Gaggia Anima Coffee and Espresso Machine- Includes Steam Wand for Manual Frothing for Lattes and Cappuccinos with Programmable Options

what our customer say this product:

1. kindlenerd Verified Buyer – 2 March 2024

   I did a lot of research and found that America’s Test Kitchen (which is a pretty good authority on kitchen equipment) rated this unit very highly. It is not cheap, but actually one of the lowest price fully automatic espresso machines. I have not been disappointed–it is extremely easy to use and works great every time. Very consistent. I’ve already saved about $30 over the past two weeks by NOT going to Starbuck’s. The product is every bit as good as what you’d get from a barista at any coffee shop. So I figure I should save somewhere in the neighborhood of $750 or $800 by not going to Starbuck’s over the course of a year. I think you’re not supposed to put the dollar amount of a product in these reviews, but suffice it to say I should easily recoup the cost of the unit and begin saving money significantly in year two. Thank you Gaggia and whole latte love for an excellent product!!!

   

2. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 11 April 2024

   The coffee grinder didn’t work after only a few days of using the machine. Looked up YouTube videos to figure out what was wrong. Clearing the coffee grinder was not explained in the manual. The video showed a complicated way to clear the grinder that involved vacuuming out the grounds. I was able to successfully make the grinder work but then the error symbol came on again within a few days and this time I was not able to fix it even though I was very careful to follow the instructions on how to empty the coffee grounds and how to clean the brew unit and make sure it was completely dry. I was surprised at the difficulty of operating the machine. When it did work, the espresso was excellent. I’m sorry it wasn’t easier to use.
   

3. Andrew D. Rodney Verified Buyer – 27 June 2024

   Yes, I did state affordable but let’s put this into perspectives. I’m coming to the Anima from a Gaggia Titanium which I purchased here on coffeemakers.us.com in 2005 and at the time, paid $1499. I loved it and made over 25,000 cups until last month when the water pump finally died. I was told by Gaggia it would be too expensive to ship and fix and that the Anima was the ‘replacement’. So at more than half the price of the Titanium, and considering what other super automatics can cost, I found this unit ‘affordable’. It makes superb coffee, perhaps better than the Titanium. There are mostly pro’s, a few con’s in comparing the two. I talked about price. Further: 1. Quality of the coffee. I think this unit grinds and thus produces a better, stronger cup. I’ve played with the various controls and nailed how I like the coffee. The quality is outstanding (see below, comparison to French Press and Chemix). 2. The unit appears to hold a bit more coffee beans and the same amount of water as the Titanium. 3. The coffee dispensing spout has a wider range than the Titanium and allows very tall mugs which is a major plus for those of us wanting coffee. 4. The control panel is icon based and attractive. It’s a bit more descriptive. 5. The unit is smaller in footprint than the Titanium. It doesn’t swivel on it’s base which I could care less about. 6. The unit has a more robust “reactivation” (energy saving) mode which is programmable by time. When the unit first wakes up and cleans itself, it uses far less water than the Titanium which makes the water in the tank go longer between refill. 7. Once you set the desired amount of product with one push of the button, two pushes produces twice as much like the Titanium. I like the progress dialog on the LCD letting you know how much longer the process should take. More about this in #2 below. Possible cons: 1. Build quality isn’t close to the Titanium**, but with careful use, I don’t think that’s going to be a factor. The Titanium was solid with lots of ‘metal’ while the Anima has a lot of (what some might call) flimsily plastic instead. And that’s what one would expect at half the price. I believe if a user is careful with the parts that need to be removed, cleaned and handled, this will not be an issue. 2. The Titanium had three “coffee” buttons, this unit has two. Not an issue for me. Both are programmable for the amount of product and thus strength. I have one for espresso and one for ‘coffee’. So you can program the amount of product to dispense and double that by clicking on one of the two buttons twice. Titanium also had a cup warmer I never used; not necessary IMHO. 3. Seems to require a bit more maintenance. One has to ‘oil’ the brew unit occasionally and once a month, it’s recommended it be ‘cleaned’ with a Gaggia tablet. That wasn’t the case with the Titanium. I don’t know yet if this will be a factor. Both units need occasionally to have a descaling. 4. This unit is a bit slower in dispensing the coffee perhaps due to the strength of the pump or, it just has to do this to make a better, stronger cup of coffee. Hardly a con but I wanted to mention you’ll wait a bit longer for one ’round’ than with a Titanium. Both produced lovely creama. 5. To alter the grind with the supplied tool, you’re told to start the process of making a cup of coffee and turn the dial while grinding. That’s not possible as when the door to the coffee beans is open, the unit stops so I can’t figure out how to follow the instructions. None the less, I was able to carefully turn the dial to the desired grind and now it’s perfect. All in all, I’m very happy with the unit after a few weeks of use. I miss (and loved) my dear Titanium but I’m very happy with this unit. I hope I’m lucky enough to brew 25K cups of coffee and get 13 years out of this unit. There doesn’t appear to be a number of coffees produced menu option but that’s not a big deal. When my Titanium died and while waiting for this unit, I went back to a French Press and a Chemix (my backups) and it only took a few days to want my super automatic back. Grinding the coffee, boiling the water (to ideal temp) and clean up was a major hassle compared to having a super auto. Push one button, you get a superb cup of coffee. And I really prefer the taste of the coffee from the Anima from either backup method. So if you’ve never had a super automatic, go for it. If you think it’s too expensive, you can spend a LOT more. **EDIT: purchased in 2018, it is now nearly the end of 2023 and the machine is still running as good as the day we got it.

