I am so ready to buy this machine but for one problem. We like big lattes, and the cups we have are between 3.5 and 4" tall. I don't want to have to make the espresso in one cup or pitcher and then pour it into another cup. The specs on the machine say it only accommodates 3.5" cups (and that's bigger than some of the other Gaggias). Is this really a limitation, or can taller cups be slid in? Thanks!
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Hello,
I was wondering how you clean the filter in the water basket. I've tried using a q-tip but it doesn't remove all the build up.
Thanks!
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techkathy You can remove the filter from the water tank. Just pull it out. You can use some soap and water to get it completely clean. Then just push it back into place.
Miranda Moller Great, I'll try it out. Maybe I'm just not strong enough?! Thank you for the response.
Is there a way you can test the bar pressure? im just curious since the flow coming out sometimes doesnt seem as strong as it used to be, even if i dont pack the coffee too hard. i just descaled the machine about 2 weeks ago after roughly a years use, also clean the machine regularly run water through to keep the lines clean, and clean the shower disc every so many uses.
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mjackson ♦ Ferdinando,
I would say descale more often perhaps at least 4-5 times a year. I think you may also want to clean the group head more and the three way solenoid as well This should help -http://www.wholelattelove.com/videos.cfm?playvidID=545
Gaggia 3 way solenoid disassembly and cleaning instructions:
The solenoid is the black/blue cube (depending on year), part # 27 on the Classic, and part #21 on most Baby models.
You will want to do the following to remove:
1) Turn off and unplug the espresso machine. Make sure that it is cool before beginning the procedure.
2) Remove the top of the machine. Use the exploded diagram for references, as the setup will differ based on model/production date.
3) Locate the solenoid. It will be behind the boiler, slightly to the left if you are facing the front of the machine. It looks like a black or blue cube with a tube coming out of the top.
4) Remove the tubing (usually black in color) coming from the top of it by squeezing and sliding the small clamp up the tube. Remove the top nut that is now accessible on the top of the black cube.
5) Remove the wires, keeping track of which one goes on which post. You can use a marker to mark each one.
6) Now lift the solenoid cube straight up and out of the machine. You will now see a metal shaft exposed. Look underneath the metal shaft, and locate the 2 Allen bolts that hold the lower assembly onto the boiler. (The 2 o-rings, part 29 (Classic)/part 17 (Baby) are right behind the assembly you are removing – be careful not to lose these)
7) Remove the 2 bolts, and the entire shaft assembly. Once off of the machine, unscrew the brass nut located near the bottom of the metal shaft. This will release it from the lower assembly as seen above. Once this is apart you will see a spring wrapped piece of metal that has an internal spring of its own.
8) Press inwards on either end of the small metal piece, making sure the plastic caps on either end of the internal spring can be compressed a bit, and that they pop out afterwards.
9) Using a paperclip or other small device, clean the holes in the Upper shaft and lower assembly. There will be 4 holes, making 2 passageways, both of which should be clear. You can also use your espresso machine descaler to make sure that the metal parts are clean.
10) Lubricate the internal solenoid piece with food safe grease, and re-install with the narrower end pointing downwards. The narrower end will have a larger button in the center.
11) Re-install after cleaning and re-lubricating in reverse order.
Ferdinando DePierro Thanks for reply mjackson. i did some trouble shooting and came to the conclusion that it was the pressurized filter basket. i watched the videos on here on how to clean them, and a google search for other tips, but that was my problem. Tho not every little hole is back to perfect the pressure is back up to normal. I sometimes left coffee in the basket and i think over the year it ended up getting clogged. i know now to keep it clean.
Need help deciding between the Pasquini Livetta, Gaggia Baby Twin and Rancilio Silvia (outside choice at this point) . I have had a Gaggia Carezza and Gaggia MDF grinders for about 6 years now. I've been very happy with Gaggia but I am looking for a more consistent expresso. With MDF at 4 and a good tamper I still get only a thin layer of crema. Rancillo is just about out of the running after reading reviews of very slow warm up times and inconsistent temps. i am leaning towards the Pasquini, but trying to decide if the price difference is worth it.
