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The new face of traditional Italian espresso, the Gaggia Brera features an elegant brushed stainless steel front panel and a compact design that is much more space efficient than most machines in its class. But don't let its size fool you; this super automatic takes full advantage of advanced technology-allowing it to go toe-to-toe with the industry's heavyweights.
- Mavea Water Filter - four stages of filtration to remove impurities and reduce scale build up
- Low energy consumption - standby mode activates after one hour of idle time
- Programmed to notify users when care is required
- Pre-infusion feature ensure maximum flavor and aroma extraction
This All Products give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Pretty good while it worked
This was my first foray into semi-automatic espresso machines, so even though I don't have a lot of experience, I was extremely careful in the treatment of the Brera. I cleaned it weekly, and descaled it on a regular basis. Unfortunately two things happened. About a month ago, every third or fourth espresso started coming out extremely watery. It seems that the beans were not being properly syphoned into the grinder properly. It appears that the machine makes the espresso regardless of whether there are enough beans in the hopper. When they did go in, it would make great crema. Last week, however, it developed an electrical issue. The machine would not prime and after playing with it for a few days, it refused to turn on all together. Ugh. I will attempt to get it repaired, but I am not hopeful. So for 900 dollars I got about 4 months of great espresso and a nice countertop decoration.
2. best espresso, but minor problems
I bought the silver version about a year ago to replace an aging Capresso C1000. Unlike the burnt taste and warm espresso with the c1000, this unit produces excellent espresso in both taste and temperature. For your reference, I mostly use Giggia Intenso whole beans.
However, there are some minor problems not related to the espresso produced.
1. After about 4 months of use (latte in the morning), the top silver plating of the frothing handle started to peel off. It turns out that this peeling piece is made of plastic that covers the internal metal frothing tube. However, the paint peels off this plastic since it can't withstand the heat of the steaming hot metal. The part was replaced under warranty, but they charged me $6.95 for shipping. While this piece doesn't affect the functionality of the unit, it sure cheapens the look of the unit.. all for a lousy piece of plastic.
2. The water container is too small. Water has to be refilled after few...
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Plagued with problems
Since Whole Latte Love won't print my review (please note others have assigned the machine 1 to 2 stars, yet only glowing reviews are published) I will back up the problems others have reported here. I always research big dollar purchases on Amazon and trust the reviewing community, and others should be forewarned about the Gaggia Brera. I bought it to replace my workhorse Saeco Superautomatica that trucked along for 8 years with typical repairs and part replacements. I make only one 2-shot latte a few times a week out of this machine, so I'm not asking a lot. I appreciated the quieter grind and operation of the Brera, the espresso was good, and the steamer worked great (although the wand is peeling and unattractive). My first complaint was that the ground beans overshot the press and filled the side of the machine. I also bought this for its bypass feature which made sense to brew the occasional decaf or flavored coffee. I contacted WLL, and they told me to use a brush and clean the...
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