   

4. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 11 August 2024

   Worth the price – great coffee and easy to use. Goodbye Keurig coffee pods – frankly I don’t know how I drank that stuff for so long – once you have this coffee you will never go back!
   

5. Igor S. Verified Buyer – 13 August 2024

   Very good product. Very pricy. We were thinking for a while before ordering, but no regrets. Good coffee, gives you variety, easy to use. Just expect that you will need to buy filters and whole bunch of supplies for maintenance. You can find it online easily but the price will go up and up.
   

6. Alan Verified Buyer – 13 October 2024

   Very happy with the ease of use, speed of brewing, quality of milk frothing and taste.

   

7. J. W. K Verified Buyer – 2 January 2025

   So who can make a better Cappuccino, Latte, Espresso than Starbucks for less than 10 cents a cup? This guy and of course you can too. I replaced my 9 year old Saeco Italiano machine with this Gaggia Anima. Did you know Gaggia, Saeco and DeLonghi are all the same company and when it come’s to Gaggia and Saeco, the machine’s are often identical but for the name? Just compare the Gaggia Anima with the Saeco Incanto, looks the same to me but the price can vary by up to $100.00 Also, a certain company which will remain nameless is now collecting Sales Tax and other web sellers do not. On a purchase like this it could be the difference of $65 for my State, maybe even more for yours! While the machine was expensive my logic is that it will pay for itself over ordering at Starbucks to the tune of $20+ per week. My last machine which I mentioned already was 9 years old and made thousands of cups. Starbucks $4 a cup X 2,000 = $8,000 for a massive savings. Makes buying an expensive machine a minor point, doesn’t it? While trying to decide what to buy I was tempted to buy a more expensive model with the built in milk frother but decided I would prefer doing it manually and saving some money, and I do on both counts. This milk frother by the way works exceedingly well to the point where I am trying to figure out how to heat the milk without so much froth. It’s only been a few days and I’ll figure it out but maybe you could message me with the secret. Some interesting facts. The machine is NOT made in China. It’s not made in Italy. Guess where? Yes, you got it, made in Romania! I looked at another machine by another maker, it was cheaper and I messaged the manufacturer and their model was made in China. I avoid China made stuff as much as possible. I’m fine with Made in Romania, fine with Made in Anywhere but China. Feel free to feel differently about that. A water filter is optional and does not come with the machine. Using the filter will greatly reduce the build up of calcium in the machine and since the Mavea Intenza filter should last around 5,000 cups is well worth getting. If you did not know it, using filtered water from brands such as PUR and Brita will not remove the calcium. Also, knock-off filters are cheaper but may not work at all or need to replaced more often. Spring water is not a work-around, it contains minerals so that won’t help. Get the Mavea Intenza filter and protect your investment. It’s only been a few days but the machine is fantastic and now the center point of my home coffee center.

   

8. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 8 January 2025

   Excellent espresso maker and top notch customer service. Purchased this unit several months ago and have really enjoyed it since. Last week it started throwing an error which I got concerned about but I contacted customer service who walked me through correcting the issue and promptly sent me out a part I needed to replace, no cost, no hassle. Great product with a great company to stand behind it.

