Home baristas looking to brew good espresso on a budget just got something to celebrate: the all-new Gaggia Espresso Evolution.
Fresh off the manufacturing floor in Milan, this impressive manual espresso machine comes packed with all the features you need to pull high quality espresso shots consistently—and with a price tag just under $250, it is without a doubt the best-value home espresso machine at its price point.
As with every Gaggia machine we sell, the Espresso Evolution is 100% made in Italy and crafted with the kind of thoughtful design that made their brand legendary.
Stick around for a complete breakdown of all the features Gaggia packed into this impressively compact machine, as well as a quick discussion of what type of home barista is best suited to get the most out of it.
Not the Classic Evo Pro
At first glance, one might be forgiven for assuming this was the next update to Gaggia’s Classic Evo Pro.
It isn’t.
Whereas the Evo Pro is designed to be an excellent first-step into the world of brewing professional-grade espresso at home for those interested in learning and honing real-life barista skills, the Espresso Evolution is designed to streamline the process of espresso brewing as much as possible.
It’s smaller, more affordable, and simpler to use than the Evo Pro. Its 53mm pressurized filter baskets aren’t commercially sized like the Evo Pro’s, and the pannarello-style steam wand does a lot of the work for you when it comes to milk frothing.
So, this is a coffee machine for folks who want to have access to excellent espresso at home easily without much fuss. It does everything you want it to: produce cafe-quality espresso drinks easily.
Feature Callouts
Convenient, Versatile Brewing
With the Gaggia Espresso Evolution, you can brew espresso the way you want to—conveniently. It comes with two different stainless steel, double-walled filter baskets that can be used with home- or pre-ground coffee beans (as long as it’s finely ground coffee) as well as with coffee pods.
Thanks to its thermoblock boiler, the machine also heats up in under 5 minutes, so it’ll be ready to brew when you need it—the perfect perk for anyone with a busy morning.
PID Temperature Control
Many entry-level quick-heat-up espresso machines sacrifice temperature stability in the name of efficiency. Not so with the Espresso Evolution.
The Espresso Evolution uses a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) system to stabilize its preset temperature, so it offers remarkably consistent brewing for a machine at its price point. It’s a great starting point if you want consistently good espresso and aren’t quite ready to spend the time manually adjusting temperatures yourself (like you can on many professional-grade machines).
Automatic Pre-Infusion
Another adaptation of professional-grade brewing in the Espresso Evolution is its automatic pre-infusion feature. When you run a brewing cycle, the machine automatically soaks your puck with hot water before beginning the brewing process.
The result is a more thorough extraction of your coffee for full Italian espresso flavors and a higher-quality cup of coffee.
Many prosumer machines have the option for flow control, which allows you to manually adjust the flow rate so you can pre-infuse your coffee in this way. The Espresso Evolution allows you to achieve generally the same effect without the need to get your flow rate timing just right—it simply does it for you.
Programmable Brewing
The memo function on the Espresso Evolution allows you to set predetermined brew times. So, once you’ve dialed in, you don’t have to worry about timing your shots.
This makes producing consistently good shots of espresso achievable even if you’re still building up your barista experience.
Pannarello Steam Wand
Speaking of working on barista skills, the Panarello-style steam wand makes milk frothing a breeze. All you need to do is submerge the wand in your pitcher and you’ll be frothing milk like a pro in no time.
Because of the thermoblock boiler, there’s no lead time when switching between brewing and steaming, so you won’t have to interrupt your workflow when making yourself a latte or cappuccino in the morning.
Compact Frame
For a machine so packed with features, the Gaggia Espresso Evolution impressively petite. At just 7.8” wide, 11.9” high, and 10” deep, this is one of the smallest home espresso machines available, making it a perfect option for anyone for whom counter space is at a premium.
Discover the Espresso Evolution
Not sure if the Gaggia Espresso Evolution is right for you? We can help. Schedule a Coffee Cast and one of our in-house experts will walk you through a full product demonstration of this wonderful little machine (or any other product we sell, for that matter). They’ll help you envision how it would fit into your daily routine and help you make the best choice for brewing coffee in YOUR home. The best part? It’s 100% free.
FAQ
Are Gaggia Espresso Machines Any Good?
Gaggia makes some of the most affordable espresso machines available without sacrificing on build or brewing quality. Most of their machines are made in Italy from commercial-grade parts and are built to last if well taken care of. They’re not Ferraris, but they are Toyotas: highly functional, affordable, and unbelievably reliable.
Is Gaggia Still Made in Italy?
Most of Gaggia’s espresso machines are still manufactured at their plant in Milan, Italy. While they have outsourced production of a few of their machines to other countries, every machine we sell of theirs is 100% made in Italy.
How Long Do Gaggia Machines Last?
Assuming you take good care of them and replace wear-and-tear parts as necessary, a Gaggia espresso machine will basically last as long as you want it to.
