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Add to SafariWhen comparing Gaggia Classic vs Gaggia Brera, the Slant community recommends Gaggia Classic for most people. In the question“What are the best home espresso machines?” Gaggia Classic is ranked 2nd while Gaggia Brera is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Gaggia Classic is:
This machine is great if you're looking to get your feet wet in coffees. It's powerful enough that with a decent grinder (which has to be purchased separately), it can pull espresso shots on the same level as most cafes. With more time and practice, you'll be able to do better. It's also modular enough for tinkerers to experiment with, and the fact that it doesn't come with a grinder means you can change things up without buying a whole new espresso machine.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Great starter machine for exploring the world of coffee
This machine is great if you're looking to get your feet wet in coffees. It's powerful enough that with a decent grinder (which has to be purchased separately), it can pull espresso shots on the same level as most cafes. With more time and practice, you'll be able to do better. It's also modular enough for tinkerers to experiment with, and the fact that it doesn't come with a grinder means you can change things up without buying a whole new espresso machine.
Pro Easy to clean and maintain
Maintaining the Gaggia Classic isn't difficult thanks to its modularity. It can be cleaned partially or fully disassembled for thorough cleaning, and the parts can be replaced, which makes repairing it a breeze.
Pro Sturdy coffee head professional size 58mm.
Pro Fast ready temperature
Pro Great coffee quality
This machine can make great coffee, even without specialised barista knowledge. With some practice, you can pull espresso shots on par or even better than cafes.
Pro Powerful and value for money
The Gaggia Classic is hard to beat at <$400 for an espresso machine of its caliber.
Pro Sturdy build
Gaggia products have a reputation for being well-built and easy to maintain. This machine can last for a long time if taken care of properly.
Pro Extremely convenient and easy to use
Gaggia Brera is a super-automatic espresso machine. There's very little to set up apart from depositing coffee beans into the bean hopper (or pre-ground coffee); the grinder has an adjustment system that automatically adjusts the grind levels for you. After that, it's just pressing a button to get a cup. This makes it ideal for busy people who wants a quick quality cuppa.
Pro Comes with built-in grinder and can use pre-ground coffee
The Gaggia Brera comes with its own grinder on top for whole beans, along with a bypass doser for pre-ground coffee. The grinder has an automatic adjustment system that automatically adjusts the grind levels, and it only grinds the amount of beans required for a cup and leaves the rest of the beans in the hopper intact.
Pro Fast brewing time
The brewing time on Gaggia Brera is extremely quick. Once set up, it takes less than 3 minutes from the time you power it on to the time it finishes brewing a cup of espresso.
Pro One button to start brewing
With Gaggia Brera, pressing one button is all it takes to get a nice shot of espresso. There is no need to tinker with settings other than the brewing strength, which can be selected with a button press.
Pro Great coffee quality
This machine can brew coffee on par with usual cafes (without specialized equipments) out of the box.
Pro Automatic self-cleaning
Gaggia Brera has a self-rinse cycle that cleans the machine when it is switched on or off.
Pro Comes with a bean hopper to store coffee beans
This machine comes with a bean hopper to hold coffee beans. It can hold up to a normal-sized bag of coffee beans (8.8oz / 250grams).
Cons
Con Operating it requires more effort and know-how
For novices, this machine can be rather inconvenient and hard to use at first. You need some knowledge of espressos to utilize the Gaggia Classic to its full potential.
Con Frothing wand is unreliable
The Pannarello wand on the Gaggia Classic can be unreliable for steaming milk. It is not as powerful as other steam wands and requires a little practice to get right. The attachment is made of plastic, instead of the more common stainless steel found in other wands.
Con Space between the portafilter and drip tray is quite small
The space between the portafilter and drip tray is designed to hold small coffee mugs or shot glasses. It might not be able to fit a standard-sized mug without removing the drip tray.
Con Not suitable for advanced usage
Gaggia Brera is not meant for advanced usage. It does not come with manual controls/overrides or settings you may find on other espresso machines, making it fairly limited in what you can do with it.
