If you have one of the prestige models and there's a problem with the milk, you won't be able to steam milk until it's fixed. If you have the cappuccinatore model and the frother develops a problem, you can still froth milk manually while you figure out a fix (which may be as simple as replacing a rubber seal). The Carezza is quite an interesting espresso machine, being quite a bit different from all of the other domestic espresso machines from Gaggia. It's not got a great range of grind settings, just 5 as with the Brera, but as I said at the beginning of this review, most bean to cup users aren't as concerned with dialing in perfectly. When done, purging the wand I got into the routine of pressing the aroma/strength button to turn off the steam, followed by the hot water button to purge the wand, followed by the aroma/strength button again to turn off the hot water. The Grinder

Most of the Gaggia Anima Prestige is made of plastic, but the exterior does have stainless steel paneling. Aesthetics and appearance are highly subjective, but I think the Gaggia Anima Prestige is an attractive machine. Durability In my humble opinion, the cappuccinatore version (usually called deluxe or milk) is a better bet than the carafe version The second of the two flagship one touch coffee machines from Gaggia, and the most expensive in the UK (this differs in other countries for some reason) the Accademia one touch is very similar to the Babila, they look similar, and most of the features are the same. It’s also terrible because you only have a 10 second window to initiate the cycle. If you miss the window, you have to wait until your next brew. Choose between 5 grind size settings, 5 dose sizes, 3 water temperatures, and the volume you like to pull an espresso shot make exactly for you. Add in the customizable frothing settings, and you’re left with a great cup of pretty much anything! AppearanceThe Anima Prestige has buttons for Cappuccino and Latte Macchiato. One push and the machine goes through the whole process of extracting your freshly ground shot, steaming your milk, and combining the two into a perfectly balanced beverage. The Naviglio doesn't have a bypass chute for pre-ground coffee, by the way, something it shares with the Besana. This won't be an issue for most people, but some people like to keep a bag of pre-ground decaf and for that reason need a bypass chute.

While many of the features of the Cadorna prestige are shared with the Cadorna milk, as you'll see above, there are some additional one-touch coffees with the Cadorna prestige. The biggie being the hugely popular flat white, although I have to say I've never had a flat white from any one-touch bean to cup coffee machine that I thought was a true flat white. They're similar, but generally speaking, the milk texture just isn't quite right. These machines have software which enable them to detect whether more or less pressure than expected had to be exerted, and they make an adjustment in the number of milliamps used to exert the pressure on the coffee. So if you use a new coffee and it tastes wrong, just give it a few shots and it should improve. Being a home barista is a hobby, rather than just means to an end, it requires the investment of time, effort & money, and I see being a home barista as a continual process of development, with most of us home baristas continually working on improving their craft. Then, the cappuccino cup that is still sitting there with hot water in it (usually just over half full) I drop the glass cup into this and leave it while I'm steaming the milk. The result is a neatly built coffee machine that’s exceptionally straightforward to use. Both the Espresso and Espresso Lungo options have a default coffee strength and pre-set volume, although you can override both to suit your tastes. Gaggia Anima – Espresso QualityThe Gaggia Espresso was released in the 80s, and this isn't that. That was a small, mainly plastic (looks really cool, I want one, but they're rare!) precurser to the Gaggia Classic, with a small Aluminium boiler. The carafe version is the most expensive version, usually called the “prestige” version, and these machines handle the milk via a carafe, funnily enough ;-).