The Gaggia Naviglio (HD8749/01) is a compact, Italian-made bean-to-cup machine with a 5-step ceramic grinder, 3 strength levels and a classic pannarello steam wand.
The Gaggia Naviglio (HD8749/01) is a compact, Italian-made bean-to-cup machine with a 5-step ceramic grinder, 3 strength levels and a classic pannarello steam wand. It sits at the simple end of the market: espresso and long coffee at the touch of a button, with milk frothed by hand. Owners and Expert Reviews rate its espresso highly for the money and find it easy to use. The trade-offs are routine cleaning, greasing and descaling, no temperature control (some find drinks lukewarm, especially with milk), limited grind and steam control, a single boiler that makes you wait for steam, and mixed reliability reports. It suits espresso and black-coffee drinkers who want fresh-bean coffee without fuss. Anyone wanting one-touch lattes or fine control should look elsewhere. Long-term durability evidence is thin, and no recent independent test was found.
Strengths
Owners and Expert Reviews praise the espresso: strong, consistent, with thick crema for the price.
Simple controls: buttons and LEDs, programmable drink length and two cups at once.
Compact footprint (25.6 cm wide) with a front-loading water tank and grounds drawer, a removable brew group and dishwasher-safe pannarello and drip tray.
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Seen as good value; Expert Reviews calls it hard to beat at its price.
Things to consider
No temperature setting; some owners find drinks not hot enough, especially with milk.
Milk is frothed manually on a single-boiler machine with no steam knob; steam takes a while to come up.
Only 5 grind steps, limiting fine-tuning for espresso enthusiasts.
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Needs routine cleaning, greasing and descaling; one owner reports grounds clogging the chute.
Mixed reliability reports, including one owner with two failed units.
The red power light keeps blinking after switch-off, which owners find irritating.
Who is it for, and who is it not for?
Good for
Espresso and black-coffee drinkers who want fresh-ground coffee at the press of a button.
Capsule-machine users moving up to beans without learning manual espresso.
Kitchens with limited worktop space.
May not suit
People who want one-touch cappuccinos or lattes; the Naviglio Deluxe or Milk versions add automatic milk systems.
Enthusiasts who want fine grind, steam or temperature control.
The UK Naviglio is model HD8749/01 in black (EAN 8710103728481). The silver Naviglio Deluxe (HD8749/11) and the Naviglio Milk are separate models with different milk systems.
Built-in ceramic grinder with 5 grind settings, 3 Optiaroma strength settings, and a memo function for programming drink length. Controls are buttons with LEDs; there is no display.
Milk is frothed manually with a classic pannarello steam wand. There is no automatic or one-touch milk drink; one-touch drinks are espresso, espresso lungo, hot water and steam.
The brew group is removable. The machine rinses automatically and warns when descaling is due (descaling itself is manual). The pannarello and drip tray are dishwasher-safe, and an Intenza+ water filter is supported.
Expert Reviews' hands-on test recommended the Naviglio. It found the espresso very good, at 68C with thick crema, but lacking the subtlety of much pricier machines, and called the machine excellent value. Its criticisms were that the plug-in grind-adjustment tool is easy to lose and that, with a single boiler, steam takes a while to come up and cannot be controlled.
Most UK owners in the sample (Amazon.co.uk and Caffè Italia) praise the coffee as strong, consistent and better than high-street coffee shops or capsule machines.
Two owners say the coffee is not piping hot and miss a temperature setting; one says milk drinkers will find drinks too cool. Expert Reviews measured 68C and called it about right for espresso.
Owners stress routine upkeep: weekly cleaning, periodic greasing and regular descaling with bought solution. Several say these jobs are quick. One owner reports ground coffee clumping and blocking the coffee chute if left overnight.
Reliability reports are mixed. One owner had an original and a replacement unit both fail, while others report years of trouble-free use, including commercial use of the Saeco-branded equivalent. Amazon's own review summary also describes reliability as mixed.
In the UK the machine is sold by Amazon.co.uk (third-party seller Caffe Shop Ltd), the B&Q marketplace (seller Inhabito), specialist shop Caffè Italia and eBay UK. Argos, Currys and John Lewis do not list it.
The Naviglio is an established design. The UK store reviews read date from 2015 to 2022, and Expert Reviews tested it in 2020, so recent UK owner feedback is scarce.
Owner views on the pannarello are mixed: some say it froths well for cappuccinos and lattes, while others call it 'not the best', say it feels loose, or miss a steam control knob. Expert Reviews notes steam comes at one fixed rate after a warm-up wait.
