Gaggia 90951 Platinum Vision Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Island, Platinum

Combining advanced technology with ease of use, this fully automatic espresso machine grinds the right amount of coffee, doses, and brews, all at the simple push of a button. The unit’s innovative Espresso Plus System allows for adjusting the strength of coffee, from mild to strong intensity, making an infinite variety of coffee drinks possible from just one machine. Whether an Italian “ristretto” or a long coffee, it maintains a truly unique creamy finish. Its drip tray can be raised or lowered electrically with a simple touch, allowing the use of different cup sizes. Even more, the unit’s 15-bar pump provides plenty of water pressure for authentic espresso extraction, while its stainless-steel rapid-steam boiler system reduces the time between coffee and steam delivery to just a few seconds. Its exclusive steamer swivels 180 degrees and produces hot water for tea, coffee, or instant soup, plus makes quick work of frothing milk for hassle-free cappuccino and lattes even a novice barista could master.
 
In addition, the espresso machine features a touch-screen digital LCD control panel with programming information and alerts, an 8-4/5-ounce bean hopper with adjustable ground-coffee dosage from 7 to 10-1/2 grams, and a built-in ceramic burr grinder with adjustable grind settings. Other highlights include a 57-ounce removable water reservoir, a pre-infusion option, an Aqua Prima water filter, a stainless-steel actively heated cup warmer, the ability to make two cups of coffee at the same time, a Gaggia Milk Island accessory connection, and a removable brewing unit for easy maintenance. Housed in impact-resistant ABS plastic with a stainless-steel-finished front panel, the attractive appliance will look great on any kitchen counter. Designed in Italy by Gaggia, one of the most respected names in the industry, the 1500-watt espresso machine measures 14-3/5 by 12-3/5 by 16-2/5 inches.

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Gaggia’s 90950 Platinum-Vision automatic espresso machine has a wide assortment of features that set it above other machines. To make programming and adjustments simple and sophisticated, the it uses a digital touch screen to display icons and menu options. It also boasts many features seem on the Gaggia Titanium series, such as the E. Plus beverage strength system, temperature control, and a stainless steel front panel. Its stainless steel lined boiler assures rapid steam for easy brewing and steaming without the wait. The Gaggia Milk Island connects to the steam system to automatically froth and steam milk.

This classically designed machine features an active cup warmer, an electronic cup life, a bypass doser, a quiet and reliable ceramic burr grinder, the Aqua Prima water filtration system, and more. Use the menu to turn pre-infusion on or off, adjust coffee volume, program water hardness, perform rinsing and descaling cycles, and change the coffee dosage for each drink. Even the display itself can be customized to display words or icons, and the contrast can be increased for easier viewing. The Gaggia Platinum Vision speaks of great espresso, high end design, and luxury. 
 
Features:

Exterior
Hands down, the Platinum’s exterior stands out from the competition. Gaggia incorporated a stainless steel front panel into their design–an element the consumer expects from a high-end appliance.

Exclusive Touch Screen
This feature offers the ability to select a desired function or to enter the programming menu by a simple touch on the screen.

Electronic Drip Tray
With a light press of the “cup lift” button, the machine adjusts the height of the drip tray to allowing the use of different sizes of cups.

Espresso Plus System
Regulate the intensity of your coffee with the simple turn of a dial. An exclusive system allows the user to adjust the body and the intensity of any coffee blend from mild to more intense, depending on the individual’s preferences–all while maintaining a perfect crema.

Revolving Frothing Wand
The exclusive revolving frother is always ready to deliver hot water or steam for a menu of drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, americanos, and more. Mounted on a ball joint, it accommodates any size pitcher and is easy to maneuver.

Ceramic Coffee Grinder
The ceramic burr coffee grinder assures quiet functioning, high performance, and a consistent grind each time. This grinder not only enhances the functions of the machine, but its ceramic construction ensures longevity and flavorful beverages.

Aqua Prima Filter
The Aqua Prima water filter was developed to remove impurities from your water.The result is fresh, clean-tasting coffee every time. The Aqua Prima water filter also reduces the formation of lime scale in the machine, protecting your boiler and brewing components.

