Would Users Recommend the Breville Barista Express?

Consumer Reviews for the Breville Barista Express

The following reviews were collected from Amazon.com, WholeLatteLove.com, Zappos.com, KitchenAdd.com, and Buzzillions.com.

A slim majority of consumer reviews for the Breville Barista Express were favorable, although there were quite a few opposing opinions.

To help you gain confidence in your purchase decision we have gathered what we feel is a very fair and balanced collection of consumer reviews for the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine.

We think you’ll agree with us that reviews made by actual owners of the Breville Barista Express are the best source of honest, reliable feedback, which you will find invaluable when choosing a home espresso maker of your own.

By doing the research and collecting a wide variety of reviews for this generally popular, easy to use, and affordable espresso machine, we hope that we can help save you many hours of time scouring the Internet yourself in order to gather this information.

Review By Wolfenhawke

I spent my Christmas 2009 reviewing espresso machines. I had just returned from a trip to Europe and finally was going to fold and get an espresso machine. I missed the espresso from Italy and France. 1oz of crema delight.

So, I liked the Breville Barista Express from all the reviews but was worried about some of the negativity on the “wet puck” I had read. All the reviews mentioned excellent coffee though, so it was on my short list.

Then I saw the Breville BES860XL, also known as the Barista Express Programmable Espresso. From the looks you can tell this unit has exchanged the hot water dispenser for a bean grinder. This unit is a fully automatic espresso machine with the super automatic feature of grinding a pre-measure of beans for your brew. Note, it is not a super automatic machine as you still need to manually mount the portafilter into the group head, and clean the filter afterward. This is as automatic as you will want to go if you want to really control your coffee.

But, let me walk you through the pleasure:
1. the box. this has excellent graphics — even as you open, the getting started guide and pictures guide you along. The unit removes easily.
2. The tamper is magnetically held in place on the front of the machine — you can use it in place or remove for manual tamping.
3. New: -there is a dry puck feature now for all the fussy reviews — this removes excess water so you get, a dry puck
- an excellent burr grinder — you can dismantle this for cleaning, and it has a wide range of control
- for those that previously complained about the “cheat” dual wall filters — the unit comes with single and double dual wall AND single wall filters
- there is a hideaway storage tray to hold all the small goodies
4. Steaming — excellent steam temperature and pressure — works very well with the provided frothing jug, very minimal excess water to start
5. The real test. I am using the dual wall filters, and the Illy whole espresso beans I got from Italy were made into pure heavenly espresso. Nice crema. This is the real thing.

This is one finely engineered machine. From a mechanically inclined electrical engineer to the folks at Breville: you have created an exceptionally functional piece that does the job. Did I mention it is beautiful on the counter as well? I have it on an island, no bad sides.

Drawbacks: none. BUT, when making a real espresso shot, make sure you pre-warm your demitasse. Otherwise the espresso will heat up your cup and your coffee will not be hot. I run a water cycle first into my cup to heat up the group head and the cup.

In my opinion this is the best buy in the market under $1500. At the office, daily I use a super automatic machine that is at that top end.

Review By W. Straus

I agree with most of the reviews below – but wanted to add a few words about my experience with the Breville Barista Express:

I made a cursory read-through of the manual and having never owned a machine like the Breville Barista Express, but certainly having purchased a lot of coffee shop espressos across the globe, I thought I could jump right in and make some great drinks. Well, in part true, but I hit a point where I almost returned it. I started off with the double-wall filter and it made a very decent shot. Then I figured I try out the single wall filter. 2 weeks later and after joining the ranks of Corn-holio, I hit the jackpot.

During the first 2 weeks, I went from a moderate grind and a middle grind amount to the finest setting and about 2/3 away around the grind amount dial. I even far exceeded the recommended tamping pressure. The result was always an under extracted and bitter shot. Most of the time the puck was wet on top and a bit messy to clean up. Each time I pressed the double-shot button, the pressure wouldn’t even rise into the darker colored scale. No matter how fine the grind, or how hard I tamped the coffee the result was the same. I thought maybe it was the bean I chose or just a lousy grinder. Nope.

The day before yesterday I decided to read through the manual very carefully and try doing what they say step by step, not just what the cartoon correction diagram showed. I pre-heated the cup by running hot water through the filter and portafilter, thereby warming it. Then I immediately dried the portafilter/single-wall filter and filled it with freshly ground coffee. I added some coffee, pressed it down lightly into the filter with my fingers and added more. Then I tamped it with about 20 pounds of pressure. When finished, the tamper’s stainless rim near the bottom was not completely recessed in the portafilter, leaving it filled to within 1/8″. After cleaning the rim thoroughly I simply attached the group head and pressed the pre-programmed double shot. Killer espresso – like ones I’ve had in the finest Italian shops. Cleanup was a dream because the puck was nearly dry – it just popped out. Wow. Cleaning between shots is important – reheating is as well. If you follow these (Breville’s) directions you will be more than pleased with this machine. I now feel like I got my $600 worth.

I changed a few things all at once, so I can’t necessarily put my finger on exactly what changed the output. Pre-heating and filling the single-wall filter to an after-tamped level near the top seems to be the key. I love this machine now. As with the other reviews, I think the “clean me” light comes on with just a pre-set number of cycles since I too use filtered water and clean incessantly. The machine is heavy, solid and well laid out. Watch out while filling the reservoir so as not to get even a few drops close to the hopper – jamming problems and a difficult clean. I don’t like leaving the tamper in the magnetic mount to tamp my coffee, but it’s a great place to store it. The wand for frothing is fantastic, but I normally prefer straight espresso. My lovely wife prefers cappuccino and we’re now working on some good cup art, no longer worrying about trying to nail the perfect shot. I do recommend the Breville Barista Express, but I highly recommend reading the directions word for word, front to back in the manual and adhering to their advice. Breville designed it and they know how to get the best results. With practice, you too will snub your nose at Starbucks from now on.

Best of luck.

Review By Craig Deforest

We have had our Breville Barista Express for several months now. It has given good, reliable service and makes a terrific shot. I take cappuccino (and the steam wand frother is very easy — the best manual frother I have used), and my lovely wife takes Americanos. We use the “barista” filters rather than the Senseo-style “beginner” filters. The included pressure gauge makes it very easy to “sight in” your favorite shot by varying the grind and tamp till you find what you like.

The pump assembly, heating block, and user interface are terrific. The buttons have a nice feel, everything about the machine’s style radiates solidity. It is a pleasure to use. The waste reservoir in the base is large enough for several days’ coffee drinking, and is easy and simple to empty. The convenient hidden compartment behind it is a great place to stash the extras and cleaning tablets.

The grinder is indeed adjustable and delivers consistent sized grind when it is working. But there are several problems with it — it’s obviously Breville’s first attempt. First, the bean reservoir has very shallow sides — they are not sloped enough for most beans to auto-feed, so we often end up pulling the top open and stirring the beans with our fingers, to get them to feed down into the grinder. Second, the grinder *will* jam if you use oily beans — which is too bad as we like a very dark roast. Mixing oily and dry roasts 1:1 seems to be OK, except… Third, the grinder *will* jam if you get even a little bit of water in it, which is inevitable if you fill the tank in-place on the back of the device. The molding at the top of the machine seems custom designed to direct otherwise-harmless drops of water straight down into the grinder where they will do the most damage.

