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Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine Review 2024 – Is The Old Version Good Enough?

There are tons of super-automatic espresso machines in all shapes and sizes, but one question that sets these machines apart is, “Does it work as promised?”

After hours of searching the internet, we’ve come up with the answers to why the Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine lives up to its promise, maintains a truly Italian legacy, and pushes the limits of technology.

Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine Review 2024 Summary

The Gaggia Accademia is a humble yet dependable, super-automatic espresso machine. It’s a well-balanced espresso machine because, despite its automation, it offers a lot of room for customization. At the touch of a button, you can prepare seven, fully customized drinks and operate the milk frothing system automatically.

Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine

The Gaggia Accademia is a versatile automatic coffee machine featuring an adjustable telescopic coffee dispenser to accommodate various cup sizes, a ceramic burr grinder with a bean hopper, and a milk carafe for easy one-touch brewing of specialty beverages.

It includes a manual frothing wand for custom milk texturing, a removable brew group for easy maintenance, and a pre-brewing cycle that enhances flavor extraction. It also boasts a large 1.7-liter water reservoir with a Mavea water filter and a flow knob to adjust coffee strength and extraction.

Pros

  • Has plenty of customizations
  • Allows manual milk frothing
  • Has a built-in water filter system
  • Has an automatic rinsing cycle

Cons

  • Has a default water temperature between 162 to 168 degrees Fahrenheit
  • A bit expensive

The Gaggia Accademia is an Italian-made super-automatic espresso machine inspired by the Accademia Gallery Museum’s pristine beauty in Florence. Accademia Gaggia offers a wealth of options for quality coffee beverages.

Gaggia has been in the espresso machine business since the 1930s. Based on the pistons of Army Jeeps seen frequently during WW2, Gaggia patented a piston lever system pump in the late 1940s. This innovation combined with traditional aesthetics is what made Gaggia famous and made their designs synonymous with Italian style and culture. Federico Fellini featured these beautiful machines in his film, La Dolce Vita, and the Gilda was designed in honor of Rita Hayworth. 

Gaggia Gilda Espresso Machine History

Acquired in 1999 by Saeco Group, Gaggia moved into the high-tech world of super-automatic espresso machines and is now part of Royal Philips Electronics.

This espresso machine lets you adjust the strength, volume, temperature, and froth quality during the programming process. It has an active cup warmer that serves as its heat retention system to keep your espresso cups warm up to the last drop. It’s easy to clean and maintain as its brew group is detachable to ensure that each cup you make is free from any previous brewing residues. 

Gaggia Accademia, likewise, is your on-the-go espresso machine as its boilers heat quickly so you can brew coffee within moments of pressing the power button. Another remarkable feature that makes Accademia a standout among other super-automatic espresso machines is that its brew spouts are removable to make room for travel mugs and taller cups.

Features & Benefits of Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machines

Shopping for the best superautomatic espresso machine can be tiring if all you can see are the same features with different names. Yet, what makes Gaggia Accademia special is that its features are tailor-made for coffee drinkers looking for a quick caffeine fix. Here’s what makes Accademia an exception.

One-Touch Specialties

Whether you’re a casual lone coffee drinker or a coffee-sharer, you can rely on Gaggia Accademia’s one-touch programmable brewing capabilities. This superautomatic espresso machine can deliver tailor-made espresso drinks based on its seven fully programmable drink options.

You can prepare the following at the touch of a button:

  • Caffe lungo
  • Espresso
  • Latte
  • Macchiato
  • Cappuccino
  • Coffee
  • Hot water

Even though it is marketed as a superautomatic coffee machine, you’re still the boss of this espresso maker. It allows you to pre-set your specifications for temperature, volume, and strength. You can also adjust your milk selections’ settings, allowing you to choose from minimal and regular to no froth options.

Auto-Frothing Milk Carafe

It’s a rare find for an espresso maker to have a detachable, auto-frothing milk carafe that allows you to prepare espresso and milk-based coffee drinks at the touch of a button. It’s a hygienic, self-cleaning carafe with an external milk circuit that guarantees no excess milk will enter the machine. Best of all, this detachable carafe can be used to store unused milk in the refrigerator the next brewing.

