The Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine is a super-automatic espresso machine that hails from behind the badge of a highly reputable brand in the coffee industry. This very popular, high-end Gaggia espresso machine promises to swiftly deliver excellent espresso shots, other coffee drinks, and more at just a quick touch of the button, which has us quite intrigued! When it comes to coffee, that really is most people’s dream – to have a great cup of coffee, cappuccino, or espresso latte without all the utmost effort in the comfort of their home. So how does the Gaggia Accademia stack up with others?
Gaggia Accademia Review
Given the popularity and high standards of the Gaggia brand, naturally, we have some high expectations for this unit. Moreover, super automatics tend to be more expensive than other types of espresso machines due to their enhanced automating features, so we hope this unit is true as special as its makers advertise and not to mention, worth investing that much money.
We quickly learned that this machine and it’s outstanding design certain captivated us and earned some respect right out the gate. It has pre-programmed settings to quickly make drinks that can be made with just a push of a button; espresso, Caffe lungo, cappuccino, latte, latte macchiato, and also hot water for soups or any other ready to eat meals that need hot water. Versatility built-in with craftsmanship in an automated coffee making marvel, but is the Gaggia Accademia the right espresso machine worthy of gracing your kitchen counter space?
We have put the Gaggia Accademia to the test, and here are the results of our findings:
Features And Specifications
- Stainless steel body
- 15 bar pump pressure
- Digital display
- Adjustable telescopic coffee dispenser to accommodate a wide range of cups
- One-touch selection from any of 7 pre-programmed coffee beverage options
- Programmable Coffee Quantity from 7 to 10 cups
- Double boiler for simultaneous espresso pulling and the milk frothing to instantly produce milk-based coffee drinks
- Ceramic burr grinder that can be adjusted from coarse to fine
- Burr Grinder with Integrated Bean Hopper and Double Lid to prevent the escape of aroma
- Built-in container for coffee grounds that is removable from rear
- Integrated cup warmer for pre-warming your espresso cup
- Adjustable espresso length
- 1.6-liter water reservoir
- Steaming wand that doubles as a hot water dispenser
- Automatic cleaning and descaling
- Removable brewing group for easy maintenance
- Energy-saving automatic standby feature
- Dimensions: 15.2 x 11 x 16.8 inches
- Weight: 45 pounds
Pros
- It’s a beautifully crafted machine that is sturdy and durable. While opening the box, you can immediately see that a lot of quality effort was put into creating this machine.
- Easy to use in an understatement! Simply push a button and it will deliver fantastic coffee. It’s that easy! This machine requires absolutely no skill or know-how for you to get high-quality coffee beverages from this machine. Also, it will produce rich, flavorful espresso with thick tasty crema on top.
- It has many coffee beverage options and gives you a lot of control over how you’d like to have your coffee. Espresso, cappuccino, latte, americano, or simply a nice dark brew, this machine can do it all! It is easy to adjust the settings cup-by-cup to achieve whatever coffee beverage you desire. The machine can also memorize your preferences.
- Cleaning takes little to no effort since this machine has a self-cleaning function that will flush and descale itself whenever needed. The drip tray and brew units are easily removable for when you have to wash them.
- You won’t have to spend additional money on add-ons such as a tamper, grinder, or water filter because this machine already has all those functions built-in. Most notable is the high-quality ceramic burr grinder that it ships with. You can also use pre-ground coffee with this also if that is your preference.
- The auto-frother delivers smooth silky microfoam and instantly combines it with an espresso shot to make your cappuccinos, lattes, and such. You can also use the steam wand to manually steam your milk if that is your preference.
- The sleek digital display makes it easy to choose how you’d like to have your coffee. This is an admirable modern touch.
- It can accommodate various sizes of cups and glasses. From tiny espresso cups to large coffee mugs or your travel canister. This is a refreshing change from many other coffee machines that only have space for a very small cup.
- It heats up quickly, so you won’t have long to wait before it starts churning out awesome coffee!
Cons
- It is very expensive, with a price tag of around $1600, depending on the vendor. That is expected since super automatics are usually very pricey.
- The milk coming from the auto frother is not piping hot as it should be. To get super hot milk, you’d have to manually heat it using the steam wand or microwave. This inconvenience is not expected of such a pricey unit, but still, it’s not alone as many units in this category share this same downside.
- The interior drip tray is quite small. It fills up very quickly, sometimes after making only 3 rounds of coffee. You will find that you have to remove and empty it often.
- The catchment for the coffee residue is also too small. You’ll have to dump the grounds quite frequently too.
- The water reservoir is not really very big. You may find yourself having to refill it more often than you’d like.
- Adjustable telescopic coffee dispenser with a maximum height...
- Milk carafe capacity 0,6 L.Ceramic burr grinder with...
- Integrated coffee grounds container, removable from the...
- Programmable coffee quantity - from 7 to 10-cup
Rating
We rate the Gaggia Accademia Espresso machine an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars! It only lost 0.5 points mainly because of the issue with the auto frother giving warm, rather than hot milk, otherwise, we would have given it a perfect rating!
You may also want to consider looking for other amazing products from the same brand, such as the Gaggia Classic and Gaggia Titanium, which are a bit more cost-friendly and also produce equally great results just with fewer features than the Accademia.
Conclusion
The Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine is sleek in design, super easy to use, and consistent in producing many excellent coffee beverages with just the push of a button. The versatility, coupled with its design, one-touch button, automated operation, and overall convenience certainly makes it understandable what all the buzz is about. Obviously, we have mixed feelings when it comes to value in contrast to other units available on the market in terms of features vs. price, however, we feel that after thorough testing and use, this might be a worthwhile investment after all, and here’s why…
The price of the Accademia by Gaggia might seem to be on the higher side, but it makes up for that by consistently delivering high-quality drinks at the touch of a button. Moreover, the pre-programmed specialty drinks were never so easy to make by a basic espresso maker until this unit came long and showed them what a true super-automatic espresso machine can do. This makes it all worth the investment.
It does have one minor weak point which we have seen in most in the category; with the milk being warm rather than hot which is almost a bug even in the best super-automatic espresso machine, but otherwise, this machine makes excellent coffee drinks for you, your family and friends.
In our professional opinion, the Gaggia Accademia totally lives up to its reputation as an easy-to-use espresso machine that will deliver fantastic espresso in a short time. We recommend this machine unreservedly and do hope you invite us over for a cup when you get one of your own!
So, do you plan on purchasing a Gaggia Accademia coffee machine? Or are you a long-time owner? Share your experience with this impressive device and leave your comments below. We love to hear from you!
