That's the biggest difference between the Animal Prestige and the other 2 Anima models. While both the Anima and Anima Deluxe froth your milk with the push of a button, neither has programmed specialty beverages that automatically combines your espresso and milk for you. The Naviglio doesn't have a bypass chute for pre-ground coffee, by the way, something it shares with the Besana. This won't be an issue for most people, but some people like to keep a bag of pre-ground decaf and for that reason need a bypass chute. After every brew the Gaggia Anima Prestige will give you a button to press to initiate the automatic cleaning cycle.

While I do think it's a case of the more the merrier with grind adjustments, I have to be honest and say that it probably isn't going to make a huge difference re the 5 settings vs 10. One touch machines also known as one touch milk coffee machines or cappuccino makers, handle both the coffee and the milk at the touch of a button. I've used it, and it's fine for the money. It does have some competition, machines like the Swan Retro (which is a machine that sells under various different brand names) are a bit cheaper, and do a similar job.

Check out the Gaggia Anima!

froth density levels on the Accademia – the only Gaggia coffee machine I'm aware of with adjustable froth density. I'd recommend taking them out of the freezer the night before too, grinding frozen beans probably isn't the best idea for more than one reason. Ready to go in just under a minute! The only caveat with this is that your first espresso of the day if you make it as soon as the machine warms up, may be a bit on the cool side, due to the fact that the brew unit itself hasn't yet warmed up. If you just want to get a coffee machine out of the box and start making espresso-based coffees, you're not fussed about achieving perfection, and you don't see yourself as a home barista, then something like the Gran Gaggia is a very affordable option. If you've already read through all of the semi-automatic bean to cup machines, above, you'll notice that we're talking about (mostly) the same machines, but with the fully automatic or “one touch cappuccino maker” versions – as most of the bean to cup machines from Gaggia come as a range including semi auto and fully auto via two options.

OK so now we're looking at a coffee machine that actually looks like a coffee machine ;-). The Naviglio from Gaggia is fairly minimalist in its design, and it's a very simple coffee machine to use. Domestic espresso machines also known as consumer espresso machines or simply as “cheap espresso machines” are made more for the “every day” coffee drinker, someone who just wants to spend a relatively small amount of money on a coffee machine, take it out of the box and start making coffee that they're happy with, straight away with little or no learning curve.This is a gorgeous-looking machine, it has a real glass front, so it's easy to wipe clean, and the same glass front covers the touchscreen which makes it the easiest & most responsive touch screen I've used. Philips (who own Gaggia) used to sell this same machine under the name “Philips 2100”– but it seems they decided to move it over to the Gaggia brand. They look similar, although they're usually smaller – and they use pumps, portafilters, filter baskets, etc., but they're all a bit different. The simple answer to this is that there isn't a best machine overall, but there will be a best Gaggia coffee machine for you, and hopefully, you'll have a much better idea of which one that is by the time you're done reading this post. Generally, I give the Anima very good marks, but I have to deduct a few points because, in my opinion, plastic just never looks as good as stainless steel or chrome. Durability