Espresso Machines

While in the rest of the world we must often make do with Starbucks and the like, can there be anyone who has visited Italy without sampling the delights of a short dark cup of this delicious Italian espresso, I think not!

Espresso is to an Italian as a cup of tea to the English and while Starbucks do have their place in the world they lack three things – atmosphere, first class coffee and decent cups to serve it in.

And so if you can’t find good coffee in Starbucks, where can you find it? The answer is simpler than you think – why not serve it in your own home?

Anyone thinking of investing in an espresso machine should consider the Gaggia range. They are well made machines and their home range is descended from their professional coffee makers.

One of the most important things to look for in a home espresso maker is a pump driven system – that was the water is delivered to the coffee at a correct and uniform pressure, absolutely essential for a good espresso.

The choice for many people is the Gaggia New Baby espresso machine, unit that is compact enough for most homes – you don’t need the space for one of those chrome monsters you see in Italian bars – and has been manufactured by the Italian company since 1977.

Filled from the top with distilled water, the newly updated Gaggia Baby can be used with pods or ground coffee. Pods have the advantage of leaving no mess from the coffee grounds as they’re self-contained, but more expensive and give you a limited choice of coffee. So is the new Gaggia Baby a problem child or the perfect espresso maker?

In fact there is almost nothing wrong with the Gaggia Baby - it will require some maintenance from time to time and require a good deal of cleaning like all espresso machines. Probably the biggest drawback is that its case has a plastic finish rather than being chromed, but its recent remodelling means it still looks good in the home and provided that you have good coffee – I recommend Illy for best results – the coffee is perfect every time. My verdict – the Gaggia Baby is a solid espresso machine that performs flawlessly.