Gaggia Carezza

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great tasting espresso and cappuccinos, gets warmed up fast.

Cons: Messy if you forget to turn off the steam switch before removing the portafilter.

The Bottom Line: 
A good espresso machine for someone looking to buy an entry level pump machine.

Author's Review
The Gaggia Carezza is a very good espresso and latte machine. I had an old non pump espresso machine that I never used that I replaced with this machine. And thank goodness I did! This thing makes cappuccinos like Starbucks! And I'm a beginner, once I get this thing totally figured out, I'll be making better coffee than Starbucks. Already I make very nice foam that rivals the best of the coffee shops and that didn't take too much practice with the frother that comes with the Gaggia. A lot of people have complained about the noise, but since this is the first pump machine I've ever owned, I don't have anything to compare it to and it doesn't seem unreasonably loud. It is messy, but then again I don't have anything to compare it to, I have a feeling that any espresso machine is going to be messy. The only time it's really bad as far as being messy is when I forget to turn off the steam switch before cleaning the portafilter out. When I removed the portafilter a puff of steam blew the grounds out all over the place. I don't think I'll be doing that again... Anyway, I use this machine almost daily, I've had it for a month or two and haven't had any real issues with it. I do use a bowl to flush it into because the overflow tray really is kind of small and wouldn't hold much, that much I agree with the other reviewers.