Hi everyone,
I signed up to CS 4 weeks ago and have been lurking as well as reading everything on the site and familiarising myself with the various buzzwords! You guys are serious about coffee! Anyway, as a first foray into espresso making, I bought a very slightly used Gaggia Coffee Deluxe off ebay and pulled my first few shots today. Is this machine much different to the Classic which is recommended as a good strating machine? The Deluxe was really cheap to buy on ebay so I got it due to budget constraints. Once I get the coffee bug, I will probably invest in a better machine but a good Grinder is next on the Buy list. As the machine has not been used for awhile, I descaled it first ( bi-cab and vinegar mix, as I couldnt find any descaling soultion at the shopping centre today) and ran it for several fills until i was certain that the water was clean. As I dont have a grinder yet, I used some supermarket pre-ground stuff as a test bed for making espresso. No crema as described by CSers!
The portafiller appears to be non-pressurised and is 58mm (like Classic). The tamper is a bit of plastic which will have to go - Pullman Tamper?
How much coffee do I put in the double basket and once tamped down, where should the level be from the top edge of the PF? The puck varies in moistness, no channeling Should it be dry after the shot. OK, its supermarket coffee so I shouldnt ex[ect too much until I buy some fresh stuff. Instead of the "milk frother" doodad that sucks milk out of the container, I have got a stainless steel 600ml jug with the spout protruding in the right place LOL (according to description in the site). It seems to make good foam...first time I opened the steam valve too close to the surface of the milk and I got a milk bath, but second time around I made sure that it was under the surface and released the steam gradually. What type of gurgling sounds should I hear to tell me I am on the right track?
anyway, enough of my rambling bu I am glad I got the machine as it will allow me to learn on it until I get the hang of making good espressos.
I signed up to CS 4 weeks ago and have been lurking as well as reading everything on the site and familiarising myself with the various buzzwords! You guys are serious about coffee! Anyway, as a first foray into espresso making, I bought a very slightly used Gaggia Coffee Deluxe off ebay and pulled my first few shots today. Is this machine much different to the Classic which is recommended as a good strating machine? The Deluxe was really cheap to buy on ebay so I got it due to budget constraints. Once I get the coffee bug, I will probably invest in a better machine but a good Grinder is next on the Buy list. As the machine has not been used for awhile, I descaled it first ( bi-cab and vinegar mix, as I couldnt find any descaling soultion at the shopping centre today) and ran it for several fills until i was certain that the water was clean. As I dont have a grinder yet, I used some supermarket pre-ground stuff as a test bed for making espresso. No crema as described by CSers!
The portafiller appears to be non-pressurised and is 58mm (like Classic). The tamper is a bit of plastic which will have to go - Pullman Tamper?
How much coffee do I put in the double basket and once tamped down, where should the level be from the top edge of the PF? The puck varies in moistness, no channeling Should it be dry after the shot. OK, its supermarket coffee so I shouldnt ex[ect too much until I buy some fresh stuff. Instead of the "milk frother" doodad that sucks milk out of the container, I have got a stainless steel 600ml jug with the spout protruding in the right place LOL (according to description in the site). It seems to make good foam...first time I opened the steam valve too close to the surface of the milk and I got a milk bath, but second time around I made sure that it was under the surface and released the steam gradually. What type of gurgling sounds should I hear to tell me I am on the right track?
anyway, enough of my rambling bu I am glad I got the machine as it will allow me to learn on it until I get the hang of making good espressos.

Its when hot water, steam and coffee sprays everywhere because the excess pressure on top of the coffee puck hasnt been let off (through a 3 way valve)..in this case I believe your machine is missing a 3 way valve (which is one of the major spec differences between your machine and the Gaggia Classic), in which case, you just have to give it a bit of time for it release the pressure by itself.
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