# Basket, bottomless filter, wand for Gaggia Classic... Please help



## JK009 (Apr 18, 2014)

Hi

Having read a lot, I was confused a lot , please help. I am looking for the best value for money basket, bottomless filter holder, wand , tamper.

my question is:

1/ if I buy £4.70 non pressured basket from Amazon, will it fit to original Classic

Filter holder

2/ Can I use the non pressured basket with the Original Classic filer holder? Or I have to buy a bottomless filterholder?

3/ for expensive VST or IMS baskets, which tamper is suitable? 58.34, 58.40 where to buy?

4/If going for the cheap £4.70 non pressured basket, which tamper size?

5/ Silvia wand mod , someone said you had to sand it a bit , the others said some version v1,v2 you will do nothing , just fit perfectly. Where to buy that one?

6/ grinder , it will be bought later, due to having not enough money now

Please bare in mind that, just looking for the best value 4 money stuff that can do the job right now. In the near future , I will upgrade them later

looking forward to your advice. Thanks


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

You will not be able to get a decent extraction using a non-pressurised basket if you don't get the grind right. If I was you I'd make getting a grinder your first priority.


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## m4lcs67 (Mar 16, 2014)

I have been asking many of the question that you are asking and from my own perspective I can off limited advice regarding the things I know about. With regards to the baskets, I have changed from pressurised ones to non pressurised having just done the opv mod. I am currently having my local coffee shop grind me a bag every few days, but from what I have learnt the grind is not fine enough as it is gushing, but until I can get my grinder sorted I am stuck.

How old is your Classic? Is it past the warranty? I have owned mine for 4 years, so there was no probs doing the steam wand. I didn't need to get the sandpaper out. It just went straight in without a problem. Also the opv mod. Just followed the Youtube tutorials and bought a pressure gauge off ebay to re-set the pressure, but if yours is still in the warranty then I would wait otherwise you will invalidate it.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Plus one on above

first purchase grinder , without it your coffee will not be fresh or the right particle size to extract the coffee and get the taste you aspire too.

There is no universal espresso grind. Pressurised baskets are designed to be used with pre ground coffee to give the allusion of creme and an extraction .

So priorities.....

grinder, non pressurised basket ( not vst to start save money for .... ) tamper that fits said basket ( 58mm ) scales and fresh coffee....

Even a £30 hand grinder will be tastier and less frustrating than trying to extract pre ground coffee in a non pressurised basket...


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## JK009 (Apr 18, 2014)

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

Before buying a Gaggia Classic, I already got about 2kg pre ground coffee( bought it when being holiday in my country). I want to finish it first. That is reason why I hold up buying the grinder

I drink cappuccino most of the time

My gaggia's warranty just expired

1/ Do I have to buy a grinder to grind my 2kg pre ground coffee to fine level?

2/ If not buying a grinder now, Will I have to continue making coffee by: pre ground coffee, pressured basket?

3/if upgrading, Any advice to improve the taste for my 2kg pre ground coffee?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

That's a lot of pre ground coffee. It stales pretty quick so unless you drink it fast it ain't gonna have much if a shelf life.

It is In lots of smaller bags or one big one ? Where are you storing it ?


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## JK009 (Apr 18, 2014)

Mrboots2u said:


> That's a lot of pre ground coffee. It stales pretty quick so unless you drink it fast it ain't gonna have much if a shelf life.
> 
> It is In lots of smaller bags or one big one ? Where are you storing it ?


there are 4 seal bags of 500gr. They are very cheap in my country

1/Again, what should I do with my 2kg coffee. Is there any advice to make my cup of coffee tasted better by upgrading : non pressured basket, tamper, Silvia wand....

2/Or I have to finish my 2kg pre ground coffee first, then think about upgrade later?.

please help, thanks


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

You really need fresh beans, grinder and non pressurised basket.

The pre ground you have is not going to last, i would just bite the bullet and bin it, or give it someone who has a drip machine and knows nothing about good coffee!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

You can't re-grind ground coffee.

Are you using a non-pressurised basket yet? Any stock 58mm 'Gaggia Classic compatible' will do. Then get your local shop to grind some coffee at different espresso grind levels and see which is best for your set up. You should weigh your dose for accuracy - cheap jewellers' scales off Ebay are fine.