Specifications: 

• One 1300-watt boiler that assures rapid steam
• Stainless-steel lined boiler
• Espresso Plus system
• Digital touch screen with programming information and alerts for: cleaning and descaling, setting water temperature and brewing volume, pre-Infusion and dosage (Opti-Dose system), number of cups brewed
• Automatic timer and energy saving mode
• Turning cup warmer to on, off, or standby
• Stainless-steel front panel
• Bypass doser for ground coffee (such as decaf coffee)
• Electronic height–adjustable cup tray
• Coffee dosage from 7 to 10-1/2 grams
• Removable 57 ounce water reservoir
• Ceramic burr grinder with adjustable settings
• 8.8-ounce sealable bean hopper
• Removable brew group
• Pannarello wand for frothing and steaming
• 15 bar pump
• Actively heated cup warmer holds four demitasse cups
• Eight language display choices including English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish
• Gaggia Milk Island automatically froths and steams milk
   

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A Users Review:
5 stars – By BJ (Texas, USA)

 I must say that I was very skeptical about getting a superautomatic machine. All I read about them is how they make inferior coffee and are super expensive and unreliable. I decided to get this one because it got to be really tedious to make coffee for everyone in the family all the time. Despite my trying to teach my wife how to do it with a semi-automatic machine (a Gaggia Twin), she just refused to learn.

In any case, I decided to give this machine a try and I must say I have been extremely impressed. The machine is supereasy to setup and extremely easy to use–you basically just press a button. It can be customized in many ways, but I basically just used the standard settings.

As for the coffee, it is absolutely superb–extremely awesome coffee. We have had it for 6 months and have not had one single problem. I am extremely impressed by it’s reliability. This machine is being used every single day and it has not had one malfunction.

I cannot recommend this enough. Excellent product !!

A Users Review:
5 stars – By CoffeeMan 
 
I have had this machine for 22 months and I love it. I drink two or three double lattes a day and it makes a perfect shot of espresso every time. My wife is partial to the caffe longos and tells me that they are excellent. We entertain frequently and the machine gets a workout with after dinner espressos and cappuccinos for my guests and never fails to impress.

I maintain the machine as recommended, i.e. remove the brew group and clean it once a week, and lubricate it every 4-6 weeks and at 1340 shots of espresso and counting have not had a single problem with the machine. I recommend it to all of my friends.

A Users Review:
By JAKL “Jeff” (Boulder, CO)

Wow! This machine is pretty slick.

1)  The machine: definitely idiot proof and seems quite sturdy. The touch screen works well and is well set into the frame of the machine. Some touch screens seem to “give” a bit into the machine when you push them. The machine is pretty quiet. MUCH quieter than the Delonghi machines. The crema hasn’t been as impressive as when I used to tamp and pull myself, but the flavor is excellent. Havn’t had any problem with “oily” beans. Boot up is quite fast, and the machine has lots of prompts to let you know when to empty something, or add water, or attach the milk island. Out of the box, set up was easy. It states that there is a coffee grinder adjusting tool in the box, which I searched for extensively. I then discovered that the end of the coffee scoop has the wrench tool on it. Would have been nice of those Italians to let us americans in on this one.

2) The milk Island: I wasn’t very clear on how this thing worked. Basically, you place your milk/soy milk/almond milk into the container between the min and max lines, and then turn the knob. I was used to using a thermometer, so I wasn’t sure what to do here. It froths the milk nicely, and I usually just turn it off when it doesn’t seem to be frothing any more, or if the sound changes pitch. Not very scientific, but I have been pleased with the results. Gaggia recommends that you take the thing apart after use, which is a bit more work than just cleaning out a metal frothing pitcher. The island has about 7 parts, and I would hate to lose one down the disposal. But, it is simple, and my daughters can now make a Latte for dad on a saturday morning. A great achievement for any parent!!

  
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La Pavoni PPG-16 Professional Gold-Plated 16-Cup Espresso Machine, Brass

In addition to being a gorgeous accent piece to any kitchen counter or bar, this lever-model espresso machine produces up to 16 2-ounce cups of great-tasting espresso. The appliance features a 38-ounce solid-brass boiler–gold plated and lacquer coated–that delivers fast heat-up times and ensures durable performance, all while adding to the beautiful design. It also comes equipped with an internal thermostat, a steam-pressure piston, and handles made from beautiful rosewood. Even more, the unit’s frothing system whips up creamy lattes and mochas, while a separate spout and controls deliver exceptionally frothy cappuccinos. An instructional DVD comes included. Made in Italy, the 1000-watt ETL-listed espresso machine measures 16-1/4 by 4-1/2 by 12 inches and carries a one-year warranty.

