My Gaggia Classic Pro Experience

[@OGAuror]

You should link the leveler, tamper, basket, etc you use. Useful for people who haven't looked into that and want to be able to get set up right away after your video convinces them to pull the trigger.

[@Sc-ld7os]

This is the nicest most respectful review ever

[@nathanjhanna]

Aw shucks, thank you.

[@theburritoninj4]

This is the review I was looking for. I’ve seen so many videos that praised it but I feel like I wasn’t getting the whole picture. Now I know what to expect and the realistic pros and cons, especially coming from someone who works on a La Marzocco for their job. I appreciate the pros and cons intermixed with the explanation of workflow and hearing all the mod options really make a difference. I appreciate it!! Also side note, it’s nice hearing the apartamento is mainly a steamer upgrade, part of the hinderance of my getting a GCP is “why spend this much when you could save more and get this much nicer item and far better espresso” but it sounds like at this price and with some mods (which sound very exciting and intriguing as a tinkerer) this is the machine for me. Keep it up!

[@nathanjhanna]

Great to hear the video has supported you in a small way Will! I'd love to hear what becomes of your adventure with the GCP.

[@tannercoley2020]

Best video I’ve watched on this machine.

[@djar220]

Thank You Nathan for sharing an honest review and all around great video of your Gaggia Classic Pro experience.

[@jamesmclaughlin3460]

Just bought the gaggia prestige model out of the box and I purchased the ranchilio Rocky grinder. I'm 62 I like simple and well built equipment. So far so good I'm retired love coffee. I was making my espresso with a delongi coffee espresso combo. It was time to grow. Hope I'm not disappointed. Good video young man. I hope there will be more on your ownership of the gaggia.

[@kevvermeister]

That portafilter handle is beautiful! I'll definitely check out your friend's page.

[@brandonwilson7918]

Great work! I'm buying with the spring, bottomless portafilter, upgraded shower and gasket and IMS 18mm basket. I need to research the lower drip tray because I'll just be starting and need scale access.

[@niraviviv3969]

I like your review Nathan, I upgraded my Gaggia pro with 9bar spring mod for a few bucks from eBay, the extraction is way better now.

[@nathanjhanna]

I'm considering even lowering mine to the 6bar and preinfusing :D

[@johncesario5902]

GREAT VIDEO! After all my research I purchased the Gaggia Pro and the Eureka Mignon Specialita. Your video is perfect! Unfortunately, I could not get the shot time down no matter what setting I tried on the grinder.....(newb..beginner espresso maker). I did the 9 bar upgrade and it has worked wonderfully. I look forward to your future videos.

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

Fantastic overview! Great vid!

[@andreyv1]

super chill video. I got a gaggia on the way and can't wait to play around with it. 9 bar mod will be done before I pull my first shot.

[@Sam_u_L]

Well put together video here man! Enjoyed your perspective coming from someone who works in a cafe because that is my goal to have cafe quality at my place. 🙌🏻

[@dcash7018]

I have this unit arriving Wednesday - appreciate the commentary

[@nathanjhanna]

Awesome! Congrats, have some fun

[@dulichion]

I've owned this in black for two years. I've done the filter screen mod, the steam wand single hole mod, bottomless portafilter with wooden handle. I tried many tweaks, turning on the steam wand with the basket in to pre-infuse. I've also done the temperature surfing in the same way in your video. I've also restored a Gaggia MDF grinder with it. I took it apart replaced the burrs, and painted it black to match my Classic Pro. I set this to 3 or 4 depending on the beans. I use a lot of single origin and blends. I'm personally a fan of Onyx Southern and Tropical weather, also of Beane and bean. Pea berry from Tanzania is wonderful mild with many flavors. I alternate from 30-40 seconds for a shot depending if I'm pulling a double. I do appreciate your steam wand advice, I think I've read or used it before but forgot about it. Here are my issues with the Gaggia over time, about half the time I will get a wet or soupy puck if I'm using 18-18.5g, not if I'm using 20g. This could be because my portafilter basket might work best with that amount. The group head allen key screws underneath have come loose once, not a huge deal to retighten them and I did. I also added a little blue Loctite to hold in place. My only other issue is when using filtered water which is all I use to avoid scaling, you sometime will get some cloudy water in the water container if you do not use it frequently, so my routine is to empty it every two days or day. I want to say thank you the video quality of your videos is superb. Obviously you must have a background in videography. Well done. Great tips. Thanks you.

[@lextek595]

Great video. Felt like someone I knew was telling about their machine. Thanks.

[@danielalvarez5285]

Your videos are simple and great. Love the minimalist ish setup 👍🏼

[@nathanjhanna]

I appreciate that, thanks!

[@rjeffm1]

Very nice, thoughtful video. TY.

[@josephgryson8191]

awesome review dude! love the video and editing as well

[@nathanjhanna]

Thank you so much Joseph!

[@alaskavaper966]

Excellent, informative video, amigo. I'm just getting into my recently purchased GC and I find your experiences helpful. Thank you for making the effort to produce this video. I hope you continue this as a series on your experiences with this machine.