If your pre-ground 2kg stock is not producing decent shots, you may just have to bin it or use if for filter coffee.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Ok keep it in a cool dry place .. Not the fridge ...

I wouldn't re grind ground coffee . It's not fresh and well it wouldn't work great.

Advice is still get a grinder above anything so you can buy fresh coffee and use that , will be a cvst improvement on pre ground .

Use the pre ground in your non pressurised basket and hope for the best , it isn't going to be comparable to extractions times and tastes that get referred to on here when using fresh beans .


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## JK009 (Apr 18, 2014)

froggystyle said:


> i would just bite the bullet and bin it, or give it someone who has a drip machine and knows nothing about good coffee!





The Systemic Kid said:


> Are you using a non-pressurised basket?
> 
> If your pre-ground 2kg stock is not producing decent shots, you may just have to bin it or use if for filter coffee.


i still use original pressure basket, not buy non-pressure one yet

Hi, thanks for your advice. I am really newbie and know nothing about good coffee:dummy:Hahahaha

However, after comparing between cappuccino made from Classic ( by my 2kg ground coffee) and the one made from Bosch T20 Costa tassimo, Cappuccino from Gaggia is much better

I think I will not bin my 2kg ground coffee









So I still need your advice for non-pressure Basket, tamper, bottomless filter, wand, ...thanks


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Grinder first .............


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

When you do get a grinder, fresh beans and the other parts, you will then see that the ground coffee was not that great and lacked a lot of flavour, yes it will taste like coffee, may even make a half decent cappucino but only becasue you are hiding the real dull flavour of the pre ground with milk...

Time will tell i guess.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Do you have any idea of your budget for a grinder - it's as, if not more important, than the espresso machine.


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## JK009 (Apr 18, 2014)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Do you have any idea of your budget for a grinder - it's as, if not more important, than the espresso machine.


Thanks for your question

My main favour it's is making cappuccino by GaggiaClassic

1/ Do I need £££ grinder like Eureka Mignon? Or will I go for hand maker like Hario Slim, Hausgrind?

2/ For cappuccino , do I have to buy non pressure basket, or not necessary

3/ For cappuccino, if I have non pressure basket, will I use it with original filterholder or will have to buy bottomless filterholder? ( OPV mod later)

As a cappuccino lover and newbie to coffee world, it seems I don't have many questions answered:starving:I wish I was Espresso lover

Common, on, please help , I am not fussy about the quality, I just want a cappuccino better than my Costa Tassimo TDisc


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Not hard to beat Tassimo Costa capp/latte! My girlfriend has one and it's convenient but the milk tastes funny out of the capsules, foam is weak and so is the espresso. OK for a quick coffee before leaving for work.

My start point was similar to yours, I do enjoy an espresso but drink a lot of cappuccino too. I bought a cheapish machine (Delonghi EC702 on half price offer, this was before I found this forum). I replaced the pressurised baskets with some old non pressurised baskets I had from an old Krups. Threw away the plastic steam wand attachment. Then I bought an Iberital MC2 grinder, some shot glasses, a streaming jug and a milk thermometer from Happy Donkey for about £150 all in. It's pretty modest compared to what some of the guys on here have, but it is probably the minimum spec for decent home made cappuccino. The thing with pressurised baskets is they mess up your ability to assess grinder settings based on extraction time. Your 2 x 1oz shots should come through in 25-30 seconds if the grinder is set right for espresso. If you're using pressurised baskets you'll never know because the basket is affecting the flow rate more than the grind.

You don't need a bottomless portafilter to use non pressurised baskets. In fact, one of the drawbacks of a cheap Delonghi like mine is that the portafilter is a non standard size so finding replacement baskets (and tampers) is a problem. For that reason it's better to get something like a Gaggia classic I think. That's what I'll probably do at some point when I don't feel such a noob and think it will make a difference!

Hope that helps.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

JK009 said:


> 1/ if I buy £4.70 non pressured basket from Amazon, will it fit to original Classic
> 
> Filter holder
> 
> ...


Assuming you will not be buying a grinder first...

1. Yes

2. Yes - you do not need to buy another portafilter

3. 58mm is adequate - 58.3 is better - check out our forum sponsors first - HasBean, CoffeeHit, Happy Donkey, Coffee Omega all stock tampers

4. 58mm

5. Happy Donkey

6. Recommend buying first


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