Gaggia Classic Setup Advice please

Magic_x_uk

Magic_x_uk

Magic_x_uk

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I have just got the Gaggia Classic. Some Beans (albeit from Tesco) as local Coffee place shut till tomorrow.
UNLESS someone can recommend a type and place on line to purchase from.

Got some scales and a Krups grinder. Just would like to know weight and time etc that people use to give me a good bench mark starting point.

Gaggia came with a single and double pressurised basket as well as a normal double basket. Which I have read is the better one to use.

I am making Latte and Espresso with it. Just curious on correct techniques etc.
 
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Can't comment on weight because I've never weighed the coffee. Basically, once tamped, the top of the coffee needs to be about 4mm down from the rim of the basket. Lean all your weight on the tamper and top it up with a bit more coffee if you need it. You'll need about 5 teaspoons. What you're aiming for is that the top of the coffee makes light contact with the pressure head as you load the basket in with the handle perpendicular to the front of the machine, then as you lock it in it really compresses the coffee. If you can load the group head in to the point that it hits the stop, you haven't got enough coffee in the basket. The puck of coffee left behind after the extraction should be compressed and dry and you should be able to see the impression of the screw in the bottom of the pressure head. If it's wet and soggy, you need to use more coffee :p
 
A decent starting point for espresso would be a 1:2 brew ratio, so if it's about 18g to fill your basket then you wanna be looking to pull exactly 36g of liquid (use the scale). If the ground coffee weight is a couple of grams either way then that's fine, but make sure you pull less or more liquid accordingly (17g grinds - 34g of liquid etc).

Time wise, anything between 25 sec and 35 sec from pressing the button to having the full amount of liquid in your cup is fine.

The scales are your friend.

Chuck the pressurised baskets out, they're naff.

Bear in mind also, that you'll have no idea how old those tesco beans are so don't expect to be amazing by the coffee you pull from them.
 
I never measure the weight of the grind into the portafilter.

However, when it comes out of the grinder, into the portafilter, after kind of shaking it (or tapping it on the side with the tamper) to even out the grind, when it is loose still, it is level with the top of the portafilter. That is what I normally have it.

Then press it down, the pressure vary from beans to beans and level of coarseness of grind. It's hard to give a definite answer. Then when it comes out, aim for 25 seconds.

That is your espresso. As for Latter, fill the rest of the mug up with hot milk. That's latte, try not to burn your milk and viola !
 
Raymond Lin said:
I never measure the weight of the grind into the portafilter.

However, when it comes out of the grinder, into the portafilter, after kind of shaking it (or tapping it on the side with the tamper) to even out the grind, when it is loose still, it is level with the top of the portafilter. That is what I normally have it.

Then press it down, the pressure vary from beans to beans and level of coarseness of grind. It's hard to give a definite answer. Then when it comes out, aim for 25 seconds.

That is your espresso. As for Latter, fill the rest of the mug up with hot milk. That's latte, try not to burn your milk and viola !
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Give properly weighing things out a try. I made espresso the way you describe when I first got a machine a few years ago and I thought it was fine. Eventually I took advice and moved onto properly weighting things out and using correct brew ratios and I found a marked increase in the quality of my espresso and the overall consistency of my shots. Also, aim for a longer extraction - if you're aiming for 25s and undershoot it by a few seconds then you'll often be underextracting.
 
Rojin said:
OP: have you looked into the opv mod? I'll be doing that when mine arrives.
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I looked into that and was lost before even step 1.

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?3859-Adjusting-the-OPV-(over-Pressure-Valve)-Gaggia-Classic

1. You will need a pressure gauge that has been modified to fit the bottom of the standard domestic Gaggia portafilter.
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ZeekPfZ.jpg.png


1 - Where do I get that pressure gauge from?
2 - Does it have to be that pressure gauge?
3 - is that a standard pressure gauge? If not that one, which other one and what are they normally used for?
4 - How do you fit that to the bottom of the portafilter?
5 - My portafilter has a different handle, do I need a different gauge?
6 - What parts do I need to fit that gauge to the bottom of the portafilter?
 
tbh, I have had the Gaggia for about 7 years, tempted to upgrade it to a Rancillo Silvia instead of doing any modding.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
tbh, I have had the Gaggia for about 7 years, tempted to upgrade it to a Rancillo Silvia instead of doing any modding.
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Given what you've posted above and in the other thread you'd be better off spending your time learning how to make coffee properly.

I don't mean this to have a go but seriously - spending money on a (somewhat) better machine is not going to improve your coffee as much as simply getting better at making coffee.
 
FrenchTart said:
Given what you've posted above and in the other thread you'd be better off spending your time learning how to make coffee properly.

