The week my espresso machine decided to rebel against me

Last Tuesday morning, my 4 year old Gaggia just stopped building pressure mid shot. I was already running late for work, had that first sip almost ready and then nothing. Took me 4 days of watching YouTube videos, swapping out the gasket, and finally descaling it twice before she started working again. The coffee from a local shop during that time was good, but it cost me like $30 for the week. Has anyone else had their machine break at the worst possible time?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_angela12d ago

Honestly, I'm gonna take the other side on this one. That $30 is basically the cost of a nice dinner out, and you got a week of barista-level drinks from a place where someone else cleans the machine and dials in the grind for you. Plus, there's a weird satisfaction in fixing your own gear, you know? I actually found that my pour-over setup (just a $15 Hario and a gooseneck kettle) never has these breakdown moments, and the ritual of it kinda forces me to slow down in the morning instead of panicking over a finicky espresso machine.

thomas.tyler12d ago

My buddy's manual lever machine literally exploded steam all over his kitchen ceiling.