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A A Kristen, You make valid points. The Silvia due to it's 12oz boiler does take longer than the Gaggia's or the Pasquini's to warm up. It excels in the sense that it has all commercial grade parts, but are packed into a really small form factor. The Baby Twin and the Livietta both have two thermoblock boilers, but the Livietta will allow you to brew and steam at the same time. With the Baby Twin, there is only one pump, so you can only do one at a time. There is still a few seconds between changing between functions. Aside from the dual boilers, the Carezza is very similar to the Baby Twin. I know picking a machine is incredibly confusing, but we are always here to help you out! If you have any more questions, by all means let us know.
My baby twin's steamer comes on for like 30 seconds and then all the lights started flashing and it seems it stopped producing steam and comes to a halt. Am I the only one with this issue?
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techkathy Yang,
Have you tried descaling the unit? When all the lights flash it means the unit is not passing water through the flow meter quickly enough. Make sure that the water tank is also seated properly.
Yang Moua This is brand new unit. I just received it like a week ago. It worked for a day and then the lights issue started happening.
David Mullins Apparently, they all do that. There is a video on here about it. http://www.wholelattelove.com/videos.cfm?playvidID=724
I finally purchased a Gaggia Baby Twin, after looking at them for almost a year! The machine is great (great espresso and strong steam pressure). However one of my biggest concerns was reviews stating that "the frothing mechanism has a 'bad smell' which gets infused into the milk when steaming." I asked the WLL sales rep about this before I purchased the baby twin and he assured me that this was an old problem that Gaggia has fixed in the newer machines. Well I must have gotten one of the old machines, where this problem was not fixed. Looking at the box for the machine confirms that this is a 2006 machine. the age is not a problem (because the machine is new), except for the smell (and resulting bad taste)
My machine creates an awful smell when frothing and causes the milk to taste terrible.
I have run about 15 tanks of water through the hot water/steam wand and the smell is still there. I have also run the "Urnex Cleancaf" solution through the wand (two full tanks) and the smell still remains.
Any ideas how to get the smell out???
Thank you
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techkathy Ashley - Any bad flavor or odor from the unit is not typical. If you have a chance, give us a call in tech support. We would like to swap out the unit for a new one.
Patrick Duvendeck I had the same issue. Swapped out baby twin once, same issue on 2nd then tech support exchanged for a Gaggia Classic which I am very happy with so far (only had 2 weeks) simple to operate, makes good shots. Though the double boiler would be much faster on the Baby Twin but with the Classic I have not had to wait the machine is waiting for me.
Ashley Kingon Thank you Kathy and Patrick.
I just got off the phone with Maggie (WLL tech support), who was extremely helpful. I am going to ship the original machine back and WLL will send me a new one. Ill give the new one a try and fingers crossed steam system will not smell like the old one!
I bought my brother a Classic a few months ago, which he is very happy with, so if the second Twin does not work for me, perhaps I will have to revert to an option similar to yours Patrick.
Thanks for the responses.
Me again, what is the difference between "foamed" milk and "steamed" milk? What I am getting out, as I read around, the difference between an Espresso, Americano and Cappucino, and am I am to make all three with this machine? Again, perhaps questions I should have called and asked about before making the purchase. Never said us Military Folk are the smartest people, ha ha ha.. This is what I get for not being a coffee drinker. Thank you again for your time!
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A A The difference between steamed milk and frothed milk is the texture. Frothed milk is the foam that is on top of drinks. Steamed milk is simply milk heated with the steam wand without inserting air into it. If you see milk drinks in a clear cup, you will see from bottom to top: Steamed milk, espresso, frothed milk. Espresso is 1-2.5 oz of coffee brewed at high pressure. Its a concentrated, rich version of coffee. As for Americano's, the story I love telling customers is that during WWII, the American GI's didn't like the strong flavor of the Espresso that was being served in Europe. So the Cafe Batista's would add hot water to the Espresso so that it would water down the flavor, making the drink more like coffee as it is generally known in the States. Cappuccino is a milk drink that is defined as being steamed milk, Espresso and frothed milk in equal parts. Your Gaggia Baby Twin is able to make all of those drinks. It's a great machine, and very versatile for home use.
cdnlager24 Thank you for your feedback!
