Gaggia Cadorna Prestige Review: A Real Winner!

Lately I’ve really been enjoying my exploration of the wonderful world of Gaggia super automatic espresso machines. That’s why I’ve decided to keep the ball rolling with a Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review. 

If my previous experiences of the Italian manufacturer’s coffee makers are anything to go by, the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige will produce fantastic espresso and milk foam without costing the Earth. Still, you just never know, right? Let’s take a closer look to find out!

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige Overview

If you’ve had a chance to check out my ever expanding super automatic espresso machine guide 2024, you’ll know that I’ve already reviewed a handful of Gaggia automatic coffee makers. 

So far, I’ve been more than impressed by the build quality and range of features the manufacturer manages to pack into its mid-range offerings. That said, I’ve been unable to shake the feeling that machines like the Gaggia Babila have become rather outdated, especially when it comes to the user interface side of things.

I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of guy who values style over substance. However, I am happy to be taking a look at one of the manufacturer’s more recent additions during this Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review. After all, it seems like Gaggia has upped its game here.

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige First Impressions

For starters, the Cadorna Prestige features one of the most impressive user interfaces I’ve seen on an automatic espresso machine. 

The huge color TFT display is a thing of beauty, and the fact that it isn’t a touchscreen doesn’t bother me one bit. Actually, I find that buttons are way more effective and intuitive. 

From where I’m sitting, it would appear that the Gaggia design team has taken more than a little inspiration from higher end manufacturers like Jura. That’s a good thing, in my opinion. The Cadorna Prestige’s sleek, streamlined silhouette gives the machine a distinctly boutique vibe.

It’s obvious a lot of thought has been put into the design – I love the way the water tank slides out from the front, integrating seamlessly back into the Gaggia coffee machine once it’s been put back into place. 

Interestingly, there’s even a slide-out espresso tray for crema-preserving espresso preparation, which scores big points from me.

At $849.00 on Amazon, the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige is going to have to offer more than just a pretty face to justify its price tag. Sure, you can spend way more on a super automatic, but we’re still looking at a serious investment. 

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige Features

Personally, if I’m spending over a thousand dollars on a coffee maker I’ll be hoping for excellent espresso and milk foam, supreme functionality and enough programmability to keep things interesting. 

Let’s continue this Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review by digging deeper into what the machine can offer.

Display

Earlier in this Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review I gushed about the machine’s awesome user interface, so brace yourselves for more of my excitement. 

The large color display isn’t overcrowded with too much information and the surrounding backlit buttons allow you to easily navigate the machine’s intuitive menu system. Everything makes sense, and the drink icons are clear and easy to identify. 

What’s more, the display is angled upward slightly, making it easy to read. It’s little touches like this that really make my day!

Ceramic Grinder

Gaggia takes espresso very seriously, so it’s no surprise to see that the Cadorna Prestige comes with a ceramic flat burr grinder. 

These coffee grinders are super durable, so you’re guaranteed consistent results. What’s more, ceramic dramatically reduces heat transfer during grinding, thereby helping preserve the aroma of your coffee beans. 

I’m impressed by the fact that the Cadorna Prestige offers ten grind settings; that’s only going to give you more control over your espresso. However, the only downside is that changing the grind involves using a tool located on the included coffee scoop. 

In my experience, this process isn’t as easy as it should be, especially seeing as you should only make changes with the grinder running.

Milk Froth

I’ve spent plenty of time talking up Gaggia’s integrated milk carafe during other reviews, and I’m more than ready to keep praising it. Honestly, this automatic milk frother is one of the best I’ve seen and consistently produces beautiful frothed milk.

The carafe can be kept in the fridge so your milk is at the ideal temperature for steaming. Once you’ve attached it to the front of the machine, the dispensing spout swings over your cup for an authentic one-touch latte macchiato or cappuccino. 

I love the fact that the integrated milk carafe performs an automatic cleaning cycle after each use. Plus, not having to clean milk residue from hoses and pipes is a welcome relief.

