Espresso Deluxe Manual Coffee Machine and Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother, Riverway Green

This is a great coffee machine for beginners that aren't looking to spend £400+ for a decent machine. I've been using this for 2 months or so and here's a summary. It's a great machine to get into coffee making. For more info, look into YouTube as there are 2 youtubers who have gone to town on this. This machine is made for the convenience of using ground coffee bought from a shop by having a 12 bar pressure pump and pressurised basket. However, it is very easy to modify. You can order an unpressurised basket which I recommend and using a puck screen as the pressure is higher than conventional machines. The pressure can be reduced to 9 bar by changing the spring, there are tutorials for this. It's mostly plastic which makes it cheaper unlike the more expensive metal counterparts but the internal components are still great. It pours a great espresso and you can combine this with the hot water nozzle to make it into an Americano. The wand is also good for frothing milk to make your choice of drink. Do your homework on pouring a good coffee as its down to the coffee you buy and the grind size. It's designed for Espresso cups as you have to move the drip tray to fit in a normal sized mug but I don't find it much of an issue. The portafilter is a great size and feels solid. It is primarily plastic but well designed. Water is easy to access and the drip tray is easy to remove and clean. The metallic cup warmer on the top is average at best. It takes 15 mins to heat up and may not be the best if you're looking for a quick warm cup. The noise level is low, no different to a Nespresso machine or a kettle. The accessories that come with the machine are cheap and would recommend you get some proper stuff. As you will find, there's many accessories required and you may spend a bit more money on getting decent accessories to make a good coffee.

Ok for the price. We make 2 coffees a day. Not great for entertaining. Descale regularly. We can’t get decent hot milk. Might be user error but just brought a milk machine instead.

I was a little concerned when I opened the box that the machine has a very plastic build but it all feels solid and hopefully the quality parts are on the inside of the machine. The portafilter initially feels substantial but that too is 90% plastic and there is a heavy weight in the handle which gives the impression of solidity. As far as I know the only difference between models is a metal drip tray cover and a metal cup holder in the top. This adds c£20 to the price and looks smart but I think the machine still looks smart in standard trim. The machine is very simple to use & quiet . The steam wand is very quick and powerful. It's easy to clean after use. My only negative is that the backlit control buttons are rather dimly lit making them difficult to see in bright light. I hope the machine lasts a reasonable amount of time. Gaggia only make coffee machines so they should be able to design it well. I think it represents good value. A slightly annoying issue is that the basket in the portafilter isn't held in place very well. When one tries to knock out the coffee grounds the basket immediately falls out. You then have to remove the grounds by hand which is messy.

I replaced my £500+ Gaggia when it finally died after 10 years use. This cheap model is cheap. Makes good espresso but is a pain to use. I will buy the expensive one soon!!!

This has been a fantastic addition to our kitchen and I've really enjoyed learning how to make all the fancy coffees like cappuccinos and flat whites. It's quite compact so it doesn't take up too much workspace, it's quick to heat up and produces really nice coffee. I enjoy using the steam wand. The panarello attachment generates a lot of froth - great for a cappuccino but it's a bit harder to get the nice small bubbles that you need for a flat white while also heating up the milk sufficiently - so a bit of skill required for that. I saw a youtube video which showed how to steam the milk without the panarello but in practice I couldn't get this to work. The only downside is the portafilter. It works fine and feels premium but it's weirdly hard to get the coffee grounds out without the filter itself also ending up in the bin! I've bought a special "knock pot" to knock the grinds into which has been much better.

A bit plasticky but a lovely little machine. In the ‘budget’ range of coffee machines, I’d say. Makes a good coffee.

I’ve had this machine for around 6 months now and have to say for the price it’s an impressive piece of kit. It makes a decent quality espresso and the steam wand works well. I’ve had machines double the price that haven’t matched up to this, what I’ll call an entry level machine. So if you’re looking to get an espresso machine that works for cheap! You won’t go far wrong with this little gem.

So... I had a baby Gaggia for years... it finally died when the boiler separated. So I decided to buy this Gaggia Evolution because it was almost the same size / footprint and similar style. Overall I like it for that reason, it takes up less counterspace than most other machines, and it looks nice in the black minimal colour. Here are the things I don't like about it. 1. Everything is plastic. In the photos I didn't appreciate this, but the housing, the drip tray, the handle... all plastic. The silver part of the drip tray is metal, as is the heating plate at the top, and the actual bit that holds the coffee. Everything else is plastic. 2. Noise - this is kind of loud, largely because everything is plastic. If you put one hand on the drip tray and one hand on the body of the machine, it gets a lot quieter. 3. The water reservoir is accessed from the right side, pulling it out. My machine is positioned so that the left side faces me. So filling it up is not so easy, especially compared to my old Gaggia which was filled from the top. Also the reservoir is small, so you fill it up more often. 4. They give you a wide, flat plastic scoop that doubles as a tamper. The scoop is useless, spills everywhere... but I keep it on the top of the machine because I use the tamper side. Would it have been so difficult to slap another piece of plastic on the body and have the tamper built-in? 5. The buttons are black with slight back illumination - if you have a well lit kitchen, forget it. I just wait a few minutes and assume it's ready to go. The machine DOES do good coffee. No complaints. The crema is good but not as good as my old machine. I've not used the milk frother as I have a separate one on the counter. I'm hoping this machine gives me many good years like the previous one.