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Machine easy to use. The instructions very thorough. Tamper is too small but will work until better one is purchased.
It works perfectly well for me. I have been using it for over four years and have no problems with the machine. Highly recommended.
Straight out of the box, following user instructions to the letter, the machine does not work.
So we're just writing Gaggia off, and telling other people (you) about it. We might have been just unlucky, but judging from the other reviews it seems we are not alone. I want the stuff I buy to work. I have no patience dealing with customer support or returning the stuff etc. Then, after about four months of being used sparingly, it broke. We liked this machine, it used to make a good coffee and produced enough steam to make a couple of cappuccini. The boiler does not heat the water anymore. It is not science fiction, it's what's called "core competency" for Gaggia.
My $12 toaster looks better made.The switches on the Carrezza were big, conveniently placed and intuitive. It's just a painted, stamped steel case with an ill-fitting plastic panel on the front. I could lift the lid, pour in the water as I watched the level rise in the reservoir. I simply slid an espresso cup under the brew head after pulling a shot, then the drips would end up in the cup. The drip tray in the Coffee is bigger. I had read lots of reviews, most of which raved about the Coffee and the Coffee DeLuxe, and my Carrezza, although still working great, was getting pretty noisy.
On the Coffee, the reservoir is made of smoke-colored plastic, and it is tucked away under the front overhang of the machine. To fill the reservoir, I need to remove the cheezy plastic cover (on the Carrezza it was hinged) and get out my flashlight which then allows me to barely see the water level in the reservoir. Holding the flashlight while pouring the water while bending over to be able to see under the overhang is a real challenge. After six months with this machine, I still have to squint to look at the ulta-tiny icons on the switches to see which is which. On the Carrezza, it was made of clear, frosted plastic, plainly visible from the front of the machine at about any viewing angle.
For the last month or so, it has been getting louder and louder and now it intermittently sounds like something is coming apart inside. The knob on the Carrezza was conveniently located on the top of the machine.The drip tray on the Carrezza got a lot of reviewer flack because it didn't hold much liquid. Supposedly it was the finish of the DeLuxe case, which to me looks like any Wal-Mart small appliance. It is also a super-flimsy, ill-fitting plastic box that sort of sloppily slides into the stamped steel housing.
Not a big deal, but not user-friendly. for a while. I removed it and bent it slightly so it would rest solidly against the too-big slots it fit into, and that stopped the buzz-roar.
Why did I replace the Carrezza. That was an easy fix. It is difficult to figure why this thing cost $150 more than the Carezza.My first impression was, what did I get for the extra $50 over the price of the Coffee. It works as well as the Carezza did and its redeeming feature was that it didn't make as much noise as the Carezza. How nice it would have been to have it delivered that way.Bottom line: If I could trade this machine straight across for another new Carezza, I would. When it comes time to replace it, I'll look to some other brand besides Gaggia. It is now louder than the Carezza was at its worst.Speaking of noise, the first time I turned it on, the thin metal panel that covers the pump housing vibrated so loudly it sounded like some sort of alarm. I figured I could sell it while it was still working, so why not upgrade now.As it turns out, the Coffee DeLuxe was hardly an "upgrade." It does nothing the Carrezza didn't do better.
The switches on the Coffee are tiny, inconveniently placed and about as counter-intuitive as they could be. Again, really user-unfriendly.The steam knob is on the right side of the machine, a curious location since you need to operate it while holding the frothing pitcher. It works, but it is junk.OK, so how does the machine work. The Carrezza is no doubt the best all-around value in an espresso machine. Gaggia Coffee DeLuxe ReviewPurchased mid 2006This machine was a replacement for a Gaggia Carrezza I had been using for a little over two years. I finally added an "on-off" label because having switches that turn on to the left and off to the right is again, counter-intuitive.My biggest complaint is the water reservoir. It has a very thin metal grille on top.
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