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Looking to be Entertained?
Slender, sleek, super automatic… Gaggia’s Anima Espresso Machine is your perfect party entertainer.
For many of us, having friends over for dinner means good food, tasty drinks, maybe dessert, and coffee to cap off the night. Home pulled espresso has become an increasingly popular replacement for the evening cup of coffee before everyone heads home.
If you’re a part of this growing espresso trend, a slow-moving, small capacity machine can wind down the party prematurely. Gaggia’s Anima Super Automatic espresso machine, is not one of those machines.
Gaggia Anima
PROS
- 5 adjustable bean grinds in an 8.8 oz capacity ceramic bean hopper
- Adjustable water temperature & coffee strength
- Adjustable spout to accommodate larger cups
- Beveled edge to avoid waste water spillage
- Bypass Doser for pre-ground coffee (including decaf)
- Slim profile, great for home use
- 60 oz water reservoir & 15 puck dreg bin means more espresso between refills
CONS
- Espresso taste might be a little watery for some
- All plastic exterior
- Steam wand does not expel last bit of milk for cleaning
- No manual option on steam wand
- Single Boiler – for the price, a double boiler would have been nice
Is It Worth Your Money?
While there are other smaller capacity super-automatics on the market, the Anima is worth your money if you need a tad bit more room in the storage department.
The Anima is the first in a series of three lower-priced super automatic machines made by the oldest name in pump driven espresso, Gaggia. You’ll find very similar features in the Gaggia Brera, but if you need a little more capacity, then the Anima is worth a look. It’s priced reasonably given the Gaggia name, and its “starter machine” features. Plus, it has a few extra small bells and whistles.
Detailed Review And Breakdown
Skinny on the outside, wide on the inside… the Anima is one of the slimmest super-automatic machines on the market today, sitting at just 8.5” wide. Yet, its generous water and bean reservoirs are still accessible from the top, without having to pull your machine out from underneath the cabinet.
Interiorly, this machine features a roomy 60 oz capacity water reservoir and a dreg bin that will hold 15 coffee pucks. This means you can brew continues espresso drinks for up to fifteen guests without interruption.
If you’re an espresso regular or looking to be, but you don’t have much room on your counter, then the Anima is worth your consideration.
You’ll get the convenience of a super-automatic without taking up much counter space, and you’ll be able to grab a cup each morning for almost two weeks straight without having to empty bins and fill water tanks.
And, you can change the coffee strength on the go according to your guests’ liking with the fully programmable LED screen… not to mention choosing between three different water temperature settings for those of your friends who may like their coffee piping hot!
Ease Of Use And Reliability
With the Gaggia name on the outside, you’
ll find a reliable machine in the Anima. You’re also getting anintuitive programmable LED screen with a shallow learning curve. Whether you’re new to espresso or moving up to the next category in convenience, the Anima is easy to use and maintain.
Yes, it does have an LED screen which may feel overwhelming at first, but the selections are very intuitive. Yes, you do have to steam your own milk, but the Pannarello wand takes the guesswork out. Yes, you do have to clean your machine yourself, but the Anima tells you when it needs to be cleaned and it’s equipped with a removable brew group that is easy to clean.
Specs
- 15 bar vibration pump
- Espresso pre-infusion
- 17” tall with the top lids open
- 5” slim width
- 5 to 11.5-gram dosing option
- 60 oz top load water reservoir
- Flat Ceramic 8.8oz top load bean hopper
- 1300 watt single boiler with rapid heat
- Plastic Paneling
- Beveled Edges
- Pannarello steam wand
- Adjustable spout
- Removable brew group
- Can take Mavea Intenza water filter
- Programmable LED screen
How Does The Anima Fare On Price?
At a few hundred dollars more than its starter super-automatic machine, Gaggia’s Anima is set a great price point for heavy espresso drinkers or entertainers looking for the convenience of a super automatic with a price at the lower end of the spectrum.
Compared to other manufacturers you may be paying slightly more for the Gaggia name. But, Gaggia’s name is built on nearly a seventy-year history of producing high-quality pump driven espresso machines with the home user in mind.
Our Opinion
Gaggia Anima
The Anima is a solid party machine… really worth looking at for regular espresso drinkers who are attracted to the Gaggia dependability and need no fuss, larger capacity features.
It’s components – the manual steaming wand, but automatic espresso – the single boiler, but rapid heat – the smaller profile, but generous capacity, appropriately places it in the introductory level of the super automatic category.
Because it is so slim, it has great appeal for anyone struggling from lack of counter space but needs their espresso fix on a daily basis without a lot of hassle, especially since its larger capacity means up to fifteen drinks without interruption.
This machine is an excellent choice for people who love to entertain small groups. Smaller machines mean lots of stops and starts. Larger ones may mean paying for added bells and whistles you don’t need just to get the capacity you’re looking for.
If you want to move seamlessly through multiple espresso pulls without interruption, then the Anima is worth a look.
Other Options Worth Looking At
If you’re an espresso only on the weekend type person, but you like the convenience and usability of the super automatics, then you may want to consider a machine that has a smaller capacity at a slightly smaller price, like the Gaggia Brera.
If you love the slightly larger capacity of the Anima, but you’re not into steaming the milk yourself, then look at the Gaggia Anima Deluxe or Prestige. These machines in the Anima line go a couple of steps further to automate the milk steaming as well as the espresso pulling, and they have a couple other small, unique features.