[@steveourso2101]

really appreciate this 'down to earth' review. was debating between Rancilio and this Gaggia. price point not a concern; want the best bang for buck. sold on Gaggia. many thanks Nathan

[@nathanjhanna]

How's the Gaggia treating you?

[@steveourso2101]

@@nathanjhanna Hope this finds you well. I am now loving the GCP. I was not, originally. the pressure was simply too strong resulting in poor-tasting espresso. I took a few springs off myself (or else I would have given the machine away), and since then, it is working nice and smooth. My son and I enjoying it very much!

[@Mongiloyd]

For those looking to brew at 6 or 9 bar. There are kits for it. I've owned older versions with an opv valve and personally going as low as 6 or 6.5 bar was my preferred way for this machine. But for new buyers, you will void warranty.

[@TREACB]

Yea, thanks Nathan, keep making vids, you are easy to listen to.

[@eleanorbrown8914]

great video. as a gaggia owner seeing pro rancilio videos gives me buyers’ remorse, but videos like this make me feel so vindicated! personally i opted for the opv and drip tray mods and i’m loving it.

[@Gk2003m]

Do flow control. A $10 lamp dimmer, makes a world of difference in enabling pre-infusion. Takes your machine and your espresso to the next level

[@QuinCarter]

Love my Gaggia Classic Pro. A few things -- the portafilter sticks because the brew gasket inside the machine that ships with it is rubber. Replace that with a silicon gasket like every 6 months to a year and also get an IMS nanotech shower screen and stainless steel mounting plate. The mounting plate installed from the factory is aluminum (in most cases) and replacing it with stainless steel will get you better temp stability at the group head. Also the shower screen upgrade is necessary and you should also swap that out every 6 months to a year as well. I have owned my Gaggia for over a year, I will upgrade soon to a dual boiler purely so I can steam and pull at the same time. Other than that, I have loved the machine for what it's worth. Great vid btw. Well edited.

[@galfert]

I've read that the new Classic Pro comes with stainless steel plate and that only the older non-pro machines came with an aluminum plate. The better upgrade is to go with brass.

[@ponderingnugget]

@@galfert I've read and seen reviews that say this as well.

[@jburkhard9985]

Good presentation. Thank you for your thoughts on this, it was helpful.

[@dcash7018]

I’m a month in on mine and the only thing you need to manage is the heat levels of the water for consistent pulls and frothing

[@julian-fricker]

Great video. Just got my Gaggia at Xmas and I've done a couple of mods so far. 1st was a Motta distributor which I'm using without a tamper. Yesterday I did the 9 bar mod and it's already made a big difference for me, everything just seems more consistent. I've also bought an IMS basket but I'm going to wait to change that after I'm totally used to the 9 bar mod. I did think I'd made a huge mistake at one point where I couldn't control the rate but it turned out to be a poor bag of beans. Probably most importantly people can't believe how good my cappuccinos are now, including my Italian wife 😀

[@Sal_car88]

Just bought a gaggia classic pro and this made me feel like I made the right choice! Now off to learn how to use it!

[@nathanjhanna]

So glad to hear! Learning to become one with the machine is the best part of it all.

[@swbusby]

I did the low tray, and single port steam tip mod, and 9 bar mod on my Gaggia Classic Pro. I think the single port steam tip really helps with the low steam pressure.

[@redeyecoffee3081]

Beautiful review 🙏

[@givemekape2418]

haven't watched video yet, but gave a like for any content creator talking about the gaggia classic

[@DK78518]

You can lower the bar pressure to 9 by taking the spring out and cutting it. Every rotation of the spring you cut will lower one bar of pressure. I did that with mine and I use a bottomless portafilter. The shots just come out picture perfect. If you're too scared to cut the spring you can also buy lower pressure springs. Enjoy.

[@nathanjhanna]

Thanks for the feedback! I since this video have done the 9bar mod and am really enjoying the results.

[@skytrooper506]

Nathan thanks for the video! I'm ordering one in about a week, I've been using a cheap Delonghi EC155 but my shots are horrible, bitter, sour, so I use them for Americanos. Truthfully I don't really know if I'll like espresso since I've never had a good one but I like americanos and cappuccinos. Thanks.

[@maidertxo]

I want to buy a white Classic Pro and this video helps a lot, so thank you so much! Also new subscriber here!

[@studyblkcoffee4767]

Beatiful video!

[@yinyang592]

Have you made video for the 9 bar modification? Thanks for sharing....

[@nathanjhanna]

I have! Super easy and worth it 100%

[@gnt4l]

Great video! Well explained.

[@alaskavaper2490]

Excellent presentation on the classic, Classic, Nathan. I don’t know if you aspire to be a Utube regular so I have subscribed to find out. Good luck, amigo

[@nathanjhanna]

I'm not sure either! We'll see haha

[@paquirri65]

Gracias Nathan, estoy apunto de comprar esta maquina, 1 pregunta: cuando ya esta listo el cafe en el vaso, el residuo (cafe) queda muy mojado o bien compactado? Gracias, pregunto porque Ud. Ya tiene una.

