A customer wrote to me asking for any advice on how to get the best coffee experience from their new Gaggia Classic Pro espresso machine, paired with a Breville Smart Grinder.
The Breville smart grinder is a grinder that performs better than the asking price and will definitely grind fine enough and consistent enough for your Gaggia Pro.
The numbers for grind settings are not matched from machine to machine, so use recommendations as a guide only and be prepared to deviate from any settings recommended to you. Some machines may not grind fine enough, but that is an issue that has pretty much now been eliminated at the factory. The Breville fix was to provide a thin spacer that is placed between the lower burr and the motor spindle. Keep in mind that this only affects a small number of machines and give it consideration only if you feel like you're still not obtaining sufficiently fine grinds at its lowest setting.
The Gaggia is a proven classic italian machine that will give you years of trouble free pleasure. Don't be surprised if it outlasts your demands of it and the only reason to move it on will be a case of upgrade-itis for something that you feel may be shinier or better, but that is going to be very difficult to justify at even twice the price. the coffee obtained from your Gaggia vs a $6000 e61 machine will be hard to tell apart.
I recommend using the Double basket only - they are already unpressurised. aim for 16-18grams of coffee, extracted over 30 seconds and 60ml of espresso base. Adjust your grind to compensate rather than adjusting your tamp pressure or dose size.
Any effort you put into the technique of your milk steaming will pay dividends. I've got a couple of blogs and videos on the topic that will help as a guide. Also checkout Youtube.
Enjoy!
James Axisa.
The Breville smart grinder is a grinder that performs better than the asking price and will definitely grind fine enough and consistent enough for your Gaggia Pro.
The numbers for grind settings are not matched from machine to machine, so use recommendations as a guide only and be prepared to deviate from any settings recommended to you. Some machines may not grind fine enough, but that is an issue that has pretty much now been eliminated at the factory. The Breville fix was to provide a thin spacer that is placed between the lower burr and the motor spindle. Keep in mind that this only affects a small number of machines and give it consideration only if you feel like you're still not obtaining sufficiently fine grinds at its lowest setting.
The Gaggia is a proven classic italian machine that will give you years of trouble free pleasure. Don't be surprised if it outlasts your demands of it and the only reason to move it on will be a case of upgrade-itis for something that you feel may be shinier or better, but that is going to be very difficult to justify at even twice the price. the coffee obtained from your Gaggia vs a $6000 e61 machine will be hard to tell apart.
I recommend using the Double basket only - they are already unpressurised. aim for 16-18grams of coffee, extracted over 30 seconds and 60ml of espresso base. Adjust your grind to compensate rather than adjusting your tamp pressure or dose size.
Any effort you put into the technique of your milk steaming will pay dividends. I've got a couple of blogs and videos on the topic that will help as a guide. Also checkout Youtube.
Enjoy!
James Axisa.
