Gaggia Classic Pro Evo 24
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The Gaggia Classic Pro is the original home barista espresso machine, it’s one of the best options on the market when it comes to balancing price with durability and longevity.
The E24 version is the latest version of the Gaggia Classic Pro, and it differs from the Evo Pro 2023 version purely by the Brass boiler vs Aluminium, which has also given it slightly better steam power and potentially better temperature stability.
So the latest version Gaggia Classic, the “E24” is fundamentally the exact same machine as the Evo Pro 2023, but with the new brass boiler. If you’re not sure how the Evo Pro differed to the previous versions, don’t worry, I’ll go through that shortly.
|titlestrong Features and Benefits |
showbullet 2 Litre water tank|
showbullet New 30% bigger capacity brass boiler|
showbullet All stainless steel portafilter |
showbullet brass group with stainless surround|
showbullet Pro steam wand|
showbullet Simple rocker switches|
showbullet 15 bar pump with OPV (approx. 12 bar, but very simple mod makes it 6 or 9 bar)|
showbullet 3 way solenoid valve|
showbullet Built like tanks!|
showbullet Compact: 38cm deep, 23cm wide, 39cm tall|
showbullet Standard-sized 58mm portafilter – lots of compatible accessories|
All Stainless Steel Portafilter
This was an update on the 2023 version, vs the Pro 2019 which had a chromed brass portafilter, and it remains on the E24 version. The chromed brass did mark & dent easier, so the stainless steel portafilters will probably stay looking like new for much longer.
New Higher Capacity Brass Boiler
It’s the same physical size as the original Aluminium boiler, but thanks to the thermal properties of brass vs Aluminium, the material is thinner, and this means an increased capacity, meaning the new boiler has a capacity of roughly 110ml.
What this relates to is slightly more steam power than the previous versions, and this is more noticeable when steaming bigger jugs of milk.
It does take slightly longer to reach steam ready time, but not a great deal.
The boiler being brass, though, also potentially – in theory at least – equates to better temperature stability, meaning hopefully smaller temperature swings, and not as much temperature surfing required if you’re not bothering with fitting a PID.
All Brass Group
Instead of a chrome plated brass, the group is now pure brass, with a stainless steel surround. This came in with the Evo pro 2023, and remains for the new E24 version.
Solid Stainless Steel Dispersion Plate
Earlier versions featured an Aluminium dispersion plate, but the Evo Pro 2023 and the new E24 both have a solid stainless steel dispersion plate.
Temperature Surfing?
If you’re wondering what the heck I’m going on about here, temperature surfing means developing a workflow to ensure you’re pulling the shot at the closest to the same shot temperature each time.
The classic has a thermostat, not a PID (a more sophisticated, algorithmic temperature controller) and the temperature swings quite a bit, temperature surfing is to get around this temperature swing, as much as possible.
Aluminium has way more thermal conductivity than Brass, so an Aluminium boiler will get up to temperature faster, but will be losing its heat at a rate of about four times the rate of a brass boiler.
Brass will take a little bit longer to get up to temperature, but it’s much more temperature stable, meaning it’s not losing its head as quickly. So a brass boiler sitting right on top of a brass group, once they’re both heated up, should be a better scenario in terms of temperature swings, than an Alu boiler sitting on top of a Brass group.
I say “should be”, I have been using the new E24, and it does feel like this is the case, but I’m not stating this like I’ve scientifically tested it, as I haven’t done.
There’s So Much Choice! Should I Go For The Classic E24?
It’s a tricky one, it really depends on you. If you want a machine that you can mod & make your own, I think you’d probably be really happy with the Classic.
If you want a machine that you can tinker with, maintain yourself, and keep on going for decades, there’s not much else that I think would beat the Classic at this kind of price point.
If you’re scratching your head at why on earth you should have to Mod a machine, but you’re still looking for something along similar lines to the Classic, then you may want to look at the Sage Duo Temp Pro, or the Lelit Anna PID.
If you don’t want old school, and you’re looking more for user friendliness, you’d probably want to be looking at the Sage Bambino, or the Bambino Plus if you want the auto milk frothing.
For loads more choices see:
The Best Home Espresso Machines
