The black-glass Gaggia Accademia RI9781 is an unusual choice for a household divided over how to make milk drinks. One person can use the automatic carafe; another can steam milk in a pitcher with the separate wand. If everyone wants the same automatic cappuccino and nobody wants to steam by hand, that second milk system buys little.
Two ways to make a cappuccino on one machine
With the carafe, you select a milk drink and let the machine dispense it. With the wand, someone has to hold a pitcher, decide when to stop steaming and pour the milk. Both routes use the machine’s coffee preparation. The wand gives you responsibility for the milk texture; it does not turn the machine into a manual espresso maker with a portafilter.
Gaggia also lists four profiles. For a shared kitchen, profiles and the milk system solve different problems: the profile recalls an individual preference; the hardware determines who actually handles the milk. Two people who both enjoy automatic drinks might benefit from profiles without needing a manual wand at all.
What the Espresso Plus dial changes
Gaggia describes Espresso Plus as a way to change the flow during extraction. It is distinct from choosing a beverage and from choosing a milk routine. If you want to explore it, keep the beans, drink selection and other settings unchanged, then compare one dial change. The existence of a dial is not evidence of better flavor; the value is having a control you expect to use.
| Before spending money | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| Comparing two Accademia listings | Confirm the model plate and front finish. Gaggia distinguishes the black-glass RI9781 from the RI9782 finish. |
| Buying used for automatic cappuccinos | Check that the complete carafe is present and can run its cleaning cycle. |
| Buying mainly for hand-steamed drinks | Check that the wand can be positioned over your pitcher and that you can reach its purge control. |
Gaggia lists separate milk-circuit cleaning functions and a wand purge. Decide which milk path will actually see daily use and read its care steps first. This review does not include measured steam power or a taste comparison.
For the broader comparison, see Best Premium Super-Automatic Espresso Machines: 2026 Buyer’s Digest .
Sources
Gaggia North America Accademia features and controls · Gaggia technical sheet: model finishes, profiles and cleaning programs