I got this for my wife for Christmas, we decided to take it to a family reunion to make lattes and put it back in the box. When carrying out to the car in the breville box, the bottom of the box opened up and everything fell out. The water dispenser broke, and the espresso machine got scuffed.

I have never used an espresso machine but I am very happy with this purchase. I've enjoyed and satisfied my cravings of getting coffee at Starbucks! I also am able to find Phillz coffee at Target and I'm very happy that I can make me own now from home! Still learning how to froth a milk perfectly but I am very excited and happy with this machine!

La Breville Barista Express ha sido la segunda máquina de espresso de uso casero que he usado--no un largo historial de uso, lo reconozco--y debo decir es mi favorita hasta el día de hoy.

Es fácil de usar, especialmente para aquellos con experiencia en el espresso, y para los que no tienen mucha experiencia, una leída al manual, o un par de videos en Youtube deberían servir para casi cualquier problema. Una de mis características favoritas de esta máquina es que viene con su propio molinillo de café, permitiéndome comprar café en grano para una bebida como se debe.

Y aunque pensada para uso casero, la he usado para algunos eventos de catering y, no obstante que es obvio que no fue hecha para eso, la máquina cumple muy bien su labor.

Mi único punto de crítica, es que siento que es algo difícil espumar la leche: en casi dos años de uso, debo decir que no suele generar tanta espuma para capuchinos como me gustaría.

Una compra recomendada la verdad.

Easy to use once you get the hang of it, I had to try a few different shot sizes, ground sizes ect. Coffee shop quality espresso my house smells amazing after brewing a few shots

This product is really great. The convenient size and attractive design make it a wonderful addition to my coffee station. It heats up quickly, which is a huge plus for those early morning rushes. The sturdy construction and large water reservoir show its quality. The milk frother is a star performer. But the best part? The espresso flavor is just top-notch. I might add a tip: watch a few YouTube videos on how to use it. It took me a few tries, but once I got the hang of it, the coffee tastes amazing.

I've been a bit intimidated for a while from purchasing one of these machines. After reading a lot of reviews, we finally bought one. We've had our machine for one month now and love it. The only small learning curve we've had (which was figuring out the correct grind amount), we've been able to create our own coffees and lattes at home and I no longer have to wait in drive-thru lines on my way to work. I don't have any complaints at this time, other than I wish we would have purchased one sooner. The machine is a little heavy, so sliding it out from under our cabinets to fill with water/fill grinder isn't convenient, but not an issue and well worth creating a great cup of coffee!!

We love this espresso machine so much! It is certainly an investment and no small amount of money - but its definitely worth it.

I will say, the machine is a bit of a challenge to dial in for a first-timer. Definitely recommend to anyone who buys this machine to watch some videos online on how to properly dial in the machine. It was super helpful, for example, to know about adjusting the grind size on the inside of the machine and not just with the dial on the outside. I had to adjust the grind settings inside to really dial it in. Additionally, I found it helpful to measure out the dosing size (18g is what I used for a double) outside of the machine before grinding them in the machine. This cuts out one variable (the grind amount setting, which is based on a timer) until you figure out the correct grind size. Once the grind size was dialed in, it was fairly easy to figure out where the grind amount setting needed to be for the dosing that I wanted. Likewise, steaming milk takes practice. Definitely recommend practicing with water and a drop of soap. It takes some time to figure it out. Lastly, its very helpful to know that you can adjust the output amount by using the program button (I use the 2:1 ratio of 18g coffee and 36g espresso out).

All that said, this machine is GOLDEN once you learn the ropes. It has every feature you will need to get into the espresso world. Its such a well-built machine that clearly had a lot of thought put into it - for example, the hot water shuts off automatically to get the right amount for an americano. This machine has opened up a whole new world for our family and we are so happy we made this purchase.

The machine makes the perfect express everytime after you have gone to setting it to your liking. However, every once in a while it stops feeding the coffee beans in the grinder. So I have to add more beans and manually rearrange the beans in the feeder.

This product is really great. I was instantly drawn to its sleek design. It's a beautiful machine that would enhance the aesthetic of any kitchen. The performance is as impressive as its looks. I'm delighted with my purchase!

Obsessed. And finally quit the bucks! Very worth it and amazing espresso when using high quality beans. I highly recommend this for espresso lovers, I use mine daily.

Took the plunge and bought one. Read through tons of reviews and watched video's on YouTube on how to operate it. This is one nice machine and it is built like a tank. I'm sure it will last for years to come. And the Espresso is so good!!!

I worked as the manager of a coffee shop for many years and this was the perfect addition to my personal home to fill that barista itch when I need some GOOD coffee. Very user friendly/easy to use and makes a great drink

This is definitely worth the extra money. It works wonderfully! After a year of use it works great. Just make sure to clean it and it will last you. The espresso tastes so much better! We had been using a cheap machine to learn how to make espresso and we upgraded to this machine. It grinds the espresso really well, and has different options.

After 5 years of daily use our first one of these finally died...;-(. Obviously it was a terrible, terrible day. Lots of tears. While waiting a few weeks for the Baristas to go on sale we tried going back to S'Buck's and learned, once again, we can make much better coffee drinks with the Breville than we get at Buck's. Also the math is glaringly simple and compelling. In the years we owned the Breville we saved, no joke, many THOUSANDS of dollars. And this is with just two coffee drinkers in the house. A serious no-brainer, at least for us.

We bought this as a birthday gift for our son. He had been without a coffee maker for months. We own the exact same model and it is 9 years old and still going strong. We make mainly Americanos but our granddaughter comes over and makes us mocha’s. She makes very fancy designs with the foam. Love it!!

Great Expresso maker for the beginner/intermediate coffee drinker.
Just wish it had two boilers, but at this price you won't find a better one than this!

Delivered early which was a nice surprise. Easy set up followed the instructions of quick set up. Breaks new to Espresso Machines and quickly learning it takes practice to find just the right one for each individual. I love the Breville. Cleans easy, the learning curve in terms of machine use is short. It is user friendly, but you can tell this is no run of the mill machine. It looks and operates like those you find in your favorite coffee shops. Excited to keep trying to come up with my perfect cup.

I love it, it works great. I was making coffee for everyone and they loved it Im not a big fan of coffee but as long as they like it:)
Fun to make too just took time to figure it out

After doing a lot of research, I got this one for my husband as a birthday gift. The machine is stainless steel and very easy to clean and maintain. Its weight is heavy and very sturdy. The size is great for our countertop area, great water capacity with no leak issues. The only thing is that there is no water sensor to tell if the water is running low, so you do need to keep an eye out for that. But I don’t think it’s a big deal beaker at all. It makes great Expresso, Latte, and any kind of type you want ( generally ). We are satisfied with it!

This is my second Breville. First one (BES860XL) was purchased around 2010 and was used daily except for when we were on vacation. The BES860XL is actually still going strong, but I could not pass up the price for black friday for the upgraded model. I will move my old model to my cabin in the mountains. As far as the 870XL, I can definitely tell the difference in taste. Much richer and fuller flavor. Hoo on this espresso machine, you will not regret.

This is an incredible product because it's easy to use and conveniently sized. Its attractive design adds a touch of elegance to my kitchen. The quick heat-up time is impressive and the espresso flavor it delivers is simply superb. One of the best features is the milk frother - it works like a charm. And let's not forget about the precise grind settings, which allow me to get my coffee just the way I like it. In short, it's a fantastic espresso machine that's worth every penny.

I got this machine when I got married in 2017 and it is now almost 2025! And to say I use it every day is an understatement! It has had to be sent in once for repairs in the first year that was covered under warranty, and I haven’t had an issue since. It’s by far my most favorite appliance I have ever owned! It makes coffee better than Starbucks at a fraction of the cost and will have everyone dubbing you their new barista. It’s worth every dollar!!

I wanted to wait 6 months for this review!!!
I wanted to use it a lot… and I have !! I use this every morning to make espresso and a latte, it is so good !! Easy to learn, cleans easy & works SO GREAT !!!
I only wish I would have bought this sooner.

this article converted me to being a true full blown coffee snob! short learning curve and must stress the use of freshly roasted coffee for proper extraction. the frequent use and success of use makes me forget about the initial expense. highly recommended.

