The Gaggia Classic Espresso Maker is a nice alternative to the high end and pricey thousand dollar machines and makes a near perfect cup of espresso. The controls are simple and the machine is compact. It looks great sitting out on the counter and is not too cumbersome like some of the other larger machines that need a special table to be built to house them. I have owned this machine for years and am impressed by the durability. I also like the option of being able to use ground coffee or ESE pods. If you do not want to go through the process of grinding coffee, the pre-packaged espresso pods are a nice alternative.

This was one of my first real espresso makers and I highly recommend this machine to novices and newbies wanting to get their feet wet in at-home espresso makers. The manufactured price is $450 which is very reasonable for the amount of features you get. The controls are easy to use and the grinding and tamping features take little time to get used to. With just a little to no practice you can get the settings just right to suit your taste. The water tank is calibrated to give you a good idea of the water levels but it can be somewhat difficult to judge the water level. This is one of the complaints I have about the machine but it is minimal.

A couple of other issues I have noticed with the espresso maker that could be improved is that there is a cheap frothing wand that's plastic and just looks inexpensive. It hasn't broken but it does look cheap. The aluminum boiler must be kept clean and even then is susceptible to some water corrosion, especially if you are using hard water. There are better machines out on the market if you are willing to pay an additional $300 to $400. Some of the more expensive machines have a brass boiler that is not as susceptible to corrosion. Another small problem with the machine is the plastic and cheap looking tamper that is not impressive, but for the money it can be overlooked.

Overall I am quite happy with the machine and the taste of the coffee it produces. Fast cycling times and the powerful pump do the job and I would recommend this machine to anyone in the market for a nice quality espresso maker that's easy to use and pleasing to the eye.