I don't mean this to have a go but seriously - spending money on a (somewhat) better machine is not going to improve your coffee as much as simply getting better at making coffee.
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I know how to make it properly. I am just not as anal about getting a perfect shot every single time.

It's not like 5 seconds off and I am throwing that in the sink and start again.

I'll dial it so the next shot is closer to 25 seconds.

I am one of these people who don't measure things when it comes to cooking, unless it is baking.

I have never weighted the beans/grind? I have never seen any Barista do that. Once the grinder is dialed in the right setting then it's fine.
Getting a scale out to measure how much pressure I am putting down on the portafitler? Again, no, never seen it done. These are all internet talk really about how much you should put down.

If its too fine/coarse, pulled too fast, choke….etc, I will adjust one or two elementss until it doesn't. I normally get there by a shot or 2. Never needed and scales, and the espresso always has plenty of crema, comes out around 25 seconds.

The whole point of modding is to get the psi of the gaggia to something more optimal, getting the Rancillio is just by passing the problem altogether into the right psi, with a better steam wand (which I cba to mo).


Getting the Rancillio is not really about "better" coffee, I just fancy a change.
 
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Sorry. I realise that came across a little harsh.

Personally in your position I couldn't justify the upgrade to myself but it's your money and if it makes you happy then go for it. Am I right in thinking that you often (or at least more than never) have coffees that require steaming milk? If so I guess the upgrade will be more worthwhile as that's something the Classic isn't exactly great at.
 
I think getting decent milk (particularly microfoam) is really tricky with domestic machines.

It's one of the irritating things about going to somewhere like costa to order a flat white, because you know the espresso that they started with was awful, but the drink still looks (although maybe not tastes) better than a lot of home stuff because their commercial machines are so good at steaming the milk.

In defense of my earlier post, I wasn't suggesting being anal about pulling your espresso, I just meant that if you've bothered to spend a couple of hundred quid on your coffee gear and you're using good beans then it's worth adding the extra step of weighing to get more consistency. It takes a few extra seconds at most.

If you're adjusting your grind with each shot, but not weighing your coffee (which could affect your pull time) then you're basically shooting into the dark.
 
FrenchTart said:
Sorry. I realise that came across a little harsh.

Personally in your position I couldn't justify the upgrade to myself but it's your money and if it makes you happy then go for it. Am I right in thinking that you often (or at least more than never) have coffees that require steaming milk? If so I guess the upgrade will be more worthwhile as that's something the Classic isn't exactly great at.
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The reason for the upgrade bug is

1 – want a change
2 – It's a better steam boiler.

Currently I don't have latte or use the steamer, mostly because

1 – Americano has less calorie
2 – Americano is much easier and faster to make and much less mess
3 – I have to normally heat the milk from the steam wand in 2 parts from the Gaggia
4 – The plastic "steamer" end is both not long enough and awkward to clean

The upgrade isn't to make better espressos, if that was the case, I would have gone down that path of chasing for the perfect shot years ago and upgraded grinder and all. It's because I am not fussy about it. I'd drink it whether a shot takes 15 seconds, 25 seconds or 35 seconds. I almost always make Americano, add in syrup or sweetener and a dash of milk, which masks most imperfections, hence I am happy with beans bought from Starbucks half the time, current have Rave in the grinder. If I were to drink it straight then I would be more fussy, sometimes I am. If I am making it for someone I would be aiming for that 25s dead on. For me personally, with Americanos, I totally am not.
 
Jolteh said:
I think getting decent milk (particularly microfoam) is really tricky with domestic machines.

It's one of the irritating things about going to somewhere like costa to order a flat white, because you know the espresso that they started with was awful, but the drink still looks (although maybe not tastes) better than a lot of home stuff because their commercial machines are so good at steaming the milk.

In defense of my earlier post, I wasn't suggesting being anal about pulling your espresso, I just meant that if you've bothered to spend a couple of hundred quid on your coffee gear and you're using good beans then it's worth adding the extra step of weighing to get more consistency. It takes a few extra seconds at most.

If you're adjusting your grind with each shot, but not weighing your coffee (which could affect your pull time) then you're basically shooting into the dark.
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I am adjusting the grind for the first couple of shots for a new bag of beans. I don't adjust it for the dozen shots after that.
 
New to the classic so was wondering how long I should wait between shots? I pulled a shot that took 27 seconds then pulled another 4-5 minutes or so later and that took 33 seconds, what's the best way to get more consistency?
 
The Gaggia and the bits for the pressure gauge all arrived yesterday. So I spent an hour this morning dialing it down to 10bar (it started off just over 12). The hardest part was getting the spout off the portafilter, after that it was easy :)
 
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