Do not dislike anything, the quality is great, well made stainless steal, the taste of the coffee is outstanding far better than your average coffee, the coffee temperature is Perfect but you can adjust the temperature depending on how hot you want it, this expresso machine has a The pressure gauge so it is always best to watch this to make sure your brewing pressure if just right. This is really easy to operate nothing hard about this. If you are beginner watch videos to learn. This is by far the best I have ever owned. And will not be buying other brands but this Breville

Lo tengo en mi negocio, la extracción es muy buena y el molino trabaja bien, recomendado utilizar café de buena calidad para mantener la vida útil de la máquina. Todo súper bien y fácil de utilizar

I bought this machine for my boyfriend and he absolutely loves it! It's easy to use and makes espresso better than a coffee shop! I love that it has everything you need including a coffee bean grinder.

This product is perfect for coffee lovers. Its sleek design and easy-to-clean parts make it user-friendly. Features like the milk frother, quick heating, large water tank, and built-in grinder simplify brewing. The adjustable grind size allows for customized espressos. Its durable construction is impressive, having lasted 10 years with daily use. It's cost-effective and consistently delivers high-quality espresso.

Great coffee machine! Easy to use, heats up quickly, and makes excellent coffee – from espresso to cappuccino with perfect froth. The customizable settings let you adjust strength and temperature to your preference. Compact and stylish – a perfect choice for coffee lovers!

Don’t let the price scare you. I wish I would have bought this years ago! FINALLY, espresso and lattes that are just and strong and good as Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee. I have not spent $6-$8 on a drive-thru coffee since I bought this. Pinterest has tons of recipes for Pumpkins Spice creamer and everything else too. Just do it!

I was going to Starbucks almost daily. The coffee from this coffee maker is divine. I etimate that it will pay for itself in about 3 months. Thrilled with the purchase.

Breville is one company that brings out an appliance and then just keeps improving it. I bought my first Barista Express in 2017. I make at least 2 espresso drinks per day and my old unit finally died. I thought it would be silly to repair and after looking at their new and "upgraded" units I am so glad I decided to buy the Barista Express again. Granted it takes some work in getting it dialed in, but if you make the same type of drinks daily, (Me double espresso and latte) this is the way to go. The crema is incredible and the speed at which the milk gets done is remarkably fast. This unit is much quieter than my first and the speed at which milk comes up to temp is 60-80% faster than the original. I highly recommend this. Don't waste your money on touch screens and fancy tampers. This is a workhorse and amazing unit.

I purchased my original Breville in 2015 and about 2 weeks after the warranty expired, there was some sort of electronic issue. When I contacted Breville, they said they would honor the warranty and had me ship it to them and then shipped it back to me to my new home in Texas. It ended up that the reason for the issue was caused by my lack of descaling the machine when I ran it through the cleaning process. About a week ago, my original 9 year old machine finally had a major malfunction. Because of the great way the original machine worked and was consistent day in and day out, I made the easy decision to purchase the exact same model and only paid about $50 more than I paid in 2015. This new machine has seen a few minor upgrades but otherwise operates the exact same machine and once started, it was like I was using the same machine. I love it and recommend it. I am a very particular coffee drinker and this machine meets or exceeds my expectations.

Took 3 hrs, 4 youtube videos, and 8 expresso shots to get it dialed in, but worth it! I did have to reset factory setting for internal grinder, but now my expresses are perfect. This is NOT the machine for someone who just wants to push a button and a latte happens.

I've had this espresso maker for 5 years now and use it daily. I buy German coffee brands, so I always have high quality, good tasting latte that beats any latte at the coffee shop. The only drawback is that the descaling process takes a bit of effort and time but it's worth it. I use bottled water now and that helps not having to descale that often. The cleaning for the back cycle using a tablet is very easy and quick to do. I recommend this machine and I would buy it again.

Did I forget to write a review? Yes, but as a plus, you get a review after over 4000 cups of coffee.

Some of the parts have started to rust, specifically the screws where the rubber feat are at the bottom, but that's mostly my ineptitude in cleaning/maintaining it clean. Sometimes we brew 2, sometimes 10 or 15 cups a day, depending if there's a party or not. And in 5 years, I've had zero failures, not a single leak, not a single problem at all.

The durability of this machine is legendary and it shows, it's been 5 years, and it still runs, grinds, and brews as if it was just purchased.
I would 100% purchase the same model again as it's incredibly reliable and it makes good coffee with practice and getting the grind right.

I bought this machine 4 years ago, telling myself I had to cut back on trips to the coffee shop. Wow. I really didn't expect how quickly and completely I would shift my entire routine. I used to be at Starbucks 4-5 times a week. Now I only visit a coffee shop if it's for a meeting or I'm on vacation. The amount of money I've saved in the last 4 years with this machine in my home is staggering.
I used to work at Starbucks, so the manual aspects of the machine were no problem for me, and I enjoy having control over the grind. My only complaint about this machine is that you can't steam milk at the same time as you pull shots, which basically rules out a perfect cappuccino. Solved that problem with the Breville Milk Frother.
If you have any inclination toward making coffee at home, get this machine! It's easy to use, easy to maintain, and it looks pretty on your kitchen counter. Cannot recommend highly enough!

I’ve had this for a few weeks and I am blown away. If you’re on the fence do it. Once you tune this just right your espresso will be perfect every time with just the right amount of crema and Starbucks level flavor. Perfecting the grind and the steamer on this will bring your barista abilities up to professional level. The only reason I go to Starbucks now is to resupply my espresso beans saving me about $120 per month. I had a Delonghi for years until it crapped out a year ago, but that was childs play compared with this.

To save some of you a bunch of reading, I'll cut to the chase first: I knew nothing about making good espresso drinks before buying this machine, and after a year and a half I still use it everyday, and I absolutely love it.

A bit of background. I grew tired of the daily trips to the cafe for an espresso, and doubly so with the cost. Drink plus tip was usually around 10 dollars a day, at least 5 days a week. I wanted to make my own, but I knew absolutely nothing about extracting espresso, the machines, or any of the science-y stuff behind it. I did a TON of research on machines, as there is a fairly wide variety of options for the consumer. I was initially put off by the cost of some of the upper tier machines, but after some digging, and learning, I found The Breville Barista Express (BBE) which seemed to be a well made machine, with great reviews, but still pretty expensive for a "coffee machine". Of course, my perspective on that has changed considerably.

Review!

The machine is well made. I can say for sure that it's durable, and probably built to last longer than the parts inside of it. Fairly heavy, but perhaps more just given its shape, and how the weight is distributed. I, personally, like the aesthetic of the machine in black, so I chose the black model. At first glance and a once over, you'll notice that it's not a cheaply made product, and already begin to feel better about the cost.

The control panel was more user-friendly than I had initially thought. I absolutely believe they had the novice in mind when designing the interface. Although the controls are pretty straightforward, and explained in the user manual, some people learn processes better by seeing rather than reading, and I'm one of those people. If you are also, Breville produced a series of how-to-use videos on their youtube channel, and I also believe they are on Breville's website as well. These videos are very to-the-point, and incredibly helpful learning the ins-and-outs of the various options on the machine. They absolutely give the end user plenty of support with regard to understanding how to use the machine. For people, like me, who knew nothing about espresso machines, it was nice SEEING the steps and process in real time.

Customer Support is fantastic. After about 3 months of having it in the house, a large industrial staple found its way into the grinder. Presumably from a bag of beans. Tbh I'm not sure how it got in there. In any case, it messed up the grinder so bad that I had to send the machine into Breville for repair and service. I had called their number, and the CSR asked for some general details, and without any fuss, sent out return packaging, which I received in 2 days, I shipped it out the day I got the packaging, and my machine was returned to me, in working order, without cost, 7 days later.

The machine isn't without shortcomings, but in my novice opinion, they're pretty minor.

