Shades of Coffee Reviews 443

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.8

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the high quality of the products, noting that items like PID kits and steam valves significantly enhance their coffee machines. Many people highlight the prompt and efficient delivery service, often receiving their orders sooner than expected. The customer service is frequently described as exceptional, with reviewers appreciating the quick, helpful, and professional support provided, even when issues arise. However, some customers also noted minor issues such as a loose spade connector upon arrival or unexpected customs duties that were nearly equivalent to the product's value. A few people mentioned a lack of response to feedback or a perceived passive-aggressive tone in one customer service interaction.

What people talk about most

Product

Consumers find products to be of high quality and effective. Many reviewers praise the excellent... See more

Quality

Users describe positive interactions with quality, consistently praising the high quality of products and... See more

Delivery service

People report positive experiences with delivery service. Customers consistently praise the fast shipping,... See more

Customer service

Clients share positive opinions on customer service, consistently highlighting its excellence. Reviewers... See more

Service

Customers consistently report positive experiences with the service. Many reviewers highlight the exceptional... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

PID kit for Gaggia Classic Pro Evo is Fab. Don't underestimate how long this will take, read through the guides and watch youtube tutorials before attempting. Slow & steady wins the race - your coffee... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My heavily modded Gaggia was is need of some TLC. Everything I needed was available and delivered very promptly and the transformation is amazing: New brass boiler - more temperature stability... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought several items of Shades of Coffee (PID, LED light, Steam knob etc.) and all of them were flawless. Delivery was fast and everything was well packaged. When I had a problem with the PID (proba... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought my PiD kit for my gaggia from shade of coffee 2 3 years ago. I only can say good things about my experience from installing the kit , great explanation on the manual, and eventually taste of... See more


Company details

  1. Coffee Machine Supplier

Written by the company

Due to the bizarre, restrictive and somewhat bullying approach adopted by TrustPilot in trying to force us to pay them thousands of dollars a year in order to simply display a link to this page on our website, as well as a summary of our review score - we have decided to NOT continue embracing or using this platform. Google Reviews and our our website reviews can be used instead. Shades of Coffee is a web based retail company selling niche products and solutions to home baristas and coffee enthusiasts globally. It's a small family business, based in Swindon, Wiltshire - in the United Kingdom and we specialise in the Gaggia Classic. We love to provide innovative products for the Gaggia Classic, and many of the products that we offer are unique to Shades of Coffee. Due to our very good and very specialist knowledge of our products and the Gaggia Classic machine that we specialise in, we mainly sell directly to customers globally - so that we can properly advise and support them throughout their coffee journey with a Classic.


Contact info

4.8

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

443 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

PID kit for Gaggia Classic Pro Evo is…

PID kit for Gaggia Classic Pro Evo is Fab. Don't underestimate how long this will take, read through the guides and watch youtube tutorials before attempting. Slow & steady wins the race - your coffee and milk steaming will be next level!

9 February 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Quick delivery

Doesn’t take too long to receive the package, the step down basket. The quality is good, and also happy with the cup from it.

8 February 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

True coffee enthusiasts at the helm

True coffee enthusiasts at the helm, the customer service is very good and the after care support if very much appreciated. Will buy from them again and certainly recommend them.

6 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great product (Gaggia E24 Classic LED…

Great product (Gaggia E24 Classic LED lights), and the instructions and service were excellent.

The only issue was with the VAT charges + postal 'Admin fee for the VAT charges' shipping to Europe. Very unfortunate

12 January 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Mods for better espresso.

All the items ordered arrived on time and as expected. I received immediate responses to a couple of questions, Ade was very helpful, thanks. The instructions are very detailed, and I read through them a couple of times prior to the install. I also watched a few You Tube videos and my mods for PID, dimmer, and pressure gauge all worked first time.
I’ve had my Gaggia 5 years and the mods have definitely improved my espresso, lots more control. Recommended.

11 January 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Everything Perfect

Ordered some addons for my Gaggia Classic and found everything to be perfect. Even with EU import fee (10€ on top of my 30€) the value was really good and I would order again.

Royal post was also blazing fast - estimated 1-3 week, letter came in 4 days

11 January 2026
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very rude, condescending and called me an idiot.

I have ordered many times from this company - as you know IMS shower screens can be hit or miss at times (there's many reddit threads about this) - I explained why mine was faulty - got mansplained and patronised to - explained that I had many years experience and understood what to look out for - also let them know that the box it came in was completely broken - no apology for that - reply came back that essentially said he didn't trust me as he's never had this issue before (lol) and very unprofessionally accepted the return (clearly too much coffee keeping him up at night). I was asked for feedback from the automated service - I explained situation and said person was an idiot - they emailed back (passive aggressive much?) and passive aggressive to the end said "I'm sorry you feel like an idiot". Wow - stay away from them.

23 January 2026
Unprompted review
Shades of Coffee logo

Reply from Shades of Coffee

Thanks for your 1* review Ally - which we've now had chance to investigate at this end. We'd like to note a few things in response:

You've ordered 3 items from us within 2 small orders (not "many times"); one of these was an IMS GA200IM shower screen which you contacted us and asked if you could return. We immediately informed you that you could, yes, as long as the item was unopened, unused, etc. and at the same time we asked if there was any reason for the return (as we always like to check these things for future reference). In reply you mentioned that you didn't like it, and you were having trouble with the water distribution from it, and hence believed this screen to be faulty.
We then explained that we don't usually accept returns of items that have been installed and used, but if it's "as new" then we'll make an exception in this case, though any obvious signs of use would mean a lower refund (as we can't sell it as new). We also mentioned that IMS screens are simply pieces of laser-cut metal and they never tend to be defective (at SoC we have sold thousands and never seen a defectively manufactured one), though they are quite susceptible to screw pressure when installed, as this can make a real difference to the water flow and distribution.
You then told our agent that this reply was condescending and we can't know if this is defective or not, and you wouldn't accept any less of a refund due to it being used - and that you were disappointed that we didn't also supply return postage labels.

You then signed off saying that our agent was "awfully rude and distrusting" and then (there may be a language issue here) "Spent most of money with this company and that person was an idiot".

Our agent then said that he was sorry if you felt like an idiot... and you said "No - I said you're an idiot" and then you continued to say "I'm a barista, and well done as I'm going to give your company a very bad review online, and contact the owners about my experience, and also file a complaint".

So in summary it seems that you bought an item, used it, didn't want to keep it and asked for a return - which we authorised immediately (not "unprofessionally accepted" at all); though told you we may refund less if it's obviously used. When we mentioned this you switched to "it's defective", and our agent explained that IMS screens can be tricky to use, which you took to be condescending / mansplaining / patronising and you then called him an idiot (not sure why your review title says "called me an idiot" when it was the other way around!)

I'm sure others reading this review will come to their own conclusion about this interaction, and the reason for the 1* review - but we await your return, and as you were told, if it's returned in "as new" condition then we'll gladly refund it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional company for the coffee enthusiast

I can't speak highly enough of Shades of Coffee. A niche British company with a clear passion for what it does. I have been a customer for several years and love the company's focus on coffee enthusiasts who like tinkering with their machines. The website advice and Q&A (which you should always read) are really helpful and not something you see very often. I was prompted to write this review because of a problem I had with my most recent purchase (almost certainly caused by me) and the communication and service to sort me out were exceptional. This is how you earn loyalty - other companies could learn a thing or two.

13 January 2026
Unprompted review

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