"At $1200 this machine is a screaming bargain. Save the money you would spend to get comparable performance from one of the prosumer models from an espresso machine company ($2000+ to get a dual boiler with PID water and grouphead temperature control), and use it to buy an excellent burr grinder that will produce the uniform grind size without cooking the beans. With this machine and a high quality grinder, you will be able to make espresso every bit as good as your favorite cafe.

I have owned a very expensive fully automatic machine before the Dual Boiler, thinking it would be easier to clean and operate. Not so! And even at more than twice the price, that machine could not make shots anywhere near as good as this semi-automatic. And as for the automatic milk frothing on the super-automatic machine, forget it! It produces a sudsy mess.

If you appreciate the silky microfoam produced by a skilled barista, get this machine and a clip-on thermometer for the milk pitcher, and with a little practice you will be making world class micro foam every single time.

The steam wand works well, but it does take about twice and long to steam a pitcher of milk than a larger, more expensive dual boiler prosumer machine from a major espresso machine manufacturer. But this has an upside for non-professional baristas since it reduces the change that you'll scald the milk.

The machine I originally ordered developed a problem pumping water after 8 months, but Breville replaced the machine within two days of contacting them at zero cost to me (I didn't even have to drop the return off as FedEx will come to pick it up). Un-be-lievable. The second machine is working flawlessly.

Best home machine on the market, hands down!"

"I've been using the Dual Boiler machine for several months now, and I see it as the PERFECT semi-automatic machine. It did take some learning and experimentation, but the results are completely consistent, and wonderful. The dosing and tamping variables are not as easy to control as the rest, but I found a solution to dosing: I bought an inexpensive gram scale, and learned how to easily measure out 18 grams of beans to grind; I only had to use the scale a couple of times. I've also found that tamping pressure is not really critical -- 20-35 pounds works just fine. Steaming milk was also just a bit of a challenge to learn; I found that using a smaller frothing pitcher than Breville supplies made the task considerably easier, and I get consistent results for cappuccinos every time. It's also terrific to be able to steam milk and extract a shot at the same time, without having to wait; I begin the steaming process first, and push the button for extraction about 15 seconds after steaming begins. Frothing milk for a double shot is a pretty quick process on this machine.

The engineering and design work that went into this machine is thoughtful, careful, and truly elegant -- hard to see how it could be beat at any price.

I'm careful to clean the group head, steam wand, and machine after each use, which may account for the remarkable consistency (and complexity) of flavors I'm regularly able to achieve.

I simply cannot imagine that any "home" machine could be better than the BES900XL. Kudos to Breville!
"

"We received our Dual Boiler Espresso Machine this week. It's wonderful. Everything the other reviewers said it is! We love it.

We are already making lattes that are as good as our favorite coffee shop!

I highly recommend the Dual Boiler."

"I stepped down from a $1800 Italian semi-automatic espresso machine to the Breville Dual Boiler. I purchased it when it first came out. It's made espresso and cappuccino that more than equals my other machine. It's more convenient to use with its auto timer, water level indicator, and controls. In fact for what it does it's a bargain.

I just encountered a pressure valve problem where I lost all pressure and could not make a good shot. A call to the company resulted in a replacement unit with no hesitation. In fact, the customer service agent (Matt) provided some of the best service I've received from any company.

From 9 months of use, the only negatives are the front lip of the machine easily scratches, so for new users, I'd recommend adding a strip of clear tape. And I have a little concern about needing to have it serviced at 5 years and not being able to descale myself. But in 5 years I'll likely be on to something else.

Bottom line, is this is machine that produces results as good or better than machines costing twice the price. It's very sell designed, is easy to use, and fairly priced.
"

"I've had the BDB for about 2 months. At first I was disappointed with the results at first, until I figured out the problem. What they say on the web coffee sites is absolutely true. You need a really good burr grinder to make great espresso. I dropped $300 on a highly rated grinder made in Washington (at least that's where their office is located.) Instant success. Just follow the instructions: 18 gm for the double shot single wall filter, using pre-programmed settings, 9 bar every time, about 24 sec shot, beautiful crema. Great cappuccinos, aromatic and flavorful americanos. Also, the best results happen with fresh beans. I played around with a straight wall fancy filter basked supposed to have very precise holes. The straight walls mean the surface on the bottom of the basket is larger, so more holes and less resistance to the flow. As a result I had to grind the coffee finer to get the same pressure and the result was more bitter. Went back to the tapered basket that came with the machine. Last tip, I bought a tamper mat that you put the portafilter head on when tamping and it clicks when you hit 30 lb. Gives a consistent tamp each time. The coffee snobs complain about the included tamper not being heavy enough, but I find the metal ridge around the side is great for making sure your keeping the tamp level as you press. Breville thought of everything. In short, best Espresso machine you can get at anything close to this price, IMO."

"Having started out on a Rancillio Silvia without a PID, I can happily say that the BDB is a huge step up that I really appreciate.

The first BDB I got had the OPV issue where the OPVs were being shipped from the factory set too high. Breville wasted no time helping me to return the BDB and send out a new machine with no down time for me.