1. The water reservoir is pretty small.
2. A second portafilter would be a terrific add. (bought a second on ebay)
3. Drip tray doesn't hold much.
4. Steam/hot water knob design could use improvement with a bit of leverage. (3rd party options)
5. Should come with a dosing cup that fits the portafilter (3rd party options)

All in all, the machine is fantastic. I am by no means an expert, but my drinks are good enough to keep me from going to cafe everyday, and my wife also seems to enjoy them.

One note for novices, this machine does simply the process, but there is still some required learning you will need to do in order to get the best results out of this machine. It isn't hard, but will probably take you a half a bag of beans to really dial in, and get right.

Cheers!

We had been talking about getting our own espresso machine for a long time and after a lot of research, we chose this one. It works amazingly and is beautiful. We are ver happy with our purchase.

I went from a cheap $100 espresso maker so this is a bit of an upgrade. I definitely taste the difference in quality and the built in grinder is convenient. It took a couple practice runs to get the right amount of beans/grind right for my favorite beans, but that's part of the fun. The pressure gauge is maybe a bit over the top but it can help you learn how to pack a shot well/consistently.

The only downsides I have so far is that occasionally the the beans get stuck in the grinder and I have to push them down and the water tray fills up relatively quickly from the hot water discharge.

Overall, I can see why this is one of the most popular espresso makers on the market and I would definitely recommend it.

I love the machine, it's easy to use in principle, although i haven't been able to pull the perfect shot yet, but it's only been a few weeks. the machine is beautiful and high quality. it's been fun to experiment

Set the inside bur at 3 and outside at 6. Meter in the middle every time. Making perfect espressos. I am very happy. Had it over a month using it a couple times a day every day all perfect so far! Yes I did watch many utubes on what to set it on. I am ecstatic with this product. I pour bottled water into the tank instead of taking it out which is a step easier for me. The frother is fantastic. Yes I would buy this again but hopefully it will last me a long time. Seems it will. The quality is great.

I've had various espresso machines over the past 36 years, some of them worked well, some did not. I'm pleased to say that our new Breville is absolutely the best machine I've had. It was easy to set up and following several youtube videos on how to dial it in helped me quickly get to the right grind to draw the perfect espresso - not sour, not bitter, just ahhhhh wonderful. And it looks beautiful on our countertop! At first I was a little hesitant to spend $600 on a new machine but realizing that we're spending $350 a month from our daily trips to the local coffee shop, it became an economic decision, buy this and within 7 weeks we'll be ahead of the game. I was also a little worried about spending that much and not being able to create a drinkable beverage - that turned out to not be an issue at all and in fact the taste is better than our local coffee shops. Great investment, so nice to be able to not have to jump in the car to drive to the coffee shop only to have the coffee luke warm by the time we get home. Great buy.

Having never made Espresso before, nor having used an Espresso maker, I did a lot of research into the best maker I could find for a reasonable cost before purchasing. I watched videos of people who have owned this machine for several years, and by and large they were positive. I decided to go for it. Having used it for a while now, I'm impressed with the quality of the resultant coffee drink, the ease of steaming the milk, and the quality of the whole bean grind. The machine is heavy. It's all metal, except for some components like the water drip tray, grind funnel etc. The water tank is the width of the machine and large enough to make many cups (including steaming the milk) before being refilled. The learning curve for just using it to make some espresso is pretty easy. Some people have complained one cannot make a cup and steam milk at the same time, but for me it's not a problem. I do the milk first, then the coffee. So for a beginner, it's a great investment, but for someone who really enjoys the whole process of finding that perfect cup, there's plenty of options to play with. How fine the bean grind is, how much to dispense into the funnel, even adjustments of the grinder blade itself are adjustable. Your desired setting can even be saved for one-button recall. The machine is ready to be used from being turned off in about 30 seconds. Steaming (in the provided little pitcher) takes upwards of a minute depeiding on what you like, and actually making the coffee is about 10-15 seconds. So a session to make two cups for my wife and I (including cleaning) takes maybe 10 minutes. But for me, being able to experience a Cortado like we had in Spain that 10 minutes is well worth spending!

I bought this for my wife's birthday and it's been excellent so far. For anyone having issues with pressure I'll admit that it took me some time to get the machine dialed in.

I personally needed to remove the hopper and adjust the conical burr down to "3". It comes at a factory default of "6". I use the grind size of 8 on the left side of the machine, and now I'm getting excellent results consistently. For reference I'm using a variety of beans but have mostly used brands that can be purchased at major stores like Walmart (Peet's, LaVazza, etc). Low pressure seems to be a consistent "problem" that people have, but if you just continue to increase the fineness of the grind, and check what your coffee level is at after tamping you should be able to get a good 25-30s pull with the right pressure.

What can I say? I wonderful machine. This was everything I wanted plus. Feels very professionally built lotta moving parts, but not difficult to learn it understand how to use. This unit would be made different from everybody. You can find tune the grinding size also how much coffee bean that you use at one particular time it has two settings, single, and double this is on the grinding side and making the coffee. You have a hot water steamer you have a milk, warmer cleaning, and a program button. The top of the unit is also a warmer. Lastly, it comes with a plastic piece that hooks up to the arm so when you fill the coffee doesn’t have to worry about spilling before you pack it down with the pack.

I've had this product for about 4 years now and I've used it just about every day to pull 4 shots for me and 4 shots for my wife. I really can't recommend a better espresso machine if you're just starting out.

It comes with a burr grinder that's easy to adjust to different settings.

It has a steam wand to froth up your milk and comes with a stainless steel cup for your milk

Pros:
Easy to use
Easy to clean
Great price point (I've seen fancy ones at $5k+ >:(
Comes with just about everything you would need to pull a great espresso shot

Cons:
Takes a little long to heat up (about 15mins)
Steam wand is alright but can take a bit to froth your milk

Tips for beginners:
If you've never had a espresso machine first, best thing I can say is be patient at first, you will be rewarded.
Look into freshly roasted coffee
Check out the accessories before you buy, here are some I highly recommend
- Large Knock Box
- Self release tamper
- WDT tools

My husband and I had been searching for a compact and durable espresso machine that would make excellent coffee for a while now, and this is it. The machine heats up quick so we can have morning espresso shots. The taste of the free beans that came with it is actually the best we’ve found so far (need to order those again soon), and it is relatively easy to clean. We’ve had iced lattes, americanos and Vietnamese coconut coffees that all taste excellent. Should last us many years, definitely worth the investment!

Spent 6 years as a bartending barista in an establishment that boasted a $65k espresso machine and honestly; that machine put out garbage water compared to the pulls out of this breville! Performance is consistent and strong for a countertop machine that fits under my cupboards - and while I thought ‘ugh I’ll probably use it twice and then never again…’ - I’m literally using it right now (6:55am) and have every day (sometimes 3 times a day) since the day it arrived.

… btw; i … love-LOVE these reviews sayin stuff like “it’s so loud! My 7 kids wake up the second I turn it on!”… lolll; Like a technological miracle of a machine superheating water in 7 seconds for a stellar espresso or latte made with the almost commercial-power steam wand is gonna whisper like an angel in the morning, KAREN… maybe stick with your dunkin’ K cups and your preservative packed Starbucks abominations, MARY... and leave real espresso machines alone.

This machine is a wonder. And if you don’t understand how to use it or what to expect; maybe don’t buy this - again, to those leaving the bad reviews regarding the very lite maintenance every three months?? Descaling and cleaning this beast is simple compared to commercial machines and their daily scrubbings … if you expect any appliance, especially this one to be maintenance free - don’t buy this because you don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t know that an ‘espresso machine’ won’t make you a venti Carmel crunch frappacinno with extra drizzle. Lol.

In closing, thank you breville for the crazy work that went into creating your entire line and I worship my machine.

This is my first espresso maker I ever bought now I did in the past have a Nespresso machine and it works really well, but I wanted to make my own real espresso so I did a lot of searching and reviews on YouTube and found this Breville espresso machine and right out of the box I dialed it in, and I was off to the races. It took a handful of tries to really get the grind and the shot that I wanted but now it works perfectly and I’m extremely happy with my purchase and with this product

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great machine. For the price I wish I would have gone with something a little more automated. Once I got my setting how I like and learned to use it, it was a dream. It pulls a perfect espresso shot every time.

