Gaggia Brera Espresso Machine in Black

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Michael White

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

As good as it gets

I wish I had purchased my Gaggia Brere from WLL; I could have saved hundreds but now I discovered their website and can order my cleaning supplies at a discount. The machine is superb and replaces my Nespreso machine which we moved to the RV. I spent most of my career in Europe and Espresso became my only choice in brewing. Gaggia is simple to use and consistently brews my favorite beans. It looks great on the Kitchen Island and is always a hit with our guests. More importantly however, is the my first cup in the morning is ready in just seconds with the push of a button. I brought Milano to Atlanta and loving it. Retired in Atlanta, Mike

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

Simplicity

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Take time to read the manual and review WLL's more detailed information. It's all you will need to enjoy and maintain your machine.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

I prefer dark roasted beans and have tried them all. I like a strong aroma and have settled on Starbucks Dark Roast Espresso.

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Self cleaning would be nice but it only takes a few minutes to clean the brewing group.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Nespresso

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Donald Hoover

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

coffee lover

I have been using a Technivorm Moccamaster for the last couple of years and have been quite pleased with it that is until I was turned onto a superautomatic and have been desirous of one of these machined ever since. I finally found one at my favorite cook store and had decided to buy one but fortunately for me none of the sales people that know me were there that day. I went on line to WLL and not only did they recommended this machine but they saved me several hundred dollars as the machine I was hoping to get was more than I needed and then also this machine was on sale besides. As for the coffee it blows my Technivorm out the door and by making just a cup at a time no more burnt coffee. It makes a wonderfully rich cup of coffee each time and it makes it almost as fast as I can pour a cup. The ease of making it is as easy as pushing a button. No more burnt coffee for me, I am so happy I have finally made the jump to this machine. For me it was worth every penny. Thanks A lot WholeLatteLove!!!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

A consistently great cup of coffee each time

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Global Lift Espresso Blend

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Bigger water reservoir Hotter coffee

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Technivorm Moccamaster

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Anita Santiago Le Pire

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month

Love it!!!

Love, love, love my Gaggia Brera! Between the quality shots, quality construction, and ease of use, I am delighted! I came from a Breville, which was great. It was manual and made some great crema, but it died. After much research, I decided to go with a Gaggia. and am now a huge fan and likely devotee. Also, the buying experience with Whole Latte Love was excellent. Thank you!!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Quality construction and seemingly intuitive performance.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Breville

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Jack Morrison

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Can't say enough about Gaggia!

I bought my Brera in March of 2011 as a quick replacement for my DeLonghi Magnifica whil it was being sent off for repairs. Well, the DeLonghi is still in the return box and looks like it will be for a while. I chose the Brera because of WLL reviews and because of the durability of the Syncrony Logic I bought for my son's Christmas gift in 2006. I still get to use it every time we visit his home in Austin...it's almost indestructible. Btw, I bought my Brera from the WLL refurb department for today's sale price for new. Pull the trigger on this one!!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

What's Best About this Product?

Great performance in a small footprint. Always a perfect froth. Quick to heat up. Minimal time to switch from steam to brew given only single boiler.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

We use RO water to brew, so only have to descale about every 3 or 4 times it asks. Stay away from oily beens...tend to stop the movement into the grinder, stop the brew process, and dump dry grounds into the dump tray and into the base (tends to get some of those anyway).

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Peet's French roast, peet's espresso roast, Starbucks breakfast blend, peet's Major Dickinson. Gonna try some new less oily beans. Any suggestions from WLL?

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

I would like a steam wand without the idiot proof frother to better control amount of froth. A real cup warmer with a metal base would be nice, but would surely add to the cost.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Krups manual (with boiler and pump), DeLonghi Magnifica, Gaggia Syncrony Logic, Gaggia Brera, numerous drip and pod machines. The Brera is my go to machine.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Anthony Pester

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Beginner

Nice call WLL!!

