Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine

I received this machine yesterday and I am completely in love with it! The set up was quite easy, once I managed to lift the thing onto my counter. My only complaint was the lack of specificity in determining water hardness. I have been experimenting with drinks of all kinds, but I cannot describe how beautiful the mug of caffe lungo with a fabulous head of crema was this morning. My 16 year old son has had two cappucinos so far today and is raving about the lovely foam on the milk. I hemmed and hawed about making such an investment, but I'm so glad that I did. As an fyi, I have standard upper cabinets and I could not open the water or bean containers fully. I bought a small piece of felt and placed the machine on that to make it easy to slide in and out when I need to refill one or the other (and, believe me, I've been doing some refilling!) . It's working great, so far.

I have been using Jura for several years. My last super automatic was an S9 Impressa Advantgarde. I had over 8,000 cups with it, but was getting frustrated with the brew group clogging. After a lot of research and talking with the staff here, I decided to give the Gaggia a shot. I am very happy. I agree with the prior critiques. The only real issue (albeit minor) is that you have to empty the drip tray pretty often (once every other day as opposed to once a week with the Jura) and the automatic frother doesn't make the milk as hot as I would like (about the same with the Jura). My first cup was a disappointment, as was my second. I thought I had made a terrible mistake, until I realized that I had not taken advantage of all the customizing that this machine allows. The dial on the front will allow you to determine the strength of your cup as it brews. Wow. I like a very strong cup, and now my Mom will be able to have her weak coffee when she visits without me having to take drastic measures. Awesome! I am still fiddeling with the customizing buttons to suit my every preference depending on each occasion. This will take a while because I can make six different customized drinks (3 with and 3 without milk). This is much better than my S9. Also, the automatic frother is superior and easier to operate and (especially) clean than the Jura...by far. Further, you can do it yourself if you want, which is not available with the Jura. If you plan on making numerous cups of coffee (without milk) in a day, the Jura's large drip tray may carry the day. However, if you don't mind dumping the drip tray after a half dozen cups or so, then Gaggia is the way to go.

Gave this as a 40th Birthday gift, and boy was it a hit. I might as well have just been honest and given it to myself, because I was as excited to use it. It performs flawlessly, couldn't be easier to use, and looks great on the counter. It is an expensive machine to be sure, but I feel I got what I paid for. The build quality is great, lots of metal, and it is quite a bit quieter than the Gaggia machine it relpaced (that machine lasted for almost 10 years and thousands of cups, and still works in fact). The milk system couldn't be easier and the auto-cleaning works great. I agree with some other reviewers that the milk could be a bit hotter but it hasn't been a big issue. It can't hold all that much wastewater or used grounds, but the smaller reservoirs keep the machine size compact. I couldn't recommend this machine more, and am very happy I bought it from WLL. One tip: I was concerned because the overall height of the machine with the top doors open exceeds the space between my countertop and my upper cabinets. However, a felt furniture "slider" cup on each foot of the machine enables me to effortlessly slide the machine out far enough on my counter to clear the upper cabinets, and then when the beans or water are filled, the machine slides right back into place, so it is no problem whatsover.

In most respects, this is an excellent super automatic. It looks great. It makes very good espresso. It is easy to use. The milk system is designed to be simple, self-cleaning, and very convenient ... with one caveat described below. It is highly customizable. Aside from the high price, it is a top notch machine. However, it has one flaw, which some may find fatal. It simply cannot produce hot milk drinks. Milk is dispensed at just 120d F. WLL tells me this is the result of the milk system design; milk does not come in contact with the steam long enough to heat up sufficiently. It is _not_ an adjustable parameter. The steam from the steam wand is sufficiently hot, so the problem isn't the boiler temperature. Because the steam works so well, it is simple to steam a drink to the proper temperature. However, this makes the system much less automatic than the term "Super Automatic" suggests. It adds a manual step, 30-60 seconds, and wand cleaning to what should be a one-step process. In all other respects, the system is excellent.