An experienced owner finds the 5 grind settings imprecise and the machine too basic to dial in espresso like a higher-end machine, while accepting it is good enough for the average user. Expert Reviews similarly notes it lacks the subtlety of pricier machines.
Built-in ceramic grinder with 5 grind settings, 3 Optiaroma strength settings, and a memo function for programming drink length. Controls are buttons with LEDs; there is no display.
Milk is frothed manually with a classic pannarello steam wand. There is no automatic or one-touch milk drink; one-touch drinks are espresso, espresso lungo, hot water and steam.
The brew group is removable. The machine rinses automatically and warns when descaling is due (descaling itself is manual). The pannarello and drip tray are dishwasher-safe, and an Intenza+ water filter is supported.
Expert Reviews' hands-on test recommended the Naviglio. It found the espresso very good, at 68C with thick crema, but lacking the subtlety of much pricier machines, and called the machine excellent value. Its criticisms were that the plug-in grind-adjustment tool is easy to lose and that, with a single boiler, steam takes a while to come up and cannot be controlled.
Most UK owners in the sample (Amazon.co.uk and Caffè Italia) praise the coffee as strong, consistent and better than high-street coffee shops or capsule machines.
Two owners say the coffee is not piping hot and miss a temperature setting; one says milk drinkers will find drinks too cool. Expert Reviews measured 68C and called it about right for espresso.
Owners stress routine upkeep: weekly cleaning, periodic greasing and regular descaling with bought solution. Several say these jobs are quick. One owner reports ground coffee clumping and blocking the coffee chute if left overnight.
Reliability reports are mixed. One owner had an original and a replacement unit both fail, while others report years of trouble-free use, including commercial use of the Saeco-branded equivalent. Amazon's own review summary also describes reliability as mixed.
In the UK the machine is sold by Amazon.co.uk (third-party seller Caffe Shop Ltd), the B&Q marketplace (seller Inhabito), specialist shop Caffè Italia and eBay UK. Argos, Currys and John Lewis do not list it.
The Naviglio is an established design. The UK store reviews read date from 2015 to 2022, and Expert Reviews tested it in 2020, so recent UK owner feedback is scarce.
Owner views on the pannarello are mixed: some say it froths well for cappuccinos and lattes, while others call it 'not the best', say it feels loose, or miss a steam control knob. Expert Reviews notes steam comes at one fixed rate after a warm-up wait.
An experienced owner finds the 5 grind settings imprecise and the machine too basic to dial in espresso like a higher-end machine, while accepting it is good enough for the average user. Expert Reviews similarly notes it lacks the subtlety of pricier machines.
Owners commonly praise the coffee and the convenience of straightforward, button-operated brewing. Regular cleaning, descaling and occasional lubrication are recurring ownership considerations, although some owners find these jobs easy. Criticisms include limited temperature control, an irritating flashing standby light and a frother that can feel loose or offer too little control. An experienced espresso enthusiast finds the grind adjustment insufficiently precise. Reliability experiences vary, with reports of sustained daily use alongside an account of repeated faults.
What buyers like
Owners praise coffee quality or consistent brewing results.11 reviews
Owners criticise limited temperature control; coffee warmth is also questioned.2 reviews
Owners find the flashing standby light irritating.2 reviews
Owners criticise the steam pipe, frother's feel or limited steaming control.3 reviews
An owner reports faults with an original machine and its replacement.1 review
Other observations
Owners mention the need for regular cleaning, descaling or lubrication.6 reviews
How was this summary made?
Summarised from 19 reviews. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.
Counted by author+date+text: Amazon 8 UK-labelled top reviews, Caffè Italia all 10, eBay 1 pre-owned review. No textless records counted. Amazon full reviews required sign-in; its aggregate is global. Other stores do not state reviewer countries. Mixed service/delivery clauses excluded, not whole product-bearing reviews. Amazon AI summary checked against original texts; totals not combined.
Show reviews (11 of 19)Read the texts as published by the store
11 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.
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M***5/511 March 2018AmazonNaviglio Black product page; UK-labelled review. Excerpt.
This machine makes perfect coffee and I actually had to turn the setting to medium strength as full strength was a bit much even for me. The frother works really well - basically I can't fault it. The only issue I have with it is that it's so easy to make fresh coffee that I need to cut back a bit!
