An In-Depth Look at the Gaggia Brera Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine

01.12.2011 | Author: SteveTern | Posted in Coffee
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An In-Depth Look at the Gaggia Brera Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine
The Gaggia Brera is the new mid-range automatic espresso machine from well-known Italian makers Gaggia. It’s a bean-to-cup machine, which means that all you have to do is to add coffee beans and water, turn on and wait for the machine to turn out top-quality espresso. All very good in theory. Does it work? If the reports of Brera users are to be believed – it undoubtedly does.
But the Brera is not the only automatic machine out there. Is there anything that sets the Brera apart from the opposition? In common with any high-quality machine there are some functions that you would expect to find:-
  • It measures the beans and grinds them to the required fineness into the filter.
  • The heater is powerful, as is the pump which supplies 15 bar pressure to force the water through fine grounds for good crema.
  • The used grounds are automatically removed after each brew, into a storage hopper.
  • A steam frother will deliver milk foam for cappuccinos and lattes.
Any good automatic espresso maker should have these features. However, the Gaggia Brera does have some attributes that sets it apart:-
  • There’s a high degree of control over how strong and in what volume the espresso is produced, by altering the measure of coffee per brew and the amount of water used. The factory settings may be easily changed once you are happy with the operation of the machine.
  • There is a large digital LED display so you can tell exactly what the machine is doing. It also warns you when the water tank is low and when the machine needs descaling.
  • It has two water boilers, for heating the filter water and for steam production. So you don’t have to hang around for the machine to heat up after brewing to steam temperature.
A couple of criticisms have been raised:-
  • The tank is only 1.2 litres, so needs regular topping up. And you can’t see the water level – so you have to remove the tank to check.
  • There’s quite a lot of plastic used for such a quality machine, though the front is stainless steel, as is the drip tray.
  • Cleaning can be a bit time-consuming, although that’s par for the course with any espresso maker.
Taken as a whole, the criticisms of the Gaggia Brera shouldn’t really put you off. The key thing is that the quality of the espresso is said to be excellent, which is what really matters. The full price of the Brera is quite high, but fortunately it’s possible to find good deals out there. For those who appreciate good coffee and have the means, this machine is sure to prove popular.

You can read more about the Gaggia Brera and many more kitchen aids and appliances at Tern Kitchen Reviews

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