The reason is this: Essentially, the Brera is an espresso machine, but that’s not a bad thing because espresso lies at the heart of just about every specialty coffee drink out there.Īrmed with a good espresso maker and a frothing wand, you can make an amazing array of great tasting drinks, and if you alter the water in your shot, you create Americano, Lungo, Ristretto, and more. Make no mistake, it does take a bit of practice to learn how to use the steam wand effectively, and the first three or four milk-based drinks you make with the Brera may not turn out as well as you’d hoped.ĭon’t get discouraged! Steaming milk is one part art and one part science, and with practice, you will get there! In fact, it is the presence of the steam wand that makes the Brera such an amazing machine, and once you learn to use it well, you’ll really appreciate it. It is removable and should be taken out and rinsed thoroughly about once a week. Where the brew unit is concerned, you can access it from the panel on the right side of the machine as you’re looking at it. We would also like to mention here in our Gaggia Brera super automatic espresso machine review that in addition to customizing your drink options, you can conduct various bits of automated maintenance from the menu, and if the machine needs something from you, it will flash the appropriate angry red icon on the display screen to let you know what it needs to get it back to its happy place again. That’s a trend you see repeated throughout the customization options available here.Īgain though, for a casual or hobbyist user, that’s fine, although purists will likely be disappointed by it. For example, most super-automatics give you five different coffee strengths to choose from, where this one gives you just three. Likewise, while you can customize various elements of your drink (the amount of water, coffee strength, and the like), you’ll find relatively fewer options. Telescoping Coffee Spigotīecause the machine has such a small footprint, it probably comes as no surprise that although the coffee spigots do move up and down, they won’t accommodate larger cup sizes. There’s just no way around it, The Brera’s solution is a good one, and we were impressed with its operation. If you try to steam milk at the same temperature you brew espresso, you’ll ruin the milk. Adding a second boiler would dramatically increase the price.Īs it is, Gaggia has taken steps to reduce wait time by incorporating Rapid Steam Technology, which minimizes the amount of time it takes for the machine to shift gears between brewing and steaming, which necessarily have different temperature thresholds. We prefer models with a double boiler, which allow you to simultaneously steam milk and brew coffee, but this is a feature you almost never find on value-priced machines and with good reason. It probably comes as no surprise, but the Gaggia Brera fully automatic bean to cup machine only has one boiler. The presence of a ceramic grinder in any form is a win for people shopping at the lower end of the price scale. We’d have preferred to see a conical grinder in the machine, but understand the choice to implement the cheaper flat design, and certainly didn’t deduct any points in our scoring. The Gaggia Brera coffee machine is a pleasant exception to this rule, utilizing a flat ceramic grinder. That’s problematic because they tend to heat up when used, which can burn your grounds and utterly ruin the taste of your coffee. Most value-priced machines use stainless-steel grinders. Kudos to Gaggia for that! Integrated Grinder The water tank is super easy to get to because it’s front loading, which again, makes it ideal for people who have low clearance between their countertops and cabinets. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference, and whether you’ve got access to filtered or distilled water.
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