I had no clue what I was getting into. I knew I loved coffee and wanted to give one of thees machines a shot so I looked around quite a bit, came across WLL and gave them a call. Their staff was awesome and so helpful. They recommended this machine and so far it has been fantastic! The beverages are delicious, so much better than Starbucks and I don't even think I know what I am doing yet! The only knock I have on this machine is that resevoir is small. Other than that, LOVE IT! Hope it lasts.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

Compact and easy to use.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Keep it full of water

My Experience With Using This Product:

Beginner

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Love the Monoco

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Larger resevoir but I don't know where you would put it!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Ceyhun Cetin

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Beginner

initial review

I try to buy from Costco as much as possible. So, when I became interested in espresso I did extensive research. While WLL is the site I found most complete and educational for a novice like me I was reluctant to make a sizeable purchase online from a company that I had never heard of before. So I picked up the phone and called. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I became comfortable with the help I got from the WLL people and decided to buy a Brera. I was more pleased by how the tech people provided support and answered my questions after I received my machine and ran into multitude of problems as results of inevitable novice mistakes and my own unnecessary tinkering. It's been over a month and I am very pleased with both the WLL experience and the Brera. We are not experts so I can't tell you how 'good' the espresso or the foam is, but it's fun, we love the cappuccinos it makes, and a source of entertainment when friends come over. We usually have 2 to 4 drinks a day and the only open question in my mind is its longevity; I look forward to updating this review in a few years.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

Simplicity combined with the quality of cappuccinos.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Beginner

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Auto shut off for low water and coffee.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
errise zaiser

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Great machine

Just got the Gaggia Brera and all i can say is that Gaggia got this machine right! Very easy to use and makes a great shot. Got this to replace a Gaggia Classic, not that the classic is bad, quite the opposite, the classic is top shelf, but the Brera is just so much easier to use in our busy lives. The Brera is easy to clean, and is basically a set it and forget it machine. I highly recommend it and as always i highly recommend Wholelattelove for all your espresso needs. Btw, the classic is not retired, its going to our vacation home for use there.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Ease of use

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Gaggia classic

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
David Bandas

I've had this machine for over a year and it is a trooper. It's very easy to use and makes great espresso. I like to switch beans fairly frequently, and unlike semi-automatics, this one adjusts to the new bean for me. I used to have to try several shots, wasting much coffee, to get a really superb espresso from my Gaggia semi-automatic, but this is truly push-button ease. The espresso is one notch below what I may get at a really excellent espresso bar, but it's at least 2 notches above what I can consistently produce for myself. I don't use the milk frother as I have a separate little heated whipper that's easy. It's been very reliable and I'd recommend it to anyone. When you wake it out of sleep mode, it cycles through and expels some water which is precisely enough to warm a shot glass up. No complaints! And, I like the people I talk to here at WholeLatteLove.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
JANET TIDWELL

I love this machine. You can turn it on in the morning, press a few buttons walk away, come back and froth your milk and you are out the door. It is very easy to use I have heard people complain about it not holding enough water or having to drop the grinds, it's life, if you fill the garbage it has to be dumped, if you drink all your water you have to refill it. The quality is amazing, no bitter flavor. I don't understand people complaint about the steam, mine works great. It makes a rich creamy froth. I think practicing and watching videos might help. The construction is great, especially if you think how much cheaper it is than the $2000+ ones are. That makes the machine a great value. When I purchased the Brera machine online, they sent me the instructions online. I read them all prior to receiving my order and it was a piece of cake. Last but not least, The Whole Latte Love Company was a stellar company to do business with. The shipping, tracking, across the country in a week. I always knew where my package was and when it was going to get there. I will always buy from them in the future.

