This machine replaces a semiautomatic Delonghi, which, I thought, was decent. Well...after using this for 3 weeks, I can honestly say that my old machine was barely competent. The Titanium is a wonderful machine. Not only is the espresso excellent but the panerella wand makes awesome froth and the thing looks great. It's fully programable and, once set, it's just a matter of pushing a button to brew a delicious espresso every time! It warms up in UNDER A MINUTE, has a large bean hopper, large water resevior, very cool blue lcd display...i can't rave enough. I've had no problems at all with this machine and I recommend it heartily.
I ordered the Titanium during my Amazon Prime trial, so it was shipped overnight for just a few dollars and arrived on a Monday. We had house guests at the time and while one didn't drink coffee, the other considered himself a hard-core coffee purist (he even has a roaster at home and buys his beans green). I noticed right away that the machine was packed well, which is always a good sign. I had the machine out of the box, read through the directions, and started brewing coffee in about 15 minutes. Wow. This was easily the best coffee I had ever tasted, with none of the bitterness I usually associate with espresso (at least with espresso I've made).
The machine produces four different beverages: espresso, "regular" coffee, caffe lungo, and hot water. (Caffe lungo, as it turns out, is literally "coffee long" and is similar to espresso, but with more water passed through for a longer brew time. While I'd never heard of it, it's now my wife's new morning beverage.) There's also the frothing wand and the cappuccinatore, which is an attachment that replaces the frothing wand specifically for cappuccino. While others have mentioned never using the cappuccinatore, it's all I've used so far and I've converted at least two strict coffee drinkers to cappuccino lovers.
My second (after the cost) biggest concern was that I'd been told that super automatics are a pain to clean and that it would be more hassle than it's worth. As it turns out, the Titanium's not the hard to clean. The dregdrawer (which holds the "hockey pucks" as my friend calls them) sits inside the drip tray, which easily slides out after you unlatch the door. The Titanium's blue display will let you know when it's time to empty the drip drawer. (It's not clever enough to know if you empty the dregdrawer in between these warnings, but if you empty it on your own schedule, you simply pull out the drawer for 5 seconds and slide it back in.) For the drip tray, there's a red plastic float that rises up as the tray fills to let you know that it's time to empty the tray.
The most difficult part to clean, which isn't all that hard, is the brewunit, which processes the coffee as it comes out of the grinder (or from the ground coffee slot, if you choose to use your own ground coffee). You have to unscrew a couple stainless steel plates and brush the unit (with an included brush). In short, cleaning a super automatic is no more of a chore than cleaning the separate appliances (coffee grinder and drip/espresso maker). One minor annoyance is mentioned on an orange sheet packed in the box that says that "oily" beans can clog the grinder and there's an 800 number to call for suggestions.
The only problem that I've had is that the beans (Starbuck's Caffe Verona) don't fall into the grinder properly and so every few cups the Titanium reports that the beans are empty even when there are beans in the hopper. Reaching into the hopper and pushing the beans around fixes that problem, but the rep at the 800 number reports that the oily beans will cause a buildup in the grinder and offered to send instructions on how to clean the grinder, should that become a problem. (It hasn't been for me yet, but I've only had the Titanium for a week and a half.) The suggestion I got from the 800 number was to let the beans sit on a baking sheet for an hour or so before adding them to the hopper and while this hasn't eliminated the problem of the non-empty hopper, it has reduced it.
One more tip: if you don't have a grinder, consider buying one (I bought the KitchenAid KPCG100NP Pro Line Burr Coffee Grinder, Nickel Pearl from Amazon and have been very happy with it). Sometimes (especially in the evenings, I've had requests for decaf and I'd rather not try to empty the bean hopper and grinder. Instead, you can add a scoop of ground coffee and press the "pre-ground coffee" button to tell the Titanium to use your ground coffee rather than grinding it fresh. (I suppose you could also buy already ground coffee, but if you're already spending over $1,000 on a coffee maker, what's a grinder?)
The bottom line: if you spend more than a few bucks a day on coffee, you can justify the cost and you'll wind up with great coffee. I suppose it's some measure of how much we enjoy the coffee that with three coffee drinkers, we've brewed just over 120 "coffees" (an espresso shot-sized measure of all three coffee products) in ten days. There's no question that this is a 5-star product.