For me and my fiances eleven year anniversary
we decided to just buy a gift for each other that
we both could use. We decided on this Breville
It has not disappointed us at all . It makes the
most amazing tasting coffee at home at a fraction
of the cost . The stylish classy look just let's you
<now this product is built to last and we'll worth
the money . Having the added in frother / steam
wand was a great feature. 1 like that I could throw
out my coffee bean grinder beings there is one
attached to this machine . I haven't visited a coffee
shop in the past 3 months when I used to go daily
This machine pays for itself in the long run. I look
forward to powering it on every morning . Cleaning
it is simple and easy . The catch tray has a float
that floats up to let you know when the tray is
needing to be emptied . The machine wipes off
easily with a warm rag if done right after each use
while the machine is hot . The water pitcher for the
maker is easy to access and fill up when needed

So I originally bought a Gevi and it straight up did not work right out of the box so I had to return it. Unfortunately I had an event within days so I shelled out the dough for this trusting it would be better given that it’s a Breville.

First off, they had a quick start guide which was awesome and saved time, Most importantly, I needed a machine that could kick out 10 to 12 maybe 15 drinks in one sitting, this DID NOT DISAPPOINT! After counting the pucks this thing kicked out 20 drinks without a single glitch!! The crema was consistent and the microfoam was thick and creamy. The auto grind and shots for the double was always perfect consistency but I will say that the single shot took a bit of adjusting. Overall, this machine was a rockstar!

The Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine BES870XL in Brushed Stainless Steel is a game-changer for any coffee enthusiast. This machine is a true powerhouse, allowing you to brew cafe-quality espresso right in the comfort of your home. The brushed stainless steel design adds a touch of elegance to any kitchen countertop.

What sets this espresso machine apart is its user-friendly interface and built-in grinder, ensuring that you get freshly ground coffee beans for each cup. The precise extraction process results in rich, flavorful espresso with a perfect crema every time.

Whether you're a seasoned barista or a coffee novice, the Breville Barista Express makes it easy to create a variety of espresso-based drinks with customizable settings. Its durability and performance make it worth the investment for anyone serious about their coffee. I highly recommend this machine for coffee lovers looking to elevate their at-home brewing experience.

I use it for couple of days as I purchased and espresso range doesn’t move much. Do not enjoy the coffee I make. Followed all the instructions. How can I fix the problem?

If you are an avid coffee drinker look no further. This espresso machine is a big upfront investment, but will save you a lot of money in the long run. If you are spending 6 dollars a day on a coffee from your local coffee shop that adds up to over $2000 a year! I have used other espresso machines and so far this one has been my favorite. It allows you to make multiple adjustments from the grid density to the length of pour time giving you just the right amount of play to make your perfect coffee. The only thing I wish I could change on this machine is the ability to foam milk while pouring your espresso shot, but I know Breville does offer other machines that can do both simultaneously.

I love this Breville expess for the ease of use. There are a lot of youtube videos online so you can hone in your technique till perfection. I used to go to the Starbuck everyday but once I owned this machine I haven't been back since unless I'm traveling. Don't cheap out on the beans cause the oily beans will clogged up your grinder and it's very difficult to clean. I use the hand grinder instead which I think works better than the build-in grinder. Also the steam handle are too short and small make it difficult to turn with one hand so I added the after the market magnetic handle to elongate the old handle for the ease of use.

Imagine a machine that doesn’t just make coffee but celebrates it. Nestled in your kitchen, the Breville Barista Express in its brushed stainless steel elegance is more than an appliance—it's your personal coffee shop, where the barista knows exactly how you like your espresso.

Design & Build: Elegance Meets Durability

With its sleek, professional design, the Barista Express is a love letter to coffee aficionados. Its sturdy build and compact footprint make it a perfect centerpiece for your kitchen, promising durability without sacrificing aesthetics.

Performance: Your Personal Coffee Maestro

The heart of your home café is its ability to deliver fresh, ground-to-perfection beans for every cup. The built-in grinder offers you control over the grind size and dose, tailoring each cup to your taste. The precision with which it heats water to the exact temperature for espresso extraction is akin to a conductor leading an orchestra, ensuring every note of flavor is captured.

Ease of Use: From Novice to Home Barista

Breville makes stepping into the world of espresso making as inviting as a warm coffee house. The intuitive design and clear instructions guide you through the process, turning the art of espresso making from daunting to delightful. In no time, you’re pulling shots like a pro, with the machine becoming an extension of your coffee passion.

Milk Frothing: The Secret to Silky Smooth Lattes

The steam wand, a magician’s wand in its own right, allows you to create rich, velvety microfoam that’s the hallmark of a perfect latte or cappuccino. The transformation of milk into a creamy froth adds that final touch of magic to your coffee creations.

Cleaning & Maintenance: Keeping the Magic Alive

Breville knows the importance of a clean stage for each performance. The Barista Express makes maintenance a breeze, from its removable water tank and drip tray to the helpful "clean me" reminder. Keeping your machine in top shape means every cup is as perfect as the first.

Final Thoughts: The Heart of Your Coffee Journey

The Barista Express is more than just an espresso machine; it's your passport to exploring the rich world of coffee in the comfort of your own home. It's where functionality marries beauty, not just an investment in your mornings but in your moments of joy, shared over a cup of perfectly crafted coffee.

This machine isn’t just about making coffee; it’s about bringing the coffee shop experience into your home. It’s for those mornings when you need a perfect start and for those moments of quiet contemplation. The Barista Express invites you to discover the depth of coffee, one cup at a time, turning your kitchen into the heart of your coffee journey.

I love everything about this espresso machine and the one time I had need to call customer service, they were able to give me professional guidance to resolve the problem. (Spoiler: My water pump & seals were fine and I learned about the importance of fresh beans).

With the right beans, I would rather drink my own espresso drink that I made from my Barista Express than most coffee shops around. I take it with me on local vacation trips rather than go without.

I have used my Barista Express multiple times daily for over 3 years and it's still working as well today as the day it arrived, and it looks nearly the same. Having said this, I am meticulous and fastidious about cleaning and maintaining it.

- Wipe off the screen after every shot pulled.
- Run the steam wand for ~5 seconds after every use to blow out any milk reside, then I wipe the wand off
- Only fill the water tank with filtered water.
- Any time the cleaning or descaling indicator appears, carry out the respective cleaning process within the next few days.

If the day comes that my Barista Express is no longer usable and can't be repaired, I'll be online purchasing a new machine from Breville.

We love this machine! I initially purchased the Dilongi la especialista for $1200.00 and was so hard to learn how to use the machine we literally suffer so much ended sending it back after a month of bad coffee and a lot of frustration. Then we found this machine and everything change. Was so friendly, I went to YouTube and check some basic videos and in less than a week we was making a beautiful perfect cup of espresso without problems! I highly recommend this beautiful pice of art! We love it!

I (like you reading this may be) was hesitant to spend so much on an espresso machine. My daily coffee shop stop was pricy but I had zero prior knowledge or experience. I also assumed that my home coffee attempts would be a flop and I’d be back at the coffee shop shortly.

I purchased this in July 2023 when it went on sale for around $450. It’s now January 2024 and I use it almost daily and sometimes several times a day. On days I work from home it saves me from getting out and wasting time getting coffee. On days I go to the office I still end up making one in my insulated cup and taking it with me. I’ve returned to a coffee shop a couple times when out of town. I can honestly say what I can make at home is the same or better than anything from a coffee shop.
Currently I am enjoying trying out new local roasted beans. Messenger coffee beans so far have been my favorite and the ones I continue to go back to.

When it goes on sale purchase it. You won’t regret it. If mine broke or was stolen today I’d have a new one ordered by the end of the day.

I recommend purchasing these basics with your machine-Torani syrup in the large bottles (25.5 and up), pumps for bottles, knock box, good quality beans.

This espresso machine is very worth the money! It really makes quality espresso, including decaf espresso, and regular Ruta Maya Dark Roast coffee. It’s very user friendly with a great instructions, and what to do if your shot isn’t building enough pressure. I will say that you need to leave the filter that’s already in there and don’t change it out, (unless you know how to make it work well for other coffees), because it works best with the one that it already has installed. The steamer works very well, coffee extracts for a good amount of time and tastes very rich in bean flavor. Absolutely recommend!

