Breville Barista Express vs Gaggia Classic Pro are two lines of coffee machines that do not have much price difference but have many different features. And I am going to show you the comparison of these two espresso machines.
Barista Express is equipped with Built-in Coffee at a slightly higher price, which allows users to grind any coffee beans conveniently. Moreover, the Hands-free Operation function proves that Barista Express is a more modern machine. I have to say that this is the one you can’t leave without.
In terms of size, Gaggia Classic Pro is much smaller than Barista Express. So this product is suitable for users who want to find a compact espresso machine that doesn’t take too much space in their kitchen and still contains essential uses.
Breville Barista Express Vs Gaggia Classic Pro: Specs & Features Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Breville Barista Express Vs Gaggia Classic Pro: Differences
The Barista Express takes a clear lead with a score of 4-0. The Barista Express excels in all assessments, offering convenience and user-friendliness. However, it’s worth noting that the Gaggia Classic Pro remains a competent opponent due to its durability and good extraction performance, especially considering its price range.
Coffee Flavor & Brewing System
Winner: Breville Barista Express
Grinder
The built-in grinder is a notable feature that contributes to the price difference between the Breville Barista Express and the Gaggia Classic Pro. The Barista Express comes with a stainless steel conical burr grinder equipped with 16 grind size settings. Additionally, it offers the flexibility to access the top burr and adjust its grind range if needed, ensuring precise control over your coffee grounds.
In contrast, the Gaggia Classic Pro does not come with a built-in grinder, requiring users to invest in a separate grinder for freshly ground coffee beans. However, it does offer the flexibility to use pre-ground coffee, making it convenient for those who may not have a grinder yet. Additionally, the Gaggia Classic Pro is compatible with ESE pods, providing a quick and convenient option for making espresso, especially on busy days.
Heating System
Both the Gaggia Classic Pro and the Breville Barista Express use a single heating element, which means they cannot brew and steam simultaneously. However, they differ in their heating systems. The Gaggia Classic Pro employs a boiler heating system with dual thermostats, ensuring that the brew group head is also heated during the boiler’s heating process. This helps maintain a consistent temperature during extraction, resulting in well-balanced espresso shots.
In contrast, the Barista Express utilizes a thermocoil heating system with PID temperature control. This system offers precise temperature control and minimizes temperature fluctuations that can occur with a single-heating element. Additionally, the Barista Express provides advanced temperature settings, allowing users to adjust the brewing temperature within a ±4°F range, a feature not available in the Gaggia Classic Pro.
Both machines heat up in approximately 5-7 minutes, providing a quick start for your coffee-making process.
Brewing Performance
Both the Breville Barista Express and the Gaggia Classic Pro feature a pre-infusion process followed by a 15-bar high-pressure extraction for brewing espresso. This method ensures that water is evenly distributed into the coffee grounds, allowing for a consistent and optimal extraction. The result is espresso with a delightful aroma, a rich honey-colored appearance, a creamy body, and a thick crema.
In the case of the Barista Express, it offers manual control over the pre-infusion time, allowing for customization. This means you can adjust the pre-infusion duration to achieve a stronger-flavored espresso. However, it’s essential to balance the pre-infusion time with the extraction time to prevent over-extraction or under-extraction, ensuring a perfectly brewed shot.
Design & Convenience
Winner: Breville Barista Express
Drink options & Programmability
The Gaggia Classic Pro lacks programmable settings. It offers a straightforward brewing process: turn on the machine, grind your coffee beans, weigh the coffee grounds into the portafilter, tamp them down, insert the portafilter into the brew head, start the brewing process manually, and stop it when you’ve achieved your desired espresso volume.
To ensure precision with the Gaggia Classic Pro, it’s advisable to use a small scale to measure both your coffee ground amount and the volume of espresso extracted. This way, you can consistently replicate your preferred brew.
The Breville Barista Express offers more convenience with its auto-dosing and auto-shot volumetric control features, eliminating the need to constantly monitor your extraction to prevent overflowing your cup. This machine allows you to set the grind amount that suits your chosen filter basket, and you can effortlessly pull single or double-shot espressos with the touch of a button.
Moreover, the Barista Express provides flexibility by allowing you to modify the volumetric presets or manually override them as needed. With this convenient programmability, you can achieve consistent espresso extractions without the meticulous weighing of coffee grounds and volume. Once you’ve configured everything to your liking, simply press the button, and the machine will take care of the rest.
Dimension & Capacity
The Gaggia Classic Pro stands out for its robust all-metal frame, delivering a sleek and retro appearance while ensuring durability. In contrast, the Breville Barista Express incorporates some plastic elements into its design, maintaining a stylish presence on your countertop.
Regarding water reservoir capacity, the Gaggia Classic Pro boasts a larger 72 oz tank, even with its compact size. Notably, its water tank can be conveniently filled from the front or the top, and keeping an eye on the water level is a breeze. This front-facing, removable tank is particularly useful when dealing with low-hanging cabinets, minimizing the need for constant machine repositioning during refills.
