- My VitaCup Review: The Next Evolution of Coffee, or Junk Science? - June 13, 2022
- iCoffee Mozart vs Opus? What You Should Get Instead - March 26, 2022
- The R2-D2 Coffee Press: Fulfill Your Love of Coffee and Star Wars - March 26, 2022
Nothing is more delicious than a fresh-brewed espresso. It has all the kick you need to start your day on the right foot, and it will help you have energy for hours to come.
Of course, finding the best espresso maker is a lot harder than you’d think! Everyone has their own ideas of what a proper espresso should taste like, and how thick and rich it should be. Ideally, you want to find an espresso maker that allows you to brew your coffee just the way you like it. With the Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso Machine, that’s exactly what you get!
Gaggia Brera is a perfect choice for those who won't settle for just one style of coffee and want to have as many options as possible. This beautifully designed, fully automatic machine can grind, brew, froth, and more!
About Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso Machine
This Italian-made espresso machine is designed for user convenience and customizability. Thanks to the LED display, you can access the machine’s full programming to adjust the settings to your ideal cup of coffee. You can adjust the coffee’s aroma, volume brewed, and even the strength of the brew. The result: an espresso made to order just for you.
It’s a compact machine, but it brews coffee that packs one heck of a punch! You’ll love the user-friendly design—everything is conveniently located and easy to open, clean, refill, and close. You can remove the water tank, dregs drawer, and drip tray to clean them, and they’re easy to replace.
Key Features
- UV-proof 8-ounce bean hopper to store whole coffee beans
- Ceramic grinder for the maximum freshness of your ground coffee
- Built-in Mavea water filter to reduce scale build-up and eliminate impurities
- Brushed stainless steel front panel; durable plastic shell
- Weight: 19 pounds
- Dimensions: 10 x 15.5 x 11.5 inches
Specifications
This compact coffee maker will fit on any kitchen counter without taking up a lot of space. It’s durable, thanks to its stainless steel front panel, and can handle years of daily use. You’ll find that the programmable feature makes it wonderfully easy to set it essentially to auto-brew the perfect cup of coffee every day.
Once you figure out exactly how you want it, your coffee is prepared at the press of a button. Thanks to the pre-infusion feature, you can get maximum flavor and freshness from every cup.
To reduce energy waste, the machine powers down to standby mode after an hour. The LED screen will let you know if/when the machine needs repairs, maintenance, or when the bean hopper or water tank needs to be refilled.
What really makes this a great choice is the built-in bean hopper and grinder. The hopper is UV-resistant, so no amount of light or UV rays will degrade your coffee beans. The ceramic grinder will turn your beans into fresh ground without generating heat to oxidate the beans. The machine is also compatible with pre-ground coffee. Basically, it’s designed for your maximum convenience.
Pros of Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso Machine
Here are some of the positive things users have to say about the Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso:
- Excellent features – The coffee machine has all the features a coffee lover could ask for: bean hopper, coffee grinder, milk frother, pre-infuser, and the list goes on. It’s a high-quality machine that can be programmed to make a cup of coffee exactly the way you want it.
- User-friendly – It may look and work like a commercial coffee machine, but it’s easy for anyone to operate. The user manual helps you to learn to work the machine easily, and the controls are intuitive and simple to understand. It will take a bit of fiddling to get the coffee set just right, but once you do, you never have to touch the settings again.
- Fresh ground coffee – The best way to ensure maximum freshness is to grind the coffee beans right before use. Instead of having to use a coffee grinder and pour the ground into the machine, this coffee maker cuts out the middle man and does both at once. You get fresh-ground coffee every time you brew a cup, ensuring the freshest, tastiest coffee possible.
- Minimal waste and mess – After each brew, you’ll find the used coffee ground comes out in a small, compacted disc that easy to dispose of. The machine will pour every drop of coffee into your cup without spilling, making it very easy to clean the coffee maker.
Cons of Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso Machine
As with any products, there are a few downsides to consider:
- Price – Yes, $440 is A LOT to pay for a coffee machine, no matter how good. For connoisseurs of the perfect coffee, it may be worth it. For the average person who just wants a great cup of coffee every day, the price tag may be a bit too steep.
- Takes time to learn – If you want a machine that can brew coffee right out of the box, this is not the one for you. It will take a bit of trial and error to master the controls, settings, and features of this coffee machine. For the impatient consumer, look elsewhere.
- Requires maintenance – Not fixing broken parts, but just making sure the water reservoir is filled, dumping out the used coffee ground, and washing the brewing core. It’s to be expected with any coffee machine, but this one often requires a bit more work than a basic drip coffee maker.
Other Options to Consider
Not sure the Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso is the best machine for you? Here are a few alternatives to consider:
Mr. Coffee Café Barista Premium Espresso/Cappuccino System – At roughly 1/3 of the price of the Gaggia Brera, this is an excellent option for those who want a coffee machine that can do more than just brew espresso. It produces both espresso and cappuccino, with controls that are easy to use and require very little patience to learn. It’s a bit bigger than the Gaggia Brera, but it has more versatility and variety at a much lower price.
Nespresso C40-US-TI-NE Inissia Espresso Maker – If you’re the kind of person who wants a no-fuss cup of coffee, Nescafe’s pods will be your perfect option. The machine takes all the Nespresso pods and will require far less time, effort, and maintenance than your average espresso maker. The heating time is quicker thanks to the 19-bar pump, and you can prepare an awesome cup of coffee at the press of a button. It’s also a much more affordable option.
De’Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker – This is another espresso maker that also produces a gorgeous cup of cappuccino and at a much lower price. It produces smaller-than-average cups of espresso (1.5 ounces instead of 2 ounces), but you’ll love how easy it is to clean. It’s built to be a no-fuss coffee machine with only a few settings—yet it produces a delicious cup of coffee every time!
Gaggia Brera is a perfect choice for those who won't settle for just one style of coffee and want to have as many options as possible. This beautifully designed, fully automatic machine can grind, brew, froth, and more!
Final Thoughts:
The Gaggia Brera Superautomatic Espresso is a machine for hardcore espresso lovers who want the perfect customized cup of coffee every morning. It will take time and patience to learn to work the machine, but once you do, you’ll find that it’s as easy to use as any other. The high price tag is definitely worth it if you want customizability and a coffee that’s just the way YOU want it.