The worst thing about the grinder is that it is a bitch and a half to clean. You can disassemble it — at least as far as getting the stator blades out from around the burr — but the part that jams is the feed paddles that push grounds out of the area under the grinder, into the top of the chute that feeds the espresso head in its holder (as pictured). That part is nearly impossible to get to. When the grinder jams, I vacuum out the coffee beans and grounds with the blade head on our vacuum cleaner (incidentally, Dyson vacuums rock), then go after it with a combination of toothpicks, pipe cleaners, and dust-free canned “air”. This generally happens in the morning, so I wake up the kids with the vacuum, and then everyone’s in a bad mood — the kids want sleep and/or breakfast, I want my coffee, and I’m rooting around with a toothpick cursing the designers.

We do run the clean cycle when the “clean me” light comes on, but I suspect it is on a fixed timer — we user reverse-osmosis water, shouldn’t have any boiler-scale issues at all.

Review By Avid Reviewer

The Barista Express is Breville’s newest (and most expensive) offering in its line of espresso machines (which includes the Breville 800ESXL Commercial Espresso Machine and the BES830XL Die-Cast Programmable Espresso Machine). It is a semi-professional machine designated for the “aspiring barista” and the “beginner.”

The major selling points of the Breville Barista Express are:
(1) patented dual-wall filters to help novices make a respectable cup of espresso without a lot of fuss. Breville has also included regular (single-walled) filters to allow a user the freedom to craft a cup of espresso like a professional barista would.

(2) the integrated burr grinder
A burr grinder (as opposed to a blade grinder) is ideally suited for grinding coffee beans because they generate less frictional heat than a conventional blade grinder. (Excessive heat degrades the quality of coffee beans.) (See Breville BCG450XL Conical Burr Grinder)

(3) coffeehouse-quality espresso right in your own home in under 2 minutes flat.

My experience with Breville Barista Express has been mostly positive. I’m especially impressed by how easy it is to make a delicious-tasting cup of espresso! Here’s a detailed assessment:

- Single-Wall and Dual-Wall Filters
Breville has included 2 types of filter: (1) the single-wall filter and (2) the double-wall filter. Each type of filter comes in 2 sizes (single-shot and double-shot) — for a total of 4 filters.

> Single-Wall Filter (Non-Pressurized Filter)
With the single-wall filter, getting the tamp pressure and grind size just right are of paramount importance for making a good cup of espresso. Under-extraction results in a watered-down espresso with little crema (foam head). The espresso will also taste a little sour. Over-extraction, on the other hand, makes the espresso overly bitter. I’ll tell you, I have ruined many a cup of coffee because of under-extraction or over-extraction. Getting it right will take a lot of patience, practice, and experimentation.

> Dual-Wall Filter (Pressurized Filter)
I really appreciate the dual-wall filters Breville has included in the package for a beginner who is unsure of the “right” ground size or tamp pressure to use. The dual-wall filter helps to give a beginner a leg up on making a good cup of espresso without having to worry too much about the intricacies involving coffee ground size and tamp pressure.

A commonly reported problem that’s noteworthy is that the single hole on the lower wall sometimes gets clogged up (although I haven’t encountered the problem thus far). Breville advises the use of a pin to unclogged the filter.

- Coffee Temperature
The ideal temperature of the water for extraction is between 195 F to 202 F. However, the water temperature reaches only roughly 185 F on my machine. There are no adjustments that allow you to increase/decrease the temperature of the water.

- Bean Hopper & Conical Burr Grinder
The bean hopper coffee that feeds the burr grinder has a supposed 8oz capacity. In practice, I find that it will only hold about 6 oz (it takes about half of a 12-oz bag of Peets coffee). A real plus to the hopper is the edges of its lid are lined with rubber to ensure a tight-fitting and airtight seal, so the coffee beans won’t degrade as a result of oxidation.

The grind size of the burr grinder is adjustable, from very fine (for espresso and Turkish coffee) to coarse (recommended for espresso extraction with a dual-wall filter). The grinder delivers very evenly ground coffee (no lumps).

The only complaint I have about the hopper is as it empties out, the coffee beans in it occasionally need a little help to make them fall into the chute leading to the burr grinder. This happens more often with “oily” coffee beans.

- Magnetic Tamper
The magnetic tamper allows you to either (i) tamp on the counter (like a professional barista does) or (ii) do your tamping “on board” (with the tamper magnetically affixed to the machine). I really like that you’re able to store the tamper on board when it’s not in use, so it’s within easy reach and it won’t get lost.

- Programmable
I like how easy it is to program the amount of espresso dispensed into both the Single Shot and Double Shot buttons. For example, to program the Double Shot button, all you do is press the Program button, press Double Shot button, and press Double Shot button again to stop the extraction once you get the desired amount of espresso. Thereon, the Double Shot button will dispense the pre-programmed amount of espresso every time you push it.

- Steam Wand
The steam wand produces perfectly textured milk. You can use an included attachment if more froth is desired.

- Design
The Barista Express is a beautifully designed machine that simply oozes class and quality. The exterior is stainless steel except for the water tank, the bean hopper, the drip tray, the knobs, and a few other smaller parts (all of which are made of plastic).

- Easy Cleanup
Clean-up is easy:
> Give the portafilter a good tap to expel the ground. The ground should pop right out (the used ground should resemble a brownie if you’ve gotten the grind size and tamp pressure right). Give both the filter basket and the portafilter a quick rinse and you’re done.
> Empty the drip tray when it says “Empty me” (a small float atop the drip tray gets upturned to display an “Empty me” sign when the drip tray is just about full) — a very nice touch.
> Make sure the steam wand is wiped down immediately after use.

- Get Started Right Away
Everything you need to get started right away is included: filter baskets, milk jug, tamper, carbon water filter, and frother attachment. You probably want to get some espresso cups and a thermometer if you don’t have them already.

Despite a couple of issues, I like the Breville Barista Express. Would I recommend it? Well, it depends.

If you’re looking for an convenient, no-brainer way to make good cup of espresso (or any espresso-based beverage, such as Latte, Cappuccino, and Mocha) – the Barista Express may be your ticket. It consistently churns out a good cup of espresso when you use the dual-wall filter, which works in tandem with the pre-programmed dual-wall settings. In addition, the burr grinder, which doesn’t normally come integrated in professional machines, is a definite plus.

However, if you’re into the art of making espresso (like a true barista), there are other good machines within the same price range you might want to look at first (one of the most popular machines is the Silvia Rancilio Espresso Machine).

There you have it. The above are some important considerations you might want to take into account before you make a purchase decision for the Breville Barista Express.

Review By J. A. KONRATH

I received the Breville Barista Express (model BES860XL) yesterday, and I’ve used it nine times in 24 hours.

The espresso is that good.

I’ve always been a coffee aficionado, and have spent more money at Starbucks this year than this machine is worth.

Sorry, Starbucks. You just lost a customer.

If you like cappuccino, espresso, Americano, macchiato, cafe latte, con panna, etc. the Barista Express is well worth the investment, and will pay for itself within six months of steady use.

Everything about this machine is top of the line. It’s heavy, stainless steel. I’ve worked in several swanky restaurants in my younger days, and made more than my share of coffee drinks on expensive machines, (Pasquini, Bunn, Cecilware), but the Barista Express has all of them beat. It’s built solid, to last a long time, and making any sort of drink is fast and easy.