I have gone through a few keurigs and tried a nespresso machine but this by far my favorite way to drink coffee! It took me watching a few videos to learn how to use it properly but once you dial in your machine on your favorite type of coffee bean than you are golden! No more paying $6 for something i can make at home for under $2!

This is my 2nd Barista Express. I got tired of the stainless steel look so I switched to black. Plus it went on sale for limited time so I couldn't say no.

As a hobbiest barista, I make about 3-5 drinks a day. Sometimes espresso only and some other times with Oatmilk.

This machine has everything you need to make amazing coffee. However, while it provides the right tools and customization, the rest is depended on you. You have to learn and practice how to make your drinks correctly.
This rule of thumb applies whether you buy this machine or a $2000 fancy machine with 2 boilers and touchscreen. Learn about your coffee and you will be able to master your drinks.

This machine offers some great features at a very good price point:

1. Burr grinder with 13-16 levels of grind
2. 54mm Portafilter with 2 sets of baskets. My recommendation is to use the single-walled double shot basket. You will gain better control when dialing in your coffee.
3. Programming for single and double shot. Once you dial-in your coffee, you can store the extraction time in memory
4. You can adjust the water temperature
5. Self cleaning program

Again, regardless of which machine you buy, the most important part is prepping you puck of coffee for extraction. Once you understand the different factors - there is no need to spend more $$$ on higher-end machine.

Here are a couple of tips to start with:
- Get a scale. It will help removing some of the guess work.
- ALWAYS buy beans that are fresh and with the roasting date printed on the bag. Ignore the "best by" date. It means nothing because fresh coffee is at peak during up to 14 days from roasting date.
- Watch videos on YouTube. There are plenty of great instructional videos to teach you about coffee and latte art.
- Don't be afraid to experiment. You will waste allot of coffee and milk at the beginning. But once you get it right, the reward will be priceless.

This coffee machine allows me to go back to my barista days, I feel so happy I finally bought it. For those who never worked with more serious non automatic machines, it can be a little tricky because I feel like there are a lot of things that can go wrong and you usually have no idea that the problem is. YouTube is full of helpful videos that can explain how everything works and what might need adjustment and how to pull a perfect shot with this machine. I suggest you ALWAYS work with freshly roasted coffee only, I usually buy it in local coffee shops, it might be a little more pricey but it’s worth it. Some people mention low pressure with this machine, but I have never experienced that. I’m pretty sure that happens if you work with old coffee, that makes perfect sense, that happens even if you work with $30 000 machines and use old coffee that doesn’t have any trapped gas left, you also never get crema from such beans.

I feel very grateful that I have this beautiful coffee machine, it allows me to make high quality espresso and lattes, much better quality than I used to have at local coffee shops (not Starbucks haha). You have to go through a learning curve that is a little rough, but after that you will appreciate every shot, trust me.

As a passionate coffee enthusiast, I recently added the Breville Barista Express to my kitchen arsenal, and it has truly transformed my daily coffee routine. This espresso machine is a game-changer for those who appreciate the art of crafting a perfect cup of coffee.

First and foremost, the Barista Express excels in its user-friendly design. Breville has managed to strike a perfect balance between functionality and simplicity. The intuitive controls and informative LCD display make it easy for beginners to navigate, while still offering advanced customization options for experienced baristas. Within a matter of minutes, you'll be able to extract rich, aromatic shots of espresso with professional precision.

One of the standout features of the Barista Express is its built-in grinder. With a vast range of grind size settings, you can achieve the perfect consistency for your preferred brewing method. The grinder operates quietly and efficiently, ensuring a consistent grind every time. This integrated solution saves counter space and eliminates the need for a separate grinder, making it a practical choice for home use.

The espresso quality produced by the Barista Express is nothing short of exceptional. The 15-bar Italian pump generates ample pressure to extract maximum flavor from the coffee grounds, resulting in a rich and velvety espresso with a beautiful crema. The machine also provides options for controlling water temperature and pre-infusion time, allowing you to fine-tune your brew to perfection.

Cleaning and maintenance are often overlooked aspects of espresso machines, but Breville has made it a breeze with the Barista Express. The removable parts are easy to disassemble and clean, and the included cleaning tools simplify the process. The machine also features a dedicated hot water outlet and steam wand for frothing milk, ensuring a complete café experience in the comfort of your own home.

While the Breville Barista Express comes with a higher price tag compared to entry-level espresso machines, its performance and durability justify the investment. The solid construction and high-quality materials make it a reliable and long-lasting addition to any coffee lover's kitchen.

In conclusion, the Breville Barista Express is a remarkable espresso machine that delivers professional-grade coffee right in your own home. Whether you're a novice or an experienced barista, this versatile machine offers the perfect balance of convenience and control. With its exceptional build quality, user-friendly design, and outstanding espresso extraction, the Barista Express is a must-have for anyone seeking a truly exceptional coffee experience.

I use this daily for 7 years now. Do maintenance as needed. Love the fresh grind and taste from its froth. I’d give it a full 5 star rating, however when I want a double-double espresso with steamed milk the mugs fit that just barely fit under it. 1/2” taller for next redesign would fix that.

What is there not to like about this machine?? It’s by no means a commercial espresso machine- but it is a phenomenal personal machine!
Takes a bit to warm up properly, so if you are an early morning espresso consumer, turn this on first thing when you wake up.
Very customizable brewing methods, as well as grinds! It is a bit heavy, which I consider a good thing. Personally, it is a comfortable size. The portafilter is a good weight and very comfortable to hold.
The steam wand is exactly what I was hoping for! Very good range of motion on it, powerful, accurate, just all around pleased with that!
It will take you some tweaking to find the correct settings for each type of bean you put into this machine, so please keep that in mind! So far, nothing that comes out wonky is the machines fault. It is either user error, or just a trial and error kind of thing! That is exactly what you need to do. Trial and error until you find the perfect setting for your beans. Every bean/blend is different!!! This is not a miracle machine that you can choose one setting and every type of coffee you put through it will be the same, that’s just unrealistic!
If you are an amateur barista, this machine may seem overwhelming. I do recommend you do your research to find exactly the kind of machine that will be most suitable for you! There are lots of videos online explaining how to get the best grind and quality out of your brew with this breville, so watch those as well!
I cannot stress this enough!
Easy to clean, comes with just about everything that you need! Mine came with two cleaning tablets and one filter pod, so be sure to grab extras as you want to clean this machine every use to keep it functioning properly! Cleaning maintenance videos are online from breville.

If you are in the market for a quality machine and know your way around brewing espresso, this is the one for you! Even if you aren’t familiar, just educate yourself and you will fall in love with this!! Wish I had the means to gift this to everyone in my family this holiday! Couldn’t be happier to invest in this!

I love this, I’ve been wanting to make espresso at home after I got my barista job a few months ago. Now I can wake up on my days off and make coffee at home instead of paying for it. Pulls great shots, feels sturdy, perfect size for a countertop machine and works really well. I wish it was a little heavier so when I lock the portafiller in place the machine doesn’t slide around, but I can find ways around that to not get it to slide. I wanted this machine specifically because it doesn’t have plastic pieces. I took the only plastic piece that touches espresso out of the portafiller and the coffee tastes the same. So far there have been no leaks anywhere on the machine. Takes a few seconds to warm up but I have no problem waiting for it to heat up. My only gripe is the milk frothing wand. I wish it had more holes for the steam to escape, and I wish it didn’t spurt out water at the beginning. After I purge the water and get my milk ready it does create really good, fluffy foam and warmed up milk. I’ve used whole milk, coconut milk and almond milk and all 3 have worked out really well. Very happy with my purchase!

I purchased this coffee machine on September 30, 2016. I have been incredibly satisfied with it and would like to highlight a few key aspects of its performance.

1) The amount of money I have saved since purchasing this machine is remarkable. Previously, I used to visit Starbucks twice a day, but now I find that I prefer the taste of the coffee I make at home. The quality is consistently better, and I no longer feel the need to spend money on coffee shops.

