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Fact of the Day What Are Super Automatic Espresso Machines?

There are different types of espresso pod machines available in order to prepare the espresso types. Three varieties of machines that exist today are the semi-automatic, automatic and super-automatic espresso machines. Ground coffee is put into the filter of the machine manually in either manual espresso machines or semi-automatic espresso...

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What A PID Contributes To Gaggia Home Machines (And All Single-Boiler Machines In General)

Q: What does a PID do & why should you have one on your Gaggia? Simply put, a PID is a super accurate and easily adjusted replacement for the Gaggia's OEM brew and/or steam thermostats. The OEM thermostats have a very wide dead-band of approximately 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that the actual temperature of the water in the boiler may be 15 to 20 degrees higher or lower than the optimum temperature for producing quality espresso. With a PID the dead-band can be held to within a degree or two of the temperature you choose to brew at. Another excellent reason to PID your Gaggia is that different single origin coffees & espresso blends are best brewed at different temperatures for optimal flavor extraction. The Gaggia's OEM brew thermostat cannot be adjusted, so that even if it was accurate & had a narrower dead-band, the coffee you spend so much money for may not taste best when brewed at the machine's factory preset & inflexible temperature setting. And yet another reason to PID your Gaggia, is to remedy the pitifully poor steaming performance of all Gaggia machines. As shipped by the factory, and following the factory directions, the Gaggia's might have enough steam power for one cappuccino, but that's all. With my mods, the Gaggia has steam power to equal machines selling for thousands of dollars more!

A: I've played with the Krups Gusto and the Briel Lido. Both can make decent espresso. The Briel has a crema doohickey on the portafilter, the Krups does not. The frothing wand on the briel is too short, and cannot be used without the frothing gizmo. If I had to choose between the gusto and the lido (and I did), I'd choose the gusto (and i did).

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