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Barista-like coffees are hard to make since it requires technique and experience. Luckily for us, companies are manufacturing convenient coffee machines that can match the barista-like coffee taste. There are single-serve coffee machines that use coffee pods to make good coffee. But it is wasteful because it uses plastic containers which are bad for the environment. Additionally, there is a possibility of ground coffee becoming stale in these pods.
Brew freshly ground coffee with fully automatic coffee machines. In this article, we will be looking at two offerings from Gaggia – the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige. Let’s dive right into their similarities and differences.
| Gaggia Anima Prestige | Gaggia Velasca Prestige | |
|---|---|---|
| Image |  |
 |
| Machine Type | Super Automatic | Super Automatic |
| Build and Material | Stainless Steel / ABS | Stainless Steel / ABS |
| Simultaneous Brewing | Yes | Yes |
| User Interface | LCD + buttons | LCD + buttons |
| Display | Non-touch display | Non-touch display |
| Pump Pressure | 15 bars of pump pressure | 15 bars of pump pressure |
| Removable Brew Group | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature Control | 3-level temperature | 3-level temperature |
| Boiler | Stainless Steel Boiler | Stainless Steel Boiler |
| Cup Warmer | No | No |
| Beans Container Capacity | 8.8 oz / 250 grams | 10.5 oz / 300 grams |
| Bypass Doser | Yes | Yes |
| Water Tank Capacity | 60 oz / 1.8 liters | 50 oz / 1.5 liters |
| Water Tank Type | Top loading | Front-loading |
| Water Filter | Yes | Yes |
| Water Filter Compatibility | Intenza+ | AquaClean |
| Milk Carafe | 0.5 liters | 0.5 liters |
| Removable Carafe | Yes | Yes |
| Ceramic Grinders | Yes | Yes |
| Grind Setting | 5 settings | 10 settings |
| Aroma Setting | 5 settings | 5 settings |
| Adjustable Coffee Spout | Yes, 110 – 150 mm | Yes, 70 – 110 mm |
| Programmable | Yes | Yes |
| Rinsing Cycle | Automatic | Automatic |
| Milk Circuit Cleaning Cycle | Automatic | Automatic |
| Descaling Cycle | Automatic | Automatic |
| Cup Illumination | No | No |
| Maximum Cup Height | 5.9 in / 15 cm | 4.5 in / 11 cm |
| Removable drip tray | Yes | Yes |
| Coffee Pucks Container | 15 pucks | 10 pucks |
| Dimensions (L X H X D) | 22.1 x 34 x 43 cm | 25.6 x 34 x 44 cm |
| Item Weight | 8.7 kg | 9.4 kg |
| Included Accessories | Grease Tube, Grinder Adjustment Key / Measuring Spoon | Grease Tube, Grinder Adjustment Key / Measuring Spoon / AquaClean |
| Color Variants | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Price | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon |
Similarities between Gaggia Anima Prestige vs Gaggia Velasca Prestige
User Interface
Interacting the Gaggia Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige is simple and straightforward. To make a cup of coffee, you conveniently press the buttons on the front of both machines. There is an LCD panel on the front that can help you adjust and fine-tune the coffee to your preference. The LCD panel is nothing fancy. It is not touch-sensitive or colored by any means, but it is useful, nonetheless. It alerts you when the water tank is empty, or when the coffee puck container is already full, and even when the machine needs descaling. Lastly, if you have a specific coffee preference, you will be glad to know that both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have programmable buttons.
15 Bars of Pump Pressure
The flavor a coffee machine produces from its spout depends on many factors. One of those factors is its attainable pump pressure. It determines how much pressure it can build up to push flavors and aromas to your cup of coffee. Fortunately, both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige can reach up to 15 bars of pump pressure. Some argue that a pump pressure of 15 bars is considered as the perfect amount that produces the best coffee. Any less than 15 bars produce coffee with non concentrated flavor. Any more than that makes bitter coffee.
Removable Milk Carafe
The convenience that a milk carafe brings to any coffee machine is night and day. This is particularly true for first-time automatic espresso machine owners. Using a Pannarello wand to froth your milk is intimidating to anyone without experience doing it. One might fail to froth milk as it takes technique and experience to successfully do so. Fortunately, both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have a removable milk carafe. Both milk jugs can hold up to 0.5 liters of milk.
Maintenance
Any kind of machine needs regular maintenance especially coffee machines as it takes in biodegradable ground coffee. Also, not to mention, water can cause degradation of your machine. Hard water has sediments that can calcify on the internals of your machine that will cause it to clog and crack eventually. Both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have means of combating that. Both use a water filter, and their brew group is removable so you can rinse it now and then. Most importantly, both machines have automatic cleaning cycles.
Differences between Gaggia Anima Prestige vs Gaggia Velasca Prestige
Beans Container
Coffee beans are the heart and soul of any coffee. Gaggia Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have different capacities on both their coffee beans container and coffee pucks container.
Gaggia Anima Prestige
Gaggia Anima Prestige can carry up to 8.8 ounces or 250 grams of whole coffee beans. On top of that, both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have a bypass doser that takes in pre-ground coffee. This is for people who want decaffeinated coffee before going to bed. Used coffee goes to the coffee pucks container underneath that can hold up to 15 pucks.