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
D S

I give this 4 stars because I previously had a Gaggia Titanium for 5 years and it was flawless. Granted it was a bit more so maybe that's why. This machine produces the same quality of espresso and froth as the larger Gaggia Titanium Model..I can vouch for that being that I had the Titanium. So the Pros here is that it pretty much is a mini Gaggia Titanium if you wanna look at it that way. Additional pros that the Titanium did not have that the Brera gives you are: 1) water reservoir is now in the front. You don't know how nice it is now not having to reach all the way back behind the machine as I had to with the Titanium and get the huge resovoir out to fill it and then placing it back in was harder because it was heavy and you had to again stretch all the way back to fit it in place on the Titanium. Well with this one, even though it holds less water, so what, at least it's super easy to change it, as it's front loaded. Much faster also if you're in a hurry, you don't have to wait too long to fill it completely 2) obviously much smaller 3) I want to say it's a little more quiet but not by much as compared to the Titanium 4) The Bean hopper is improved here because it seals due to the rubber around the top. The Titanium has no rubber like this so you don't get a very good seal when plastic hits plastic (top is all plastic on the Titanium, no rubber to help seal when you put the top back on the bean hopper). So your beans do truly stay fresher in a Brera and last longer. Also having this seal in the Brera's hopper top also makes the machine quieter a little as I stated because it seals out some of the noise the hopper makes as compared to the Titanium which is really loud Now for the CONS as compared to a Titanium: 1) Brera has a flaw...not a huge one but just an annoyance that the Titanium does not have. And that is, sometimes you'll start an espresso or cup of coffee, the machine starts to grind it but then STOPS in the middle of that action...usually because you don't have enough water in the reservoir or not enough beans... something like that..some stupid reason but I forget which it is every time off hand. But the problem with this design is that instead of preventing you from being able to start a brew like it should do, it allows you to still brew and grind which here in-lies the problem. Because what happens is when the machine halts like this, the beans have been ground but not packed..because the machine did not do a pre-brew to get the packed grinds wet. So consequently what happens is after it stops, you go fix whatever it's complaining about (not enough water or out of beans or whatever it is) and once you resolve that issue, the machine cancels out the brew completely and dumps those DRY grinds into your ground reservoir. But since the grounds are dry and not in "puck" shape like it normally is with a successful brew, the machine ends up dumping some of those grinds OVER the reservoir so you occasionally end up with a mess inside the machine that you have to clean. Not a huge deal but a pretty big annoyance that happens I'd say at least 2-3 times a month. They should have fixed this during QA of this product...kinda irritated that it wasn't. What should happen is if the machine is out of beans, it doesn't allow you to brew anything. Maybe they have some kind of weight mechanism to detect this in the hopper, whatever but they need to prevent this from happening because it causes that spillage of dry grinds as I was talking about. 2) Like the Titanium, they claim that the cup warmer warms cups but it does not in reality...that plate is only room temperature at best so it's useless 3) I wish the coffee came out a little hotter. I'm pretty extreme though as I like my mochas 175 degrees (right before it starts to burn the milk) so for you it's probably fine...it's still pretty hot. I just wish this one and others would do what their top dog does and the coffee to come out at 175 degrees like their flagship Super Espresso product does 4) If you do not keep up with the underlying water drip tray, it will eventually spill over onto your counter top. While this really is a responsibility of the consumer to keep track of it (because the red indicator tells you when it's getting full) I still feel they should design this product not to brew or steam anything until you empty it when it is full...again some kind of weight sensor would be nice that is triggered on top of that red plastic warning slider would be nice that prevents you from doing anything until you empty the drip tray. It would just save forgetful people or people who are constantly on the run and have busy lives...to force them to empty the drip tray before it overflows onto their counter. Just a nice helper here, if they can add this feature it would be really nice to have for usability 5) I don't know why the owners say that Gaggia manuals are good but to me they're very cluttered. The instructions are just "OK" maybe OK to Good but certainly not the best. They could really improve on that IMO. Also they need to separate out the languages in their own distinct manual because 90% of the pages in this manual are of no use to me...other languages so a LOT of pages are in my way. other than this, these are minor issues. Again this is pretty much as good as the Titanium...just has a few less grind levels but big deal, I didn't notice a diference in quality or brew strength honestly even though my Titanium was set to the highest grind strength...this one has plenty of levels of configuration on the grind in terms of amount of coffee per grind and how finely it's ground....well enough to please anyone. So if you want a cheap one that's kick ass and don't want to pay a lot, get this one. I still highly recommend it.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Dwight Turner

Received this wonderful espresso machine for Christmas and I am very happy. Love the ease of use. I love a good latte and this machine makes delicious latte. Who needs Starbucks?