   

9. Carlos Verified Buyer – 14 January 2025

   I’ve owned this product for about a week and a half purchased it after watching lots of review videos online. Really wanted the Cardona but it’s just too pricey for me at this time. After doing some research I figured out that this machine the Anima and the Cardona basically have the same Brew group. This is mostly an entry level espresso machine one touch and you have expresso it grinds and it brews fast, adjustable strength and adjustable temperature. So far I’m very happy with this and I’m just very concerned that I might not go back to the coffee shop again! this machine makes it so easy to go in these stores that sell coffee beans and pick up a new blend a new flavor just to take it home and try it out it’s kind of addicting to be honest with you but it’s still a lot less expensive than any pod-based machine plus well the grounds are recyclable. I did buy the extended warranty as well which I think is a good move. I don’t think you can go wrong on this machine for the price again I would have liked the more expensive version, the Cardona, because it has one touch settings for coffee drinks like Americano which I usually drink they even higher versions of this one and the Cardona have one touch settings for frothing milk and making coffee so you don’t have to do anything manually except for touch a button they’re a lot more expensive but if I could have afforded them I would have gotten it it’s that good! The picture that I have put in this review is of a cappuccino that I made and drank while I was writing this and it tasted so delicious and I’m sitting here looking at it and it still got froth!!

   

10. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 24 February 2025

    Excelente cafetera, jamás me había quedado tan Rico y aromático un café. El único problema es que ya no quiero tomar café fuera de casa…
    

11. Harold Reinders Verified Buyer – 3 March 2025

    We ordered and returned this coffee machine twice. The first machine had sensor failure 4/10 times you tried to make a coffee. It would grind the beans and then a sensor failure indicating we have no beans would some up. The freshly ground Beans would be dumped and you would have to reset everything. Extremely frustrating. Assuming that the first machine was just a defective one we returned it and ordered another. …… First try on the new one and grrrrr… the same thing. Actually the second machine was even worse. Maybe 1 in every 5 tries worked.
    So we tried different beans as reports said that might be the problem but it made no difference.
    When it does work it’s great but I wouldn’t recommend this machine.
    

12. Benji Socket Verified Buyer – 9 March 2025

    I thought I would save money with this instead of going to the coffee shop daily. Followed all maintenance according to the manual including descaling etc. Suddenly the machine gives me this error message. I follow all instructions to get rid of it but it appears every time I try to brew coffee. No answer at Gaggia, no help online from coffeemakers.us.com or Gaggia. Waste of time and money. Very disappointed.

    

13. David H. Verified Buyer – 9 March 2025

    So sad to leave this review because besides the leak I love this machine. I’ve tried everything and can not find the problem. The leak is substant

    

14. Y. Mosca Verified Buyer – 12 March 2025

    Using this machine for few months now on daily basis. I love that its easy to clean….i clean the base and used grounds after every use to avoid buildup. I would give it five stars if the steamer was a longer wand like on more professional machines. I managed to replace mine with a wand from an old Krupps machine… this was with some crafty cutting and brazing. There doesnt seem to be an easy way to replace it otherwise. Nevertheless included steam wand works very well and i also like that it is possible to use pre-ground coffee in addition to just beans. Machine is not too loud and has decent selections for the first time setup. I only hope the brewing mechanism and water pump hold out. I also have one of these Gaggia machines at work and i’ve seen it take ALOT of daily use without any problems which is why i chose this model in the first place. 1 Year Update: So far mostly good. Problem with damaged o-ring on nozzle for water supply to brew group. Replacement found locally and problem solved. See parts diagram. Steam wand modification holding out very well. All functions working without problems. Did a major cleaning of the brew group and re-lubed with silicone grease. Also made a descaling with vinegar just for maintenance.

    

15. Boo Angell Verified Buyer – 6 April 2025

    I’m falling in love with this machine. First seemed a bit needy- always wanting water, coffee, cleaning but we’ve adjusted to each other. Watched a lot of YouTube Videos to figure it all out and had coffeemakers.us.com support call me twice but seems like we’ve settled into a happy routine- coffee & lattes outstanding and all seems easy now I’m familiar with the machine!

    

16. Fusciah Verified Buyer – 7 April 2025

    Recently Won one of these from WholeLatteLove.com gotta say, I love this Gaggia Anima. Works great! Coffee tastes excellent, as good as kookaburra and Starbucks. Definitely read the manual and prime the machine first before using it. Or the machine will not function as designed. I did the cleaning cycle with tap water. The chlorine removes the gunk before first use so the water heats up fast to 170, then higher for nice and hot for espresso making. After the cleaning cycle which is how the machine is primed, I refill the tank with purified water. Turn off, unplug, plug back in and turn on machine. It is then ready to brew! Since advice …. Don’t use flavored beans or oily dark beans. They will break the grinder. Be sure to adjust grinder setting for correct courseness or fineness of grind depending on what your brewing. During shipping the magnet broke off the lid. Seems this has happened to other people. I just taped it back on. Machine works perfectly! ☕😘

    

17. Olga K. Rodriguez Sosa Verified Buyer – 9 April 2025

    Disfruto mucho usarla y es muy estética. Lo que más me agradó es que al hacer un esspresso, puedes ver la famosa “cola de ratón” de un buen café. Excelente.