Unboxing the Breville, I was surprised how few parts it came with. Besides the machine itself, you get a cleaning kit, four filters, a tamper, the portafilter, and an aluminum steam cup. From unwrapping to complete assembly took three minutes, thanks to an easy-to-follow Quick Start Guide complete with pictures. The water tank comes with a filter, for the best tasting coffee possible, and it also has a handle for easy transport from the sink to the machine.

Using the Breville is a snap. Fill it with fresh beans, choose the filter (two are double walled for beginners–for single and double shots–and two are single walled for experienced baristas), press a button to fill the filter with fresh ground coffee, tamp, then press another button to make the coffee.

Seriously, anyone can do this.

The espresso comes out perfectly every time, with a nice crema (foamy head) and the exact coffee-to-water ratio.

The tamper itself is heavy, substantial, and magnetic, for easy storage in the base (it fits into the top so you can tamp one-handed.)

The portafilter is professional quality. Heavy enough to use as a lethal weapon (my advice; don’t, because then the police will have to confiscate it.)

The grinder is fast, quieter than my stand alone model (so it won’t wake up your spouse when you’re making coffee at 6am), and always delivers the right amount.

But there were two things that impressed me most about the Barista Express.

First, every professional espresso machine I’ve ever used took time to warm up–sometimes up to ten minutes. The Barista Express can go from “off” to “drinking espresso” in a minute and a half. No warm up time needed, even for steamed milk, which brings me to…

THE STEAMER IS AMAZING!

Again, I’ve made coffee on at least three restaurant-quality machines (plus two cheap espresso machines that I wound up throwing away), but never has making steamed milk been so easy. An inch of skim milk (yes, SKIM–you know how hard that is to foam?) becomes a full cup of froth in about ninety seconds, with minimal effort.

My wife, who is a total noob when it comes to making cappuccino, was able to make a perfect cup easily.

As icing on the cake, the stainless steel and quality construction make clean-up a breeze. All you need to do is dump the grounds, give the portafilter a quick rinse, and wipe the machine down. If you spill coffee or milk in the machine, no problem–the lower tray removes easily and the contents can be dumped.

I love this thing.  Seriously.

Best of all, the espresso and cappuccino it makes are so good, they don’t need sweetener. Just a pinch of cinnamon on top, and you’re good to go.

I haven’t begun to play with the program feature yet (which allows more or less water per shot) or with grind size (which allows for coarser or finer grounds) and don’t know if I’ll ever need to. But it’s good to know they’re there if I want to experiment. The machine also comes with a fully illustrated instruction manual, which includes a troubleshooting guide and a few recipes.

In conclusion, the Barista Express BES860XL is not only makes a great cup of joe, but it’s a pleasure to use. I have no doubt it will last for years, and I can’t wait to have guests over so they can try it out.

If you want to invest in a machine that will fulfill all of your coffee dreams, this is the machine to buy. I’m getting another one for my mom.

Highly recommended.

Review By CGScammell

I waited for my new Breville Barista Express machine to arrive and in the meantime I read everything I could about it. I watched several very helpful how-to videos on YouTube by “SeattleCoffeeGear” and “Breville” that showed me how to assemble the machine and brew my first cup of cappuccino with near-perfect results.

The videos helped me immensely. Although my previous machine is a $59 Capresso which I bought via Amazon earlier this summer, which does not resemble this machine at all, the knowledge of tamping and frothing milk were known to me. I had no trouble starting this beauty up straight out of the box. (Yes, there is some assembly required for the water tank and bean grinder, so please read the instructions–or watch the videos!–beforehand.)

The only thing I was missing were two cappuccino shots. I am currently using a wide but narrow soup cup for my shots. I will order these at a later date.

I was impressed with the Breville Barista Express right away. It’s a solidly-built machine made from stainless steel. It looks like a professional cappuccino maker. The measurements given here are accurate. The machine is not much wider or taller than my regular drip grind brewer, but it’s a lot heavier. When it grinds whole beans it’s a quiet grinding sound, so gone are my sleeping cats jumping three feet in the air at the sound of my regular coffee grinder. The pulsating water pump, however, makes the kitchen sound like there’s an iron lung nearby pumping in rhythm.

I followed all instructions. I let the machine warm up for 45 seconds (It’s ready to go when the far left knb stops blinking). I ground the beans (what a heavenly scent when using Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Whole Bean Coffee, 2.2-Pound Bag , a perfect bean for this machine!) and then pressed the button for a double-shot as the bean extraction trickled into a pre-heated coffee mug.

The extracted coffee looked exactly as a perfect cappuccino should look like: golden brown with a light-brown crema. The milk frother next to the extractor also did its job perfectly, and this time I didn’t even have to hold the milk canister: I simply placed the milk on the metal tray under the frother and the machine did the rest. I was and am very impressed with this machine.

Although the price is daunting for a novice, this machine would pay for itself within a few months of daily use. I have my cappuccinos with double shots of espresso and a tablespoon of vanilla syrup, a drink that would easily cost me $5 a day.

My only complaint? This machine is so expensive-looking that it makes the rest of my 30-year-old kitchen old. Now I’m forced to upgrade my appliances and remodel my kitchen!

This machine is for the true coffee aficionado. I’ve now become one of them thanks to this machine.

Edit 31 Oct 10: after just four days of daily use my pressure gauge stopped working and my espresso came out without crema. I was a little perplexed, read over the instructions (again!) and decided to take the enclosed pin needle to poke through the dual-wall filter. Presto! I had had a stoppage in my filter that was preventing the water pressure to flow through naturally. My subsequent espresso was back to its rich, golden-brown crema. I must remember to “poke the hole” on a daily basis. This is a minor inconvenience to me as the espresso is exquisite.

Review By Greenwich66

The Breville Barista Express is an amazing machine.

I’ve conducted a thorough research both online and offline — with visits to actual stores to inspect / compare real products.

This machine is extremely well-built, with the highest material / quality standards that you’d otherwise expect in comparable machines costing $2,000-5,000.

Their dual filter design makes it near fool-proof to produce consistently good quality espressos. I wish more people knew about this machine – unfortunately, it may not be the best known brand and therefore sometimes goes unnoticed.

I also bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond using their 20% discount coupon, which brings down the price to $480. Absolutely amazing deal. Don’t look for anything else.

We’ve used this product for the past month or so, and it has completely changed how we begin the day. Thanks Breville !!!

Review By anu_reviewer

Before purchasing the Breville Barista Express, I had a hand-me-down Krups espresso maker. No matter how hard I tried it was very difficult to get any crema out of my old machine. It was great for $45 but I had outgrown it.

I wanted to upgrade so I can replicate the flavor-profile and crema of espressos from Ritual Roasters Cafe (SF). I also wanted a velvety matte textured milk in cappuccinos I get there, it is very different than Starbucks method of milk at bottom and dry-airy foam on top. Finally, I wanted espresso making a quicker and easy to clean process than before.

After consulting the barista at my cafe, and doing some research I decided that I need a machine with ‘at-least’ 10 bar water pump, just-in-time conical-burr grinder and some practice and improvement in my barista skills.

I bought Breville BES860XL mostly as an impulse buy – It looked good, had fancy controls, and features listed 15bar pump, conical burr grinder and programmability as main features. Price though higher than my $45 Krups, was far cheaper than the machines I had been researching online.