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Mike Perola

I’ve tried them all…Jura, Saeco, Delonghi. Decided with all the great sales on Gaggia I’d have to give them a try. Hands down the Gaggia Brera makes the best espresso that I’ve had out of any super-automatic I’ve owned. From what I understand about the Brera is that it has a superior grinder (ceramic burrs, self adjusting) then most of brands which apparently makes a big difference in the quality of your espresso. I can tell you one thing…the grinder is definitely much more quite then my Delonghi machine. Quite honestly the Delonghi I sounded like a jet airplane starting up every time the grinder ran. I would certainly recommend the Brera to anyone looking for a reasonably priced super automatic that makes great espresso.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Janet Mutolo

One thing I learned on my trip to Italy is that Gaggia is pretty much a household name over there. Not being a huge fan of espresso and cappuccinos before my trip, I had the revelation while I was there that we as Americans are really missing the boat when it comes to drinking our good old drip coffee. That said, I knew nothing about making espresso and thought that I would have to become a trained barista and purchase a $3000 machine to make espresso that came even close to what I was getting in Italy. Being that I had a budget of less then $1000 dollars and my 55 hour a week work schedule kind of put a halt on me becoming a barista I decided to take my chance with the Brera. I can say with all honestly that the Brera makes as good, if not better, espresso then I was getting in Italy and believe it or not it literally is as easy as the press of a button. I’m extremely happy with my purchase and I’m now addicted to cappuccinos and haven’t had drip coffee at my house in the six months that I’ve owned this machine.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
drmeyer

This is my third Gaggia super-automatic in as many years (not due to any problem with the machines, just due to my life circumstances). I'm an Army officer finishing up a deployment overseas, and I had the Brera shipped out to me just a few days after it became available on WholeLatteLove. Most of the larger bases over here have a coffee shop of some sort, but our tiny, remote base does not, and I couldn't stand the thought of a year with nothing but Army chow hall coffee. The small footprint is perfect, since I live in close quarters. It sits atop my mini-fridge in my room. It is super easy to use, right out of the box. Others have given a less-than-perfect rating of the instruction manual, but I found it to be clear enough (especially after the instruction manual for the Titanium, which was truly awful) and mostly unnecessary, as the Brera is SO easy to use. As with my other Gaggia machines, this makes fabulous espresso (and caffe lungo), and it's easy to make near-perfect microfroth with the panarello wand. I only have two minor complaints. First is that the steam wand is not as mobile as the ones on my other machines (Titanium and Platinum Vision), and that made it a little awkward at first getting the milk pitcher under it, but I'm used to it now. Second, the water reservoir is TINY. It's fine when I'm just making my own morning coffee, but when I'm making several for my colleagues, it's kind of a pain. Overall, though, I like this machine well enough that if it makes it back to the States, I'm thinking of keeping this one for my kitchen, and giving my Platinum vision to my cappuccino-loving sister-in-law.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Randall Smith

I second the rest about the quality of coffee and the flexibility of the bypass, but I'll add a few suggestions for folks who have this thing who want something fast and delicious besides coffee: 1. Hot cocoa! Add a heaping tablespoon of dry mix and maybe a big of syrup to a mug. Pour in milk to about 5/6 full. Submerge the frother arm to above the metal line and steam the mix to a boil - don't let it foam up! Don't forget to stir regularly to get the mix regular. Garnish with whipped cream and a cookie, and or a twist, fold in some rumble mint schnapps! 2. Indian Chai: Try a similar prodedure as above using a metal tea ball loaded with a few crushed spices indluding a green cardamom pod, a few cloves, a bit of cinnamon bark, a few black peppercorns, maybe a bit of star anise and of course some fine black Indian tea like nilgiri. I get my ingredients dirt cheap at the local Indian grocer. Sometimes I'll put some sugar or sweetener in too before I steam. I them let it steep for another couple of minutes before drinking.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Mick Sullivan

