Comparison · Bean-to-cup machines
Gaggia Besana vs Brera: Gaggia's compact bean-to-cups compared
Gaggia's Besana and Brera are its two smallest bean-to-cups. We compare tank, grinder, steam wand, size and the UK price we found on 3 Oct 2026.
If you’re weighing up the Gaggia Besana vs Brera, you’re looking at the two simplest bean-to-cup machines Gaggia makes. Both are compact, made in Italy, grind beans with five-step ceramic grinders and froth milk with a pannarello you control yourself. The Brera adds a stainless steel front, a slightly bigger tank and a bean container, and a few extra features. The bigger difference for UK buyers is availability. Check price at Coffee Direct for the Brera; we couldn’t find a UK retailer selling the Besana that day. We haven’t tested this in person. This comparison is based on Gaggia’s published specs and the UK prices we checked on 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
Gaggia Besana vs Brera: the short answer
Choose the Brera if you want a compact Gaggia you can actually buy in the UK right now. It’s narrower than the Besana, has a steel steam wand rather than a plastic one, and adds strength settings, pre-infusion and a ground-coffee option.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants milk drinks at one touch, or who drinks lots of long coffee and doesn’t want to refill a 1.2-litre tank often.
Choose the Besana only if you find it at a fair price from a retailer you trust. It’s Gaggia’s most stripped-back bean-to-cup: two coffee buttons, a knob for steam and hot water, and a 1-litre tank.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants decaf now and then from pre-ground coffee, since Gaggia doesn’t list a ground-coffee option for it.
Skip both if you want lattes and cappuccinos made for you. Neither has an automatic milk system. Our guide to bean-to-cup machines under £500 covers other options.
What they cost right now
These are the UK prices we found on 3 Oct 2026:
- Gaggia Brera RI9305/11 (black): Check price at Coffee Direct. It was in stock on 3 Oct 2026, and the silver Brera was also listed.
- Gaggia Besana RI8180: Check current price. We found no UK listing at Currys or Coffee Direct on 3 Oct 2026.
The row we started from suggested Currys for both machines, but Currys’ search showed no Gaggia machines for either name when we checked. We haven’t quoted overseas prices for the Besana, because they don’t tell you what you’d pay here.
Size and build
Both machines are small by bean-to-cup standards, but they’re shaped differently.
- Besana: 29.5cm wide, 32.5cm high and 42cm deep, and 7kg, according to Gaggia. The body and front are black ABS plastic.
- Brera: 25.6cm wide, 31.5cm high and 44.7cm deep, and 8.5kg, according to Gaggia. The body is black ABS with a stainless steel front panel, and it comes in black or silver.
So the Brera is about 4cm narrower and 1cm lower, while the Besana is about 2.7cm shallower and 1.5kg lighter. If your worry is the gap between the kettle and the toaster, the Brera fits more easily. If it’s the depth of a shallow worktop or a shelf, the Besana has the edge. Measure before you order, and leave room to pull the Brera’s brew group out from the side.
Gaggia lists front access to the Brera’s water tank, grounds container and drip tray. For the Besana, it says all compartments can be reached directly.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants the Besana’s looks to match a steel kettle. It’s black plastic all over.
Steam wand and milk
Both use a classic pannarello, a sleeve over the steam wand that pulls in air as you froth. You hold the jug, judge the texture and stop when the milk is hot enough. It takes a bit of practice. Turning a knob on either machine switches between steam and hot water for tea.
The difference is the material. Gaggia lists a black plastic pannarello on the Besana and a stainless steel one on the Brera. That doesn’t change how the milk is heated, but steel is easier to keep looking smart. Gaggia suggests cold whole milk for the best froth on the Besana, and says semi-skimmed, some lactose-free milks and soy drinks can also work.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who’d rather not steam milk at all. A separate jug frother is the simpler fix. Browse our bean-to-cup machines for models with automatic milk.
Drinks, grinder and controls
On paper the drink menus are identical. Gaggia lists espresso, espresso lungo and hot water on both, plus steam for milk. Both can brew two cups at once, and both have a Memo function, so you can hold a button to save your preferred drink length.
The grinders match too. Both use 100% ceramic burrs with five grind settings, which you change while the machine is grinding. On the Besana, Gaggia’s FAQ says you turn the adjuster with a supplied key.
The Brera adds a few things the Besana’s spec sheet doesn’t list:
- Optiaroma: three settings for how much coffee goes into each cup, so you can make it stronger or milder.
- Pre-infusion: a short soak of the grounds before brewing.
- Ground-coffee option: a bypass for pre-ground coffee, handy for the odd decaf. The Besana manual warns against putting ground coffee in the bean container.
- Display: buttons with LED icons. The Besana has buttons on a rotating knob.
Gaggia lists a 250g bean container on the Brera and 180g on the Besana. Both take eight used pucks before the grounds container needs emptying.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who likes to fine-tune. Five grind steps and three strength levels are basic next to many rivals.
Cleaning and descaling
Cleaning is much the same on both. Each has a removable brew group that you rinse under the tap, an automatic rinsing cycle and a descaling alert. Gaggia says the Besana rinses its coffee circuit when you switch it on and when it switches itself off. Descaling is manual on both: the machine tells you when, and you run the cycle yourself. The Besana manual says its descaling routine takes about 30 minutes. Gaggia lists both as compatible with the Intenza+ water filter.
If you go for the Brera, our guide on how to descale a Gaggia Brera walks through the steps.
Who it isn’t for: anyone hoping to skip maintenance. Both need regular brew-group rinses and descaling.
Which compact Gaggia should you buy?
For most UK buyers, it’s the Brera. It’s sold by a named UK retailer, it’s narrower, and it adds strength control, pre-infusion and a ground-coffee bypass that the Besana’s spec sheet doesn’t list. It’s a simple Italian-made bean-to-cup; check price at Coffee Direct and compare it with rivals before you buy.
The Besana makes sense only if you find it at a clearly lower price from a retailer you trust and you’re happy with espresso, lungo and steam from a plastic wand. Its smaller tank and bean container mean more frequent refills.
For a closer look at each machine, read our Gaggia Besana review and Gaggia Brera review.
Downsides of both
- Manual milk only. Neither makes a cappuccino at one touch.
- Small tanks. At 1 litre and 1.2 litres, both need refilling more often than many bean-to-cups.
- Few settings. Five grind steps on both, and strength control only on the Brera.
- Hard to find. We found the Brera at only one UK retailer on 3 Oct 2026, and the Besana at none.
FAQ
What’s the main difference between the Gaggia Besana and Brera? The Brera has a stainless steel front and wand, a 1.2-litre tank, three strength settings, pre-infusion and a ground-coffee option. The Besana is a simpler black plastic machine with a 1-litre tank.
Which is smaller? The Brera is narrower (25.6cm against 29.5cm). The Besana is shallower (42cm against 44.7cm) and lighter.
Do they make the same drinks? Yes. Gaggia lists espresso, espresso lungo, hot water and steam on both.
Can the Besana use pre-ground coffee? Gaggia doesn’t list a ground-coffee option for the Besana. The Brera has one.
Where can I buy them in the UK? On 3 Oct 2026 we found the Brera at Coffee Direct (check price at Coffee Direct). We couldn’t find a UK retailer listing the Besana.