The Gaggia Accademia automatically cleans itself, which includes rinsing the milk circuit after each use. So, every time you use this machine, you won’t worry about clogs and contaminants. The machine got your cover. 

Manual Frothing Wand

If you want to have full control in making a froth, you can also use the steam wand for manual frothing. The steam wand gives you the freedom to texture the milk any way you prefer – from latte art to airier micro froth for your cappuccino drinks. The steam wand can be rotated 360 degrees and has a length of 2.5 inches. 

Large Water Reservoir

The Gaggia Accademia is a party pleaser as it features a 1.6-liter water reservoir, enough to make generous cups of espresso. It has a four-water filter system called Intenza+, which improves the water quality by preventing scale build-up.

Adjustable Coffee Dispenser

Do you like drinking your latte macchiato in tall glasses? Or taking your favorite beans with you in a travel mug anywhere you go? With Gaggia Accademia, you can fit your coffee cups measuring from 3 inches to 6.5 inches tall into its coffee dispenser as this can be adjusted. 

Grinder

The Accademia espresso machine by Gaggia has a built-in ceramic burr grinder and a bypass doser. With this superautomatic espresso maker, you can brew either whole beans or pre-ground coffee. You can access the integrated burr grinder from the front panel of the machine. It can handle any grinding type while keeping a tight seal on the double lid aroma saver to ensure your coffee will stay fresh from bean to cup.

Pre-Brewing Cycle

The Gaggia Accademia has a unique pre-brewing cycle that optimizes the rate of coffee extraction with hot water. The flow adjustment dial gives you control over extraction by altering the brewing process settings to arrive at a creamy layer of crema.

Coffee Adjustments

You can make coffee real quick with Gaggia Accademia according to your taste preference by configuring the following settings of the Gaggia espresso maker:

  • Grind settings: Available in 8 selections
  • Aroma Strength: Available in 3 selections
  • Temperature control: Adjustable in 3 levels
  • Pre-brewing cycle: Adjustable in 4 levels
  • Milk Foam: Can be adjusted in 4 levels

Technical Specifications

Aside from the main features of this super-automatic espresso machine, it is also vital to consider the technical specification of Gaggia Accademia. It can help you decide if this espresso maker deserves a spot in your kitchen. Such specifications to see are:

  • Control panel: LCD and push-button display
  • Design: Both the front panel and drip tray & cover is made of stainless steel while the housing is made of black painted metal.
  • Volume Customization: Programmable cup volume control
  • Pre-infusion feature: Yes
  • Water temperature control: Yes
  • Opti-dose feature: From 7-10.5 grams
  • Bypass doser for ground coffee: Yes
  • Heating System: Stainless steel-lined aluminum boiler w/two Thermo blocks
  • 15-bar pump: paired with two stainless boilers for more efficient brewing and frothing.
  • Bean hopper capacity: 12 oz. (removable from the front)
  • Seven grind settings: Yes 
  • Removable 1.6-liter water reservoir: has also built-in water filter to prevent scaling.
  • Power: 1500 watts
  • Dimensions: 11″W x 15.2″H x 16.8″D
  • Weight: 43 lbs.
  • E-plus beverage strength system: Yes
  • Removable parts: Milk carafe, brew group, coffee grounds container
  • Drip Tray Capacity: 10 oz
  • Dreg Drawer Capacity: 15 Coffee pucks
  • Descale Cycle: Automatic
  • Rinsing Cycle: Automatic (after each use)
  • Carafe Cleaning Cycle: Automatic (quick clean)
  • Warranty: 1 year

What the Community Says

Alternatives

Suppose you find Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machines too advanced for you, or it’s out of your budget. In that case, Big Cup of Coffee recommends the following alternative espresso machine that you can rely on espresso and milk-based drinks like cappuccino, latte, and cafe lungo. These are:

Breville Oracle Touch

The Oracle Touch is Breville’s next-generation super-automatic espresso machine. It makes brewing any cafe-quality gourmet coffee as simple as grind, brew, and milk — simple steps that will make you fall in love with Breville Oracle Touch every time you brew coffee.

The Oracle Breville allows you to customize the coffee strength, temperature, and milk texture to satisfy your coffee preference. You can personalize each coffee setting you make by creating and saving up to 8 personalized coffees.