The second machine I received had a leak which was draining the tank very quickly, the pressure gauge was also sticking on this machine but tapping lightly on the screen reset it to 0.

The 3rd machine I received was and still is great. The BDB is super easy to use and allows me to be much faster making shots (the Silvia is single boiler which means a LOOOOOONG time when making milk drinks).

You guys might be wondering why I rated this with 5 stars in spite of this being my 3rd BDB? I rated it that high because the machine is excellent, even with the expected teething problems of a new espresso machine. Not to mention that Breville's customer service is unequivocally excellent. Excellent customer satisfaction and *very* pleased over all.

Here are a couple of things I'd like to see Breville fix with the BDB:
1. I have seen the pressure gauge get stuck, at least on my second machine it did. Make sure the gauge is good quality (there's a price hike right there).
2. Make the shot timer stay visible until the next shot is started, maybe use a key combination to reset it if required. I log all my shot times, if I glance away for a second to do something, it's gone and it's all over.
3. The automatic wake doesn't actually work when the machine is sleeping. That is, if I leave the machine on and let it go to sleep, it won't wake up at 6:15am - when I have the auto on set for - I actually have to turn the machine off before it'll auto-on. I could be missing it going back to sleep again but that's what I'm seeing.
4. We need a naked portafilter guys. :D

Over all, the machine is great, really happy with the shots I can pull on it, very tasty and steaming milk without waiting is amazing. Well worth the money."

"If your thinking of a $500 machine and wondering if you should step up to this machine, you should. You'll find this machine will consistently make a much better coffee than a typical $500 machine. If you're considering a $2000 machine and wondering if this machine can deliver the same level of coffee for $1200, it does. It has all the features of the more expensive machines and the features work.

This is my 7th espresso machine and my 3rd high end machine if high end means costs more than $1000. When our ECM broke (a ground short) and the repairman said he couldn't fix it (go figure) we looked around and found the features we wanted (precise control of brew temperature and good brew head temperature stability) at a much cheaper price than the typical machine with these features. While it was a gamble to go with a new machine designed in Australia and manufactured in China the gamble paid off. It appears to be the most engineered machine on the market and engineered in a way that if you want to not think about it and just get it out of the box and push the button you can or if you want to adjust every little thing to what some geeky coffee roaster wrote on the outside of their bag you can do that too.

The features we were looking for (ability to set brew temp and brew head temperature stability) worked as advertised but we also like the ability to have the machine warm up before we woke up, the built in shot timer, the ability to program shot volume, the built in water softener, the built in maintenance reminders, the easy rolling feature, the ability to fill the water from the front, the ability to see how much water you have left from the front, and the reminder that the drip tray is full. The machine is well thought out. Every new feature we found addressed some issue we had worked around with previous machines and did so in a reasonable manner. And the basic features of brew temperate, brew pressure, and copious steam for foaming milk are also all at the level of top end machines. Nice job!

There was one fly in the ointment though. We got one of the first machines and the pressure was calibrated wrong. We didn't find this problem on the web before we purchased it but once we experience it we found lots of discussions about it. However, Breville handled it well. They quickly returned our post and sent us a replacement machine 2nd day. The problem was obvious (the machine showed 13 bars pressure during a pull instead of 9 even though the time to pull was correct) and some people probably wouldn't care. But we did and they handled it. I suspect that there are few if any of these machines left in the channel now.

Overall we would recommend this machine to anyone because it coddles people who don't want to think about it and delivers the goods to the people who do. It's a great machine."

"I don't even know where to start. I just got this "Lamborghini" of espresso machines, about 2 hours ago and after about 6 tries I pulled a perfect shot.

When I say perfect, I mean double-shot-single-wall-filter-14gr-30-lbs-of-tamper-pressure-200F-9-bars-30-second-extraction-2oz-full-of-crema PERFECT.

I have been using a BES820XL for quite some time and I was very happy with the quality and all my friends always said that my espresso was the best they've ever tried. True, my espresso has always been consistent and close to the coffee I drank throughout Italy.

UNTIL NOW.

I can't believe the difference this machine made. I mean the same coffee (same amount of coffee & same tamper pressure & 30 second extraction) tastes like it's not from the same beans. It tastes like dark chocolate with a very long finish and a delicious aftertaste. The same coffee pulled through BES820XL lacked the finish and wasn't as full-bodied.

The machine is a lot bigger than my BES820XL (I will try to upload a photo later) but it's pure sexinness. I don't even mind that my espresso cups don't fit on top of it when it's under the cupboards (my cabinets are hung a little low).

Besides the obvious difference in the looks between the two machines, this machine is a technological marvel. The PID controls alone are worth it. The PID controls let you keep the temperature pegged at 200F with just over a 1 degree variation. Instant steam means I never have to wait again or hear that pumping noise.

I love the wheels underneath. It makes it so easy to maneuver the machine on the counter. And I also love the fact that you can fill it up right through the top lid.