• Lever-model espresso machine makes up to 16 2-ounce cups of espresso
• 38-ounce solid-brass boiler delivers fast heat-up times; internal thermostat
• Steam-pressure piston; dual frothing systems for cappuccinos and lattes
• Rosewood handles; ETL listed; made in Italy; instructional DVD included
• Measures 16-1/4 by 4-1/2 by 12 inches; 1-year warranty

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A Users Review:
5 stars – By Claire Jordan “Filmmaker – “The Baroness … (New Orleans, LA)
 
I have owned this machine (8-cup, chrome) for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they’ll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two. If you aren’t the kind of person who takes joy in mixing the perfect martini, making a risotto that whispers with flavor, or whipping a meringue to impossibly tall peaks, this probably isn’t the machine for you.

The La Pavoni is for the person who will find tremendous joy in going to the lengths required to make a perfect cappuccino by hand everyday. (And don’t bother using anything less than Illy Cafe coffee in it.)

A Users Review:
5 stars – By Andrew J. Valencia
 
I owned one of these for three years, and agree with the only other reviewer that this item is only for those who take joy in fiddling with the many variables of grind, pull speed, preheating, and coffee bean choice. If you don’t want to put in all the extra effort to coax performance from a beautiful piece of Italian engineering, save your money and buy something automated.

That said, I thought a potential buyer might want to read about some of these idiosyncracies. First, no matter what you do, the first shot you pull will taste bad. Preheat, pull hot water for the first shot–nothing will change the fact that the first shot doesn’t taste good. I resigned myself to wasting that first shot.

Second, if you want to pull shots soon after each other, you’ll find out that this unit does not have a pressure release mechanism. So when you unseat the filter holder soon after pulling the shot, there’s still pressure against the grounds, which will now *poof* blow back outward onto your fingers and the machine. You’ll get used to knowing when it’s been “long enough”, and in a pinch you can *carefully* ease the holder out, slowly letting the pressure to escape.

With a pump espresso maker, you can pull “lungo” or “ristretto” shots, which have (respectively) larger or smaller shot sizes. Since the amount of grounds stays the same, this means more watery or stronger. But with this unit you have to live with the pull size implicit in the amount of water moved by that piston for a pull. They give you two holders, which gives you two sizes. The smaller one is the only one I ever used, which was a ristretto–a good choice, if you have to take a single choice!

Unlike most espresso machines for the home market, you have steam available all the time on that side steam wand–you don’t need to switch it into “steam mode”. The steam wand is a little dated in design, but I got very good results out of it. They supply you with some gimmicky steam/frothing attachments which you should ignore.

For a party, you’ll run out of water sooner than you expect. The reservoir is heated up to steam and is thus under pressure. You do NOT open it until it has cooled down enough to release all the steam. So unlike those pump units, this one is really not for making a lot of shots in a row.

Let me finish by saying that although most of what I’ve said about this machine are its misfeatures, it is a really, really likable unit! The previous reviewer was SO right in comparing it to making a martini. I’d add that it’s even more like fiddling with your stereo and speakers until you finally get it sounding *right*. With the manual pull lever you’ll get a feel for what the correct grind feels like. You’ll know what the right pull speed is–your muscles will start to remember it. And out will come that lovely espresso with its golden crema–what a way to start the morning!

 
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Breville BES900XL Semi Automatic Espresso Machine

Commercial features and performance, in a domestic foot print. Espresso perfection requires precision temperature and pressure control, consistently, every time. At the heart of this machine is its dual stainless steel boiler heating system with electronic PID temperature control. The brew boiler, for the espresso shot, is adjustable (190 – 205 degrees F) for different bean roasts and origins, while a separate steam boiler offers instant and powerful steam on demand. So you can extract your shot at the right temperature, delivering optimal flavor, while simultaneously steaming your milk to cafe quality with the 3-hole tipped, 360-degree swivel steam wand. What’s more, there is a Heat Exchanger (HX) and another element in the group head, ensuring the entire system maintains a consistent temperature.