Lets get past the price first….It is a really expensive machine…No doubt about it..With that said,it is worth every penny. The machine works like a charm, the coffee is first rate, the grinds are smooth and made in a very quiet manner unlike my prior GAGGIA machine. As a very nice bonus, the machine cleans itself after each use which is a nice treat for those of us with kids who don't ever clean up after themselves.. All in all,, tremendous machine, swallow hard on the price and then thoroughly enjoy the coffee…..If you time it right you can find the machine on sale here at WHOLE LATTE LOVE….

Great machine, looks beautiful, feels like a tank, and makes delicious espresso and milk based drinks. My favorite is the Latte Machiatto, press one button, and you have a beautiful, delicious drink at just the right temperature. Self cleaning milk carafe is an indispensable feature, makes the morning Latte a piece of cake to make just when you need it to be, before the caffeine! I find the looks, programability, and quality of the drinks far superior to my Jura ENA9, which is also a very nice machine, but in a whole different league in my opinion. Of course it's also almost $1,000 less expensive as well...Can't go wrong with this one, buy and enjoy!

We've had the machine for less than a week now, but our family has been exploring it depth and so far, after about 50 drinks ( that pace will subside when the novelty wears off), we're very happy. It's really well made: sturdy, thoughtfully designed and good looking. Italian engineering at its finest (think Ferrari, not Fiat). Haven't quite gotten the exact proporation of espresso to milk right yet on a reliable basis, but I'm confident that will come. Easy to clean. I've read some reviews where the drinks are not hot enough, but they're fine for us, even the ones with a lot of milk. Not scalding, but definitely hot. Water container could be bigger, so it needs to be refilled fairly often, but it's simple. All in All, a solid "A" so far (as it should be for the price). Conclusion: This is a great machine for someone who loves espresso or lattes, and knows a good one from a bad one, but doesn't want to become an expert barista (too much time, equipment and mess for our family of six.) If you can cede control over most of the process, you get a really good espresso drink of your choice. I'll write in again after a month or two to see if we're still as happy as we are now.

Solid machine with lots of advanced features. Brews excellent drinks and very easy to use. However there are several key design flaws that you should be aware of before purchasing or you may be disappointed. 1 - if you like your Latte drinks really hot you will need to use the manual frother. The automatic function does not get the milk very hot a all 2 - You will need to change the drip trays (there are 2 of them) very often - every 4 or 5 drinks. The drip trays are too small and the machine produces a lot on waste water which also causes you to refill the water tank too often. The water tank should also be larger. Helpful if the machine is near a sink or you will have a mess. To me these issues are a major flaw and the primary reason i rated the machine a 3. 3 - Using the bypass chute to insert pre-ground coffee creates a mess on the brew group and spills coffee ground all over the inside of the machine. It apparently is not aligned and coffee misses the chute. If you don't use the bypass this should not bother you.

I’ve been a Jura fan for many years and still think that overall they make a great product. I got a bit tired of sending in my machine every couple of years to be cleaned and tuned. One of things that attracted me to the Gaggia Accademia was the fact that it is one-touch like my Z5 but also has a removable brew group. I’m hoping that this will prevent me from having to send my machine in as much. From all I’ve read a lot of problems with the performance of a fully automatic espresso machine is caused in the brew group. Theoretically being able to remove the brew group and clean it should help prevent problems due to coffee build up. I’ve only had the machine less then a year, but I’ve haven’t had any problems yet, so the jury is still out. As a side note, although I love the one touch system, I have enjoyed being able to froth my milk manually from time to time which was a feature that my Jura machines didn’t offer. So far so good.

Quality of espresso – A++, ease of use A+++, look and design A++. What else can I say! I’ve had the machine 3 months and consider it part of my family? Love it!!

What can I say about this machine. It is an amazing feat of engineering. This is my second super automatic machine. This being the first with the integrated one touch milk system. I absolutely enjoy the one touch feature. The ease of making a variety of different beverages for myself and my guests when entertaining. I highly recommend this machine if you enjoy a great cup and entertaining friends.