Wanted an espresso machine that was simple to use but still had some key features. Love having a bypass doser so that I can make my wife decaf so that she is less irritable. Really easy to steam milk with. Our counter space is very limited, so this smaller sized machine is perfect. Shots come out HOT...no more heating our drinks up in the microwave after we brew them like our old machine. Stainless steel front panel looks great against the black sides and top.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
David Stark

I must say Gaggia has put a lot of thought into this machine making it simple, easy to use and well built. Both the reservoir and dump box remove easily from the front of the machine to fill (in the case of the reservoir) or to empty (in the case of the dump box). This task is easy to accomplish, even though the machine sits under kitchen cabinets. The drip tray is large, can be easily removed without having to open the machine, and has baffles that help prevent spillage while emptying it. What a relief to know I shouldn’t have much to wipe up on the counters and floors. The bean hopper has a very nice rubber seal that fits around the lid to help keep the beans fresh. I also noticed that there is a disk in the hopper that shakes, making sure the beans fall into the grinder and don’t get backed up. The finest grind setting on the grinder produces a nice crema. The spout for the coffee is adjustable in height which helps prevent the crema from breaking up if it falls too far into the cup. The Brera short height fits nicely on the counter under the cabinets and allows easy access to the bean hopper. It is solidly built and has a great stainless steel front. Overall, very happy.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Thomas Donovan

I recently bought this machine to replace my Saeco Vienna Plus. This machine makes a great shot of espresso and has great steaming ability. The steam wand makes it very easy to create micro foam. I wish that the steam wand had vertical motion but the horizontal motion works well and it is easy to steam and froth my milk. Another benefit of this machine is that the brew spout is adjustable so I can fit many different sized cups under the spout. The espresso out of this machine is great. It allows for the adjustment of the strength of the coffee. I prefer to have a medium strength while my wife tends to like a string brew. With this machine we can both adjust our preferences with the optidose function. I have had my machine for 3 weeks and i am very pleased with the performance and the overall ease of the machine.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Scott Backus

I have had enough of my semi automatic. I am always on the move and the Brera allows me to be able to brew my morning shot with the push of a button. I can walk away from the machine and when I come back my shot is waiting for me. Another feature I enjoy is the simplicity of the steaming system. I was never able to create a great milk froth but with this machine it is easy. Glad I finally purchased a super automatic, it is defiantly a necessity for my life style.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
James Raddick

We had waited a long time to get a machine and had tried the coffee out of a Brera at a friends house. We had also watched the videos and finally decided to get one. We LOVE it. We really like the ability to brew one cup at a time and there is really no need to brew a pot of coffee. I am getting to enjoy espresso and like the milk steaming if I want to try something a little more fancy

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
lori Wood

I have owned a few machines in the past. I was not really happy with the espresso out of my super automatic. The person I talked with on the phone asked me what I liked to drink and I said espressos. I said I was willing to try another super auto as my life is more hectic now with a family and time constraints. I got my machine and it was easy to get started with it. The salesperson was right - I really like my espresso and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of it.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Dan Hoppkins

Just received my machine earlier this week. This is my first super automatic machine and i couldn't be happier. From out of the box to my first shot of espresso this machine does it all. The display screen is a great feature because it is fool proof. If you need water the machine will let you know. The adjustable brew spout is a great feature if you are using different sized cups. Steam feature is easy to use and makes it easy to produce great milk froth. I could not be happier with the machine and will recommended it to all my friends. Thanks Whole Latte Love!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Tom Tucker

I ordered this machine and received it two weeks ago and I really love it. The one thing I really like about it is the water reservoir is in the front of the machine and easy to fill compared to my old one.