After practicing on it for last 2 months, my cappuccinos have truly improved in both taste and presentation. I did taste comparisons with Ritual Roaster. I have also mastered making velvety textured milk from the steamer.

Feature Review -

BUILT-IN GRINDER – makes it very fast to grind and fill the portafilter for extraction. One minor annoyance is that there is always some coffee grinds falling off the edge of portafilter.

STEAMER – Very quick (under 10 seconds) to start and has very high pressure to aid in creating that velvety matte textured milk. Steaming wand gets very hot quickly so its important to keep a wet cloth handy to quickly wipe it clean, or else dried milk residue is slightly more difficult to clean.

CUP WARMER – potentially nice but mostly useless, on the top of the machine. It never gets warm enough in time to keep my cups warm. I instead run my cups under hot water. You can arguably keep the cups there longer 5 minutes or to get them warmed up. But I’m usually done with my espresso and steamed milk within 2 minutes tops.

SINGLE & DOUBLE-SHOT FILTERS – it allows you to play with the strength and dilution of espressos. For example you can run a single shot filter with double-shot extraction so you will get double the water running through smaller amount of coffee etc etc. I only use the standard filter, not the “double-walled” filter.

CLEANUP – Base of the machine features a metal grille, a collection tray underneath it catches drips, water discharge and coffee grind. I drain it after every 8-10 extractions. That’s the majority of the cleanup! However, I often have to clean up the coffee grinds that fall of the edge of the portafilter outside of the tray before and during tamping.

PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED – Once grinder stopped grinding the beans, I simply opened the case and loosened the bean and let the machine grind until jam was cleaned up.

FINAL WORD – I’m making the cappuccinos and espressos very close to my cafe version. With just in time grinding really improves the taste and makes the process faster. I recommended this machine to those graduating from a entry level (under $100) machines.

Review By Darcy Taylor

I used to be a barista, so I was looking for something semi-professional. The Breville Barista Express is just that – a high quality, well built, user friendly, attractively designed machine. It features equipment options that accommodate the novice user and equipment options for the more experienced user.

Be prepared to have to experiment with the settings a few times before you achieve the perfect espresso (especially if you are working with the equipment/settings for the experienced). Have patience – it does take some finessing.

I love that it has the coffee bean storage bin – very convenient. The grinder is amazing (putting out a superfine grind).

The water storage tank is a generous size so you don’t have to refill it constantly.

All in all, I am extremely happy with this purchase – the Breville Barista Express made a wonderful addition to my kitchen, and I highly recommend it.

Review By Catherine Wienckowski

I received a Breville Barista Express as a gift for Xmas and have had it now for 1 week.

It is a visually stunning machine and the quality of the espresso is just as
exceptional.

You need to read the instructions, and proceed from there. It is a very
easy machine to operate once you know what all the buttons are for.

I have had a Starbucks machine and a gaggia classic in the past and i think this is of superior quality.

Review By Michael M. Turner

First a clarification. Some reviewers have been confused about the “Clean Me” light. “Clean” and “Descale” are two different things, and the instruction book tells how to do each. Unfortunately, it does not explain the Clean Me thing. Coffee books now claim 1000 compounds found in roasted coffee beans. Some of those are aromatic, and condense on the inside of the brewing head. There they go rancid and foul future coffee flavor. THAT is what we are cleaning out with the “pills” that come with the machine. Commercial machines are cleaned daily for that reason. It has nothing to do with the water you use.

As for the quality of the coffee the Breville Barista Express makes, it is fantastic. I have worked commercial dual head machines. I have assisted others to improve the product they sell. And frankly, after making shots for some of these people with my new machine, they have been confounded. It is that much better. Best milk frothing this guy has ever done. Best complex flavor of the espresso. I have people sitting around COMPLEMENTING the bitter part of the flavor instead of complaining about it.

This thing is designed for REAL espresso beans. If your espresso beans are labeled 100% Arabica, you will probably be less than happy. There should be a little bit of Robusto in there. And Breville knows how to make the most of that. And for those who roast their own, so that they are only using freshly roasted beans, and have a delightful blend (espresso is the only coffee I want anything but single field origin beans for) then this makes a knockout cup. I strongly suggest that once you get the hang of this machine, start experimenting with the beans you are using, and keep them fresh.

As for the grinder, first, I have no idea why anyone would get water into the grinder when refilling the tank on the machine. The tank runs across the whole back of the machine, and one can pour water in from the other side of the tank. As for how much the grinder hopper holds, not a great idea. Best bet is to measure in the beans you wish for each cup. Timed grinders cannot compensate for hangups and bridging as the beans drop in. And if you are making for a group, you should not have to clean the basket out to switch to decaf, just put the right amount of decaf in and keep going. One blend is not always best for every combination of drink, and having more than one blend on premises makes sense. Probably the weakest part of the design is the grounds dispenser. To have enough grounds in the filter cup to get a dry puck, it has to be piled up high and tamped to within one eighth of an inch of the top. One spills a lot of coffee grounds all over the place until they learn to put their hand behind the portafilter head when withdrawing it from the grinder cup. Then use the palm of the hand to fold the excess over into the filter and pre-press it down before tamping. The only way you will get a dry puck, is if the grounds in the filter show the pattern of the shower head after making the coffee.

Once again, once you get it right, use the right beans, and keep it clean, you should have the best coffee of your life.

Review By Yarii

I didn’t like coffee of any kind until 3 years ago when I tried a drink from Seattle’s Best. Then I was hooked. I had to clone this recipe at home; but attempting to make my own Raspberry Mocha Kiss from plain ol’ coffee brewed in my $15 Mr. Coffee proved to be a failure. Now, I’m happy to say, I truly can make my own at home, all because of this stainless steel espresso machine made by Breville.

I agree with most of the other reviewers here — the Breville Barista Express is a great machine. From the moment you cut the package sealing tape on the box, the entire experience exudes class. Even the box flaps are beautiful with a large full color picture of a cappuccino on high-gloss cardboard. The directions start on the box flaps as far as unpacking it, and there is also a full manual and smaller quick-start guides to making the espresso and cleaning the machine. All the components are packaged well and the small number of parts needed for assembly fit together perfectly. You get everything you need except the coffee beans and shot glasses.

My sister-in-law owns a local coffee shop which, of course, has commercial-grade espresso machines. She saw my Breville and was impressed with the quality build for a home-use machine.

I admit after I had it assembled and ready-to-go, I was a bit overwhelmed that a coffee novice like me would be able to make a mocha or latte. I just stood there and stared at it for 3 days before I had the nerve to plug it in. But thanks to Breville for including the double-wall filters for us beginners – it wasn’t that hard. You get a total of 4 filters, dual wall for novices like me, and single wall for more experienced baristas. Single and double shot of each style.

A stainless steel pitcher is also included for steaming and frothing the milk. I used skim milk and the high steam output heated and made the milk into foam in no time at all.

My first two espresso’s did not turn out. Third time was charm for me – I hadn’t tamped with enough pressure on the first two I made. If you are new at making espresso, make sure you go to Breville’s web site and watch the videos – there are several that will help you with whatever trouble-shooting problem you may have.