I purchased two of these machines(Acadamia) , one for home and one for the office. I couldn't be happier. My staff has really picked up the pace with the extra energy they posses now, and I am not losing them twice a day while they run to Starbucks. Office morale is way up. Having this at home is great also. Makes getting out of bed much easier. Have had no problems with the machine, and it makes great coffee. The milk system is fantastic and carefree.

This is my 1st Super Automatic and I love it! I was doing research on other Automatics and decided on the Gaggia Accademia and couldn't be happier. It makes great coffee, lattes and cappuccino, froths milk perfect and I love the Milk Management System with a detachable carafe. It is very easy to maintain and it's built like a safe. The only con would be like any other Super Automatic, the coffee could be hotter, but it's not that bad.

After many years of owning multiple machines this will be my 5th machine and my 2nd super automatic. To say that I am pleased with my machine would be an understatement. This truly is a one touch machine. On the front of the machine you have several beverage options.Each beverage is programmable. You can adjust the volume, the temperature, and the strength. With milk based drinks you can adjust the temperature, the volume, and the amount of froth. Personalizing the drinks is easy to do with the large color LCD display screen prompting you through every step. This allows you to adjust each drink for your personal preference. The ease of use is great. The water reservoir is located on the top left side of the machine while the bean hopper is located on the right. In between you have the cup warmer and the bypass doser which allows you to use preground decaf while your bean hopper is full with caffeinated beans. The brew group is removable so it is easy to clean, along with the drip tray and the dump box. Gaggia has produced a great machine that is simple to use and performs well. It produces a great shot of espresso with perfect crema.

This is the perfect machine for my small home office, especially for the WOW factor when I prepare lattes for my clients and contractors for meetings. The milk attachment so much better than I could have possibly imagined. Extremely intuitive machine when it comes to programming. Gaggia makes a beautiful and solid product.

I can meet all the hot beverage needs of my family with this machine. It's great to have the ability to use my large travel mug to brew on the go. Love the ease at which I can make Lattes or get hot water for tea.

I have been researching espresso machines for some time. We wanted a machine that could make cappuccinos and lattes like we were getting at the local coffee shop. I was excited to see this machine and all the programming that it had. The ability to make 7 different programmed drinks is what sold me. I was also impressed with the look of the machine. We have had the machine for a couple of months now and can't imagine living without it. I am able to make the perfect latte every morning by a simple touch of one button. The machine is so easy to use and everyone is enjoying it. The cleanup is so easy. The milk container even has a automatic rinse and cleaning cycle. Bottom line, great espresso easy to use and no mess, I'm a huge fan.

Just upgraded from a Delonghi 3500 and I could not be happier. The Accademia has a great front panel which allows for easy brewing. There are several drink options which will allow you to choose between espresso, cafe, cafe lungo, cappuccino, latte macchiato, and latte. You can go into each drink settings and adjust temperature, volume, and strength. The milk container is easy to use and you can place back in the fridge after you have made your drink. Overall the machine is very easy to use and has many programing options which allows for many varieties. The milk froth for my cappuccino's is perfect!

About the Gaggia Academia: I have been using Gaggia Titanium machines at home and in the office for several years, owning 5 of them! I recently bought an Academia & I love it for cappuccino! Milk pitcher pops in and out of frig to keep fresh, & Academia cleans the milk jets each time you make a cup, eliminating the manual process of cleaning which takes time with Titanium, so made me drink cappuccino less. Tradeoff: Academia's smaller water container means filling more often than Titanium, but that is an acceptable tradeoff in exchange for obtaining superb and easy cappuccino! With the larger water tank on the Titanium, and considering Academia's heftier price (3x compared to Titanium), the Titanium is still best for the office crowd -- they tend to drink it black anyway, so Academia is sort of "pearls before swine" in that case. BUT, it you are a cappuccino lover, splurge on the Academia for yourself, and you will never regret it!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

ease of automatic cleaning of the milk frothing unit and ease of using milk/cream pitcher to put in and out of frig to keep fresh and have it instantaneously ready for frothing.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

part of the fun of coffee is experimenting with many different whole beans from many places and different roasts

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

water tank is a bit small, but this is a tradeoff I can live with

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Gaggia Titanium