Gaggia Velasca Prestige
In contrast, the Velasca Prestige can load more coffee beans up to 10.5 oz or 300 grams. This translates to less frequency of topping up the coffee bean hopper. The coffee pucks container of the Velasca Prestige can only hold up to 10 pucks. Due to its higher bean container capacity, the Velasca wins this category.
The Winner Is- Gaggia Velasca Prestige
Water Tank
The Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have different water tank capacity and placement.
Gaggia Anima Prestige
The Anima Prestige has a water tank capacity of 60 fluid ounces or 1.8 liters. This higher capacity compared with the Velasca Prestige means a lesser frequency of replacing water in the tank. Moreover, it also translates to more coffee made with one whole filling. However, there is something about its water tank that some take issue with. The water tank of the Anima Prestige is loaded from the top. That is why some may have a headroom problem in their countertop space. Otherwise, the Anima Prestige has the edge over the Velasca Prestige.
Gaggia Velasca Prestige
On the other hand, the Velasca Prestige has a lower water tank capacity of 50 fluid ounces or 1.5 liters. Although it has a lower capacity, people will be happy to know that it is frontloading instead. You will never worry about the headroom allowance due to its front loading water tank. It is a tie because the Anima Prestige has a larger water tank but with an inconvenient placement, and vice versa for the Velasca Prestige.
The Winner Is- It’s A Tie
Buy Gaggia Anima Prestige on Amazon
Buy Gaggia Velasca Prestige on Amazon
Water Filter
Filtered water makes the best tasting coffee. Both the Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige have a water filter inside their water tank.
Gaggia Anima Prestige
Water filters soften the water by removing its sediments. Moreover, due to the removed sediments, scale buildup is reduced. Thus, the frequency of descaling the machine is also decreased. The Anima Prestige uses the Intenza+ water filter which is considered as inferior versus the Velasca’s.
Gaggia Velasca Prestige
On the other hand, Velasca Prestige uses the superior AquaClean water filter. This water filter promises to make 5000 cups of coffee before the need to descale the machine as long as you keep replacing the water filter regularly. Due to this, maintenance is required less frequently.
The Winner Is- Gaggia Velasca Prestige
Grind Setting
How coarse or fine the coffee was grounded dictates how much flavor can be extracted from the coffee beans. It is similar to how the pump pressure affects the coffee’s taste. Too coarse, the flavor is weak. Too fine, the flavor becomes bitter.
Gaggia Anima Prestige
Anima Prestige only has 5 grind settings. Moreover, it also has 5 aroma settings. With its Optiaroma system, you can select from 6.5 to 11.5 grams of coffee beans to be ground. Also, both have ceramic grinders.
Gaggia Velasca Prestige
The Velasca Prestige has deeper grind settings at 10 settings. You can fine-tune your coffee more according to your preference. Like the Anima Prestige, Velasca Prestige has the Optiaroma system with also 5 different aroma settings. Due to the Velasca Prestige’s more coffee customizations, it has the edge over the Anima Prestige that other coffee enthusiasts can agree with.
The Winner Is- Gaggia Velasca Prestige
Adjustable Coffee Spout
An adjustable coffee spout dictates how tall your coffee cup can be.
Gaggia Anima Prestige
Gaggia Anima Prestige can accommodate taller coffee cups. You can put travel mugs up to 150 millimeters in height. Moreover, you can also put an espresso shot glass as it can go as low as 110 millimeters.
Gaggia Velasca Prestige
Velasca Prestige is shorter than the Anima Prestige. In effect, its adjustable coffee spout can only go as high as 110 millimeters. But it can go lower at 70 millimeters. Anima Prestige is better because it can accommodate more cups with its higher coffee spout.
The Winner Is- Gaggia Anima Prestige
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Super automatic coffee machine
- Luxurious stainless-steel front panel
- Easy user interface
- 15 bars of pump pressure
- Removable brew group
- 8.8 oz / 250 grams of coffee beans capacity with bypass doser
- Larger water tank at 1.8 liters
- Removable milk carafe with half-liter capacity
- 5 grind settings
- Optiaroma with 5 aroma settings
- Can accommodate taller coffee mugs up to 15 cm
Cons:
- No cup warmer
- Top loading water tank
Pros:
- Super automatic coffee machine
- Luxurious stainless-steel front panel
- Easy user interface
- 15 bars of pump pressure
- Removable brew group
- 10.5 oz / 300 grams of coffee beans capacity with bypass doser
- Frontloading water tank with 1.5-liter capacity
- Removable milk carafe with half-liter capacity
- 10 grind settings
- Optiaroma with 5 aroma settings
- Can accommodate taller coffee mugs up to 11 cm
Cons:
- No cup warmer
Final Verdict
Gaggia has produced great fully automatic coffee machines with their Anima Prestige and Velasca Prestige. However, one has to be better, right? Out of their 5 differences, Velasca Prestige won 3 categories. It has a larger coffee bean hopper, a better water filter, and a more fine-tuned coffee customization. Knowing that both have similar prices, the Gaggia Velasca Prestige is indeed a better coffee machine than the Anima Prestige.