A A Batista's was meant to be Barista's! Spell check strikes again...!
Sanfam ♦ The biggest difference is, as the name implies, that Foamed (or Frothed) milk has a layer of stable foamed or frothed milk on top of the liquid, while Steamed milk has simply been heated and stretched by having hot steam mixed into it--No significant foaming action will have taken place, leaving it basically a slightly thicker liquid.
I have a follow up question, to the below question I posted about the Gaggia Baby Twin and having a Grinder. My understanding is that depending on the type of "grind" meaning how thin or thick the consistency is grinded will determine the best results? So, what is purchased in the local grocery store whether already pre-ground or you dump your beans into a grinder at the grocery store and grind there, that will or will not work for this machine? Again, I am someone who does not drink coffee or Espresso's. I am sure my wife will be a lot more knowledgeable. I just am curious if it is truly necessary to purchase a grinder? If so, what Grinder would be best recommended with this machine? Secondly, my understanding is this only makes Espresso's and not an actual cup of coffee? Again, I am naive when it comes to this. I also have viewed the video several times and researched somewhat. They mentioned "Americano" I assume that is close to a cup of coffee? Thank you for your time and I apologize for the silly questions! Finally, do you offer Military Discounts; I am stationed in Germany in the US Army. I did call to ask if this machine is dual voltage, which it is not, I assume it should not be an issue plugging it into a transformer. We do that for many of our other appliances etc.
Thank you again.
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mjackson ♦ First, Thanks for all you do for our Country. The Gaggia Machines come with two brewing systems. A normal or non pressurized basket for your portafilter. That basket requires a proper grind. Your grind truly controls the quality of your shot. Read this article - http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/the_golden_rule.cfm or this one to get a better understanding - http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/troubleshooting_espresso_routine.cfm. Then you would want to get a grinder like the Gaggia MDF, as it is a true espresso grinder meant to grind fine enough for espresso. It has more range on the fine side of grind compared to a grinder that costs less. You may be able to indeed get a fine grind from a grocery store but it will take a lot of experimenting to see what grind setting will work best with those types of grinders and to still be able to brew according to the Golden Rule article. The machine also comes with a pressurized basket see here - http://www.wholelattelove.com/videos.cfm?playvidID=345. This allows the machine to get the correct pressure to brew espresso no matter what kind of grind. Or if you want to grind fresh you can get away with a lesser grinder and still get a pretty good product. Say a grinder like this - http://www.wholelattelove.com/JuraCapresso/infinityburr.cfm. An americano is espresso added o water to make more of a cup of coffee like drink. I hope this helps and thanks again.
I am not a coffee drinker or a Expresso drinker, I just ordered the Gaggia Baby Twin for my wife for Christmas, who is! We do not have a coffee grinder, we purchase coffee at the Grocery store. How important, and/or what is the difference when buying your own beans and grinding vs what we get at the Grocery Store. Is it imparative to have our own Grinder? Thank you for your help.
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A A Charles, Grinders are often the unsung hero when it comes to an Espresso setup. The grinds will make or break your shot. With the Gaggia Baby Twin comes a pressurized filter basket that will negate the need for an exact grind and proper tamping, giving you a "good" shot consistently. If you really want to get the best out of your Espresso machine, having a grinder in your home is indispensable. They allow you to adjust a critical part of the process to get the best possible coffee out of your machine. Happy brewing! Half of the fun is playing with different variables to find a process that gets your the shot you love to drink!
I am interested in the Gaggia Baby Twin. We like espressos, but in the morning we prefer a regular long coffee (8 oz coffee plus 2 oz of milk). Can the Gaggia Baby Twin be used for brewing a cup of 8 oz of coffee?
Thanks for your assistance.
John K
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mjackson ♦ John,
It is best suited for making espresso. You can use it to make an americano which is espresso and hot water. It is an easy quick way to make a coffee. You can get hot water out of the machine easily. So yes you could make the coffee pretty easily.
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techkathy Tom - You can tip a cup and slid it under the coffee spouts. The steam wand is on a ball joint so its easier to fit a taller cup underneath. You can also remove the spouts. They are threaded to the body of the portafilter.
05-09-2013 11:12am |