Mellow Birds Yellow

gaggia
Originally uploaded by mcmrbt.

Finally, my Gaggia has arrived. Not the all-singing, all-dancing bean-to-cup monster we now have in the office, but a traditional 3-button machine, very much based on their Classic model, possibly slightly smaller.

All the important elements are here: the 1425 watt boiler, the 15-bar pump, the all-metal body, and the chrome plated brass filter holder, which takes longer to warm up (6 minutes), but retains heat better than the aluminium type.

Got some kind of bizarro attachment for the cappuccino frother, too, one of those things that sucks milk from a container (e.g. carton of milk), froths it, and then dispenses it directly onto the cup. I'm in two minds about it. It certainly works really well, but it's a lot harder to clean than a regular frothing jug.

I was pleased that I got a good cup of espresso at my first attempt (using Illy ground coffee), and also at my second - when I did two cups at the same time and got a deliciously thick syrupy brew, just the way it's supposed to be.

I tried it with some of the coffee pods from my Senseo machine, and the results weren't good. Gaggia also sent a sample of their own espresso pods, and the result was only acceptable. My next step is to get some green beans and roast them in my popcorn maker... keep watching this space.