The Gaggia Evolution is a pretty cheap espresso machine considering the fact that it is ALSO a Gaggia. At just $249.00, I couldn’t believe it myself but as most of you know you only get what you pay but is it true? We quickly review this pretty small but sleek looing Gaggia and quickly find that it actually delivers more than you pay for.
This is how it looks like below:
Gaggia Evolution espresso machine
Features You Get
This is a pretty new espresso machine that has a more modern feel to it. These are the features you will get:
- Polycarbonate housing – Tough and heat resistant housing. Not the stainless steel housing that you typically get from other Gaggia products. This probably explains the lower price tag.
- Commercial sized portafilter and Chrome-plated brass filter holder – Most commercial espresso machines use acommercial sized portafilter; a feature found also in the Gaggia Classic and Gaggia Baby Class. The chrome plated brass filter ensures temperature stability while brewing. Together these 2 features make it a very good quality espresso machine already. In fact, you cannot find any model that has these 2 features at this price.
- Commercial grade brewing group – Again, another feature found in the Gaggia Classic and Gaggia Baby Class. This ensures temperature stability and durability.
- Aluminum Boiler – Aluminum boilers are better than stainless steel ones. The aluminum design allows quick heating which explains why tthe Gaggia Evolution heats up so fast and the dual heating element ensures even heating and temperature stability.
- Turbo Frother – The Turbo frother steaming wand, found also in the Gaggia Titanium makes frothing and steaming quick and easy.
- ESE Pod capable – You can use ESE pods here as well as coffee grinds (not whole coffee beans). You can also use Illy espresso pods on the Gaggia Evolution.
There are a whole lot more other features like two thermostats to ensure that it reaches the appropriate temperature and a safety switch if the espresso machine overheats. It also comes with a cup warmer, water reservoir and a hot water dispenser.
I would say all these features make it worth more than it is actually priced. I would say that it quite a steal for $249 considering that the higher priced Gaggia Classic or Gaggia Baby Class have pretty much similar internal components. The small footprint also means that anyone could have this in their kitchen!
My Personal Opinion on This Espresso Machine
I love the Gaggia Evolution for a number of reasons:
- It is cheap, no doubt about it.
- It makes excellent espresso. If you have a brand new machine, then consider priming it and letting it warm and do its run before using it. Use the two manuals that come with it to help you if you are lost.
- The Turbo Froth has full of power. Love it! I wouldn’t call myself a total newbie in frothing but I just simply love using the Turbo Froth. With a little practice, you will get the perfect froth.
- Great heating time and warm up time. I can get this thin running in under 5 minutes which is pretty quick. Not as quick though as other higher end espresso machines.
I dislike it for a few reasons:
- The housing is cheap. Polycarbonate plastic is still plastic and it is definitely not as durable as a stainless steel housing. It is pretty easy to loose the shine after several wipes on it.
- Water tank. Most people complain of its small size but I complain because it is hard to remove! I have no idea why Gaggia can’t just design it the same as their other products.
There is certainly not much to hate about the Gaggia Evolution. It is a good espresso machine that performs a lot better than it is priced. I would suggest cleaning it every month to ensure that it works great. Apart from that, I would still recommend this to users who have low budgets but want an espresso machine that brews great espresso!
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