The ONLY disappointment is the weight of the included tamper. I mean it's great that you can store it right on the machine but for my big hands it's a bit small and too light. I will have to get another tamper (this machine usees a 58mm tamper as opposed to the 51mm on the BES820XL). I've been used to using a nice heavy tamper with a rosewood handle, so I'll probably look for the same one in 58mm.

In conclusion, I LOVE the BDB (Breville Dual Boiler).

I've only had it for 2 hours, so time will tell if it will continue to deliver the results. I will keep updating the review, so stay tuned.

***UPDATE***

I've uploaded 2 photos. On one of them you can see the difference in size between BES820XL (same size as BES830XL) and the new BES900XL.

***UPDATE***

Didn't even read the instructions until now, but it says to soak the water filter for 5 minutes before inserting. I didn't do it (hopefully it won't be an issue). And I just ordered the Smart Grinder [[ASIN:B0043EWFAM Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder]] will my wife kill me? We'll find out tonight. :)

***UPDATE***

This machine is MASSIVE. I don't know where to put it in my small kitchen... It's intruding into the cooking space. I might have to put it somewhere outside of the kitchen. I may have to get a bigger apartment to accommodate this espresso machine. I think in the new apartment I will have a separate coffee & wine room with just my coffee stuff and wine refrigerators, how cool would that be?

***UPDATE***

I keep on pulling perfect shots at 9 bars and get 2 oz in 30 seconds. I am using Lavazza "perfetto espresso" ground coffee, which seems to be the perfect grind size. The Smart Grinder should come in within a few days, but I don't see how it can get any better. The espresso I pulled (see the pictures I posted) is as perfect as I've ever had anywhere, even in coffee shops in Italy from freshly roasted and ground coffee.

***UPDATE***

Ran out of Lavazza "Il Perfetto Espresso" which was a perfect grind size. Opened a gold can of Lavazza and found the grind size to be too small - I tried pulling shots even with very little tamper pressure and the shots were coming out too slowly about 40 seconds. The Smart Grinder is coming in tomorrow so I am excited. I already bought the Lavazza and Illy whole beans. Will update my review tomorrow.

***UPDATE*** 11/23/2011

Received Breville's Smart Grinder ([[ASIN:B0043EWFAM Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder]]) today and started grinding my own coffee. I bought a 2.2 lb bag of Lavazza beans ([[ASIN:B000SDKDM4 Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Whole Bean Coffee, 2.2-Pound Bag]]) from Amazon, which was delivered super fast by the way.

I played with different settings on the grinder until I got to my double-shot-30-seconds-9-bars perfect shot. The coarsness setting is all the way to the right (the finest setting) and the amount setting is all the way to the left (when the amount setting is in the middle I got too many grinds which is an unnecessary waste of coffee).

The result left me speechless. I got so much crema that my eyes literally popped out of my head like in a cartoon. The taste and aroma were superb. I am finally "there". It doesn't get any better than this. You can have a $10,000 espresso machine and the best shot you'll make would be equal to my shot, because there is no room left for improvement.

BES900XL & BCG800XL are a match made in heaven.

***UPDATE*** 11/25/2011

I keep pulling perfect shots. I haven't had a single shot end up in the sink. I haven't even experimented with the pre-infusion or different temperature (I have it at 200F). "

"Seattle Coffee Gear created a 13-minute video review of the Dual Boiler September 30, 2011: http://youtu.be/7NIGabvnD2w

The day has come! We finally received our demo production model of Breville's new double boiler espresso machine. We go through all of its features, functionality and tech specs, then Gail demonstrates making a latte. We're hard pressed not to adore this espresso machine!

Note, this review was created independently but added here by Breville."

"In an extensive Independent Review, May 18, 2011, CoffeeGeek.com - the "biggest coffee blog site in the world" - awarded the Dual Boiler a "First Look Rating of 9.5"

Note, this review was conducted independently but added by Breville: www.coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/brevilledualboiler/details

Reviewer, Mark Prince:

"This new project, for the Breville Dual Boiler, the BES900 or BES900XL model, is a complete in house design as well, but with some new twists; Breville hired a noted Australian coffee guru (Phil McKnight, cafe owner, ABC judge) to be part of the design team. The goal was to design an espresso machine that would blow away expectations the typical home espresso enthusiast would have about big-brand appliance makers. The goal was to set a new standard. ...

"They paid attention to many of the things enthusiasts were saying in forums and internet communities revolving around coffee and espresso. They developed prototypes using sometimes new, sometimes proven, sometimes cutting edge technologies to produce a better shot of espresso. They looked at everything, from PID, to boiler sizes, to thermoblocks, to grouphead designs, to materials used in the portafilter, and eventually came up with an intriguing formula. ...

"What was impressive was just how much engineering savvy has gone into this machine. Seemingly little things like the rubber grip for the steam wand, to bigger things like the innovative steam wand lever control and even the secret compartment and the way you can raise the machine and roll it around the counter. ...

"I feel confident in saying this is a first class espresso machine with a feature set a Rancilio Silvia or Ascaso Steel Duo could only dream of having ... In some cases, the machine approaches what the GS/3 is capable of, and even in few cases (ie how steam is activated), it exceeds the user experience of the GS/3."