I finally received a Mini Gaggia from Spain, after a two month wait. It arrived in ok condition. I originally was attracted to the machine's large basket and what seemed like a simple and elegant design. I know the proof is in the shot, but here is what I found:

1. There is no way the piston won't attempt to bring spent grounds stuck to the shower screen back into the cylinder, and maybe into the water tank.

2. There is no way to inspect the water tank to see if it is clean or has grounds (other than disassembling the machine), or for that matter, has water in it, other than looking down at a plate near the top. This doesn't tell you, however, how much or even if there is water in it. It just tells you when it is full. I'd rather know when it is empty!

3. There is no way to easily remove the shower screen for cleaning (that I could determine). Correct me if I'm wrong.

4. That is why the back of the screen and the top of the piston is covered with brown crud. The boiler, however wasn't scaled, but also has some brown crud on it.

For a collector of cute and interesting machines, the Mini Gaggia seems fine. For a user, however, I find it hard to believe that anyone is actually using theirs every day and getting good espresso. It just seems impossible, unless I'm really missing something.

If I'm wrong about the above, PLEASE, let me know ASAP. Otherwise I'm going to take a loss on Ebay and sell the machine AS IS. I won't even bother to install the new shower screen and piston seal I got from OE.

On the other hand, my La Peppina is a user, especially with the dimmer controller and naked PF. It doesn't suck coffee the wrong way. It consistently makes good and often great espresso. It looks silly, but it is very well designed, with the two main flaws being the junky metal (chromed ZAMAK) and a boiler that can develop rust spots. Also isn't made for one handed use. That said, the proof is in the cup and the La Peppina makes a great cup.

dan

Hmm, most of what you say is true. The Mini Gaggia is elegant on the outside- but very ugly on the inside. The way the thing is put together is not particularly user friendly. Compared to the Genius simplicity, and ultimate 'cleanability' of the Caravel design the Gaggia is a total disaster... a real good indicator of how design and quality dropped in the 70's out of preference for cheaper 'mass' construction methods...

BUT- having said that- the large 58mm PF, simple open boiler design and powerful spring does deliver an excellent espresso... I restored one of these a few years back- there were signs of crud getting into the boiler- drawn up just as you say- but it did clean up well and disassembly was not so hard.

Regarding the grounds getting drawn back: as long as you stick to a single pull this shouldn't be an issue. The key is to wait a full 10 seconds or so before releasing the lever- this allows pre-infusion and a larger shot volume.

Also from memory the shower screen came off OK- I seem to remember some fiddling- but no major drama.

So my advice: don't give up yet. The machine is worth the time to restore and seeing as you already have the parts: you have nothing to lose. I am sure you will get more for it if you decide to sell if you have restored it as well.

good luck!

and I almost forgot to mention-

the proof is in the pudding:

Au contraire. The Mini must be one of the simplest and smallest solutions to the problem of getting a liter of boiling water in position to push 60 ml of it uniformly through a 58-mm basket. It is a bit of an ugly duckling (no more so that Peppina though), and it has its quirks. The quantity of brass of the PF, piston, and boiler alone justify the used price of these machines.

It takes some practice to get a good shot. Its more sensitive to grind and dose than my other home levers.

One needs to flush the "group" (ie. boiler) after each use because it sucks up grounds. It can be turned upside down, or just flushed out. I've settled on the latter. I suppose it will eventually get a little dirty inside, but I don't worry over that too much.

Since I flush it well, I always fill it before I use it anyway. With a gravity-fed lever, I figure that this helps preinfusion anyway. No need to worry about water level then, but you can peek in with a flashlight.

The is NO brew water cooling between boiler and group. 90C in the kettle is 90C on the coffee. Took me a while to figure that out, but it may the only machine with which one can so precisely know the brew temp.

If you have the brass boiler version it has a serious block of thermal mass - when you find the brew temp you like for a given blend it stays there.

It produces the greatest one-pull shot volume of any home lever.

I now consistently pull good shots with the Mini, and I don't worry over its shortcomings. It reminds me of Spain, and the espresso I drank there for some reason.

You'll get a couple of hundred bucks max for it on ebay. There probably are not many cheaper ways you'll get precise control over the brew temperature in a 58-mm basket, however. Since it will hold its limited value, why not try it out a while first?

PC

Thanks, Jack(s)! Your replies cheered me up considerably.

I'll clean it up and use it without the case for easier testing. I was wondering:

What exactly is the function of the shower screen in this machine? It seems to me that if you pull the lever down gently, the chamber will quickly fill with water when the piston arrives at the top of the stroke. (The Peppina, on the other hand takes some time to get the water into the cylinder.) The shower screen presumably keeps that water from immediately hitting the basket, letting it pre-infuse gently before the piston travels down under spring pressure. I wonder if it's necessary? I wonder if a rudimentary screen that fits on top of the basket and would be removed when one removes the PF would work?

I'd like try it sans shower screen. It seems like maybe the water would gently and quickly enter the cylinder. If it worked well, one of the weaknesses of the machine might be eliminated; contamination and build up of residue on the end of the piston. After each shot, one could wipe off the piston with a cloth.

Thanks again.

dan

I forgot to mention the direct-coupled lever - the only home spring lever that one can assist on the upstroke. This allows for some increase is pressure. I've settled on brewing at the spring pressure, and I like the espresso. It is not the kind of crema bomb one might get from a manual lever or pump. Over the years I've come to appreciate less crema (you can see from sorrentina's photo that there is still plenty).

One could try make a finer-holed shower screen, or simply remove it. I suppose it is designed to prevent grinds from entering the boiler, but it could also disperse the flow. I'd like to hear how it works without it. But as I said, I just flush a lot of water after brewing and forget about it. It usually takes three cups of flushing to remove any traces of grinds from the group. I refill before the next session, and occasionally empty it altogether.

I opened the boiler once, and cleaned it out. It was a lot less dirty than I thought it would be, but there was some gunk on the spring - not much considering its 30 years old.

I began using filter paper in my baskets a while ago to see if it improves my cholesterol levels. It does not seem to effect the espresso quality at all. I got the bright idea to put a piece of paper ON TOP of the puck, and tried it a couple of times. It kept the screen perfectly clean, but the espresso was a failure. A fine screen on top the puck, like a mokka pot, might work though.

BTW, after my first response I went a pulled a shot, and it was quite good. After I flushed the group I saved the last flush of clear boiler water, and tasted it when cool. It tasted boiled, but not particularly like old coffee grinds or dirty boiler.

PC