Gaggia Platinum Bean to Cup Coffee Espresso Machine

Design
Simplicity and essential lines – that’s how Gaggia describes the design of their Platinum Vision machine. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the large touch screen; below this screen is the coffee dispenser and Espresso Plus System beverage strength dial. To the left of this dispenser is the steam wand with Panarello frothing attachment, and to the right of the touch screen is a cup icon and arrows for raising and lowering the cup tray. The Gaggia Platinum Vision rests on a revolving plate, so you can turn it to reach the side or back of the machine.
 
Touch Screen
The large black and white touch screen shows three cups for small espresso, medium coffee, and large coffee, and in the top left corner displays a steam icon. Below the cups are the words “explain icons,” a clock, and “go to menu.” If you press “explain icons,” the icons are replaced with words, so it will say “small coffee” “medium coffee” “large coffee” and “steam wand.” Pressing the clock allows you to change the clock settings. Pressing “go to menu” takes you to the programming menu, where you can set features such as language, temperature, coffee dose, display, time, view the number of drinks made, and perform cleaning functions.
 
Brewing
To brew, press the cup corresponding to the type of coffee you want. If you want two of that drink, press the button twice – the machine will show two cups, then brew and dispense your preferred beverage. If you change your mind while the machine is brewing, press the words “coffee stop” that appear on screen while the machine is brewing, and your beverage will stop dispensing.
 
Rapid Steam Boiler System
The Rapid Steam boiler system reduces the wait time between coffee and steam delivery to just a few seconds, while the stainless steel boiler retains heat and resists wear. By cutting out the down time between brewing and steaming, the Rapid Steam boiler system allows you to deliver the beverage you want, when you want it.
 
Ceramic Burr Grinder
The ceramic burr grinder results in a consistent, static-free grind – and it works quietly. Insert beans into the sealable bean hopper, which holds 8.8 oz of beans. This clear plastic hopper allows you to monitor the bean levels easily, and the machine will alert you with a “add coffee beans” message when the hopper runs low. Each time you brew, the Gaggia Platinum Vision grinds beans for that shot, ensuring the freshest taste. The grind setting can be adjusted between coarse, medium, and fine using the included grinder adjustment tool. 
 
Bypass Doser
The bypass doser is convenient for when you or your guests prefer a blend other than what is already in the hopper. Just open up the bypass doser, the circular shoot within the bean hopper, and measure out a scoop your ground coffee using the included spoon. Select “pre-ground coffee” in the programming menu as detailed in your product manual, and brew as you normally would.
 
Opti-Dose System
You can customize the amount of espresso per shot from 7 – 10.5 grams by pressing the icon of the beverage you wish to adjust for two seconds, then select the quantity of coffee to be ground. From now on, this new dosage will be indicated on the touch screen by a difference in the darkness of the cup – if the cup is at its darkest color, the brew will be stronger, and if it it is lighter, the brew will be milder.
 
Espresso Plus System
A dial located on the coffee dispenser allows you to adjust the body and intensity of each drink, even while it’s brewing. Leave the dial pointed to the center for a regular strength drink, but turn it to the left for a more mild brew or to the right for a stronger one.
 
Cup Lift
Your cups rest on a height-adjustable drip tray, which can be raised or lowered electronically using the arrow buttons to the right of the touch screen. Remember to empty and clean the cup tray daily with running water.
 
Active Cup Warmer
The electrically heated stainless steel cup warmer means that you can display your demitasse cups whenever you want. Brewing espresso into a warm cup preserves the temperature, and the crema, better than brewing into a cold cup, so if you choose not to warm your cups on the cup warmer, remember to rinse them with hot water before brewing. Your cup warming settings can be changed in the programming menu to always on, always off, or off while in stand-by. 
 
Pannarello Frothing Wand
The Gaggia Platinum Vision’s frothing wand rotates out, so you can froth and steam with ease. The Pannarello attachment makes frothing and steaming even easier, especially if you’re just beginning. To steam, press the steam icon. This takes you to the steam/hot water menu – press the word “steam” in the top right corner of the screen, and open the steam knob located on the left side of the machine to the steam icon. Steam will begin dispensing. When you have your desired amount, close the steam wand and exit out of the steam menu. Remember to wipe down the steam wand with a damp cloth after using it to prevent milk residue buildup. 
 
Hot Water
Your frothing wand also doubles as a hot water dispenser for tea, a café americano, or hot cocoa. Enter the steam menu by pressing on the steam icon, but instead of pressing the word “steam” press the words “hot water” right under the word “steam.” Open the steam knob to the steam icon, and hot water will be dispensed – close the steam knob and exit out of the steam menu when you’re done. 
 
Gaggia Milk Island (Not Included)
The Gaggia Milk Island connects to your Gaggia’s steam system, foaming and steaming milk up to 13.5 oz of milk a latte or cappuccino. Turn the steam knob located on the side of the machine to the milk island setting, and the machine automatically froths and steams milk.  
 
Water System with Aqua Prima Water Filter
The removable water reservoir holds 57 oz of water, and is located on the left side of the machine for easy access – you’ll know it’s running low when the words “fill water tank” appear on screen. The Aqua Prima water filter located inside your reservoir prevents impurities in your tap water from altering the taste of your drink, as well as increases the length of time between descaling cycles. When the filter needs to be replaced, the words “change water filter” appear, and when your machine needs to be descaled, the word “descale” will appear on screen.
 
Removable Brew Group
It’s a good idea to clean the brew group weekly – open the door on the right side of the machine to remove the brew group, and rinse it with running lukewarm water. Once it dries, you can replace it. After about 500 brewing cycles, Gaggia recommends lubricating it with the included oil before replacing. 
 
Internal Drip Tray and Internal Coffee Ground Container
When the display screen reads “empty coffee grounds drawer,” open the side door to remove and empty the coffee grounds container. It holds 14 spent pucks, but make sure you remove it when the machine is on – otherwise it won’t record that the container was emptied. When the screen reads “empty drip tray,” open the side door to access the internal drip tray under the brew group. This is distinct from the drip tray located on the front of the machine – the external drip tray prevents spills from reaching your counter tops, while the internal drip tray catches water left over from the brewing cycle. You’ll know the external drip tray needs to be emptied when the water level indicator rises.