I love my Gaggia Classic Pro and I wanted to write a review for it. For what I paid for it in 2023 - Rs. 38Kish, I am very happy! It's been my coffee companion for the last 3 years and a great way to get conversations going with my guests.
My routine is built around the machine and my morning cappuccino. So I wanted to do a long-term review for it because while I love it, it's not perfect.
Why I bought the Gaggia
I bought mine from Kaapi Solutions around October or November 2023. At the time, I was trying to figure out what my first espresso setup should look like, and the Gaggia kept coming up. James Hoffmann's videos were definitely part of that decision.
One of the things I liked about the Gaggia was the idea that if I looked after it, I could keep using it for years. I didn't want to buy an espresso machine and then have to replace it a couple of years later.
I was also looking at a De'Longhi Dedica and a Rancilio. The Rancilio was stretching my budget, though, and I still needed a grinder! So I bought the Gaggia and paired it with a Baratza Encore ESP for about Rs. 18K.
I've used that combination a lot. These days, I also have a J-Ultra for espresso and a ZP6 for the lighter, juicier coffees I brew separately.
I didn't know what I was doing at first!
This was the first espresso machine in my family. Nobody at home knew how to use one, including me.
I thought you switched it on, waited a little, and made coffee. Some of those early shots were very sour. Of course, after spending all that money, I wasn't exactly keen to admit that I was messing it up.
I had to look up tutorials on YouTube and piece things together from Reddit and other forums. It took some time, but I eventually figured it out.
One of the biggest things was giving the machine time to warm up. Then, last year, I started leaving the portafilter in while it heated up too. I noticed this especially in winter: the machine would be hot, but the portafilter wasn't. Heating them together helped.
It turns out Gaggia's own manual recommends keeping the portafilter installed to help maintain the temperature. Maybe I should have read the manual!
My morning cappuccino
The first thing I do is put the portafilter in and switch the machine on. I set a timer for about ten minutes and leave it alone.
Mine switches itself off around then. So I come back, turn it on again, and grind my coffee. By this point, everything has had a chance to warm up properly.
Then it's the usual routine: prepare the coffee, put on the puck screen, and pull the shot. I like using a puck screen mostly because it keeps the shower screen cleaner.
If I'm making a cappuccino or latte, I switch to steam and do the milk next. Afterwards, I wipe and purge the wand and refill the boiler using the hot-water procedure. It's the same boiler doing both jobs, so the water used up while steaming needs replacing.
I've been doing this for so long now that I don't really think about it. Switch it on, let it warm up, and make my coffee.
What about the espresso?
I'm very happy with it. I can reliably repeat a good shot, which is really what I want from a machine I use every day.
I used to spend more time trying lighter roasts for espresso. These days, I've realised that I prefer a darker profile in my morning milk drink. Something with plenty of flavour, rather than just a very dark, roasty taste.
I've gone back to Lavazza Gusto Crema recently. I've also used Devans' Vienna Roast, although it hasn't been as flavourful for me as some of the other coffees I've enjoyed.
I still love having some light-roasted, juicy beans around for the ZP6. For my morning cappuccino, though, I've realised I prefer this darker profile.
Once I've got the grind right, the Gaggia is predictable. I'm not getting unexplained sour coffee every other morning. I know what to expect, and I like what I'm drinking.
Can it steam milk well?
Yes! I can get a lovely silky texture out of it.
I usually steam about 100–120 grams of milk, sometimes 150. The smaller amounts take roughly half a minute. With a bit more milk, it might be 40–45 seconds, sometimes closer to a minute.
I introduce the air early and get the milk spinning. I know I don't have a lot of time, but I'm used to that now and can get a really nice texture.
I could use a little more steam pressure. Over the last couple of weeks, it has felt weaker than before, but maybe I'm just not letting it build up for long enough. I need to check that.
For the amount of milk I normally use, though, I've been happy with the results.
Making coffee for guests takes a little planning
The Gaggia has a single boiler, so you can't pull a shot and steam milk at the same time.
My approach when making several drinks is to pull the espresso shots first, then steam the milk. Otherwise, you're going back and forth between the two for every cup.
With the Encore ESP alongside it, I can make four or five cups quite comfortably. I'm still getting better at organising everything, but I haven't felt that the machine couldn't keep up with what I needed at home.
Of course, the first shots are sitting there while I finish the rest. It's not as convenient as being able to brew and steam together. But for the number of coffees I make at home, I'm happy with it.