2) This machine has proven to be incredibly durable. It has been seven years since I bought it, and it is still functioning perfectly. The only repair I had to make was replacing a ribbon circle two years ago, which was a simple and affordable fix that I was able to do myself. This demonstrates the long-lasting quality of the machine.

3) The quality of the coffee this machine produces has impressed my friends as well. After trying the coffee I made at home, several of them ended up purchasing the same Breville Espresso Machine. This is a very deep and personal recommendation.

4) One of the features that I appreciate the most about this coffee machine is the level of control it offers. I can easily adjust the blend size and temperature, allowing me to customize my coffee exactly to my liking.
It's capable of making great espressos, outstanding lattes, well-balanced americanos, and perfect cappuccinos. Whether you prefer a strong shot of espresso or a creamy latte, this machine has the versatility and performance to satisfy your coffee cravings.

5) I also purchased a similar model without a grinder for my parents in January 2016. They have been using it regularly and are extremely satisfied with its performance.

In conclusion, the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine has exceeded my expectations in terms of cost savings, durability, taste, and control. I highly recommend this coffee machine to anyone looking to make quality coffee at home.

I got this to celebrate a kitchen renovation, and to update the moka pot tradition that's been my coffee ritual for the last five years. Moka pot is great... but it just doesn't develop the pressure necessary to extract espresso... and sometimes you just want espresso.
I was very impressed with the Breville attention to detail. The controls were intuitive, and the detail of the touch points was outstanding- the water reservoir transforms into a bucket with a bail so you can carry it to the sink if you like, or alternatively just top it up on the machine. The assembly was simple enough with quarter-turn to assemble the bean reservoir; it's clear this was designed for easy maintenance. The instruction manual was also well-written and easy to understand.
The grinder controls are well laid out and easy to access, with just a dial and a knob: grind level and dosage. The filling of the portafilter basket was messy, since the manual/auto button took a few tries to understand, and I didn't find the filling funnel accessory in the box until after. This did throw into sharp focus, however, how simple it is to clean and service the drip tray, which holds an impressive amount of overflow and easily lifts out in three pieces for cleaning.
I did get the knock box accessory, and I recommend it just for the simplicity of knocking out pucks against the rubber bar instead of improvising something.
My only gripe with this is the twin spouts on the portafilter don't flow the coffee right- the stream doesn't fall down on the right side, but rides the spout over the edge and misses the demitasse underneath. I'm just going to scratch it up with a file to increase the surface area and get the water to wet out the end better to try to fix it... but it's super frustrating to try to get your magic bean elixir perfect and see it just jet anywhere but into the cup you placed for it. Not sure if there's anything Breville could have done about it.
The milk foaming wand takes a little getting used to, but it's easy enough to wire down and service, with a threaded tip you can remove to clean if it gets gnarly.

For me- it's the perfect mix of bean-to-cup for someone who cares about espresso but maybe not to the point of obsession. You can take it as manual as you like, with puck texturing and fancy tamping or whatever, since you still have to pack your own baskets, but it's also approachable for the other inhabitants of the kitchen who don't want to obsess over perfect extraction but just want a hot cup of coffee. It might not be the perfect machine for the wanna-be barista or coffee snob, but it certainly delivers quality shots of the black stuff if you ask it to. I hope it stays reliable, since it's living up to the promise so far out of the box.

Got this on sale during Prime Day. What an excellent value! Integrated grinder and espresso machine with built-in PID and 3-way solenoid valve for less than $600!

The grinder works well, though there is some clumping, which necessitates a WDT. So far I’ve used light medium to very dark roasts with no issues. Removing the hopper and cleaning the burrs is simple and straightforward. What I really like about the grinder is that there are macro adjustments to account for wear, prolonging the longevity of the machine.

For brewing espresso, this machine makes it easy. What I really appreciate is the included tamper, dosing funnel and the Razor dose trimming tool. The pressure gauge lets me know if I need to adjust my grind and/or dose. I’m been producing quality espresso shots almost everyday without a hiccup from the machine.

My only criticism is that the machine could be quieter.

Between my Wife and I, we were spending anywhere from $7-$20+ a day going to Coffee stands. After doing the math it equated to thousands a year, so for me it makes more sense to buy an espresso machine(tough though because its not cheap) ,and learn how to make my own because I love iced coffee, Especially in the summer! We've had this one for almost a month now and absolutely love it!!! I recommend scanning through U Tube and learning how to use this machine. I've found setting the internal grinder in the machine to 3 and setting the external dial to 8 works pretty well for espresso beans.. the gauge for pulling your shots is essential for getting your pressure right. It seemed complicated before I used it, but it's really not at all. You just have to play with it a little bit to get it right. Just buy it if your spending way to much on fancy coffee and want the convience of making them in the comfort of your own home.

I love this espresso machine. I did know from research when I purchased it that it doesn’t have a double boiler so you can’t make coffee and steam at the same time. Because of this, you do have to wait a little bit for the steam to get up to pressure before steaming your milk. It is annoying however at the price point I think it’s worth it. (I am not a barista and have not spent the time to dial in my espresso because I am impatient and really wanted to work on latte art. That being said, every cup, I’ve had has taste amazing. I will say the latte art does take a lot of practice repetition, and research online to troubleshoot. I was also concerned about cleaning the machine the first time because some of the reviews had water flooding through parts that it shouldn’t be, and I had no problem with it.

I had my eye on getting an espresso machine, I work from home and wanted a more "luxurious" start to the day. In full disclosure I also enjoy the "process" of almost anything that leads to a good result. I purchased this based on reviews and I concur this is an excellent machine delivering strong value. The machine is extremely well built and attractive. We have a small kitchen and it fits well, where old drip coffee maker was. I would suggest deciding where you would want it to go, get a tape measure and masking tape to map out the counter space needed, keep in mind that the plug is not flush and sticks out from socket a little more than a traditional plug. Depending on where you put it, you will need to move it (a little heavy) to have space to add coffee beans to hopper and use steam wand.

I was up and running quickly, there is a process to prime system that is easy. What I learned that is critical, use (or buy if you need one) a digital scale and measure 18G of coffee beans every time (for a double shot) and do not load hopper full of beans as trying to get right amount of precise ground coffee is a challenge. You will need to "dial in" grind size to get best extraction, this is much easier if you repeat, 18G, then 18G etc. and adjust grind size as appropriate. Also key, buy a Matow 53mm dual head tamper - this makes tamping easy and perfect every time, this alone made my espresso results more repeatable and better. You can set this tamper to right gage using provided Breville razor trimming tool.

I purchased this on a one day sale for $540 and I am thrilled, I feel a very strong value and would still consider it a strong value at more regular price. I did not buy to replace a Starbucks expense (I rarely go) but rather to enjoy as an everyday enjoyable ritual producing near expert barista level results and it does this very well. There are many Youtube video tutorials on how to use this machine and they are very good to get you going. I am currently making a double shot in AM and early afternoon during week and experimenting with latte's on weekend. I do not view this as a toy or supplemental coffee maker but an every day appliance and I expect this to hold up well. I would caution against purchasing if you think you are only going to use on weekends because you will never learn enough or develop the rhythm and patience to easily produce regular excellent results. I can make a double shot in less than 5 minutes (better result if your machine is warmed up, means simply hitting power button earlier) I have not mastered the frothing/milk steamer, will take some practice but will get there!

Enjoy!

This makes great coffee. It is so easy to make espresso, easy as a Keurig but exponentially better.
I had recently bought a fancy looking high pressure espresso maker. It made just good enough coffee to make me think why am I being stingy with something so important to me every morning? And I bought what I really wanted, this Breville. I'm happy with this decision iny life.
EASY! It is as automatic as can be. Espresso faster bean to cup than the Keurig next to it takes to make coffee.
Consistent. I could never do this before. Easily set grind, amount, size.
Crema. I consistently get thick foam across every shot of espresso. I usually fill the cup with espresso with the hot water that comes out with a dial and drink an Americano. This way makes a fantastic coffee that may astound a guest expected regular coffee.