Specialty Drinks

The Gaggia Cadorna Prestige offers a whopping 14 specialty drink options, with four always available at the touch of a button. You can choose from cappuccino, latte macchiato and a whole host of other milk based coffee drinks, along with espresso lungo, americano and more. 

As you might expect from Gaggia, the options for customizing your favorite beverages are almost limitless – you can adjust coffee strength, temperature and volume of frothed milk then save your ultimate creation for next time. 

I’m happy to report that the Cadorna Prestige passes the latte macchiato test with flying colors – the milk is dispensed first, followed by the espresso, resulting in a multi-layered milk beverage that would bring tears to the eyes of the most stoic Italian.

User Profiles

If you live in a household full of coffee lovers, owning a coffee maker with multiple user profiles is always a good idea. After all, is there anything worse than pressing the espresso macchiato button only to find that someone has been tinkering with your carefully programmed settings? I don’t think so. 

Anyway, the Cadorna Prestige has four user profiles for saving your favorite drinks. Best of all, the machine gives you the option to save a drink each time you make changes. I see this feature as key in preventing arguments between over-caffeinated family members!

Aroma Intensity

The Cadorna Prestige’s Optiaroma feature is further evidence of Gaggia’s commitment to achieving high quality espresso. 

You’re able to choose from five levels of aroma intensity, thereby adjusting the volume of ground coffee used in espresso preparation. This, in combination with water volume, temperature and grind size, gives you an impressive amount of control over your shots. 

Pre Brewing

While we’re on the subject of espresso, I should point out that the Cadorna Prestige super automatic employs pre infusion as part of the coffee extraction process. 

Pre brewing is as important to espresso preparation as it is to pour over and Chemex because it allows the coffee’s aromas to fully develop.This isn’t something you’ll see on every super automatic espresso machine, and other manufacturers should take note. 

Brew Group

A super automatic machine’s brew group is where all the action happens, so it’s important to be able to access this essential component in order to give it the care and attention it deserves. The Gaggia’s brew group can be easily removed via a compartment on the side of the machine. 

Boiler

In keeping with the high quality design of this automatic machine, the Cadorna Prestige’s boiler features stainless steel lined aluminum construction, making it durable and efficient. This quick heat boiler will come up to brewing temperature in around a minute, which is pretty darn impressive in my opinion.

Cup Height

The Gaggia Cadorna Prestige features a fully adjustable coffee dispensing spout which can be raised to accommodate taller latte macchiato glasses or lowered to minimize splashes when preparing shorter beverages. 

I can’t really decide whether or not the espresso tray is an unnecessary gimmick, though. On the other hand, adding a little extra flair to espresso preparation can’t be such a bad thing!

How to Use the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige

During my drip coffee maker reviews, I like to see whether a machine can pass my “no instructions required” test. Let’s be honest, though – a coffee maker is one thing but a super automatic espresso machine is a more intimidating prospect altogether.

Still, I’m fairly convinced that just about anyone could take a deep breath and proceed to get a halfway decent cup of coffee out of the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige without opening the user manual.

Start by filling the water reservoir and adding freshly roasted coffee beans to the bean container, located on top of the machine. I’d recommend steering clear of dark, oily coffee beans as they’ll tend to clog up the Gaggia’s grinder.

As part of the initial setup, you’ll need to prime the machine by performing a manual rinse cycle. Once that’s done, measure your water hardness using the included test strip and input the results into the settings menu.

Using fresh, clean water makes a huge difference in how your coffee will taste, so I always recommend using a water filter if possible. Fortunately, you can use a Intenza+ water filter in the Cadorna Prestige water reservoir which will cut down on limescale buildup and dramatically improve the quality of your coffee.

Preparing Drinks

Now you’re ready to start preparing drinks. As I already mentioned, the user interface is incredibly intuitive, making it easy to start whipping up coffee, espresso and milk based specialties. 

After you’ve selected a drink from the main menu, you’ll be presented with customizable options for adjusting a variety of settings. Once you’re satisfied, simply hit the Start button to initiate the brewing process and watch your dreams come true in real time!

