t handle the amps. Just ordered the one you recommended, should be perfect! Glad I didn’t plug it in and get some sparks!
Unfortunately you can't make the UK version auto switch on when you wake up due to European power regulations so the machine actually switches off after 20mins. It has a power rocker switch instead of on/off. I tried 😪
You can get a replacement that gets rid of this from shades of coffee
I believe that's why he mention "You can program it to turn on 15 min before". The auto off switch will only run the count down once powered by the smart switch so you get then 5 min to make your coffee...!
@@flaviosfs Not that simple. As I mentioned it has a 'rocker' power switch so cannot be left in the ON position and then controlled by wifi plug. The mod that Brett suggested is on my list. (When the warranty has expired! Can me old fashioned)
nice video!
Pretty late today, not like me!
I know your channel is mostly about coffee and coffee machines.. but can you think about branching out to other appliances, topics and etc? Or, just more in-depth coffee making videos.
Feel free to make some video recommendations you'd like to see!
We also have several spinoff channels here:
Real estate: ruclips.net/channel/UC2m_524Uqa144n7p2BFkS0w
Gear: ruclips.net/channel/UCTKyVg2ofrtEUWnIoswYCXQ
Fitness: ruclips.net/channel/UCRwWwUarnT_oEGcDtwyOuSg
@@LifestyleLab_ Thank you!
But, I was going more off of gadget-based videos, wether it be an appliance, any sort of devices, or more coffee tools to help you with your shots. Thank you again!
Can you get hot water from this machine? I like drinking hot americano sometimes
Yes!
The link for the smart plug does not work. Can you relink?
Hi, please try now :)
What country are you shopping from?
@@LifestyleLab_ Thank you! Works!
Hi. Thanks for great videos. My concern with the GCP is the inability to control the temp and really dial in lighter roasts without adding an expensive PID. Does the Breville Barista Pro offer noticeable taste advantages with its capacity to adjust water temp over the GCP? Thanks for the feedback.
It's an interesting tradeoff between the two machines, but in my experience pairing the GCP with a capable grinder will yield better results than the Barista Pro, eventhough the Breville has some temperature control.
The 54mm basket and tough time heating up the portafilter will make lighter roasts tougher
@@LifestyleLab_ Thank you! I appreciate your videos, wisdom, and reply.
@@LifestyleLab_ check out Lance Hedrick's video on how to temperature surf on a Gaggia Classic Pro
Got a cheap machine a week ago already looking at machines 10x the price 🤣
It’s a slippery slope, hahah
Hey! I just bought a Teckin smart plug hoping to make it smart. My issue is that the Left hand side ON/OFF switch (on the Gaggia) does not STAY in ON mode. Therefore, when turning the power on/off from the smart plug, the machine does not default to being ON, as I need to deliberately flick that switch for it to go on. Is this something you're aware of?
I was curious about this too!!! Help?
damnn gurrrl that drip tray thiccc
😂
Please Thailanguage
For mageting
I found it weird to buy this machine and then have to go through all this hassle to make it better. Why not pay more for something one can just simply use as it was intended and get better results?
You don’t have to do anything, this is a great machine right out of the box
@@LifestyleLab_ I would assume if people mod it it's because they're not satisfied.
People mod cars that don’t need it all the time too. It a hobby to them, not because the original wasn’t “adequate”. There will always be a community for that no matter what the product
OK...what kind of life are you leading if you're trying to shave 19 sec from your latte workflow? 🤣🤣
But for no added effort, why not? 🤷🏻♂️
Lol 19 sec is what gets to be 19 min and 19hrs and then 19 days… still my coffee is one way of slowing down, letting what I enjoy take the time. After all you have 24hrs a day there is no saving time. It just a matter of how you want to spend it. I rather use it waiting for my coffee to get ready than giving it to whomever demanding my time (work, kids, school…)
Actually if you want a good milk drink, leaving your espresso to wait additional 20 seconds is too long, just because this one doesn’t do brewing and steaming at the same time. You will lose all the crema and get a mediocre latte
A busy one I reckon
Remember that comment the next time you're making latte for two during the ad break and the steam runs out half way throug the second cup 😢
Most of those tricks are partialy correct:
-you can push pre-infusion by opening steam circuit to get lower pressure on the coffee. But also you lost a lot on water temp. Without PID it's halfway to good espresso
-you can trick the boiler to get higher temp by pressing steam button for few seconds before extracting but beware that you may push steam into coffee if the temp is to high in boiler ( well, not water in liquid state at this point).
Gaggia is nice machine for people with higher expectations then automatic coffee maker but overally low. Without mods gaggia is to basic to prepare excellent espresso.
Are you doing a give away again or no I' don't win 😒😒😒😒😒🖤
We're announcing the winner in 2 hours!
@@LifestyleLab_ oh ok