To learn more about the other feature of this superautomatic espresso machine, please read our Breville Oracle Touch review here.

Best in Class
Breville Oracle Touch

The Breville Oracle® Touch is a super automatic espresso machine that simplifies coffee making through its automated touch screen operation.

It features a dual boiler heating system, a professional 58mm stainless steel portafilter, and a fully integrated conical burr grinder with 45 grind settings. It also includes hands-free milk texturing capabilities, an easy 3D interactive setup, and customizable settings for up to 8 different coffees.

JURA E8

The brews you can make with Jura E8 are fully customizable, which allows you to become a barista at home. When you program a brew setting for a single shot, you can also use the same customization for a double chance. You can pick the coffee strength from the available dose that ranges between 5 grams and 16 grams. Compared to other machines that can hold up to 10 grams, Jura E8 is quite impressive for customizing your coffee’s strength.

Other customizable features that Jura E8 offers are personalized brew temperature, milk volume (for milk-based drinks), and shot size. You can also tweak the length of interval that you like between putting the milk into your cappuccino or latte and pouring espresso. Therefore, the range’s size allows the milk to form layers of milk foam and steam milk.

To know what’s in store for you with this superautomatic espresso machine, please read our Jura E8 Review here.

Burr Grinder + Automated
Jura E8

JURA's automatic coffee machine offers a variety of features including individual cup brewing with whole beans for fresh flavor, one-touch preparation for quick coffee specialties, and programmable settings for personalized brewing strengths and volumes. It also boasts a Professional Fine Foam FrotherG2 for high-quality milk foam, enhancing drinks like cappuccinos and lattes. Plus, it's compatible with the J.O.E. app for convenient smartphone operation.

DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300

Dēlonghi Magnifica allows you to become a barista at your own home. It gives you the confidence to serve cafe-caliber lattes, espressos, and cappuccinos your guests might love. This super-automatic espresso machine cuts the time spent waiting in queueing lines in coffee shops. With the touch of a button, you can prepare any type of coffee beverage you desire.

Despite its size, the Magnifica coffee machine shows a lot of useful features. These are digital control panels with programmable menu settings, a large water reservoir, a direct-to-brew system, easy-to-clean removable parts, and a descaling program.

If these fit your criteria for finding the perfect coffee machine for your kitchen, read more to know if DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300 is worth your money.

Beans-to-Brew System
De’Longhi Magnifica ESAM3300

This espresso machine features a professional burr grinder with adjustable settings and a manual frother for customized milk textures. It offers consistent brewing with customizable temperature, strength, and cup size, and remembers user preferences for espresso and cappuccino. The design is compact with easy-to-use controls, front-accessible components for cleaning, and a rapid system for continuous brewing without waiting between cups.

If you’re looking for more automatic espresso coffee makers that could be perfect for your kitchen, check out our guide on the 10 best automatic espresso machines in 2024.

Is a super-automatic espresso machine right for you?

If you find super-automatic coffee makers like the Gaggia Accademia daunting, consider an automatic or semi-automatic machine. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Semi-automatic espresso machines blend manual and automated features, allowing control over extraction time
  • Fully automatic machines add convenience by automating water flow.
  • Super-automatic machines offer the utmost convenience with features like built-in grinders and one-touch brewing. Learn more about how these espresso machines work in our guide.

Read more in this guide on how espresso machines work.

Final Verdict

The Gaggia Accademia is a humble yet dependable, super-automatic espresso machine. It’s a well-balanced espresso machine because, despite its automation, it offers a lot of room for customization. At the touch of a button, you can prepare seven, fully customized drinks and operate the milk frothing system automatically.

On the other side, you can be a budding barista with confidence as this super-automatic coffee maker allows you to adjust the brew strength, volume, and temperature for the perfect coffee. Likewise, you can texturize the milk foam at your heart’s content. 

Suppose you bought your favorite beans as pre-ground by accident, no problem! Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machines have a bypass dozer. You can use your pre-ground coffee beans to make coffee as tasty as whole beans and use the milk in the detachable carafe that you’d store in the refrigerator. With all the features offered, without a doubt, Gaggia Academia keeps its promise.

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