I’m amazed at how quiet it is…even the grinder hardly makes any noise…when the machine pressurizes, it’s quiet….I have 2 cats and neither one ran to hide under the bed when I turned the power button on. The steamer is the noisiest component but it’s not annoyingly loud.

Breville’s Customer Service has been supportive and quick to respond to my questions. I had a couple questions late Sunday night so I emailed them, and by Monday morning I had a response in my Inbox.

Yes, this espresso machine is an investment. But if you visit Starbucks often, it will soon pay for itself, plus there’s the convenience factor of not having to go out for a treat.

Review By Corey A. Doyle

I am not remotely the coffee expert in the family, my husband is the raving lunatic for coffee so I let him take this bad boy out for a whirl to see what he thinks.

PROS:
+ quiet coffee bean grinder. While he appreciates the smoothness and the quiet, I appreciate not being woken up by the loud grinder he used to use. WIN WIN!
+ easy. He said that it is crazy easy to operate to achieve the optimal cup of espresso. Even I could figure it out and when I initially looked at it I was kind of mystified but it is really easy.
+ fast. CRAZY fast compared to our old espresso maker. Huge perk in the AM.
+ good. By far the best espresso he said he’s ever had – even from the coffee houses.

CONS:
- the grinds are a bit of a pain to clean out of the cup. Not a deal breaker but not fun either.
- it’s a smidge messy. Luckily there is a drawer with a trap so it doesn’t get onto your counter TOO much but be prepared for grinds to find their way out and around the entire machine.

Overall the Breville Barista Express is a spectacular machine and one that we both enjoy using.

Review By F. Beck

The Breville Barista Express is a very nice machine for the money. It makes an espresso (or for us Americanos) as good as a $2500 machine (but you do a little more work). Forget the double wall filter and use the single wall for the best drinks. Start with the defaults, and set the grind to 10. You will need a small cup or bowl to set under the grinder to catch the ground coffee that overflows. Press the coffee down and then add the overflow and use the tamper. Press hard. You can massage settings from here to your personal taste, but you will be starting with a great cup.

The Lavazza super crema is a great bean to start – it is not too oily, but it is a nice bold cup.

Review By Sleepless in Chagrin

I love the Breville Barista Express, the look, the functionality, and the espresso. Prior to owning the Barista I knew nothing about espresso, let alone how to make it. After getting the Barista for Christmas and reading through the manual word by word as well as viewing every YouTube video available on the Barista, I look forward to making espresso every morning. Breville the company is fantastic, anytime I have a question they are easy to reach and more than willing to help and or provide me with pieces/parts to help my experience. Awesome job Breville!

Review By David

I have used Breville Espresso products for probably 5-6 years now. I put them to good use. I have not had one last longer than 2 years yet as again, I use them all the time! But for the price, Breville is quite good.

Why do I give the Breville Barista Express a 4.5 star rating? There is one problem I have with this new machine…so far, only one! When the burr grinder is in action and spits out the freshly ground coffee it stacks up nice and tall! However, when I get ready to tamper the espresso a 1/4 teaspoon amount of espresso falls off into the tray below. This is annoying as in a LB of coffee I grind, I bet I waste several good cups of coffee due to the excess beans falling by the wayside. When I go to empty the water tray…I have 1-2 cups of wasted espresso beans I’m tossing. Any good ideas on how to prevent this from happen, I’m all ears!

Oh I guess one more slight problem which has been addressed by other users: the burr grinder and loader needs a little help. The beans down slide nicely into the grinder and need a little help with my fingers! The angle/slope is not good enough. But hey…for $500, this machine is amazing. You don’t need a $6,000 machine to have awesome espressos at home. Get this machine! Worth the price.

Review By Cathy Stucker

I had never used a coffee maker more complicated than your basic drip machine before this one, and I was amazed at how easy the Breville Barista Express was to use the very first time.

Breville includes excellent instructions for setting up the machine, and that took only a few minutes. We enjoy cappuccino, so I figured I would start there. Because I had no idea what I was doing, I used the double-wall filter and followed the step-by-step directions using all of the default settings.

So, was my first cup of cappuccino absolutely perfect? Well, no, but it was very good. I discovered that I needed to program the machine to provide more than the standard 1 oz. shot, but that is easy to do. And the next time I steamed the milk a bit longer to get a better foam.

Clean up was easy, and the machine looks nice on my kitchen counter. I love the convenience of the built-in grinder. And the aroma of the coffee is wonderful!

With cold winter days and nights on the way, we will be using our Breville Barista Express often. Although I can not compare it to other machines, as this is the only one I have used, I can not imagine any other being easy to use or working better.

Review By C. Frick

I bought the Breville Barista Express after a friend recommended the model without the grinder. Being a fresh ground fanatic, I bought this model with the grinder. I am not disappointed. While I know it will get even better with time as I practice? It’s pretty darned good the first day out of the gate.

Easy set up, easy operation, excellent output. Would highly recommend this product if you are looking for a real espresso maker. If you are considering a cheaper brand, ask yourself if you want a 7-11 latte or a Starbucks latte. If you pick the former, then go for the cheaper model, because it won’t produce a quality drink like Starbucks and others. You get what you pay for.

Review By H. Scogin

My wife just hates learning new home technologies, in spite of the fact that she is highly skilled working with high technology tools in her career. I came back from a recent trip and she had fired up our new Breville Barista Express espresso machine while I was gone. She loved it, and couldn’t wait to show me how to use it. In two minutes she got me up to speed in turning out great espresso using the double wall insert thiggamajiggies (and I am pretty fussy about the taste of my espresso). Her parents had arrived for a visit so she started turning out espresso drinks in rapid succession. Haven’t yet noticed any problems with the grinder, but will take heed of others’ comments about taking care not to get any water in the mechanism. It is a little bit of a hassle to switch from regular to decaf beans, but not a deal breaker at all. This is one nifty machine. Well made and attractive too.

Review By N. D. Cohn

I prepare ‘cappuccino con leche 2 times a day, 7 days a week… and have gone thru 2 of the
less expensive machines over the years to do it.. the Breville Barista Express is actually all it is represented to be. Fast, easy, minimal clean-up…but most importantly, a fantastic cup of coffee. I was reluctant to spend the money but I am glad I did. My cousin has a $2,400 machine and I have caught him looking at mine ……longingly.

Review By Patrick McHugh

The Breville Barista Express BES860XL Café machine – another great innovation by Breville. I am a lover of grand mochas and have paid plenty for them at Starbucks, but since I purchased this machine, there’s left-over cash to go into my pocket. (Sorry Starbucks!) So if your obsession is a cappuccino, espresso, americano, macchiato, con panna, cafe latte, etc, then let me tell you what this machine has to offer…

~ Easy to use: Fill it with fresh beans, choose the filter, press a button to fill the filter with fresh ground coffee, tamp, then press another button to make the coffee.

~ Looks great: It’s heavy, stainless steel and built solidly to last a long time. It compares with much more expensive machines, (Pasquini, Bunn, Cecilware).

~ Easy to clean: Its quality construction and stainless steel body make clean-up a breeze. All you need to do is dump the grounds, give the portafilter a quick rinse, and wipe the machine down. If you spill coffee or milk into the machine, no problem – the lower tray removes easily and the contents can be dumped.

When I was researching this machine, before buying it, two main drawbacks were being mentioned…

~ Temperature control: In some preset settings, there were complaints about drinks not being hot enough. By simply researching the manual, I’ve found that pre-heating the cup averted this small problem.