The Dual Boiler also features an Over Pressure Valve (OPV) which limits the 15 Bar Italian pump throughout the extraction, preventing bitter flavors in the shot. It also offers a true low pressure pre-infusion, which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction.

But there’s much more to this machine for the coffee geek. A temperature display in either Fahrenheit or Celsius; a preset/manual-override/programmable shot volume; and programmable pre-infusion duration and pre-infusion power. At the same time we’ve kept it simple with user-friendly features. An optional Auto Start setting preheats the machine at a programmed time; a top-fill 84 fl. oz (2.5L) water tank ensures easy access; and the dedicated hot water outlet makes it faster to pre-heat cups or prepare an Americano. There is also a shot clock and pressure gauge to help you improve your barista skills over time. All you’ll need are some freshly ground beans and a bit of practice to rival the best cafe.

• Dual stainless steel boilers & dual italian pumps. over-pressure (opv) limits extraction pressure.
• Electronic pad temperature control for precise water temperature, plus actively heated group head and heat exchanger to maintain thermal stability
• Backlit lcd displays brew temperature; assists with programming shot temperature and volume, pre-infusion duration and power, and auto start time
• Drop down swivel foot lowers a wheel that lifts the machine upwards for convenient access to the water tank (both rear and top-fill)
• Includes 58mm stainless steel portafilter, single and dual wall filters, tamper, 25 oz frothing jug, cleaning tablets, 1 year supply of water filters

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A Users Review:
5 stars – By Jason Hilton “Stay Ahead of The Power Curve!” (Clearwater, FL USA)

Wow! Very impressed! Before when you heard Breville and espresso machine in the same sentance you would run in the other direction. No offense to Breville, the prior machines look amazing, unfortunently they have cheap thermoblocks inside of them with no way to regulate temperature or pressure.

That’s all changed with the dual boiler…no thermoblocks here, just two fully independent stainless steel boilers, PID controlled group head and brew boiler, OPV, and more. A feature set unheard of in the ~$1k price range.

My ONLY “issue” with the machine was the non-calibrated OPV. Like many others have reported, the OPV was not set correctly on some of the early machines and brew pressure was pegging the gauge at 13. It’s an easy enough fix, just 4 screws and some tinkering.

OPV adjusted and I’m pulling PERFECT ~30 second shots. So good I can’t tell the difference between shots from a $10k Famea E61 Legend at my local coffee bar.

If you’re used to the steam power from massive 2+ liter machines, you may find the Breville too slow in the steam department. It takes me about a minute and a half to steam 12oz of milk (video on YouTube). Although since it’s a double boiler, you can brew while steaming. When you get your programmed buttons dialed in, you can start brewing when the milk is around 100* and you’ll have a perfect latte in under 2 minutes. 

A Users Review:
4 stars – By Nantura11

I traded-in my Rancilio Silvia for this “affordable” double boiler and this here is my first impression.

There is a lot of plastic and thin decorative metal on the this machine which gives it a less sturdy feel and I do worry about it holding-up it’s appearance over time, especially the buttons. Both the portafilter and the baskets are much lighter and thinner than the Silvia. It’s easy to set-up (with the exception of removing a plastic covering from the portafilter, it literally took a screw driver, brute force and 30 minutes!). The machine is well designed with exception of the tamp location. The tamp will not meet the standards of people who are serious about their espresso, and it takes up valuable real estate. Breveille should have dumped this “cute” idea and instead put the hot water spout in the tamp location.

The primary reason I purchased this was to apply science to the art form I developed with the Silvia. With the Silva pressure and heat are approximated, difficult to adjust and measure. This machine gives the data I was looking for and adds further enjoyment.

I like the big water tank, you can extract a lot of hot water from the hot water spout (I drink primarily Americanos)and don’t need a separate kettle. The espresso I’ve extracted has been excellent. I’ll try to update this overtime to rate how the machine holds-up. My Silva was about 5 years old, well used and looked nearly as good as the day I bought it when I sold it. Hope to say the same here… 

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