Gaggia Brera Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

Product Information

To conclude, Gaggia produce quite a range of machines, as you know now from reading this post – and hopefully, you'll also now have a much better idea of which Gaggia coffee machine is right for you, or at least which type of coffee machine would be the best match for you, which is a start at least. In my humble opinion, the cappuccinatore version (usually called deluxe or milk) is a better bet than the carafe version The carafe version is the most expensive version, usually called the “prestige” version, and these machines handle the milk via a carafe, funnily enough ;-). Bean-to-cup coffee machines are some of the most expensive home coffee machines you can buy, so if you’re considering investing in one of these pricey appliances, it’s worth getting it right. Gaggia produce all of the above types of coffee machines, so I'm going to split their machines up into the various categories, to make it easier for you to dive straight into the most appropriate type of coffee machine for you. Best Gaggia semi automatic bean to cup coffee machines

It differs from the Besana in a few obvious ways. It has a much bigger 1.8L water tank, a bigger bean hopper, it has three strength settings (7g, 9g, 11g), and it has the ability to pull double shots.

Best Gaggia Coffee Machines

The Anima Deluxe has all of the features of the base level semi-auto anima, but with the cappuccinatore to handle the milk for you instead of the steam wand. One of the cons of bean to cup machines vs using a traditional espresso machine and a separate grinder is that you don't have the same control over the grind when it comes to dialing in. Yeas it's plastic (it's ABS, same stuff Lego is made of) as was the original 80s & 90s Gaggia Espresso, but I really like the look of it, it looks and feels well built. It's made in Italy, and for me that shows, both in the design and in how nicely made it feels. These kinds of machines are made to work with pre-ground coffee beans or with cheaper grinders which wouldn't be capable of grinding for espresso with a home barista espresso machine, and they create espresso in a slightly different way than traditional commercial and prosumer or home barista espresso machines. If you've decided you want to invest in a Gaggia coffee machine, the obvious next question is which is the best Gaggia coffee machine?

This is the base level one-touch milk carafe version of the Anima, with a milk carafe to handle the milk. So instead of a steam wand or a cappuccinatore to deliver the milk, you put the milk in the carafe, slot this in, and the milk is taken from the carafe, frothed, and dispensed into your cup/glass. When I say “base level”– basically the body is all plastic on the Anima Class, while you get a brushed stainless steel front and top with the Anima Prestige, below. It’s a good question, and I think the simple answer is that the difference in espresso quality between a BTC machine like the Brera and a traditional semi-auto with standard baskets, depends to a certain degree on the grinder, and to a large degree on the home barista skills of the user. When it came to making barista-style espressos, it didn’t drop a single mark. The extraction time was fairly average, but the shots stayed consistent and had a wonderful crema on top. Yes, it's a little bit more expensive than some of the other more entry-level options, but just look at some of the features. Claiming joint top spot in our best coffee machine line-up is no small feat, yet De’Longhi’s latest, innovative model deserves its place. Sporting a 3.5” full-touch colour display, 16 automatic drink settings, and a function that gives you a personalised coffee menu for particular times of the day; this coffee machine acts like your own private barista, offering a coffee experience that’s completely tailored to you. Seriously cool.The final way to froth milk is with a frothing accessory. These are standalone milk frothers that aren’t controlled by the machine itself. This means you’ll need to froth milk manually. Being able to decide on the strength of your coffee from the standard single shot of 7g, up to 11g I do think is a good feature, and it's very simple to toggle between these three by simply turning the dial to either 1 bean (7g), 2 bean (9g) or 3 bean (11g).

If you're wondering why you have to adjust while grinding, this is usual, with all grinders, not just the grinders on bean to cup machines. If you adjust the grind while the burrs aren't running, you can get beans jammed & end up stalling the grinder. I didn't get my hands on it while I was there, though, so I couldn't have written a review on the Brera from that visit.There's another difference with this machine which doesn't concern the milk, which is unusual actually as the difference between the versions in each range is usually just down to milk – the hopper lid on the prestige has a rubber seal around the hopper lid. I'm not sure why all machines don't have this, to be honest – not only for freshness (and as I've said, I wouldn't recommend leaving beans in the hopper anyway) but because a rubber seal on the hopper lid does tend to dampen some of the grinding noise. Usually, if I'm using a bean to cup machine for review purposes, I'll pull off the Panarello and use the steam pipe underneath as a pro steam wand, which is fine, it's doable with some practice, but it's not quite as good as using a proper steam wand, and you don't usually quite have the length you need to get into the milk jug, so it can be a bit of a faff doing it that way. So, this would be the bean to cup machine I'd go for if I wanted to go down this route. After upping the strength to the 3 bean setting, and dialing in a bit further, I was impressed with the taste. Given that this is an inexpensive bean to cup coffee machine, and that it's so simple to use, to get coffee at this level straight out of the box is impressive. My first attempt at latte art on the Brera without the Panarello.

Gaggia coffee machines are all espresso machines, but espresso machines can be split into two main streams:Set-up proved lengthy, but there are plenty of resources online if you need additional assistance. These proved helpful, as the touch panel buttons aren't the clearest. There's not a great deal to say here, this is simply the carafe version of the Magenta. The features are the same as the slightly cheaper “milk” version, above, the only difference is that the milk goes in the carafe which slots onto the machine, and the frothing is handled in the carafe, so it looks a bit neater than with the cappuccinatore version, that's about it. I'd recommend taking them out of the freezer the night before too, grinding frozen beans probably isn't the best idea for more than one reason.