This machine is a dream! I’ve worked with 2-4 group commercial machines throughout the years in independent stands and I’ve decided to buy this Breville for myself and my family. Let me tell you- if you don’t have experience with espresso, I can see where the reviews with frustrations can come from. Dialing in the machine is difficult at first for grind, but I found when I kept the upper burr at stock 6 and worked with fresh beans and my own old school knowledge, I produced consistent shots. Some people go as crazy as measuring their grams etc.. I am just that good I can do it all by eye and hand. Been doing it for years in WA state espresso stands. Now I will enjoy every day making coffee from home and serving it to those I love! Best investment for those who want fresh espresso at home and saving $$ but throw all that over analyzing crap out the door that some crazy espresso nuts do (no offense to those) my shots are art and buttery crema that settles slowly like a Guinness separating beautifully after being poured in its glass. Thanks Breville . Be smart with your machine, love it line it’s your child, refill the tank every time you use it, prime the machine by purging the steam wand, then the group head to prep for a shot. Those are my couple of tips for newbies apart from adjusting your grind. Cheers

This machine is so beautiful, and it makes quality espresso! There is a world’s difference in the taste from the Breville Barista Express coffee vs. from the $45 machine I bought at Target.
I spent $599 on this machine (on sale), but given the math based on how often I frequent coffee shops for a quality latte, it should actually help me save money!
I will say, it’s louder than I expected… but most espresso machines are. When foaming milk/ using the steamer, it makes a loud pumping sound. Not a deal breaker though.
Please note, that you can’t simultaneously steam milk and run an espresso shot at the same time. There is no dual heating chamber for that with this machine. Also not a deal breaker for me, but I did a lot of digging to read into that before I bought it and not one review mentioned that part. So, thought I’d save you some time if you’re reading reviews to find that part out. I personally didn’t want to spent 2-3x more money for that function.
I like that it has a separate spout for just hot water if you just want a spot of tea.
The frothing pitcher it comes with is big enough for one good-sized, 8oz mug, or two smaller-sized mugs.
It does not come with a knock box. I bought the Breville knock box you can see in my photos and it matches the stainless steel of the machine very well.
Overall, I’m so pleased with this espresso machine. It’s compact, beautiful, and professional quality.

an awesome espresso machine for first time home baristas. overall this machine is great but has just a couple of shortcomings which are easily mitigated. first off it has a premium feel to it. no flimsy plastic or cheap construction, it feels solidly built. i got the stainless version and it fits in perfectly with the rest of my stainless kitchen.
As for the device itself. pros: large capacity water reservoir. plenty of grind settings (ill go over my setup after listing the pros/cons) conical burr grinder (fully auto with selecting the dosing amount or manual ability) single and double wall portafilters (for both 1 and 2 shot sizes double wall for pre ground espresso-yuck) 15 bar pump, and a pressure gauge for letting you see where you are when it comes to seeing how you did on puck prep. it has the ability for programming the shot duration so you can get the perfect 1:2 ratio (18g espresso into 36g of finished product in ~25 seconds - this is what you are aiming for when dialing in your settings...)
Now for the cons which are few: its not a double boiler system so you cant steam milk while you are pulling a shot. its not the thermojet heater which has a 3 second heat up time (seriously no biggie) the steaming power is not that strong- while it steams milk just fine its not super fast like if you go to a cafe and they steam it for all of 3 seconds and its done. it will take about 60-70 seconds to get it to microfoam and be at the right temp. (for this reason i steam milk immediately prior to pulling the shot so the espresso isnt sitting there waiting for the milk and cooling off). the manual tamper that comes with the unit is pathetic. they tell you how to use it but there i've found there is a steep learning curve with it as you have to have the right amount of grounds, right tamping pressure applied, AND you absolutely must have a level tamp otherwise you will get channeling and will pull an uneven and ultimately sour shot. i think i did 4 correct shots out of 15 made that were enjoyable. they were all "drinkable" but using the provided tamper only 4 of them tasted good and i would consider serving them to other people. as i said these problems are mitigated. the milk frothing taking longer than could be. boohoo deal with it honestly its really NO BIG DEAL... take your time do it right and get that pro barista microfoam and do some latte art if you want (i tried to do the art, im not artist and suck at it so i gave up lol i find it stupid and would rather put my effort into making a great tasting drink which is about to go into my stomach and not an art museum). as for being a single boiler system and not being able to pull a shot and steam milk at the same time no big deal as i said before i do the milk prior to making the espresso and thats it if you are making multiple drinks then it will just take a little bit longer which again is no big deal. if you drink straight espresso or americanos or any non milk drink this is a moot point. the puck prep is made easier by #1 weighing out 18-19g of espresso putting that into the hopper (dont fill the hopper all the way up because you expose the beans to air and oxidize them you want to store them in as much of a vaccuum as you possibly can.) #2 using 3rd party accessories prepare the puck- (CREMA BRAND dosing funnel and CREMA distribution/palm tamper tool [which you have to calibrate once]) you evenly distribute the grounds to a flat/level surface (with the distributer side) and then tamp it with the tamping side (using your palm to push down on it) once calibrated you get a perfect puck and a consistent shot every single time. you can find youtube videos on how to calibrate the distibution/tamping tool these devices make espresso idiot proof right off the bat.

my setup:
Illy classico whole bean...
grind setting #5
19g beans -> 19g ground -> 36g liquid in 26 seconds. (using single walled 2 shot PF)
steamed half and half
Crema dosing funnel
Crema distribution tool (distributor set all the way at the base, tamper calibrated as per youtube videos)

overall this is a great machine that is easy to use once it is all dialed in (which has to be done with any espresso maker btw) and it pulls consistent great tasting shots each time. as for taste start at the baseline and customize from there which is totally doable with this unit. obviouslyt you can try different beans but you will need to dial it in again because beans have different strengths etc stuff not having to do with the machine. get it, i like it, and it gets rave reviews.

I just about drove myself insane trying to decide which cappucino machine to buy... but I'm confident I made the right choice. The clincher for me was that this gave the option of paying in 5 monthly installments without any interest, and that made it possible for me to get a machine that would have been out of my price range otherwise. I worked for 5 years as a barista at Starbucks, and had the first iteration of the Starbucks Sirena machine.. which was okay, but not nearly as good as this one. The steam wand on this Breville does a great job making dense foam that supports caramel and other goodies; and so far, having a built-in burr grinder has been fantastic -- although maybe I should note that if you were expecting the machine to grind what it needs and then produce a shot, it doesn't do that. There isn't any incorporated functionality between grinder and espresso machine; it's essentially just a separate burr grinder and cappucino machine that happen to be inhabiting the same body. I'm a little worried that the grinder will break and getting it fixed while be a nuisance (more built-in devices means more that can go wrong), but I reckon I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'm super impressed with the espresso this machine produces -- I've seen reviews complaining that it took a period of experimentation before learning how to use the settings to make a great shot, but I found that this machine produced exceptional shots right out of the gate with the first settings I tried. Granted, this might be because I have had a lot of experience working with cappucino machines and their settings... my first try might have been somewhat better informed than a first attempt by someone who has never used one of these machines before. Still, I think this machine wouldn't be hard for a committed beginner to learn; its ubiquity means that there are loads of instructional and tips videos on YouTube that feature this exact machine. I only have one more payment to make before I've paid this machine off, and by my estimation it has already nearly paid for itself in money saved by not buying overpriced lattes retail. Highly, highly recommend!!!

It arrived this morning just in time for our first cup of the day. The packaging is very professional, although they use styrofoam, which is a shame. The quick start guide was excellent. i was able to make my first espresso in maybe 15 minutes from the time I took the machine out of the box. It takes a little practice to make good espresso. After 6 cups (not all for me), I feel like I'm getting the hang of it.

Convenience & Speed
This is not a "press a button, get an espresso" machine. There's a bit of prep work and some cleanup after. But I think I might actually save a minute or two vs. making brewed coffee with my Chemex.

Size & Weight
It is quite light and fits well on my little kitchen stand (see photo). In fact, it's so light that it moves when I crank on the brew basket, so I have to use two hands to secure the machine. Bigger feet could help, I suppose.