M*** S***4/511 August 2017AmazonNaviglio Black product page; UK-labelled review. Excerpt.
Love it, except for the lack of temperature adjustment. The coffee isn't piping hot when prepared so needs to be drunk soon after it's made.
h***1/523 August 2019AmazonNaviglio Black product page; UK-labelled review. Product-fault excerpt; service complaints omitted.
This was a replacement product for a the exact same model that stopped working after 6 months. My replacement unit is now faulty.
d***5/53 November 2018AmazonNaviglio Black product page; UK-labelled review. Includes the owner's later update.
Easy to use and maintain, good coffee. Steam pipe not the best, but I like my coffee black, so that's not an issue for me!
Update July 2020 two years old, still going strong! 5-6 cups per day use. Need to clean once per week, descale once per month, but both quick jobs. Great purchase overall, still very happy with it.
R***5/528 October 2016AmazonNaviglio Black product page; UK-labelled review. Excerpt.
Only thing you need and its missing is the ability to change the temperature of the espresso.
P***5/54 April 2019coffeeitalia.co.ukHD8749/01 Black review section; reviewer country unstated.
So glad I bought this machine after using a Nespresso capsule machine for years and pondering over whether to make the change or not. It’s so easy to use and delivers a brilliant and consistent result every time.
M*** H***4/59 May 2019coffeeitalia.co.ukHD8749/01 Black review section; reviewer country unstated. Excerpt.
2. When switched off the red light blinks constantly which is annoying. A flashing red light usually indicates a fault so this is a strange choice when they could have just made it solid red. 3. The milk frother seems loose but it’s just the way it’s made, I think, but it doesn’t feel right on a quality machine.
K*** W***5/516 May 2020coffeeitalia.co.ukHD8749/01 Black review section; reviewer country unstated.
Have been using my Naviglio for a week now, and really can’t fault it. It’s a classy machine for the money, and makes great espresso, black coffee and frothy milk for cappuccinos, lattes and the like. Not too faffy to use or clean either. Thoroughly recommended!
F***5/520 February 2021coffeeitalia.co.ukHD8749/01 Black review section; reviewer country unstated.
I went from a separate grinder and espresso machine, I’m now getting through souch more coffee as this machine makes such good coffee by just pressing one button. So easy to use. I wish I’d bought one earlier. It’s worth reading the instructions as there is a recommended weekly clean to do, but it’s really easy to do and will make the machine run better for longer.
F***4/59 April 2022coffeeitalia.co.ukHD8749/01 Black review section; reviewer country unstated. Excerpt.
Also, there’s no knob for the steam, only a on/off button that of course gives you far less control over the milk frothing.
$***5/520 October 2024ebay.co.ukHD8749/01 Black; verified purchase of a pre-owned machine. Reviewer country unstated.
Perfectly working machine, just needed a bit of a clean and a tray.
Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.
4 videos · Timestamped summary
YouTube · Review
Gaggia Naviglio Review - Gaggia Caffe TV
The Gaggia Naviglio is a compact, bean-to-cup espresso machine that is straightforward to operate and customise. It offers adjustable coffee strength, programmable volume buttons, and a classic Pannarello wand for steaming milk. It is also easy to maintain, featuring removable components, automatic rinsing, and a 5-year warranty on the brew unit.
Review Gaggia HD8749/01 Naviglio Coffee Machine, 1850 W, 15 Bar, Black [2019]
The Gaggia HD8749/01 Naviglio Coffee Machine features a removable brew unit, ceramic grinder, and Pannarello frother, producing fantastic coffee with cheap per-cup running costs. However, users mention the added cost of frequent descaling and an annoying flashing power button. Additionally, some customers have experienced serious reliability issues, including frother failures and water leaking internally into the tray.
This overview and setup guide walks through the features and initial operation of the Gaggia Naviglio coffee machine. It highlights the main components, including the removable brew group and Pannarello frother, alongside the other models available in the range. The machine is straightforward to set up, requiring simple steps to fill the water and beans before completing an automated heating cycle.
The Gaggia Naviglio is an entry-level automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine. While it lacks a digital display screen and relies on LED indicator lights, it features comprehensive diagnostic test modes to verify the functionality of its sensors, brew group, heater, pump, and grinder.
This page is compiled from manufacturer, store, review and video sources; every piece of information links to the source it was read from. Technical values are as stated by the manufacturer or store; user experiences are summarised from the reviews read and do not apply to every unit. We do not test products ourselves.
