Bang For the Buck
Written: Feb 23 '04 (Updated Feb 24 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, Copper boiler, fast
Cons: Noisy, no warmer plate for cups
The Bottom Line: You could pay alot more for a machine that is probably not much better. This looks nice, is fairly easy to use, and makes great espresso.
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| dneblank's Full Review: Gaggia Carezza Espresso Machine |
I've just started drinking espresso and related drinks and decided to buy my own machine rather than continue paying high prices at coffee shops. After looking around and reading reviews at coffee sites, I came across the Gaggia Carezza. Prices for Espresso machines, depending on features, can run over $1000, but since I'm a novice, I obviously did not want to spend that much. At $189, the Carezza was at the very low end of the price range.
The Carezza arrived along with an instructional DVD and a "Guide to Gaggia" booklet. Included in the box is the Carezza unit, portafilter (where the espresso grinds go,) frothing attachment, Perfect Crema Filter, 1 and 2 shot filters, a doser (measures the amount of grinds,)a tamper (for tamping the grinds into the filter,) and an instructional booklet. This booklet is different than the one sent included separately and is not nearly as good, which may be why a separate book is added. Clearly, this one is translated (probably from Italian,) and does not give very in depth instruction. The separate book is excellent and includes very detailed instructions in brewing, cleaning, and safety. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the instructions for this unit, especially if you are not familiar with making espresso and frothing and steaming milk, which can be dangerous. It also comes with a one year warranty.
The Carezza is about 15 or 16 inches tall and I had no problem fitting it under the cabinets on my counter. There are 3 switches on the unit. One turns it on, one turns on the boiler pump (this is a pump machine rather than steam,) and the third makes the boiler hotter so that it can produce steam for the frothing/steaming wand. On the top of the unit is a place to add water (which can also be done directly into the removable water container,) and a knob to open the steam valve. The Carezza comes in black, silver and white. I bought the white to match my kitchen, but it is more of a slightly off-white than the white used by most kitchen appliances.
I followed the instructions in the book for making my first cup of espresso. It actually came out pretty well. I'm sure the drinks will be better with practice. I found the boiler pump a bit loud, but it is not on very long. Also, this machine heats up pretty quickly (about 5 minutes whereas many machines apparently take up to 20 minutes.) Since this is not a super-automatic machine, which does everything, you have to learn to tamp correctly (about 30 pounds of pressure,) and time the extraction. The booklet has lots of tips to try to make better espresso as well as many troubleshooting tips.
I did not use the 'Perfect Crema Filter' that is included as the instructions, oddly, tell you not to use it. Hmmm...why would they include it? In the booklet, there are recipes for different drinks as well as foods to be made with coffee.
For a relatively inexpensive espresso maker, the Gaggia Carezza did not disappoint me. Often times, when buying a low end or starter item, it just does not live up to one's expectations and you end up buying something much more expensive. The Carezza should give me many years of great espresso.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dneblank
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
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