# Gaggia Classic service



## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Hi chaps,

Not been on here for a very long time.

My Gaggia Classic has also been away for about 2 years but hoping to get back on it.

First up... I think a service will be in order before I get straight back in to it. Any recommendations of who can do this (Manchester area) or what I should be doing myself?

Also, to prevent it from ending up back in the cupboard I need to get it as girlfriend friendly as possible. Recommendations on new grinder, etc? Currently have an MC2 but adjusting it for each grind will become a chore for her (as it did previously, hence the cupboard and a *sigh* Tassimo machine taking its place).

I have a naked portafilter for me to get everything ****** dorey but should I be sticking with the basic Gaggia portafilter for her?

Been looking at MrShades PID kits... Should I be looking at these if making girlfriend friendly? Also, OPV mod... Should I be looking to do this if I'm intending on making user friendly? Will NOT be using pods.

OR... Do I look to sell the Gaggia and get something else?

Cheers in advance guys

Gaz


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Hello again and welcome back! My feeling is that all the known mods to Classics make them more domestically acceptable (with the possible exception of a naked PF as these can be messy).

The PID makes temperature surfing one less thing to worry about. The OPV adjustment means that the shot times etc often recommended on here are closer to what you can aim at - 9 bar being the traditional pressure instead of the higher pressures pods require.

MC2s are noisy, a bit ugly and a faff - whereas a Mignon is small, pretty, quiet and produces better grinds so will probably add to the 'WAF' of your setup.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Try @gaggiamanualservice.com.

Mark is not too far away from Manchester


----------



## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

When you mention adjusting for each grind, do you mean for differing forms of coffee brewing ? OR just adjusting grind for variation in bean / day to day changes ?

Swapping between differing brew methods is not easy with most grinders.


----------



## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Cheers for the quick replies already guys...

With regards to grinding... It would be nice to switch between grinds for different brew types as it would allow me to ditch 2 grinders (Iberital MC2 for espresso and Cuisinart DBM8U for the rest) and replace with 1 (Mahlkonig Vario perhaps??). However, I can cope with the two if needs must. However, what did annoy her was having to dial in the grinder every time we got a different bean type. So would a different grinder be more suitable to the job of consistency or should a change to the portafilter be required? Use the default dual spout for example?? May be a change in basket?

I understand that coffee is almost an exact science but I need a happy medium to please her and myself so she can just grind coffee and get good results without being burnt or washed out. I am happy to play with the bottomless portafilter and dial in a little but the variation on the MC2 (and ground retention) just seemed to be horrible and annoyed me how there was so much difference with every bean.

It may be that we both have our own portafilter setup.

- Mine: Bottomless, good extraction, etc

- Hers: Different portafilter, basket... Able to cope with ready ground espresso (Lavazza arabica, fresh ground purchased from local shop, etc, etc)

We almost require very different equipment but as the Gaggia is an intro machine there must be an element of home-user and not just enthusiast in mind.

There must be a solution... There always is









Thanks Glenn... Will drop him a PM


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

One solution is to get the Gaggia Classic pressurised portafilter for your partner to use with preground or pods

Use the naked for normal portafilter and grind your own for yourself


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

You're always going to have to dial in each new bean, but if you find one you like, sticking with it will mean only minor tweaks each refill. The MC2 can be a bit more capricious than more expensive grinders - mine used to drift a bit. For maximum ease for your other half though I think Glenn's suggestion of the standard pressurised basket for her type of coffee is a good way forward. There must be people on here who have one at the back of a drawer that they'd send you for the price of postage or a small donation to your favourite charity or the forum.


----------



## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Looks like I need to source the pressurised basket then







haha

Probably use that suggestion though to pre-grind them for her or to use pre-ground from supermarket, etc in the other portafilter.

Might just look to replace the MC2 then... Used to annoy me how much it used to retain and drift. I accept the difference between the bean but wasn't expecting it between grinds as I seemed to get with the MC2


----------



## gaggiamanualservice.com (Dec 22, 2009)

thanks for recommendation Glen, have Pm Gaz


----------

