Choosing Gaggia Classic in 2024 – Introduction

Gaggia Classic Pro is still the best machine in 2024, especially with Gaggiuino installed. I would just buy an used unit. Those machine are very easy to self-service, they are sturdy to the test of time and it’s one of the reasons they are so popular. And Gaggiuino mod makes it the best machine on the market.

What I did

I started on Gaggia Classic Evo Pro (RI9481). After experiencing flaking I was lucky that my retailer still had non-Evo 2022 model (RI9480) on stock.

Should I install Gaggiuino on Rancillo or other machine?

I would go for Rancillo with Gaggiuino only if you already own the Rancillo machine. Gaggiuino works the best on Gaggia machines. A lot of fine tuning went to make it work especially well on Gaggia machines – e.g. adjustments based on careful measurements of exact GCP pump model operation – https://github.com/Zer0-bit/gaggiuino/blob/release/stm32-blackpill/src/peripherals/pump.cpp#L14 .

Install on Rancillo is going to be harder. It is not officially supported in docs, so you would have to do figuring out like “ok, this pin here is probably equivalent”.

What I would do if I would buy an Espresso machine again?

Some people suggest skipping Gaggias due to boilergate. If I had to buy another machine I would go for an used Gaggia and IMO it’s a perfect solution. If you are wondering which machine to buy and you are just looking at Gaggiuino compatibility chart, let me clear a few things that were confusing to me.

Model ID in the compatibility chart ( https://gaggiuino.github.io/#/?id=compatibility ) refers to what you see on the label on the bottom of the machine:

EVO refers to models released in 2023 – SIN035R RI9380 and SIN035UR RI9481. Those have issues with boilers flaking – https://coffeeblog.co.uk/boilergate-gaggia-classic-pro-evo-boiler-problems/ . It’s debatable how widespread or dangerous it is, but for safety of mind just skip those, unless you want to spend weeks circle-jerking on https://reddit.com/r/gaggiaclassic like I did.

ECO refers to automatic switch-off machines. It’s mostly dictated by region and regulations, so almost all USA machines are non-ECO, almost all EU machines are ECO. ECO makes the setup harder.

Gaggia Classic vs Gaggia Classic Pro – just distinguish it by the switches at the front. “Pro” looks like mine. “Not Pro” will have switches like this:

So the process for buying the new machine I would suggest:

• Look for people selling GCP or GC locally in driveable distance. At least I have a lot of those in my area.
• Condition/price ratio is a lot more important than which exactly model it is. Only avoid EVOs and SIN035U RI9403 (the only Gaggia Classic not compatible with Gaggiuino). Install on GC is reportedly easier, but steam wand is worse – but if you mod GC steam wand you will end up with a better one than the GCP.
• Drive there and inspect the unit if it’s in a good state and works. You can watch some Whole Latte Love videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kigi1ggnTJ0 for things to look out for.
• As you will be anyway disassembling the machine for Gaggiuino give it a deep clean like in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9i-EH7qXOc

“But due to boilergate I learned that aluminium boilers are bad!” – aluminium has it advantages – quick heating. Amounts ingested via coffee are significantly lower than a Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI ) of 1 milligram of aluminium per kilogram of body weight established by EFSA ( https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/efsa-advises-safety-aluminium-food ):

With proper maintenance (e.g. proper water and descaling) boiler will be good for 5-10 years. And it’s just $40 to source a replacement boiler and it can be replaced in 15 minutes. And by 5 years from now Gaggia may finally figure out the coating.

Why Gaggiuino is the best?

You probably wouldn’t be here if you didn’t watch Lance’s video, but in case you didn’t: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4pTFCGVlmQ

To summarize:

• If you want to make not-bad espresso you need to deal with massive temperature swings on Gaggia – bare minimum is temp surfing or adding a PID. The cheapest good option with PID pre-installed is Profitec GO for $1000 – much more that total for Gaggia Classic (Pro) with Gaggiuino installed.
• Machine with PID doesn’t allow you to do precise pressure and flow profiling that Gaggiuino does. Pressure profiling on Gaggiuino is comparable only to Decent for $3000. Pressure profiling makes any coffee better, but if it’s especially important for lighter roasts.
• The Gaggiuino DreamSteam elevates Gaggia’s steam power to a new level, easily surpassing competitors in the $1000 and under category. It pumps additional water during moments of low steam pressure to ensure consistent performance. The excellence of its steaming function cannot be overstated. Having used a $10K professional machine at a co-working space (popular IT perk nowadays xD), I can confidently say that the Gaggiuino’s steaming performance is comparably outstanding, putting it in the same league as much pricier professional equipment.