Gaggia Classic E24 - Historical Update

There is no doubt that the Gaggia Classic was and still is a legendary espresso machine. First introduced in 1991, it is still the first option when it comes to a proper espresso at home. 

Why do we all love Gaggia Classic

• It has a commercial size 58 mm basket. Which is way easier to fill with ground coffee and distribute it without spilling. Less mess, more enjoyment.
• Powerful pump which is pretty stable. The flow is nice.
• Back-flush. You can brew even ristretto with this machine. Because it will release the pressure and suck the water out of the group into a drip tray. So that you can take out the portafilter right away and prepare the next shot.
• Modifications. There are tons of them if you want to make it even better. PID, manometer, chronometer etc.
• Reliability and serviceability. To get inside it is just 2 screws. And parts are available.
• Overall feel and look. For such a price there is no better combination of quality and enjoyment.

Evolution

But today we mark an evolution, a historical change that we have all been waiting for. Model E24 brought us a brass boiler. Yes, it’s a big deal. They kept producing it with mostly aluminum boilers. For some period - with stainless steel. And somewhat failure - aluminum with coating.

The great news is that you can upgrade your machine if you find this brass boiler on the market. Like here (at the moment of writing - it is not in stock though).

Marketing

They say that it’s 25% bigger and produces a more powerful steam for longer. In fact - yes, it is 136 ml compared to 108. LOL. 

When trying to steam milk for the first time I experienced a huge drop of power after around 10 seconds. And the initial steam wasn’t that powerful either.

But yes, thermal mass is bigger and it’ll help to retain a proper temperature when brewing espresso. Because the pump adds cold water to the boiler during the shot - it’s important to have a thermal mass which will compensate for this chilling.

Reality. Espresso

I had an experience brewing espresso on a limited version (30 year anniversary) in 2021. It was great in the stock version with zero modifications. And this version is just… the same. No complaints about espresso quality. 

It took 3 shots to adjust the grind size and the shot was perfect. Even though it was a washed processed Kenya, the balance was stellar and complex. The flow - stable. Started at around 8 seconds after turning on the pump. Exactly what I expect to see from a great espresso machine.

Cutting the corners

You can’t create a perfect machine with a limited budget. Especially when it has a stainless steel body. Imagine this, a boiler made from brass which is more expensive to make. And it is heavier (1.3 kg vs 0.52 kg). And they still keep the price at around $500. How is it possible? Sounds insane. 

They must cut the corners somewhere. But they don’t do it in a shady way and I respect that. Because here is what. They now have a full stainless steel portafilter. Not brass covered with chrome coating. 

But when you touch the baskets you understand - this is going to a trash can soon. Not because it’ll break, but because in most cases it will anyway. People usually prefer to get some EMS baskets for their machine. Nonetheless, these pretty thin and rough baskets can serve you a great shots of espresso. 

Plastic tamper also can be used for some time, but you’ll get stainless steel most certainly right away. So it’s OK to have a “placeholder” here. Just to start enjoying your new machine.

Flow Rate

Yes, it’s worth mentioning. It is around 8 grams per second. And the flow starts right after pressing the button. Which means, you’ll have a nice pressure built up right away. Unlike some machines which have slow flow and slowly go up to 9 bar pressure. And not keeping it long, it’s just a peak pressure.

For my taste it’s better to have such a flow. Not to mention the cleaning of the group (flushing) after the shot is faster that way.

Functions

In stock, there is no temperature control. No pre-infusion. No programmed shots either by time or by volume. And that’s what I like about it.

As for the programmed shots, it’s really painful to use the machines which only have a “hold the button to keep it going in manual”. Here you just press it to start brewing, enjoy the view and they turn off when you see on scales that it reaches the desired weight of the shot.

Pre-infusion - another function hated by me. In theory it should make the shot better. In practice, marketing keeps adding this function to weak pump machines so that they will fake the extraction. It’s nothing but annoying. Especially when you want to rinse the group or holder after brewing the shot. 

I like that it doesn’t have it. And you need to make the grind size smaller to compensate for that soaking of a coffee puck because it will lose the resistance.

As for the temperature - it’s fine to have a basic one. If you want a colder one - you can brew with non preheated portafilter if you want. In my experience - I rarely need to play with the temperature.

Boiler, cappuccino

Again? Yes. Bigger, better, slower, stronger. It is not a thermal block, but pretty close to it. Since the volume isn’t massive, it heats up pretty fast. 

But don’t be fooled. You can’t make espresso after 60 seconds of heating. Wait for at least 8 minutes, because we need to preheat our group, the whole mass of the boiler and the portafilter. 

And because it’s not a PID heated thing, but a “dumb” temperature sensor (thermostat), it will not have a short cycle of heating to maintain a perfect temperature. It will fluctuate. Meaning, the range of temperatures is wider. 

Because the volume is relatively small, we had an issue with pulling a couple of shots in a row. We needed to wait longer between the shots until the boiler stabilizes and gains the temperature back.

Because we fill it with 100+ grams of fresh cold water each time. Luckily, now we have a bigger mass of heated metal so you’ll not experience a huge difference in quality. So it’s a reasonable size for a boiler.

But when it comes to steam, thermoblock could be a better choice. It heats less water at once and more aggressively. And constantly adds the water to the boiler. With Gaggia Classic - pump will not supply any water so we are limited with the amount of steam that we have.

And because the heating element will not turn on after reaching the temperature (there is no pressurestat like in more advanced machines with bigger boilers), we have a power drop when steaming as well. There will be steam, but pretty weak. 

That’s why it’s better to start steaming BEFORE the light indicator is turned on. So that you will steam when the heating is still on. And that way you will have powerful steam for longer. But you’re still limited with the amount of water. That’s why the user manual recommends steaming for up to 60 seconds.

Then you can fill it with water (just press the brewing button for a few seconds), close the steam knob and wait for it to heat up again. 

Group

It is very solid. That’s what I like about pro machines. It’s made out of metal and it will not fail with time. And the portafilter will not slide out of the group. Just another level of comfort compared to cheap plastic machines which cuts every possible corner. Here - it’s more about longevity and quality first.

Maintenance

Some leaking may occur with time. Like with any machine. So, being able to have some service and make it comfortable is a must. There are no stupid proprietary screwdrivers needed. Just regular phillips or flat screwdrivers will get you inside. Easy. And you can service it by yourself, parts are available.

So it’s not like every “modern” thing when you’ll lose the whole product just because some $1 capacitor went bad. You own it and you are the boss.

Wrapping up

Brass boiler is a fantastic move and definitely a breath of fresh air which will make the machine even more reliable. It is still not the quietest machine, but surely one which is pleasant to use.

Gaggia Classic (with Aluminum boiler, non coated). Previous model, but still have the same espresso quality.