Gaggia RI8760/18 Anima Automatic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine – Black, Stainless Steel, 1850 W

Product Information

I'm looking for 1:2 extraction in 28 – 32 seconds, which is how I was trained when I did my Barista training. To be perfectly honest, from what I've ascertained with bean to cup machines, you're just not going to get the same level of precision with bean to cup, as you don't have the same range of grind settings. For a double shot, as with the Brera, it'll grind double the coffee. So if you drink doubles, as I always do, set the volume for a single espresso, and then press the espresso button twice for a double shot. The Deluxe model features a thermometer and a heavier weight portafilter, but the standard version is no longer available. Best Gaggia coffee machines – conclusion This fully manual machine is what Gaggia initially created, and for years Baristas could be seen pulling Levers, in fact, this is why it's referred to as “pulling” a shot of espresso. Fully manual machines are still around, such as the La Pavoni Europiccola. I've got one, although I don't use it often these days, mainly I like looking at it, they're a thing of beauty. The responsive buttons provide one-touch access to the drinks and features that the Anima can deliver. These include buttons for Espresso and Espresso Lungo (a “long” espresso), Strength, Steam, Hot Water and the Menu button to change other settings.

If you've already read through all of the semi-automatic bean to cup machines, above, you'll notice that we're talking about (mostly) the same machines, but with the fully automatic or “one touch cappuccino maker” versions – as most of the bean to cup machines from Gaggia come as a range including semi auto and fully auto via two options. So all I would say on this basis is that if you don't need the compact size, there are other Gaggia bean to cup coffee machines that aren't quite as compact which have bigger water tanks and other features, for a similar price. The obvious is the base level Anima which I'll talk about shortly.Bean to cup is perfect for us, no more cleaning than the pod machines and the used coffee can go straight into our compost. I love the top loading for water and beans and emptying/maintaining is easy. The other plus for us being in a very hard water area is that you can install a water filter directly into the water tank, I’m hoping this will help extend the life of the machine. Our previous pod machines have only lasted a couple of years. Next to the water reservoir is the bean hopper, which holds 8.8 oz of whole bean coffee. What I like about this hopper/grinder: Generally, I give the Anima very good marks, but I have to deduct a few points because, in my opinion, plastic just never looks as good as stainless steel or chrome. Durability It's a tad louder than the Brera, I think, but it's still fairly quiet – you're not going to wake the street up. Incredibly simple to use: I can’t stress the importance of doing this as frequently as suggested. More often than not when someone complains that the machine isn’t working anymore, it’s because they weren’t up to snuff with their regular maintenance. Standout Features of the Gaggia Anima Easily reprogram brew size buttons to your custom size

The Acrobat version though, given it's the 30-year anniversary model and the numbers were very limited, I believe will hold its value even better than the standard classic will. Philips (who own Gaggia) used to sell this same machine under the name “Philips 2100”– but it seems they decided to move it over to the Gaggia brand. With the Anima, you have 5 strength settings (vs three on the Brera) starting from the 1 bean setting through to the 5 bean setting, from at 7g, going up in one gram increments to a max of 11g. So 1bean: 7g, 2bean:8g, etc.

The coffee is so much better than the Nespresso machines I’ve had in the past could deliver. I think the wand on the plus is slightly longer which probably makes it easier to use. You can get a decent froth if you prefer but I like less frothy milk in my coffee. Set the length of your espresso via the MEMO function. For a traditional Italian espresso, set it to 30ml. Once I was used to the steam output, I found that could get the silky-textured milk that I expect to see. Manually mixing the milk with an espresso resulted in a top cappuccino. Best of all, unlike using a fully automatic machine, this didn’t feel like cheating and gave me a sense of accomplishment. The water tank is at the side, so you don't have to remove the drip tray to fill it, and you don't have to pull the machine out from under wall cupboards to access the top of the machine.

The machine has default settings, but you can easily make your personal and customized espresso just by following these simple suggestions With the integrated frother, integrated grinder, adjustable grind size, 3 temperature settings, 5 dose size settings and easily programmable brew sizes, you can pull almost any kind of shot you want and make any kind of specialty beverage you desire. We found the Calphalon Temp IQ to be the easiest to clean of the semi-automatic machines we tested. The steam wand and portafilter are easy to wipe out and clean after each use, and the descaling process is relatively painless. Though it can't compete with the cleaning convenience of a capsule or super-automatic machine, we think the better espresso is well worth the additional cleaning effort. It has the ability to top up the water if you notice you're close to running out mid-shot, which is a handy feature – and being able to input your water hardness is another handy feature, as it means the frequency of the descale reminders will be appropriate for the water hardness in your area. You can also adjust the brew temperature on the Anima, which is a feature you don't often see on coffee machines at this kind of price point. Very simple memory option – you're asked every time you make a change if you'd like to save the changes to that coffeeYeas it's plastic (it's ABS, same stuff Lego is made of) as was the original 80s & 90s Gaggia Espresso, but I really like the look of it, it looks and feels well built. It's made in Italy, and for me that shows, both in the design and in how nicely made it feels. In my humble opinion, the cappuccinatore version (usually called deluxe or milk) is a better bet than the carafe version

Again, thank you so much for the personal and quite excellent information on this knowledge journey!I put hot water into the cappuccino cup, to warm that up, and then I have a glass espresso cup like this one, with a handle. I tend to pour hot water into the glass cup, give it a few seconds to warm up, empty that, and then pull the shot into the glass cup. What these kinds of baskets don't offer, though, is the control over the extraction to enable you to make a great tasting shot of espresso. They can make espresso look the part, but they can't quite make it taste the part. I have to say, though, if you're using decent coffee beans – and especially if you're grinding your own – they're capable of not bad tasting espresso, which most “normal” coffee drinkers would be more than happy with. The bean hopper is on top, beneath a neat little flap. You’ll easily get a regular bag of coffee into the machine. Inside the hopper is the dial to adjust the grind, although you need to attach the rather fiddly tool to turn the dial. A simple knob or slider would make this adjustment easier. There’s also a pop-up flap that can take a single dose of ground coffee. I didn't read the instructions before use with regard to one very basic yet important function, stopping the steam. I'd only glanced at the instructions, and it seem so simple that I didn't give it much more thought. I just assumed that since there's no physical steam dial, it would be a case of pressing the steam button to turn on the steam, and then pressing the steam button again to turn off the steam.