# Gaggia Classic



## night&day (Jun 21, 2011)

Hello, my gaggia classic is fairly new (Christmas) and instead of the coffee dripping down the two grooves of the spout that comes down from the filter, it has started to spray horizontally and decorate the walls (not to mention burning my hands) to a distance of about 70 cm away. Has anyone else had this problem and is there an easy fix?

I don't know if this is related but I have already lost that little nozzle of black plastic that is supposed to make a great crema.

All suggestions highly welcome - many thanks in advance.


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## oracleoftruth (Jan 15, 2014)

You've answered your own question. Pressurized baskets need that wee black rubber thing or they spray. Get yourself some nice non pressurized baskets and you'll stop the spray and eventually get better espresso.


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## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

It's the missing plastic widget causing this. Either get a new one or ideally get an unpressurized basket.


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## c_squared (Jun 26, 2013)

Have you got a grinder? Ok, I guess that may seem like a funny question. However, if your using pre ground coffee with the pressurised baskets you may struggle using pre ground with unpressurised baskets. If you have a grinder, definitely get a new basket that isn't pressurised.


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## oracleoftruth (Jan 15, 2014)

The pressurized ones make a kind of fake crema and can force crema out of old beans. Do you have a grinder?


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## night&day (Jun 21, 2011)

Many thanks for all of these useful replies. In answer to your questions, no I don't have a grinder.

It looks like I'll have to replace the little black nozzle thing, which is a pain as the old one fell out right from the start, and has already disappeared. So first of all where do you get one? But also I notice a certain amount of antipathy towards the pressurized baskets with their little black nozzles. Why is this? Do they make worse coffee or is it just because they're so fiddly and prone to drop vital pieces that then get lost and can't be replaced with any ease?


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## oracleoftruth (Jan 15, 2014)

1: http://www.gaggiamanualservice.com/for-sale.html

2. As I said, they tend to increase the pressure (and work best with over pressured machines; many of us have reduced the pressure on our classics with an easy mod) and this doesn't really let you see how to improve your coffee. The taste and mouthfeel isn't as good as with a normal basket.

Think of them as kind of like stabilisers/training wheels on a bike. Would you take them off if you just got a new adult bike and they had been fitted?

A standard gaggia basket is not expensive (£5 ish) and I think once you use freshly ground coffee and normal basket you will be able to answer your own question of what is the difference.

While you save/look for a grinder, I'd recommend getting a local coffee shop to sell you some freshly ground coffee (maybe just 200g or so at a time) so you can see the difference.

Hope this helps!


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

Night and day drop me a pm with your address I have an old non pressurised basket knocking around unused, it's a little tatty but still works, all I ask is that if you get on with and decide that you would rather have a shiny brand new one please list it in the pay it forward forum so that someone else might make use of it.


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## night&day (Jun 21, 2011)

Charliej thanks a lot for your kind offer. I actually have an old basket from an old, failed G. Classic which I have put to use again since realising the new one is unfixable without the black nozzle.

oracleoftruth - thanks for that, too. 6 pounds for a tiny bit of plastic seems a bit steep. I will continue with the old basket I think. I'd have liked to have used them side-by-side, so that I could have properly assessed the difference between them, though.


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## oracleoftruth (Jan 15, 2014)

You may be able to get one from ebay cheaper or actually quite a few forum people have bought classics recently and swapped baskets. Someone must be willing to send you the bit of plastic they don't use!?

Try posting in the wanted section.

I like the scientist desire to try both and compare! If you do, please take pictures or film it and post to forum.

You really will want to get a grinder though!

Good luck!


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