Over 50 percent of Americans drink coffee every day. The modern coffee-maker has come a long way since the first vacuum coffee maker was invented in the 1930′s. As there have been improvements in modern technologies throughout the recent years, new technologies in coffee-making have not been neglected. There seems to be a new coffee “gadget” available on the market almost every day. Today, I will be reviewing the Gaggia Brera, which is a top-of-the-line, bean to cup, super automatic home espresso machine.
Gaggia is a well-known name in the coffee industry. The brand was named after it’s founder, Achille Gaggia. He patented the first steam-less coffee machine in 1938. This was the first machine to use pressured water to create what we now call espresso. In 1948, Gaggia began producing machines for commercial use only. In 1977, the Gaggia line was expanded to produce espresso machines for home use, as well. The sales of the home machines soon surpassed the commercial machines, and these home machines are what Gaggia is now most well-known for today.
The Gaggia Brera is great for making espresso, and any espresso-based drink that you can imagine. It creates a traditional-tasting cup of espresso, all while using the latest in technology and design, complete with an LED screen and touch buttons. There is a strength selector button to vary the strength of each cup to you, or your guests, desire. There is also a feature to program your favorite cup strength and size into its the machines memory, making for a one-touch customized cup of espresso.
This machine includes an adjustable-height dispensing spout, to accommodate cups and glasses of all sizes. The machine comes in stainless steel construction for clean streamlined look and offers two colours for the exterior casing, silver and black.
At 10 inches wide and a little under 12 1/2 inches high, this espresso maker’s small stature makes it a great fit for kitchens with limited counter-space. The unit includes a mess proof removable “water catcher” tray to catch any accidental overflow. Each cup of espresso is also brewed at near perfect temperature to prevent bitterness. Depending on the freshness of the beans the machine can consistently brew a crema layered rich espresso, which is a coveted feature by many espresso connoisseurs.
This machine can also be used to make a great cappuccino, using it’s built-in steaming wand, and “rapid steam boiler system.” This system allows an espresso to be brewed, with milk steamed right afterward, with no waiting period in between. Many home systems require this waiting period to build up pressure into the machine again. An added benefit of the milk-frothing wand, is that it can produce steam or hot water. While the steam is, of course, used to froth milk for cappuccinos and lattes, the hot water produced can make an easy, quick cup of tea or hot chocolate. It can also be used to add a small shot of espresso to hot water, to produce the espresso coffee drink known as the Americano or long black in some other countries.
Gaggia brera also offers and integrated 5 setting ceramic coffee grinder for varying levels of ground coarseness. The built in “optidose” system ensures that just the right amount of ground coffee is used for optimal extraction.
This machine can be a bit pricey for the casual coffee-drinker, retailing between $600 and $900 dollars, but the true espresso connoisseur knows that a machine of this quality can often cost in the range of thousands of dollars. All in all we highly recommend the Gaggia Brera if you are looking for great espresso at home with convenience of an automatic machine.
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