~ The slick design: Husbands are complaining that they have to modernise the kitchen area for their wives because this BES860XL Café machine looks sooo good!

All in all, I am extremely happy with this purchase, it’s a wonderful addition to my kitchen, and I highly recommend it.

Review By Natalie Dawn

The Breville Barista Express comes with everything you need to make espresso except the actual beans. For the price point is should. It is a very solidly built machine that is really a thing of beauty. It makes awesome espresso with plenty of crema and is very easy to use. I had never made my own espresso before but I was able to look at the quick start guide and have everything up and running in now time with no difficulty and plenty of great tasting cappuccino. The frother works great, the machine practically runs itself, and the end result is awesome. Would definitely recommend to anyone serious about their espresso.

Review By Ken Holliday

I cannot really add more to the positive reviews posted here without being redundant. But, here goes!

Great machine! Solid and dependable. The wire-bound manual provides great advice for the aspiring barista. The Breville Barista Express had me making good shots in the first first day… and perfect shots very soon after. The construction of everything has a good, solid weight to it – which adds to the pleasing aesthetics of the machine.

I wonder now why I wasted money on so many substandard machines over the years.

The Breville is well worth the money and is a great machine at this price point.

Review By Alexxx

Wow! My Breville Barista Express espresso machine arrived in less than a week and I brought it with me to South America without unpacking it! It works perfectly every time and with excellent coffee widely available here, my friends are highly impressed! Spend the extra money–this is the best machine I’ve ever owned! Experiment a little: buy only espresso beans, set the grind amount and coarseness and you’ll make perfect espresso or cappuccino in no time!

Bravo, Breville! Outstanding product!!

Review By M. Nolan

I can’t say enough about the Breville Barista Express. It has everything you could ever want in an espresso machine: it’s quick, it’s easy, it’s customizable, it’s durable, it’s convenient, it’s sleek, it’s not too big but not too small…. it does everything that I need it to all in one machine. It hold beans, it grinds, it steams and it froths. It also has a nifty “Clean Me” reminder that turns on to remind you to take care of your preciously expensive investment. And yes, it is an investment. But considering that a grande mocha at Starbucks runs somewhere around $5 a cup — and I drink at least 5 a week (and so does my husband) — it paid itself off in 3 months. I’ve now had it for over 6 months, I couldn’t be happier and I’ve never had a problem with it. And I make a kick-ass latte that’s way better than I’ve ever gotten at a coffee shop.

Review By therealratfink

We use this 3-5 times a day and have for 7 months with no problems at all. Great little machine that can be setup to compete with pro machines in flavor. Steams milk pretty fast and allows for multiple drinks in quick succession. Only complaint is there isn’t really a good way to get enough hot water for an americano. We just microwave the water while brewing the espresso.

Review By Mark Radulovich

After breaking a previous espresso machine of a different brand, I did a ton of research before buying the Breville Barista Express. Three months later, after sometimes constant use, I am very pleased with the purchase.

Quality comes in many forms. This Breville starts with heft. It is a reasonably heavy unit that once put on a counter, will stay there. Further, I am able to consistently pull a good shot from this unit. Steam never runs out, and can heat up more milk than you can drink.

However, I am most impressed with the design. The beautiful metal craftsmanship is just the start, as are the labels and organization of the packaging. The (dis)assembly for cleaning shows that the people who designed the Breville understand the end user. As a habitual cappuccino/latte drinker, I am very pleased with the simplicity and work flow of this machine, especially when cleaning it.

The grinder works well, and I recommend playing with different grind settings. Some coffee beans will respond quite differently to a finer/coarser grind, and *will* alter the taste of your coffee – even in a latte. Thankfully, a little practice (about a day) makes this easy to get used to with your favorite beans. Once you get the grind perfected, you can adjust the output for both the grind and water amounts for your perfect shot of espresso.

If you don’t want the grinder or the programmable settings, then look into the other nearly identical Breville units in the 800 series (800, 820, and 830 as of this writing). Unless you have a grinder, however, you will want this unit. Trust me – the ease of use and minimal cleanup are well worth it.

Review By ILoveLatte

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about buying this machine. The reviews I’ve read for the Breville Barista Express (and I read a LOT of them) were mixed. But I am happy to report that I couldn’t be more pleased. This machine is terrific! I have had it for a couple of months now and have had NO problems whatsoever.

I will say that I read the instructions THOROUGHLY. Though I was tempted to jump right in and start making my first latte I resisted the urge until I could sit down and read the manual. I also watched a few of the tutorials online, which were very helpful. I wanted to be sure that for the money I spent, I did everything in my power to ensure a great cup of coffee. I would urge anyone buying this machine to watch and/or read the information provided.

This machine is worth every penny I paid for it. I can safely say that Starbucks is now a distant memory for me as I much prefer to make my own lattes at home.

P.S. the Breville Barista Express is also beautiful and looks great sitting on the kitchen counter.

Review By used to like coffee

component quality is good, as with many of the breville products. it does make an okay 2oz shot of espresso (sometimes, actual amount seems to vary considerably)… but there is no hot water wand / hot water option on the dial, so forget about americano without digging the kettle out and boiling water every time you want a cup without steamed milk. their answer to me was to remove the filter and add water a couple of ounces at a time into the cup (which of course using their answer would introduce loose grounds into your coffee, nice).

their other machines have hot water of course, but somehow they forgot it on their top end model.

also, appears breville will only post happy reviews on their product on their website. if you don’t give it a 4 or 5 star it doesn’t appear. curious.

for the money, there are much better options out there. actually, for less money there are much better options out there.

Review By S. Poynter

a bit complicated, but with practice making perfect espresso is possible. Well made and perfect size for counter top use.

Review By Tim Ogden

I purchased the Breville Barista Express as a gift for my wife who retired after 39 years as a high school French teacher. She has always loved Starbucks “White mocha’s, and after using this machine, she has not gone back to Starbucks. This espressos machine fantastic, easy to use and clean. We would recommend this to anyone who enjoys coffee beverages.

Review By LarBear

This is an excellent machine. Makes a perfect latte every time. Easy to learn. Easy to clean. Can’t say enough good about it.

Review By Marc Steingrand

Very good product it s a bit complicated set up and espresso making is very easy the only thing is the coffee grain is a mess ….

Review By Shannon L. Dipadova

I’ve been a loyal Breville customer for 5 years. They’re a good company with great products and customer support. That said, the Breville Barista Express has had serious issues and they’ve sent me 3 of them the last one that I’ve received work for a few days and just this morning stopped grinding the beans again!

If you’re like me you want to have coffee at 6 am not a mess all over your kitchen while you try to get your beans to grind.

You put the beans in and the grinder doesn’t grind anything. The beans just sit there.

I’m ready to give up on these machines because how could 3 units have the same problem?
Hope the 4th one they send me will actually grind the beans.

Review By SF Donohues

As many of you will do, I researched this purchase very carefully and bought the Breville Barista Express three days ago. It was Dead on Arrival – the burr grinder unit is broken. Breville requires a call to their customer service for warranty. After listening to the noises coming from the unit over the phone, the representative said that it would have to be replaced. They requested that I provide a number from the bottom of the unit, but the sticker is not there – more problems. While they were efficient and apologetic about replacing the unit, it will take 7-10 days from when it arrives to process the return. It will be New Year before we have this machine now. Why can’t companies figure out some way to make that experience better when they readily admit that their product is defective?

