Gaggia Gran Prestige review

We measured the coffee at 55˚C, which means that it is drinkable immediately. Taste isn’t too bad, although we found that the coffee was very smooth, lacking some of the bitterness that a good shot of espresso should have. We can imagine that many people would prefer this flavour, but we like that hint of bitterness.

We also used the steamer wand to make a latte. There’s a button to heat the single boiler up to the right temperature, then you can use the tap to control the flow of steam. The wand is a good size, so you can reach to the bottom of most jugs and control how much foam you get.

Tightly packed foam is just want we want to see

We were pleased with our results, pouring a nice latte with a tightly-packed foam top. In terms of milk frothing this is about as good as it gets. As well as milk you can use the wand to dispense hot water, but turning the hot water pump on and using the tap. The machine doesn’t vent steam to cool it down between steam and water modes, so be careful to do this manually if you want to make another shot of espresso and avoid burnt coffee.

The coffee from this machine is pretty good and it looks great, but the Philips Saeco Poemia produces identical results for less. We’d rather save the money and buy that machine, but if you want a more attractive machine this is the one to buy out of the two. If you want the best results from a manual machine, go for the De’Longhi Scultura instead, which is only around £50 more.