[@sosata866]

Thanks for the video, very useful! Could you elaborate a bit on how you do temperature surfing? Like when and for how long do you run the water?

[@nathanjhanna]

At this point in time I wasn't doing anything trackable or repeatable. Now, I run water through the group head until the light turns off. I then get my portafilter locked in and as soon as the light turns back on, I pull my shot. This way, I know the temp is at a close range. I don't expect it to be perfect cause it's a cheap machine, but it's been working well for me so far.

[@sosata866]

@@nathanjhanna thanks! I recently got a gaggia classic and I'm still learning.

[@mystikmeg]

Lovely video

[@ary952]

Great video! Just 1 question Is there any reason why you selected the Kinu Grinder over the Comandante ?

[@nathanjhanna]

I liked the idea of having stepless adjustments!

[@Red.exe7]

What grinder were talking about?

[@Physicalforposterity]

Great vid!!

[@KrishnenduKes]

What a great video. No wonder there are 20K views. You should post more useful content like this more often. Thank you.

[@nathanjhanna]

Why thank you! Perhaps, I will :)

[@lenso010]

I use ikea temp with it. Amazing solution for heat wave

[@LivingRad]

this is definitely on the radar for me. Im thinking white or blue :P

[@LivingRad]

Ended up with the black! Absolutely love my machine!

[@EarthbendR]

Get the mr. shades OPV 9 bar spring. It’s pretty great

[@geetee4037]

Loving my GCP so far, only issue recently is the extraction is taking about 1 minute just, was usually roughly 30 secs so not sure why its taking so long. Enjoying the coffee though.

[@nathanjhanna]

Wow that is super interesting. What's your normal dose at?

[@김천재-c9j]

Great Video!!! May i ask u question? Im about to purchasing espresso machine + grinder as a beginner. I used to drink espresso from bialetti. Which one do you recommend? 1. Gaggia classic pro + hand grinder 2. Ascaso Duo PID + hand grinder

[@nathanjhanna]

Thanks! If you can afford it, I'd definitely say the Ascaso Duo PID + hand grinder :) The Gaggia is a great value for the price but if you can get a better espresso machine right away, I would!

[@Mule-mh2ms]

How does running the water for a second or two lower the temperature? I would think it would kickstart the process and heat it up. Just ordered one of these and a baratza 270 so im trying to understand the inner workings and process as best as I can beforehand. Thanks!

[@nathanjhanna]

Honestly, you might be right! I've heard so many mixed things from folks now so I'm not even sure haha. Lance Hedrick has a more exact way of temp surfing if you wanna check his video out!

[@verav2554]

Grinder ?

[@nathanjhanna]

At that time I was using the Kinu M47 Simplicity. Now, I'm using the Turin DF64.

[@danjv]

Thanks for this Nathan. I got my Classic Pro in January after a couple of years of investigation. There isn't anything that can compare at this price. I bought most of my accessories before I got my machine. Firse thing I did was replace the shower screen and group gasket. Got a tune up kit on Amazon that included a silicone gasket, precision shower screen and a brass shower plate. Then I cut three turns off the OPV spring to lower the pressure. I've ordered a dual probe temperature gage with a timer to better monitor the temperature. I really don't want to add a POV. Maybe a few years down the line I'll look into a Rocket or something with a POV included.

[@nathanjhanna]

Sounds great! Great modifications to make for sure.

[@daily_pocket_review]

I really want one, they are less than $400 refurbished

[@maximus3730]

0:53 "The smolder" Flynn Rider

[@MiguelGonzalez-lr4bt]

Hey, what scale are you using?

[@gbf5972]

If the results have been good thus far, why are you considering modifying the pressure to 9 bars? Just wondering, as I have seen many Gaggia users do this. Do you think it's absolutely necessary? Great video, btw! Very informative.

[@nathanjhanna]

In short, I have had really good espresso but I also have experienced excessive channeling at times when using a lighter roasted coffee (even with excellent puck prep). I would attribute the channeling to the high pressure cracking open the puck. I believe switching to 9 bars will cultivate a more even extraction and will enable me to more consistently get really good espresso.

[@caresli11]

@@nathanjhanna 9 bars will do the job. It is amazing how this simple/cheap change is a game changer for the gaggia. Before I had channeling and also often spraying. Now it is even and smooth. Also recommend another cheap mod, a 8mm silicone gasket . These two boys will give you more joy. All for around 10euros. All the best

[@พิจักษณ์พลเดช-ธ1ง]

ควรทำำบรรยายภาษาไทย ด้วยก็ดี เพราะสินค้านี้ขายในเมืองไทย

[@sunriseshell]

If you wanted a 12oz latte you'd brew into a small vessel then transfer it into a 12oz one.

[@Andrei-Rex]

How are you this handsome?!

[@nathanjhanna]

I don't know whether to take this seriously or not.

[@Andrei-Rex]

@@nathanjhanna 100% seriously.

[@sunrise-vx5ld]

Music is too Loud and distracting