I was tempted to go with better known espresso machine brands – this evening, I’m really, really wishing I had.

Ironically, I often see the lone single star rating with someone who had the one defective machine and tend to discount the significance, or reassure myself that negative experiences are more likely to yield reviews. It feels pretty awful to be on the receiving end of what should have been a pretty good $600 experience. I’d just love to give the darn thing back and move on to a reliable brand.

Review By Alberto Carlos Amaral

I’ve just started to use my new machine, and everything but one looks fine.

The problem I am facing is that I just can’t have espresso hot enough. Reading the manual I’ve found two mentions about “accurate temperature control” but when I looked for a path to set it I’ve bumped with recommendations to pre-heat the cups.

Review By mommylove

This is by far the best Espresso u can have

Obviously the Breville Barista Express does not roast the coffee beans…but I do prefer roasting them on my own like my mom does to get the most out of my coffee.

Grind em all in one machine..in its beautiful Burr Grinder.

Easy to use…easy to set up and jump on straight out of the box.

The fanciest piece of equipment in my kitchen.

Lotsa compliments for my coffee and machine alike

Cleaning is not difficult.

Inbuilt water filtration is added.

Not to forget the 67oz water capacity keeping it ready when ever needed.

Dosing control to ensure the right amount.

U can change the grind settings from rough to fine depending on ur needs.

Though I prefer using the single filter the double too makes a great shot.

Great steaming to get a wonderful frothy coffee.

I am not sure which one is better now the Starbucks coffee or home made it sure does compare and saves me a lot of money.

My whole apt smells of coffee and I look forward to mornings and evenings to run this beast.

I was considering the simple Senseo ones that were on a deal on amazon a while ago…thank goodness I resisted then.

Wonderful investment for anyone considering to buy one.

Almost forgot there is a little compartment to store some stuff..I keep my splenda sachets in for quick use.

It does look pretty tough and I do expect it to last me a decade.

Sit and enjoy the best Coffee ever.

Review By Elaine S. Reitz

It took a little time to learn how to use the Breville Barista Express, but the effort was worth it. Makes excellent espresso!

January 21, 2011

Very popular Barista Express espresso machine!

The Barista Express has proven to be a very popular machine amongst the customer reviews that we’ve found across the Internet. Makes great coffee and is reasonably easy to clean, which is not often the case for semi-automatic machines that include a burr grinder!

December 25, 2010

Best Ever!!

Was a little nervous about spending the money and scared i wouldn’t like the Breville Barista Express but I finally broke down and bought it. Looks and features were the first things that made me want the Barista Express. I researched the machine and seemed like all I read was good. I am a lover of quality espresso so the fact that it had an integral grinder and single wall filters as well as double wall was a good selling point. I got the machine and was very impressed with the overall appearance and quality. Grinder is A+! Great steaming wand and very nice machine. One thing that I liked was the fact that it has a overheat prevention on both grinder and thermo-coil. Also has power save mode that comes on after thirty minutes of idle time. This is the only machine I will need for years! Would recommend this to anyone and it is worth every penny of the price. I have no complaints at all and props to Breville for a GREAT machine. Thanks Breville!

December 23, 2010

This company stands behind their products!

I have the Breville Barista Express and while I am on my third machine in a year, all because of different reasons every time I had a problem I call, they send a label and in no time I get a new one. Yes it is a little inconvenient however I am so in love with the performance of this machine that I am willing to deal with this. I bought another brand so I could have a back up and by the time my Breville got back I was ready to pitch the substitute in the trash.

If you want a machine that produces good coffee and is easy to manage this is the one. But most important is the great customer service. Just think of the box your machine comes in as a suitcase!

A great product and a great company, go Breville!”

December 20, 2010

Cleaning Tablet Alternative

Had difficult time finding the tablets. Ended up ordering online, but they are quite expensive. The local Organic grocery told me that they use 100% Pure Citric Acid to clean their machines. It is essentially the product Breville sells only not in tablet form. We love the machine, but the products are hard to find.

December 17, 2010

so far so good

Just got the Breville Barista Express the other day. This machine is great so far. I’ll update in a couple of months.

December 12, 2010

A GOOD BUY SO FAR

I’ve had the Breville Barista Express for about 6 months. I like having the grinder and brewer in one unit. I used to own the Gaggia Paros which was similarly priced. Gaggia no longer makes the Paros, and the grinder on my old one kept breaking down. The Breville seems much better made, and so far the coffee has been excellent. I wish the steamer had a separate switch to allow it to build up steam before turning on. The sputtering water is messy and I either need to point the nozzle into the tray or into a separate cup. The tray fills up quickly.

December 11, 2010

Absolutely perfect

Originally I posted a review that Breville would probably have rather not have had on their website… the refurbished machine that I purchased from Tiger Direct’s website would not pull water. It being a refurbished machine, I sent it back to Breville for a replacement. We received our machine this week – and so far, we are in love.

Starting with the design – Beautiful inside and out. The stainless steel housing is top notch – not just painted plastic, but ACTUAL stainless steel. Cleans up in a breeze, and it’s pretty to look at.

The built-in grinder – So far – flawless. Depending on your grind preference (or if you use the double wall filters), you can make the perfect espresso every time. I’m still experimenting with the single wall filters, but if you’re a novice (like myself) the dual wall works perfect every time.

The espresso – Delicious, with a thick, rich crema. We use an espresso blend, as it seems to be a more potent coffee roast than others, and almost every shot we’ve brewed so far has turned out excellent.

The steam wand – Works perfectly! I wasn’t sure about the frothing attachment – but it works like a charm. Remove the attachment, and you get great, hot, steamed milk. It’s also a breeze to clean the wand. With the included tip removal and cleaning tool, clean up is a cinch.

Overall – I spent weeks researching espresso machines – and for this price range, you absolutely cannot go wrong. Breville’s customer service saw to my needs right away when we had a problem with the original unit – something that you don’t find much anymore (great customer service, that is). I’ve recommended this unit to friends and family already, and have made several coffee drinks to bring in to my co-workers. I am EXTREMELY impressed not only with the quality of this unit, but also (as I stated) Breville themselves.

Save yourself the headache of dealing with a steam-driven machine (our first espresso machine) and go for a pump-driven unit like the Breville Barista Express. Hats off Breville. Hats off.

December 3, 2010

Superb job on this machine

Hello,

I wanted to write to you to thank you for the design detail and manufacturing that was put into making the the Breville Barista Express espresso machine.

I purchased my new Breville Barista Express back in February of 2010 and wanted to wait a while to make sure that it would continue to deliver the same high level of quality as it did the day I brought it home.

I am a Process Improvement Engineer and I have been trying to find a home espresso machine for over eight years that would give me the same caliber of espresso I could get in one of the large coffee houses, and this one is it. From the beauty of the way the unit looks to the fine adjustments for the grind, and amount to the water pressure this Barista Express delivers.

I found the directions easy to read and follow, and the unit is easy to use and adjust to my individual tastes along with the tastes of others as well. The simplicity goes right through to the cleaning and maintaining of the unit as well, so I know I will get years of pleasure from this, my last espresso machine.

Thank you so much for delivering a product that actual does what it says.

