Gaggia Anima vs Breville Barista Express is the next debate in that I have to decide on the final winner. And after various brewing sessions and testing, Breville Barista Express has my vote as the better model, despite its quite simplistic design.
Breville Barista Express boasts many advantages: bold espresso flavor, precise temperature control with PID technology, and a stable grinder. The espresso flavor is what impresses me the most. I have never had a bad barista experience with this model. If you are looking for a home-use machine that has both automatic and manual features for you to play around with, I highly suggest Barista Express.
The runner-up Gaggia Anima also stands out with its compact design and smooth espresso quality. This machine is for you if you enjoy balanced and mellow espresso for a relaxing Saturday. It may not deliver as potent coffee as Barista Express, but this is still a good model that I don’t hesitate to recommend for small households and apartments.
Gaggia Anima vs Breville Barista Express: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2023-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Gaggia Anima vs Breville Barista Express: Differences
Breville Barista Express wins 3-1 agaisnt Gaggia Anima thanks to its robust espresso flavor and ideal grinder for durability and consistent coffee performance. Gaggia Anima, by no means, is a weak espresso maker. But it’s not as potent as the Breville.
Espresso flavor
Winner: Breville Barista Express
There is a significant difference between the espresso flavor of Breville Barista Express and Gaggia Anima. With Breville Barista Express, I notice a more potent flavor with sweetness as the most robust note of the bunch. The espresso is very bold and wakes me up with a kick in the morning.
With Gaggia Anima, the flavor leans toward a mellower side. Of course, all the sweet and bitter notes are there. But they come with less intensity than Breville Barista Express drinks.
On the other hand, Gaggia Anima has the Pre-infusion feature, much like Barista Express does. This feature has the effect of progressively raising the water pressure used to brew coffee, which helps to improve the extracted coffee’s strength, allowing water to sip through the puck slowly but evenly. As a result, you will get very balanced flavor notes from these machines.
Temperature control
It’s a tie!
Due to its capacity to provide water at the ideal temperature, Barista Express’s digital temperature control (PID) feature also contributes to maximizing the efficiency of coffee extraction. As a result, users may create delicious cups of coffee with just a few easy steps. The Barista Express is the best option for a home barista because of the combination of these features.
So, it’s easy for this pair to brew hot cups. I have checked the temperature with a thermometer, and their drinks’ heat varies around 165-175°F, depending on whether or not I preheat the cups.
Grinder Design and performance
Winner: Breville Barista Express
Despite its small size and narrow body, Gaggia Anima contains a Ceramic Burr Grinder to make espresso from the ground and powdered coffee. The user of this machine may pour in the coffee beans, and the device will handle the task of finely grinding the beans and preventing them from burning.
Barista Express has a built-in, conical burr grinder in contrast to Gaggia Anima. The machine’s hopper for dispensing coffee beans is located on the top, which is quite practical for users. Barista Express can ground various coffee beans while maintaining the distinct flavor of each type thanks to this grind feature.
In addition, compared to Barista Express’s Conical Burr Grinder, Gaggia Anima’s flat Ceramic Burr is more robust and uniformly grinds the coffee, producing a more steady extraction. Contrarily, a conical burr functions more quietly and is less expensive.
However, both of these machines offer exceptional grinding performance and delicious coffee flavors, so you can rely on them when it comes to grinding.
Water tank Capacity, position, and convenience
It’s a tie!
While Gaggia Anima is designed with a side water tank, Breville Barista Express has a water reservoir in the back. Does this small detail affect users’ comfortable experience with espresso machines? I have to admit that it does. The back and vertical-pull water tanks require being located in a spacious area to avoid inconvenience when we refill the tank, which can happen daily or once every two or three days, depending on our consumption.
Gaggia Anima vs Breville Barista Express: Similarities
Check out these important similarities between the pair!
Steam wand performance
Both machines are designed to froth creamy milk foam, not microform. The milk system is potent enough for making milk textures that complement drinks like mocha, latte, latte macchiato, flat white, cafe au lait, etc. As for cappuccino, I think they need to work a little bit more to get there. Nevertheless, this is not something strange in affordable and mid-range machines. You need to know how to work the pitcher for the best result.
Target consumers
Regarding target consumers, it’s obvious that Gaggia Anima and Breville Barista Express are made for home use and small groups of users only. With a water tank under 70oz, users can enjoy a comfortable home-barista experience without having to refill the tank frequently. Of course, it’s not recommended to brew more than 10 cups daily with these machines because it will wear off the pump pressure crazy quickly.
Quick Rundown of Breville Barista Express
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
Last update on 2023-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown of Gaggia Anima
- Note: 1)Too coarse a grind, too little coffee, or insufficiently tamping the grounds before brewing can all lead to inadequate pressure for a proper brew. 2)It is important to note that the amount of espresso extracted will vary depending on the grind size and amount and reprogramming may be needed when the size and amount are adjusted
- MANUAL FROTHING FOR MILK-BASED DRINKS: Pannarello steam wand for frothing milk
- PROGRAMMABLE: Programmable brewing options for espresso and espresso lungo
- TEMPERATURE CONTROL: 3 different temperature settings. Min/177.5 °F, Med/182.9 °F, Max/184.5 °F
- EASY ACCESS TO WATER RESERVOIR AND BEAN HOPPER: Features a removable 60 oz water reservoir that can be accessed on the top left of the machine, and an 8.8 ounce capacity bean hopper with access from the top right of the machine
Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References:
- Breville Barista Express by Breville: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
- Gaggia Anima by Gaggia: https://www.gaggia-na.com/products/gaggia-anima#specs
I am Ralph Mason and I am a passionate coffee drinker. I worked as a barista for a few years and since 2012 I have been trying to convince as many people as possible of good coffee.
I started writing on the barista blog on RepublikCoffeeBar in 2018. It was a pure hobby site and I tested coffee products like coffee machines, beans, mug, and other accessories. After the first year, my blog is becoming a well-known coffee site with about 100 thousand visits per month.
In 2019 I decided to focus on RepublikCoffeeBar only. I became a full-time coffee blogger and was declared crazy by many.