In a Nutshell:
The Gaggia Anima Prestige is a good-looking and capable automatic espresso machine that puts the convenience of your favorite coffee shops on your kitchen counter.
Recommended For: Anyone but purists (who will prefer something with a steam wand) who loves specialty coffee drinks and wants the power to create them with ease from the comfort of home.
Overall Rating
4.7/5
Benefits
Drawbacks
Recommended For: A supremely capable machine that has the basics well covered. If money is somewhat tight, this is an excellent option to consider.
Do you love specialty coffee drinks? Do you wish you had a device in your kitchen that would give you the power to make all your favorites with the touch of a button?
If you answered yes to both of those questions, you’re going to like what you read in this—our Gaggia Anima review. While you can certainly find more expensive machines that offer a broader selection of one-touch drinks, this one has the basics well covered and offers a tremendous amount of capability in an attractive and attractively priced package.
Even better, Gaggia is one of the big names in the espresso machine industry, with a reputation for building consistently great products. The Anima Prestige is an excellent example of their work, and in the sections that follow, we’ll step you through everything this model has to offer, and we won’t be bashful in terms of pointing out its shortcomings.
If that sounds good to you, read on, and let’s take a closer look.
An Overview of the Gaggia Anima Prestige One Touch Cappuccino Coffee Machine
Before we get started, we should mention that the Anima line has a couple of different offerings. You can get the classic Anima or the Anima Prestige. In this review, although we may use variations of the “Gaggia Anima espresso machine,” we’ll actually be talking about the Prestige.
Also note that the company makes a model called the Gaggia Anima Deluxe. Unfortunately, at the time this review was written, the Deluxe is unavailable, and there’s no ETA on when it might return, so we won’t be talking about it here.
The first thing to say about the Prestige is that it’s a great-looking machine with a sleek, modern aesthetic. It’s built with a mix of ABS plastic and stainless steel front plates, so if your kitchen is decorated in a modern style, it will fit right in.
Even if it isn’t, the overall aesthetic isn’t likely to clash too much with most home décor schemes, so it will make a fine addition to almost any kitchen.
In terms of footprint, the Gaggia Anima Prestige measures 13.4” H x 8.7” W x 16.9” D and weighs 19.2 pounds.
The footprint makes it fairly easy to find a permanent home for the espresso maker, but you may want to take a quick measurement of the space between your countertop and the bottom edge of your kitchen cabinets if your plan is to slide it beneath them, just to make sure it will fit without difficulty.
Also note that on this unit, both the water reservoir and the bean hopper are top loading, so if you place it under your cabinets, you’ll likely need to slide it out to actually fill the tank and add beans. At 19.2 pounds, that’s certainly doable, but it is something to keep in mind.
Reservoir Size of the Gaggia Anima Coffee and Espresso Machine
We’d rate this as a very strong component of our Gaggia Anima review. The top-loading reservoir is quite generously sized at 1.8L or 60.9 ounces.
Even if you’re a fan of brewing Lungos, this is expansive enough that you won’t have to refill the tank terribly often.
Naturally, if you live in a larger household with a number of heavy coffee drinkers, you’ll have to refill the tank more often, but even then, you’ll find that it will serve you well.
On a related note, the drip tray has a 24-ounce capacity, so you can go all day brewing your favorite drinks without having to empty it. Though, to keep the machine clean and ready for use, you’ll probably want to empty it and wipe it down daily.
The Bean Hopper of the Gaggia Anima Prestige Automatic Coffee Machine
This is another very strong component of our Gaggia Anima review, though here, we do have one minor quibble. Before we get to that, though, let’s take a look at the best parts of this aspect of the Prestige’s design.
This model has a top-loading bean hopper with an 8.8-ounce capacity. That’s not only generously sized but it’s also a good match with the size of the water reservoir.
For the best-tasting coffee, you’d want to keep your beans as fresh as possible, and if the hopper was much bigger, you’d run the risk of losing some of the freshness of the beans by having them sit for extended periods in the hopper.
Also, we love that the grinder itself uses ceramic burrs.
There are two options where grinding burrs are concerned: stainless steel or ceramic. The problem with metal burrs is that they get hot when you use them, and this can lead to your coffee having a burnt taste, which is unpleasant, to say the least. That problem is avoided by using ceramic burrs, so we’re thrilled to see them here.
Our only real issue with this aspect of the Prestige’s design is the fact that the grinder only offers five different grind settings. Most people will be okay with that, but more grind settings allow for more flavor fine-tuning, and it’s not hard to find other models on the market that offer more on this front.
For the vast majority of potential buyers, this won’t be a deal breaker, but if you consider yourself to be a coffee purist and are in search of the best, most flavorful specialty coffee drinks you can get, you may find the grind settings to be something of a limiting factor. It’s worth keeping in mind.
Before we leave this section, we should also mention that the dreg drawer has a fifteen-puck capacity, which is large enough that you’re not going to have to empty it every time you turn around. It’s a minor point, but it adds to the overall convenience this machine offers.