Buy Gaggia 90500 Titanium Super Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver Now
this is my second fully automatic espresso machine; my first was saeco magic that was retired after it began to incessantly leak. i knew that saeco and gaggia were the same company, and the saeco served me well for nearly 9 years with no service whatsoever (although it was a minor repair i found out later) but i wanted to get a newer, more attractive machine, so i spent time looking into this gaggia.i actually didn't purchase this machine here, but on ebay, but in the past year the price has gone done so you would do best to get it here. the machine i bought on ebay was brand new, unopened (and at the same price they sell it here) and with factory warranty. this is a beautiful piece of equipment, but if you need to save money, the gaggia titanium (without the SS suffix) is $200 cheaper and identical, just doesn't have the stainless steel side panels.
i gave it only 4 stars as it exhibited "issues" just 3 days out of warranty; it appeared to have started leaking. after a quick search into "authorized" repair centers and reading through the nightmares of some people, i found a local repair shop that was able to fix the issue in under a week. apparently, a fitting for the steam boiler was malformed, causing it to leak. the issue was fixed quickly (and for less than $100) and since then, the machine has been making dozens of cups of espresso a day!
the espresso is rich and HOT (being able to set the temperature on this unit is a great thing that a LOT of units don't have) and cleanup is fairly simple. i haven't had the "ventilate" issue that i have seen others write about here. one annoying feature, is that the energy saving feature REQUIRES that you set a turn on/turn off time. and every time the unit turns on, it uses some of the water in the tank to rinse the brew group. normally, not a big issue, but since the water is drained into the pan beneath the unit, you DO have to remember to empty it. while this unit is SO smart...it doesn't know when the pan is full (save for a pathetic little manual indicator) and if you aren't careful, you may end up with murky coffee water all over the place! if you use your machine as often as i use mine (daily), you'll make a note to empty the drain pain every couple of days.
occasionally, the machine will report that the dregdrawer (where the used grounds are deposited) is full, when it actually isn't. best thing is to just empty it and replace the drawer...everything works fine.
i didn't use the wild looking frothing accessory...the actual metal frother that you see on the front of the unit works wonderfully, is easy to clean, and best of all, since the unit has 2 boilers, there's no waiting between brewing espresso and steaming milk...it does dispense nice HOT water as well...
and lastly...the grinder. i know that some people have had issues with it not feeding the coffee properly; this is mainly when the machine is new. once the oil from the beans have lubricated the unit, it is less of a problem. although i found a tip online that said to remove the small cap over the grinder (just try not to stick your fingers in when it's on). i did this to my unit, and have rarely had a problem since...
all in all, a great unit. expensive, but when you weigh it out, i've made over 1000 cups of espresso in this machine in the past year. at starbucks, that would have been anywhere from $2500-4000...so it paid for itself in short order :)
addendum: a year later and 1000 cups more and still going strong! no further issues with leakage. make SURE you decalcify the unit per manual instructions...with over 2400 cups made you can only imagine the money saved at the coffee shop :) i highly reccommend lavazza super crema beans for this machine...
Read Best Reviews of Gaggia 90500 Titanium Super Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver Here
I should've known better. I initially purchased a Gaggia Titanium SS for myself because of Gaggia's supposed excellence in the espresso device market. I'll have to admit, the machine looks beautiful and when it works its awesome. However, after about 2-3 months of use, the machine started to leak in the inside upper-right corner. Puddles and puddles of water on my countertop! If that weren't enough, the increased humidity and steam from leakage caused the digital display to appear distorted and fuzzy! If that weren't enough, I keep on getting a "Close Door" message even though the door is closed! I'm not finished! The grinder adjustment knob doesn't work! I have the grind set at the finest setting and I'm getting coarse coffee grinds!I called Importika to get this machine serviced and spoke to a "Sally" who takes care of service related issues. After 1 month of emailing and phone calls, "Sally" never gave me a "Return Authorization" which is required for machine to be sent back. She just ignored me. I gave up on this company and decided to get it fixed at a different company.
Save your money! Get a different brand! Do your research!
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I purchased this machine in February 2011. I share it with 5 co-workers to make our espressos at the office. Our average usage is around 15 runs per work day. We clean and flush the machine regularly, descale when the machine prompts for it.Before this we had a Saeco Vienna and used it for 4 years before it died. We decided to try out a different brand and went with the Gaggia Titanium.
The machine makes good espresso. It was able to produce 3154 shots in 10 months.
The milk frother was not that good. The steam was often not very strong or was bursty. You also have to let it run 15-20 seconds every time before it starts producing steam instead of water.
The machine looks nice in the picture, but the plastic material got me worried when I opened the box the first time. It is flimsy and thin and does not look like something that can handle serious use. It is also entirely made of plastic inside and out.
Once we started using it plastic started to peel off from the bottom of the drip tray. The plastic could not handle the hot water, but this was not causing a major problem.
The sensors of the machine are not good. The producer tried to provide electronic "features", but in my opinion this was a shot in the foot.
Every so often the machine will recognize that water needs to be filled into the tank. You can't just fill water while the tank is attached, the machine will not recognize this and will not reset the sensor. You also can't detach the tank and fill it quickly and attach it back. You have to fill it and 'wait' for about a minute. There must be a timer that needs to run out before you put the tank back in place.
Every other week the machine displays the message 'Ventilate' and waits for you to prime it with water. The reasons for this are not obvious. Apparently the most frequent cause is an air bubble that gets into the pump.
