Gaggia Carezza Silver Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine / 35008 - Silver  Product Reviews

"My wife and I sold our fully automatic Gaggia Synchony Compact when we moved from London UK to Houston Texas. When we arrived in Texas we had grandiose ideas about upgrading to a fancier fully automatic. However surfing the coffee lists on Amazon I read some pretty positive reviews about the little Gaggia Carezza. The price was low enough ($200) for a gamble so I thought I'd take a chance. Video of my review: matthewrhall.blogspot.com The machine is made with typically Italian hard brittle plastics which I don't typically like but experience shows that they do wear well. It is very basic with three switches, there is no digital display offering unwanted complexity. There are chunky click-clack buttons for On, Steam and "Make Coffee". The machine is too short as noted by other reviewers. This means that once you have a frothing jug under the wand and the milk has been frothed, removing the jug without spilling milk is impossible. I keep the machine next to the end of the bench so that I can froth milk holding the jug below bench level. Once you have that jug positioned the milk does froth easily with this machine, however some reviews here say the opposite. I do tend to use full fat milk, not some of the watery stuff that you can get in US supermarkets. Maybe that's what I'm doing differently. The Carezza takes 5 minutes or so to come up to temperature. Its easy to use. If its your first machine you just need some finely ground espresso coffee to get started immediately. Gaggia have thoughtfully included a plastic tamper which is nasty but usable. This machine is cheap, you can use it to make a couple of shots quickly and the resulting shots are decent."

"I've had this machine four months shy of two years and it is still working exceptionally well. Yeah, you get a few drips from the frother, but in the end, you get a great cup of espresso. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because a plastic part on the frother sleeve cracked, rendering the frother attachment useless. After an exhaustive check for a replacement part, I've come up empty. I think Gaggia should definitely make themselves available in terms of replacement parts if they seek to gain ground in the U.S consumer market. By the way, I have used this machine every day, religiously, at least three times a day. I would not hesitate to buy the exact same unit if my current Carezza were to break. The price is definitely right."

"This machine makes just about the best espresso two hundred bucks can buy. That value comes with some drawbacks, though, including the ugly plastic exterior and poor design, including a tiny drop tray and inconveniently positioned frother. But the Carezza more than compensates for those flaws with the quality of its boiler--the same one used on many more expensive Gaggia machines--and sturdy, commercial-grade portafilter. The included "turbo frother" steam wand attachment and rubber "crema enhancer" are useless. The Carezza is a little finicky about the grind of the beans, but with the right grind it produces amazing espresso."

"i have had mine for about a year. i wanted something that made true italian style espresso and it has lived up to it! the great thing is i can troubleshoot it whenever i have clogs or small issues like that. overall very happy. just keep it clean but if you don't its easy to take apart and flush it out!!!"