The Boiler System of the Gaggia Anima Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine
The Anima coffee machine utilizes a single boiler, so there is a slight delay as it switches between brewing espresso and steaming milk. It’s not the end of the world, but it does build slightly more time into the overall drink-making process.
Even so, you won’t get bored waiting for whatever drink you order to finish, and best of all, depending on your preferences, you can adjust the temperature of your favorite drink, selecting from three different temperature levels.
The Milk Frothing System of the Gaggia Anima Automatic Coffee Machine
Where milk frothing is concerned, designers have two options: either a steam wand or an auto-frother. Coffee purists will prefer machines with a steam wand as it allows a greater degree of control when it comes to the texture of the milk froth you get.
On the other hand, an auto-frother is the option of choice for people looking to maximize convenience.
The Gaggia Anima Prestige coffee machine utilizes an auto-frother, and it is incredibly well implemented. Here’s the scoop:
The Gaggia Anima Prestige milk carafe has a 0.5 liter (16.9 ounces) capacity, and the milk length can be adjusted to taste.
Even better, the design of the auto-frother is exceptional because the froth dispensing spout is positioned in such a way that it fills your cup as it sits under the coffee spigot, so you don’t have to move the cup around as you do with many other machines.
Incredibly convenient and exceptional design by Gaggia!
Although we’re personally partial to steam wands, we have to admit that the auto-frother on this machine impresses.
Control System, Care, and Maintenance of the Gaggia Anima Prestige Espresso Machine
This is another rock-solid component of our Gaggia Anima review. The control system is a combination of a monochrome blue LCD screen paired with six buttons on the front face of the unit. Four of the buttons are dedicated to drink options, allowing you to order an espresso, espresso lungo, cappuccino, or latte macchiato at the touch of a button.
Another button allows you to access the rest of the menu options where you can control drink temperature, aroma strength, and coffee level, which controls the amount of coffee used in each drink you order—all of this driving a fifteen-bar pressure pump.
Our only quibble here is that the Gaggia Anima Prestige one-touch coffee machine doesn’t have user profiles and only one memory slot, which is to say that it will remember the settings you use when you make a drink but overwrite that memory if you make a different drink with different settings.
That’s fine if you live alone or are the only person using the machine, but if you’ve got several coffee drinkers in your household, the Prestige doesn’t offer a way for each person to save their favorite drinks and settings. That’s disappointing, but it probably won’t be a dealbreaker for many.
In terms of Gaggia Anima Prestige cleaning, it’s about what you’d expect. The milk carafe needs to be washed after each use, the drip tray and dregs bin emptied and cleaned on a regular basis, and any surface exposed to water, milk, or coffee needs to be wiped down daily.
Other than that, you’ll need to periodically descale the machine, but that’s a simple process outlined in detail in the helpful and well-written user manual.
Extras on Offer
At the time this review was written, we didn’t find any special deals with noteworthy “extras” on offer.
If you order one of these, you’ll get the unit itself, the milk carafe and water nozzle, a cover for that port when those features aren’t in use, a cleaning brush and grease for the brew group, and a water filter. Basically, everything you need (except coffee beans) to start using the machine right away!
Pros & Cons of Gaggia Anima Prestige Espresso Machine
The Gaggia Anima coffee machine gets almost everything right. We don’t have any major complaints about it at all, but some people may prefer machines that offer different features. Here are the reasons you may opt for some other model:
Gaggia Anima Review Conclusion
The cons we mentioned in the last section are all fairly situational, and they won’t apply to all users.
The more of them that apply to you, the less impressed you’ll be with the Prestige. Our sense is, though, that for most users, this model is going to hit almost all of the right notes. On that basis, we absolutely recommend it.
Other Options to Consider
If, after reading this review to the end, you’ve decided that this model just isn’t what you’re looking for, here are a couple of other options to consider:
Recommended For: Users looking for a good-priced automatic espresso machine.
This is an almost crazy-good machine that offers a wide range of drinks, plenty of customization options and of significance, an “over ice” brew option, and a built-in grinder with a total of thirteen grind settings. If you found the number of grind settings on the machine we just talked about to be somewhat underwhelming, this one is well worth a look.
This one will appeal to folks who don’t have the money for the machine we just talked about and want something a little more hands-on. This model features a steam wand, but it’s a highly automated version of a steam wand, so it doesn’t require as much skill or practice to use well and is a good middle ground where milk frothing is concerned.
Recommended Reading
Breville BES870XL Review – Barista Express Espresso Machine
Our examination reveals the Breville BES870XL, a full-featured entry-level semi-automatic perfect for newbie Baristas and power drinkers.
Sources & Resources
- Gaggia, Official Brand Website.
- Gaggia Anima Prestige Espresso Machine User Manual.
- 4 Ways Coffee Improves Your Mood, Bustle.
- This is the Best Time of Day to Drink Coffee, Martha Stewart.
- Brew Temperature, at Fixed Brew Strength and Extraction, Has Little Impact on the Sensory Profile of Drip Brew Coffee, Nature.