Gaggia Brera Cappuccino Overview
The Gaggia Brera Cappuccino upgrades the venerable Brera espresso machine with its stainless paneling and intuitive use by bundling it with Gaggia’s innovative Capp-in-Cup frothing system for effortless cappuccinos. Made in Italy, the Brera is brimming with charm thanks to its compact design and intuitive selector knob that switches between brewing, steaming, and hot water dispensing. With just two buttons for espresso and long coffee, an adaptive dosing system, and a manual wand for traditional frothing, the Brera Cappuccino is simply an incredible value.
Features and Performance
Capable and compact, the Brera Cappuccino delivers on performance and value. At just 10” wide and 12.4” tall, you’ll have no problem fitting this machine in your kitchen. When brewing, coffee is ground fresh using a 5 setting ceramic burr grinder, and you can tailor your desired strength to one of 3 settings. Based on your grind and strength, the Brera will automatically adjust its grind cycle to optimize the coffee dose for your extraction, becoming more accurate with each shot. You can also load pre-ground coffee directly into the group via the bypass doser.
True to its name, this version of the Brera is a master of cappuccinos. To use the Capp-in-Cup frother, simply slide the rubber fitting onto the steam wand and connect the Capp-in-Cup frother. Then, connect the intake tube to the frother, and place the other end in the included glass milk container (filled with your preferred milk). By positioning the selector switch to the left, the Brera will produce steam, creating suction that will siphon milk into the frother and dispense creamy milk foam directly into your cup. For taller cups, simply remove the milk slide attachment and place your cup directly underneath the frother.
Other specialty milk drinks can be easily prepared with the pannarello steam wand. The design of the pannarello wand produces rich milk foam with minimal technique required for the perfect homemade cappuccino. You can also produce hot water for drinks like Americanos, tea, and cocoa by positioning the selector switch to the right.
Capacity wise, the Brera Cappuccino has a 40 oz water reservoir, 8.8oz bean hopper, 11.8oz milk carafe capacity, and can hold up to 9 spent pucks of coffee. The drip tray holds up to 28 oz of water, and the brew spouts can fit cups up to 4.5” tall which is enough clearance for a standard American coffee mug. Maintenance alerts will also keep you informed when you need to refill the water reservoir, add more beans, empty the dreg drawer, or descale.
Why You Should Get It
The Gaggia Brera Cappuccino delivers effortless cappuccinos and authentic Italian espresso in a stylish package. Coffee is ground fresh with ceramic burrs while the Brera learns to pull a better shot with each espresso you brew. Lastly, the intuitive interface and simplified milk frothing are welcoming to home baristas of any skill level. Anybody short on space or on funds will find that the Brera fits their needs perfectly.