Gaggia Accademia (Pre 2022): Bad Flavor or Puck Problems

by Whole Latte Love 2 min read Updated: May 29, 2025

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Learn what to do if your Gaggia Accademia is suddenly brewing bad tasting shots or the pucks in the dump box are messier or less consistent than previously. Flavor issues will generally have more to do with the coffee, the settings, or some cleaning that needs to be done. It also may have to do with how the beverage is being brewed. If you're trying to make a coffee, and the flavor is too weak, it may just mean you need to brew multiple cycles to get a stronger flavor. Each brewed beverage will just use 1 shot of espresso which is generally not going to be enough for a good coffee flavor in a larger beverage. The rest of the volume selected in the settings will be hot water. So for example, if you want 6 oz of coffee, instead of doing one brew for 6 oz you can do 2 brews of 3 oz each. If adjusting the settings, weekly maintenance, and scheduled maintenance have not resolved the issue, there are some steps to help improve the flavor and strength of your brewed espresso.