Our old Gaggia super-automatic sprung a leak and bit the dust this year, after 15 years of reliable service. While we shopped around other brands for a replacement, we gravitated back to Gaggia on the basis of three things: 1) Gaggia was the first to market a large, commercial espresso machine, many years ago, 2) the machine’s reliability, based on our prior experience, is hard to beat, and 3) the coffee tastes amazingly good, just as we remembered. Also, the Gaggia is still built in Italy. The Velasca Prestige is a bit smaller than our first Gaggia, with an attractive brushed stainless steel front panel and chromed drip tray cover. The water reservoir and used “puck” container are both located conveniently at the front where they are easily removed to refill or empty. A large bean reservoir sits atop the unit. It holds about half a can of Illy beans, so doesn’t need frequent refilling. There are plenty of user-adjustable options (READ THE MANUAL or you won’t get the most out of the machine) for preparing coffee drinks, plus a front-loaded milk frother container that can sit in the fridge in between coffee-making sessions. The coffee, in whatever style you may like is uniformly delicious. My only issues with the machine are that the water reservoir is small and requires frequent refilling and ditto for the puck container. I imagine Gaggia was trying to keep the machine within reasonable dimensions to fit conveniently on a countertop, which it does nicely. Speaking from almost 20 years of experience using Gaggia super-automatics, read the manual, buy the cleaning products, and maintain the machine regularly. There is a learning curve, both for preparing drinks and for cleaning the machine, but you get to drink some great coffee during the process. Enjoy! Read more
My old manual machine died so I finally decided to replace it. After looking at the different brands and features I decided on the super automatic Gaggia Velasca Prestige. I have only had it a little over a week, but I am so happy with my purchase. It was a little confusing to set up, but operation is easy. I would prefer a little more ability to customize drinks. Overall, the quality of the espresso is spot on. Good crema, not quite as thick as my manual machine, but still good. I debated whether to splurge for a model with an automatic frothing function. Again, not quite as good as doing it manually, but honestly it does a good job and I use it more often because of the ease of use, just install the pitcher and push the button and use the quick clean function after. The only thing I haven't been happy with is the preground bypass doser doesn't seem to work too well. (I only use it occasionally for a decaf ) Sometimes it works, other times just puts out a shot similar to weak tea. Could be user error on my part. Cleaning is pretty easy. Bottom line, I enjoy using the machine and am happy that I bought it. Now, I'll have to wait and see how durable it is. Read more
Did my research. Am a very picky coffee drinker. I've had many espresso machines and 1 Philips/Saeco automatic that only lasted less than 2 years. This appeared to be convenient and easy to clean, plus Italian Gaggia is a brand well known for best quality coffee. Not worth it for me to save $200 and get a Chinese brand name. And it looks great ! It is super easy to operate and clean. So easy to use milk container. I fill milk to max and use for a few days, run clean circle and put back in fridge right away. I keep a cup under dispenser to catch water. I've used medium and dark roast, and get perfect crema and milk froth. Its very easy to operate, selecting coffee strength and type. So far so good. I love it ! Update after almost 2 years. The milk dispenser stopped working. No matter how much I clean it. Since there is a 2 year warranty, I asked for a new one. Lets see what happens... Read more
After experiencing a Gaggia coffee machine at a friend's house, we bought this one for our new home. It makes great coffee and other barista drinks. Operation is not that difficult after a few times. However, the manual book could be better. Haven't used it yet but we like the option to use ground coffee, especially if wanting a decaf drink. Our friend's machine was over 20 years old; they've had it refurbished twice. Use distilled water to help reduce calcification, plus better taste, and watch that beans are not too oily. So far, we are loving it. Read more
Why did you pick this product vs others?: Originally picked it for the quality it appeared to have. Dont get me wrong, it works well. Unfortunately it has a few major flaws. It will not pre - warn you that you're low on water. Instead it sill start to brew an then stop half way leaving you in an awkward spot for the amount of coffee in your cup. Now you will have too much for the mug if you add water and brew again. It also will not warn you that you're low or out of coffee beans, so it will just brew hot water into the cup. For a higher end machine, I would have assumed those features came standard. It also does not have a "stop brew" setting in case you hit the wrong button. Read more