One thing that bothered me about the Gaggia Classic Pro’s water reservoir is that it’s not completely sealed, which makes it susceptible to dust and other particles getting inside. On the other hand, the Barista Express has a covered water tank at the back, effectively protecting its water from dust and environmental factors. This added protection is a small but appreciated feature that helps keep the water clean and ready for brewing.
Pressure Gauge
I appreciate the simplicity of the Gaggia Classic Pro’s switch control interface, which I found easy to navigate after some testing and reading through the manual. It allows me to make a good espresso using my newfound skills effectively.
On the other hand, I really like the pressure gauge on the Barista Express. It serves as a valuable tool in my espresso-making journey, providing real-time feedback on the extraction process. When the needle falls within the espresso zone, I know I’ve pulled a well-extracted shot with great flavor and body. If the needle strays from the optimal zone, it’s a clear signal for me to make adjustments, such as tweaking the grind fineness or grind amount, to achieve the perfect shot.
Hot Water Dispenser
I find the separate hot water dispenser on the Barista Express to be quite convenient. It’s positioned to the right of the brewing group head, allowing me to easily prepare an americano by simply turning the steam knob to the hot water position right after pulling my shot.
On the other hand, the Gaggia Classic Pro delivers hot water through its steam wand by pressing the brew and steam switch simultaneously after turning the steam knob clockwise. Personally, I find this integration of the steam and hot water functions a bit inconvenient to use. So, in this aspect, I lean towards the Barista Express for its more straightforward hot water dispensing.
Milk system
Winner: Breville Barista Express
Both machines come with commercial-style manual steam wands, which means you’ll need to use specific milk texturing techniques to achieve nice milk froths for various milk-based espresso drinks. Transitioning from brewing to steaming takes a bit of time since both machines use a single heating element. However, the steam wand on the Barista Express has some advantages in terms of ergonomics and auto-purge functionality.
The Gaggia Classic Pro’s steam wand doesn’t have the flexibility of a ball joint like the one on the Barista Express. This limitation means it has a more limited range of movement, which can make texturing milk with the Gaggia Classic Pro a bit more challenging and time-consuming to master.
The steam wand of the Barista Express has a 360-degree rotation capability, making it easier for me to adjust the angle for better air infusion and the creation of microfoam.
Additionally, the Barista Express features an auto-purge function, which comes in handy. This function automatically releases excess heat when you lower the steam wand, helping the machine reach the right temperature for the next brew. In contrast, with the Gaggia Classic Pro, I need to purge the steam manually.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Winner: Breville Barista Express
In the realm of cleaning and maintenance, the semi-automatic Barista Express outshines the Gaggia Classic Pro. The Barista Express offers a descale mode, simplifying the cleaning and descaling processes and reducing manual effort. It also includes cleaning and descaling alerts, eliminating the need for users to track maintenance schedules.
In contrast, the Gaggia Classic Pro requires entirely manual cleaning and descaling without reminders. The Barista Express streamlines descaling with a one-touch process, making it faster and more straightforward. This user-friendly approach gives the Barista Express an edge in terms of cleaning and maintenance.
Additionally, the Barista Express’s auto-purge feature for the steam wand simplifies the cleaning process by preventing the buildup of milk residue. This eliminates the worry of forgetting to purge the wand after use, ensuring optimal performance and preserving the flavor of your drinks.
Their removable drip trays and water tanks facilitate regular cleaning. Regularly washing the drip tray is crucial to prevent unpleasant odors resulting from coffee and milk residue buildup. Overall, these machines are designed for user-friendly cleaning and maintenance, enhancing their longevity and drink quality.
Quick Rundown of Breville Barista Express
- Earn up to $200 cashback and receive two free bags of coffee beans when you purchase a selected Breville Espresso or Coffee machine. Valid Sep 18, 2024 until Dec 31, 2025
- The Breville Barista Express delivers third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula and is part of the Barista Series that offers all in one espresso machines with integrated grinder to go from beans to espresso in under one minute
- DOSE CONTROL GRINDING: Integrated precision conical burr grinder grinds on demand to deliver the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the portafilter for your preferred taste with any roast of bean
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: Low pressure pre-infusion gradually increases pressure at the start and helps ensure all the flavors are drawn out evenly during the extraction for a balanced tasting cup
- PRECISE ESPRESSO EXTRACTION: Digital temperature control (PID) delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extraction
Last update on 2024-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown of Gaggia Classic Pro
- Solid Steel Housing, Made in Italy
- 9 Bar Espresso Extractions
- Stainless Steel 58mm Commercial Portafilter
- Commercial Three Way Solenoid Valve
- Commercial Steam Wand
Last update on 2024-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine by Breville: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
- Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine by Gaggia: https://gaggia.com/manual-machines/new-classic/
Felix Hendricks is a skilled barista with over 12 years of experience. He excels in crafting coffee and has a strong foundation in coffee machine mechanics. Felix holds a Coffee Machine Maintenance Certification from the Coffee Equipment Technical Institute, showcasing his ability to diagnose and repair coffee machines. He’s also worked as a quality control specialist, selecting premium coffee beans for optimal flavor. Felix has a diverse work history, including stints at renowned coffee spots like Café Euphoria & Starbucks. His expertise in both brewing and machine maintenance makes him a respected figure in the coffee industry.