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...finally...great
i was a bit nervous about spending $650 for a machine but wanted the best...for the price. very, very nice machine...looks awesome on the counter...less plastic and very nice overall...especially with the gauge...nice looking and i want control. read the manual quickly and started making...wanted to stay away from the dual wall filers...i'm not an armature (i worked at the cappuccino bar at my private school in dallas and 1 semester in rome...italy... previous reviews commented on the manual not giving you a "starting point"...grind setting, grind amount and tamp pressure...and which are the best beans. i went through 1 pound of beans...had it, lost it, used the dual wall...put it away...went back to the single wall filter and finally called 1800breville...13 minutes later made close to the perfect espresso.
set the grind to 8, set the grind amount in the "middle" tamped very hard (60 pounds...whatever that is) and use caffee verona beans...startbucks brand (these are a bit lighter than espresso)...and tweak from there.
Breville...you need to give a starting point in the manual so that we don't have to go through 2 lbs of beans...
overall...very nice...hope it lasts a lifetime...or at least 5 years;-) - great so far So far I have to say I'm impressed. I've been able to get pass all of the issues experienced with previous espresso machine - messy clean up, bad froth, not-warm-enough milk, weak espresso and so-so lattes, to mention a few. I impressed myself with my first effort and have been eqaually as pleased with each progressive latte. I'm keeping my fingars crossed that the quality is good and I'm using this machine for some time to come. So far I'm really, really happy
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Beautifully designed machine except for...
The function and visual design of this machine well thought out and beautifully executed.
My only two complaints:
For such an expensive device, there are some cheap plastic parts that may not stand the test of time. The steam knob and the the water tank lid/handle for instance. The rubber on the steam wand has split in two after the first week out of the box. My last machine, 10+ years old now has solid metal parts and industrial buttons and knobs. With a tune up, it may last indefinitely. This one, I am not sure.
It makes and excellent espresso but it took me way too many tries to get the single wall filter perfected. With a large range in grind sizes plus dispensing amounts, it would have been good for them to provide a more definitive starting point.
It would be a 5-star product otherwise. - The best! I have been using this machine several times daily for almost 3 months now..I've got tell you it just keeping getting better and better each cup. Safest investment I ever made on a coffee machine.
- Still Working Great! I've had for almost 3 months now.. use this machine several times daily..no problems! love love love!
- Great...when it works The first of these we bought in December. It worked great for a month and the it stopped generating steam. We returned it for a replacement which worked great...for a week. The grinder then stopped working. I only ground beans for about 15-20 shots of espresso. I'm returning this one for another replacement because it works so well when it works...and Breville has offered a discount to me at this point. I really hope I was just unlucky.
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Exceptional!!!
I spent my Christmas 2009 reviewing expresso machines. I had just returned from a trip to Europe and finally was going to fold and get an expresso machine. I missed the expresso from Italy and France. 1oz of crema delight.
So, I liked the Breville 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 Expresso. From the looks you can tell this unit has exchanged the hot water dispenser for a bean grinder. This unit is a fully automatic expresso 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 afterwards. 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 expresso beans I got from Italy were made into pure heavenly expresso. 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 expresso shot, make sure you pre-warm your demitasse. Otherwise the expresso 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.
Note: This review has also been submitted on Amazon.com -
Nice design
For all my searching in the US, I believe this is one of the safest bets - it makes great espresso, it's thoughtfully designed, comes with all the accessories and is well priced.
A few nice little features: The magnetic coffee tamper, the 'empty me' and 'clean me' indicators and storage for the accessories helps to minimize the mess that making coffee can generate.
Enjoy!
- Quality Espresso with Convenient Features At Great Price I really like my new Barista Express. I have owned a few espresso makers in this category (semi-automatic) in the past. This is the best one yet from all angles: price, performance, features, and looks. The quality of the espresso is great. The machine is loaded w/ practical features, some of which you don't find in other semi-automatics at this price. I particularly like that both the grinder and the espresso extraction process come with pre-programmed settings for the novice and the more experienced barista who is rushing out the door, as well as manual and programmable settings to accomodate individual, barista-level, espresso making preferences. It looks elegant and professional. I also love the few extra things that Breville has offered in this product, like the detachable tamper, the hidden storage compartment for the supplies, the included pitcher, the brewing and cleaning supplies...all you need but the coffee beans to have you going. Good job Breville!
- Exceptional!!! My husband and I purchased our Barista Express the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday treat. We had been using our Krups for 10 years. We love the Barista Express and have already gotten our monies worth. We average about six lattes a day. It is so easy to use and the end result is exceptional! Better than any coffee shop we have purchased a latte from.
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