Cleaning made my coffee better
At some point, maybe six months to a year into owning it, the coffee started tasting different. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong.
Then I descaled the machine, and the coffee was better again!
That definitely made me pay more attention to cleaning. More recently, I've been backflushing regularly with Cafiza as well. My nephew finds the whole process entertaining, so I've had some extra encouragement to do it. It's been about once a week lately, and I feel the coffee has improved.
Now, if a familiar coffee suddenly starts running differently, cleaning is one of the things I check.
Other owners have noticed changes after cleaning too. In this Reddit thread, someone got the water flowing normally again after cleaning the solenoid valve. That involved taking the valve out to clean it, rather than just backflushing.
Water and cleaning products
I've always used filtered water, usually from our RO at home, and sometimes bottled water.
For cleaning, I use Cafiza to backflush and a Bosch descaler for descaling. Backflushing deals with coffee residue in the brew path; descaling deals with mineral buildup.
I've never used Gaggia's own descaler. I've been using the Bosch one and have been happy with it. Gaggia does recommend its own product, so make sure yours is suitable for the machine.
What has gone wrong?
The steam wand leaks. And sometime in the second year, something in the steam-control mechanism seemed to snap. Since then, opening it gives me full steam rather than the gradual adjustment I had before.
I'm not sure exactly what snapped. I initially thought I'd get it fixed, but then I was still making coffee and thought, well, it's working! So I kept putting it off.
I know I shouldn't ignore it forever, and I do plan to fix it when I upgrade my machine with a Gaggiuino or GaggiMate kit.
When I looked it up, I found other owners complaining about leaking steam wands too. Whole Latte Love also covers it in its support guides. So it's not just mine!
The small changes I've made
I haven't spent much changing the machine itself. Most of my extra purchases have been things like a tamper, a puck screen, and a wooden-handled portafilter because I liked how it looked.
There have been a few changes, though.
The nine-bar spring
I bought a replacement spring kit on Amazon and installed the one labelled nine-bar. I've been happy with that change.
I don't have a pressure reading for it, but I've liked the coffee with this spring fitted.
A silicone gasket
I bought a silicone group gasket while visiting the US. The original rubber one hadn't failed, but I had the replacement, so I thought, why wait?
I changed it, and it's been working well.
A lower drip tray
I also 3D-printed a lower tray for more space under the portafilter.
It's useful having that extra room, but the material I printed it in has started to deform. So it's not the best solution! A lower tray makes sense; I need a better material for it.
What I want now is more control
I still like making coffee by hand. I don't want a machine that takes over the whole process for me.
What I would like is to set the temperature more precisely and play with how the pressure changes during a shot. The stock Gaggia doesn't give me that kind of control.
That's why I've been looking at GaggiMate and Gaggiuino. I want to be able to play with temperature and pressure profiles. I still need to figure out which kit has what I want and how to get it here in India.
I've been meaning to do this for a while! If I can get the control I want from the machine I already own, I'd be very happy to keep using it.
Would I buy it again today?
For Rs. 38Kish? Yes. I'm very happy with what I got for that money.
At Rs. 70K or more, I'd hesitate. You still need a grinder, and then there are the accessories. It stops feeling like a budget espresso setup quite quickly.
Looking at Indian listings on 21 October 2026, the prices vary quite a bit. Fix Coffee listed the Classic E24 at Rs. 74,999, while Caramelly had it displayed at Rs. 64,990. That's for the newer E24, not the version I bought in 2023.
At that price, I'd be tempted to look at some of the cheaper machines available in India now. Some look quite nice, and I'd want to see what features I could get for the money. I can't vouch for them the way I can for my Gaggia, but I'd definitely look before deciding.
I'd also want to know who would fix it if something went wrong. That matters when you're spending this much on a machine.
Am I happy I bought it?
Absolutely. My routine is built around this machine now. I've learned a lot on it, made plenty of coffee for myself and my guests, and I still enjoy using it.
I can vouch for the coffee it makes and how predictable it has become for me. The steam control needs fixing, and I'd love to add more control with an upgrade. But I'm still very happy with the machine.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but I'd want to know what you're paying for it. At what I paid, I think it was a great purchase. At today's higher prices, I'd compare a few more options first.
For now, I want to keep mine, look after it, and hopefully get that upgrade sorted!