Sincerely,
Randy Phillips
Process Improvement Engineer

December 2, 2010

One year update – still excellent – BUY IT NOW!

I bought the Breville Barista Express almost a year ago today. I reviewed it then (12/10/2009) and gave it 5 stars.

That was unfortunate because now, a year later, I’d like to give it a higher rating but can’t – 5 is as far as the scale goes. It deserves 6 stars, though.

I use it daily, religiously. I drink almost exclusively straight espresso, always at least a double with a double-double first thing in the morning. I use coffee custom roasted locally almost exclusively. I have, though, put some Cuban and Italian sourced beans through it, too, always with perfect results.

I’ve even gotten spoiled in that I don’t bother running an initial pour to warm everything up – it works great on the first one so why waste the time?

A number of my friends have purchased the same machine and all are singing its praises now. ”

December 2, 2010

The best appliance we have!

We had a wonderful demo in the WS Newport Coast store and decided that day that this was the machine for us and bought it the next day. We read the reviews….most were positive to convince us that this was the machine for us. We are new at this but we could not be happier as it is so easy and makes the best espresso!! Jerry & Joy”

Review By Iluvdabean

I had one and it was a total and I mean total nightmare…yep and just like you then I came here. You know that sick feeling you get in your gut…the one that says you blew it. I had it big time. I think spent a few weeks trying everything.Finally after I tried the Krups non pressurized portafilter and still wasn’t happy I simply put it in a box and because I bought it at Williams and Sonoma they actually took it back. At 4.00 dollars a pop your spending 1460.00 a year on java…In the end I went and bought a Gaggia Classic and an MDF grinder and I was happy I think i paid 500 for it and prices have come down…..I feel for you cause I was there…Brevilles are simply just some Aussie idea of real espresso…it would be kinda like the the Italians trying to make a boomerang. My advice send it back or cancel the order and get a Gaggia…yeah its not high end but its a great espresso machine…In fact I’m having a killer Latte right now with this coffee…of course if you wait until the health care bill passes and the economy tanks even more you will probably really be able to get an even better deal.

Review By Jason Lewis

Unfortunately, the Breville is not the best option, but I think you’ve gathered that by now.  (Nor would any Breville be my first choice, but that’s another issue.)  Also, keep in mind that the more different tasks a machine does, the less well it does any of them.  In other words, an espresso machine with a built-in grinder generally doesn’t grind as well — nor make espresso as well — as two separate machines, each dedicated to the specific task.

That said, it beats scratch in the eye from the sharp claw of a cat!

Best case scenario:  you can return the machine, and start over.  Worst case scenario:  we help you make the best possible drinks with your Breville.  Either way . . . .

Review By copa48

The Breville Barista Express BES860XL Café Machine – another great innovation by Breville.

I am a lover of grand mochas and have paid plenty for them at Starbucks, but since I purchased this machine, there’s left-over cash going into my pocket. (Sorry Starbucks!)

So if your obsession is a cappuccino, espresso, americano, macchiato, con panna, cafe latte, etc, then let me tell you what this machine has to offer…

~ Easy to use: Fill it with fresh be ans, choose the filter, press a button
to fill the filter with fresh ground coffee, tamp, then press another
button to make the coffee.

~ Looks great: It’s heavy, stainless steel and built solidly to last a long
time. It compares with much more expensive machines, (Pasquini, Bunn,
Cecilware).

~ Easy to clean: Its quality construction and stainless steel body make
clean-up a breeze. All you need to do is dump the grounds, give the
portafilter a quick rinse, and wipe the machine down. If you spill coffee
or milk into the machine, no problem – the lower tray removes easily and
the contents can be dumped.

When I was researching this machine, two main drawbacks were being mentioned…

~ Temperature control: In some pre-set settings, there were complaints about drinks not being hot enough. By simply researching the manual, I’ve found that pre-heating the cup averted this small problem.

~ The slick design: Husbands are complaining that they have to modernise the kitchen area for their wives because this BES860XL Café machine looks sooo good!
‘mm mm’ I just love my Breville Barista Express BES860XL Café Machine

Review By shadow745

IMO Breville does make nice looking home machines, but previously the form way outdid the function. Maybe they’re taking a step in the right direction with this unit. Have also read good things about their new “smart grinder…”

The temperature issues with the Breville machines have/had more to do with consistency in brew water temperature than a simple preheated cup fix. It’s due to these machines using thermoblock heating systems as they don’t provide consistent brew temperature or pressure. That is why Breville has used the “crema enhancer” baskets for so long. This allows pressure to build in the puck because there isn’t sufficient pressure developed in the heating system. Some people have experimented with standard non-pressurized baskets with mixed results. Usually the machine can’t build enough pressure consistently to give much improvement though… If Breville continues to make improvements things may get that much better. Later!

Review By Nicole Q

Although I bought this product from Bed Bath and Beyond several months back and have been meaning to review it…thought I would at least get it out here. This is my first espresso machine, it’s overwhelming researching this type of product and come to a final decision on WHICH one to buy! I took the plunge, mostly because BBB offers great discounts and coupons, so I used my 20% off on this baby! I do love it; the espresso tastes lovely and the steam function works well. I love the fact that the grinder is built in; however, on the flip side I try not to make it a point to buy a product with multiple functions such as this because if one breaks down, you lose the entire unit to repair…but fortunately, all is well! I can make myself the perfect latte or cappuccino, every time. Here are some of the draw backs: You waste a lot of ground coffee; it spills over while grinding. My only other complaint would be that where you put the beans to slide down and be ground isn’t very aerodynamic…I find myself having to push them down the chute. But otherwise, I love it! I’m also wondering why you have to use regular water…as instructed, I still use filtered water. Enjoy!

Review By drollchick

Pros: Appearance/ Design /Style, capacity, construction, Easy to change/Empty filter, Easy to Clean/Wash, easy to use, Easy to view/Read, Functional/Useful, Performs Well, quality, Value for Money
“It’s well built and attractively designed. It takes a little finessing to get the right espresso, but the brew is definitely high quality. Love it!”

Review By Coffee Guru

I’ve been a loyal Breville customer for 5 years. They’re a good company with great products and customer support. That said, this latest Breville machine has had serious issues and they’ve sent me 3 of them the last one that I’ve received work for a few days and just this morning stopped grinding the beans again!

Review By Etay

Great idea however the grinder cakes up with coffee half way through filling the portafilter. Save yourself some money and headaches and buy a separate burr grinder (not conical).

Review By Sapena

this machine is gorgeous and does everything an espresso machine should do. i love that it grinds the beans fresh every time and i also love a good cappuccino!!!

Review By Barista Steve

I have owned this machine for 3 weeks now. It works great! I’ve never made espresso before, but this is the best espresso that I’ve ever had! Machine works great, house smell like fresh espresso beans every morning. I can’t wait to wake up now! (although 5 more mins of sleeping can’t hurt).

I will say this. Be prepared to spend a decent amount of time cleaning and preparing the machine. I add water about every other day (I don’t think it’s good for the machine to run out). I empty the bottom tray every day. You’ve got to clean that milk steam wand after every use. … So, don’t buy this if you want to press a button and walk away.

Give yourself about 10-15 mins of time and enjoy being your own Barista!

(I imagine I’ll get faster, but it’s the cleaning process that takes the most time).

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