I don’t like to advocate for using pre ground coffee, but there are times when you might want to take advantage of the Gaggia’s bypass doser. Located next to the bean hopper, this feature is good to have, but you might find that it clogs up a little too easily.

Best Coffee for the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige Cleaning

I think we can all agree that the whole cleaning thing is the least fun aspect of owning a fully automatic coffee machine.

However, I will say that the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige allows for easy and hygienic cleaning. Plus, once you get into the habit of performing daily cleaning tasks, you’ll realize there really isn’t that much to do. I mean, it’s nowhere near as involved as establishing a habit of daily exercise, for sure!

Now, I already mentioned the machine’s easily removable brew group, which you should take out and rinse at the end of the day. Make sure to let it dry completely before putting it back in the machine. 

The drip tray, used grounds container and water reservoir should all be rinsed with warm water but forget about putting them in the dishwasher. While they are drying, show the Cadorna Prestige a little love by wiping it down with a damp cloth. 

Once a month or so, you should deep clean the milk carafe using milk circuit cleaner and the brew group using coffee cleaning tablets. As for descaling, the machine will let you know when it’s time to perform a cycle.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that Gaggia recommends only using its own descaler solution and far be it from me to encourage you to disobey. Anyway, if you’re using a water filter you won’t have to agonize over which descaler to use very often.

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige Specifications

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige vs Others

The Gaggia Cadorna Prestige’s price point puts it in the middle of a particularly crowded super automatic segment, with plenty of manufacturers trying to get your attention. Not only that, there are quite a few other Gaggia machines to choose from.

As part of this Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review, let’s take a look at how the machine fares in comparison with some other fully automatic coffee makers on the market.

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige vs Cadorna Barista Plus

Still in the same ballpark, price-wise, the $749.00 Gaggia Codorna Barista Plus is an interesting proposition. 

Again, this machine represents the Cadorna line in terms of design, functionality and programmability, but does away with the automatic milk system altogether. Instead, the Barista Plus has a commercial-style steam wand for creating milk foam.

I have no issues with steaming my own milk, but I do wonder whether the machine’s single thermoblock will be able to keep up.

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige vs Magenta Prestige

If you’re looking for a sleek, affordable automatic espresso machine, Gaggia’s Magenta line could be right up your alley. The Magenta Prestige costs an entirely reasonable $649.00 on Amazon and features an integrated milk carafe, while the $525.00 Magenta Plus has a manual steam wand.

Unfortunately, the Magenta line does not have user profiles. You can save the settings for each drink type, but each time you do, it will overwrite the previous ones.

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige vs DeLonghi Dinamica Plus

If this Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review has shown me anything it’s that there’s finally a machine to give the DeLonghi Dinamica Plus a run for its money.

Regular Coffeeness readers will know how much I love the Dinamica Plus – it makes superb espresso and the LatteCrema system produces dreamy milk foam. The main advantage of owning the DeLonghi over the Gaggia is the machine’s TrueBrew Over Ice function, which actually allows you to make convincing iced espresso. 

Still, I’d love to put these two super automatics in a head-to-head battle for supremacy!

See Also: DeLonghi Dinamica Plus Hands On Review 2024

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige vs Others Comparison Chart

Verdict: Gaggia Cadorna Prestige

To sum up, I have to say that Gaggia continues to impress me with the quality of the super automatic espresso machines it produces. Not only that, the Italian manufacturer has finally caught on to the fact that it needs to stay relevant by modernizing some design elements and vastly improving the user interface.

The Cadorna Prestige has definitely got my attention, and from what I’ve seen I can’t think of any reasons not to recommend it. 

Now I’ll just have to wrestle with the fact that I desperately want to buy one of these reasonably priced machines. After all, staging a Cadorna Prestige vs DeLonghi Dinamica Plus battle of the mid-range titans might be too tempting an opportunity to pass up. Stay tuned!

Gaggia Cadorna Prestige FAQ