We dread this moment and only me and another co-worker were able to develop the expertise to handle this situation without resetting the machine to factory settings. The instructions in the manual are of no use so we had to consult a video on youtube that is posted by the owner of the importer company Todd Salzman:
We had to prime and re-prime a number of times, we would usually spend around 20 minutes doing this until the message disappears, there is water all over the counter, etc..
We had to decalcify the machine 3 times. We bought a product and did it. The final step of the process is to run hot water through the machine until it stops displaying the rinse message. We would run water for more than an hour and nothing would change. In two cases we gave up and reset the machine to factory settings. In the third case we were somehow able to persist and see the message disappear.
After 10 months of use the machine stopped running coffee through the nozzles and was leaking the water from the back right side. Time to open the warranty card. Turns out the importer and service company is called Importika. Later research showed that Importika and WholeLatteLove.com are part of the Salzman Group owned by Todd Salzman.
I called Importika and spoke to a friendly young person. After inquiring about the issue he determined that the machine has to be sent for repair, but no problem machine is under 1 year warranty and will be serviced for free. There is no local service or pick up of any kind with this company. He would send me a shipping label in the email within a day.
Nothing comes within 3 days, I go on vacation and return. 10 days after the first call I call again to ask about the label. Turns out I was speaking with an intern and nothing is entered in the system. Well, at least I can reach the company. This time we get everything entered. The procedure changes slightly and from free warranty things change to me having to pay for shipment both ways. They take my credit card number, which will be charged only after service for the return shipment ($39). I have to take care of the shipment to them (still unknown amount).
On the next day I receive an email with instructions on draining the machine, packaging, address to send to. Lots of disclaimers that Importika is not responsible for any damages, loss, etc...
I package the machine as good as I can. I use lots of bubble wrap, foam we are an IT department and have lots of padding from other shipments.
I ship the machine with UPS and it arrives 2 days later (I track) ($39, own packaging, no insurance UPS will not warrant insurance on packages packaged by customer). 2 days nothing happens and then I receive an email with the subject 'Importika Receipt of Merchandise Damaged'. The email is generic it has my name, order number, UPS tracking number and phone numbers of the claim departments of all known carriers. They recommend that I file a claim with the carrier and, once the claim is processed and I decide how to proceed, they would be happy to provide an estimate ($45) to repair my machine.
I call Importika and they say that the entire front panel is broken and the issue is between me and UPS since I am the shipper.
From sending a machine for 'free' warranty service I move on to filing a damage claim and preparing to pay $45 for an estimate.
I file a claim with UPS and hear nothing for 3-4 days. When I call UPS they tell me the claim is under investigation. On the fifth day I go to track my package and see that it is out for delivery in my direction.
The store where I shipped it from also received a fax stating that UPS determined that the damage is not caused during transportation. It also states that the packaging did not pass the 'standard ISTA 3A test'.
I receive the package and open it it contains an unrecognizable pile of plastic total damage. Importika is conveniently not involved in any of this.
I try to go over the packaging in my mind and see what I did wrong as I tend to believe that UPS has handled the package like any other package and did not drop it from the third floor and then run over it with their truck. I put lots of padding, the box was big enough, not too big. I removed any parts from the machine that were not required for the service (drip tray, dregs drawer, water reservoir). The email with instructions stated that these should be removed to prevent damage. I think though that removing the drip tray helped the front panel collapse under its own weight during transport vibration, who knows..
Long story short we lost a machine under warranty to total damage. The conclusions (for us):
This machine is not robust. The materials are cheap and once taken out of the package the machine should not be moved too much.
If you don't have the original packaging it will be very difficult to package the machine in a way that will survive shipping.
There is no local service. When the machine breaks you will have to ship it to Importika/WholeLatteLove and assume full responsibility for it to arrive safe. If you have to do this I recommend to have it packaged by the carrier or an authorized service and insure it (you might still go through a hell to get your money upon damage though). This will probably run you around $70 $80. Then add the return shipment of $39. At the very least you will pay 1/8 of the machine price when you enjoy the free warranty service.
When the machine is out of warranty you will have to pay $45 fee for a repair estimate. Per their email a 'Tune-Up' is $140, so estimate for yourself how much real repair and spare parts will be.
Frequent outages and trial and error fumbling due to sensor issues will be a problem and will force you to learn a lot more about the machine's internal operations than you wanted to know.
If you make anywhere more than 1-2 coffees per day this machine might not last you very long. Not saying it won't but chances are high that it will start leaking or develop other problems. Having it survive service after this is a matter of luck.
Salzman Group, Importika and WholeLatteLove.com are the same company. They try to create an illusion of a competitive market by selling the same products at different prices on amazon, wholelattelove.com and other online stores. The service they provide is not adequate, but they will talk to you nicely.
When it comes to espresso machines in this price range we have decided to always buy from a local store where we can put the machine in our car and take it there for service if needed.
Never again Gaggia.
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