Functionality
I'm not an espresso expert, so this machine has more than enough dials to suit my needs. The grinder works well and you can adjust the quantity and granularity. The pressure gauge never quite got into the "espresso range" for me, but that's probably because I'm not packing my basket full enough.

Flavor
I'm amused that the rating includes a "flavor" component, because that's more about the 1) the operator, and 2) the beans. As an operator, yeah, miles to go. I had some old beans in the pantry so I used them. I have better beans on order, and I'm confident that they will yield better espresso (although what I made today was not bad).

Milk Steamer
It takes maybe 30 seconds to come up to full steam but the pressure is good. I like the optional water setting to warm the cup, make tea, etc.

I usually don't buy extended warranties, but I did for this purchase. I'm hoping I won't have to use it, but there are quite a few components in this thing and I've never owned a Breville product before. So far, I'm pleased. I think I'm getting pretty good value for the money. If that should change, I will update this review.

I have to preface this review by pointing out that I'm not a coffee guru. Not an expert barista. Not schooled in the art of espressos. So with that in mind, take this as pure opinion from a frugal consumer who loves coffee house coffees, cappuccinos and lattes, but hates coffee house prices.

I bought this machine because over the years I've purchased coffee makers, moka pots, etc., trying to up my coffee game but never quite getting the same result as those coffee house drinks. The closest I've come so far is the moka pot, but it's still not quite there yet. Granted, those coffee houses have espresso machines that cost thousands of dollars. Hey! I like coffee as much as anyone, but not THAT much. I refuse to pay that amount, even if I have the means. It's not how much you make. It's how much you keep. Right? Anyway, I chose the Breville Barista Express because 1) I love their products and they've been reliable for me over the years. And 2) this model has enough power and features at a reasonable price for someone who is no expert. I bought this model for $599.99 + tax on a Black Friday sale (not a huge one, but still) because it's the only amount I could stomach to pay for a machine like this. Plus it was my Christmas gift to me. I have to say that it's been totally worth it! I suspect even those who are anal about their coffee would love this machine as well.

My first cappuccino on this thing was not great. In fact, it was horrid! It may have had something to do with the fact that I dislike reading instructions and barely made it through the quick startup guide. When will I ever learn? But I have the patience of a five year old on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to get to it. So, after that first disappointing cup I watched a few videos on YouTube. Fine. More than a few. And I finally thumbed through the manual. The videos were more helpful when it came to creating the best cup. All the tips were valuable. And gradually I saw improvement until I got to what seemed like a good cappuccino. So far so good. But still not quite there yet. So I followed another tip and got better coffee beans. Oh dear! Now comes more tweaking. Because when you change to another bean the entire process starts over. Until finally, the cup I wanted and craved. Wow! What a difference.

I'm improving with each cup and small tweak. The grind, the amount, the tamp pressure, the amount of milk (or almond milk or oat milk), the amount of sugar, cinnamon or no cinnamon, etc. I had no idea how much actually went into a good cup of coffee. But I'm appreciating it more and more. And I'm getting spoiled. So much so that my other coffee machines (standard, Keurig, moka pot) are all taking a back seat and getting less use. Like none, lately. The other thing I appreciate more is the local barista in those coffee houses. I may not frequent them as much in the future. But I don't think I'll ever complain about the price again. I will gladly tip the barista. And I will simply enjoy the fruits of their labor.

KEY POINTS: The learning curve is real. Have patience. The end result is worth the effort and the cost of this machine. The absolute best tip I can give you is to wait the full 15-20 minutes it takes for all the elements of your machine to heat up before making your cup. It makes a huge difference if the coffee beans and portafilter are warm, but especially the water. Duh! The other tips are to read the manual and watch video tips from Breville and legit baristas. It all helps. Education is always good.

This espresso machine is a great buy for both the novice and the more experienced barista. It will pay for itself in the long run.

Now I'll go make myself a cappuccino. Happy 2022! #PeaceOnEarth #ItsTheLittleThings #Enjoy

One of the best coffee machines I owned. Had this model for well over a year now, and it still works as good as when I purchased it.

For reference, I had Thermador and Miele before, about 7 and 10 years ago. Both are in much higher price range than this one, but this one makes better coffee than what you would get at Starbucks in my opinion. I like the manual option of inserting the fresh coffee grind instead of automatic, and that makes the difference. I use the single filter shown in the picture.

There are a ton of other more detailed reviews here, so I am not going to waste yours or mine time. One improvement that I made is cutting off the groove from one side of the Main tray. Every time you take the main tray out to wash, it catches the smaller tray for tool storage, that you never use, and it gets annoying. You need a very sharp nice to cut it off (your choice, obviously), similar to the one I showed in the picture. BE VERY CAREFUL while performing this to not cut yourself. Use common sense.

All the best! Enjoy your coffee!

I couldn't be happier with the Breville BES870XL Expresso machine. My husband and I were Starbuck addicts for years. We finally decided to shift to making our own at home and through much research I came across the Barista. I was amazed at how lengthy and enthusiastic the reviews were so we took the leap of faith, even though it was a bit pricey compared to other machines. However, we have not been disappointed. Not only does it make great lattes, but they are even better than the ones we were getting at Starbucks all these years. Some of the reviews said that it would take awhile to tweak it for a good cup, but our very first cup was excellent. It is a very well designed machine with the built in grinder and steamer. Although the steamer jug provided is sufficient to steam milk for one latte at a time, I did go ahead and invest in a 32 oz steamer jug so that I can froth enough for two lattes at a time. It also seems that using the larger cup with more milk makes for a creamier and lighter latte. We started with the 1 cup filter basket as recommended, but now use the 2 cup basket which is perfect for a venti size latte. The Breville is easy to maintain, clean, replenish water and beans. I absolutely adore this machine and look forward every morning to making our delicious lattes after our daily workouts. We have been using 2% milk to keep calories down, and it is still amazing. If you are a discriminating latte drinker, this machine is for you!!

I had a different espresso machine for 20 years. Getting a good double shot of espresso was a bit of magic. This machine let me dial everything in so it's perfect every time. It seems expensive to buy but it's as much an investment as anything. If you stop by an espresso stand everyday on your way to work it's more than paid for in a year. For me the deciding factor was time. I hate waiting in line. It takes me under 5 minutes to make a mocha. That's less time than I spend sitting in line at the coffee shop. Let alone driving out of my way to go past one. And I get it exactly the way I want it every time. I get to purchase organic coffee from small producers I want to support. I use cacao powder instead of industrial chocolate syrup. On the weekends I enjoy coffee with friends on my patio. I am a fan of Breville. I have their convection oven that I love. Don't get caught up on the price, it's the value that's important. If you buy a cheap one, your total cost will be higher when you end up replacing it with a good one. The only thing you'll have to show for it is years of drinking crappy coffee.

Update: it's September 4,2023. It's still working perfectly. I always use Kicking Horse Espresso beans. I have never had to change any of the settings on the machine. I am good about cleaning it when the light comes on and I use filtered water.

I’ll keep it shirt because I could truly go on for some time about every thing that I like or didn’t like about this purchase.

Pros:
Best. Coffee. Ever. or espresso :) - the quality of brewing in this machine is phenomenal. And if your deciding on buying a new Kurig or investing in this...you won’t regret it. Keep in mind it’s a lot more to do than just dropping a cup in and pressing a button. But the pay off is so worth it. Again if you're able to deal with the process the outcome is worrh the effort.

Easy - grind beans, pat down (or don't), brew. Yes if you want creama you'll need the grind finer and if you have a wife like mine who prefers coarse ground over my fine ground there will be mistakes :) (not my fault she drinks coffee made for normal ground people) that's why there's a knob you turn boom creama turn boom regular coffee.

3. Variety - vanilla beans cool espresso beans cool mix beans cool the bean cup can giveth and taketh away. Meaning you can switch out beans whenever you want because the cup detaches, pit different beans in or whatever. No more multi pack of k cups you'll never drink but it was cheaper to buy in bulk.

Cons:

Gotta admit there's only a few that aren't really cons, they're just the reality of having a "machine" vs. 1 button brewing.

1. Cleaning - you gitta do it and once you do the first one it's not a big deal but I'd be lying if I told you I DIDN'T watch a few YouTube videos to get confident on what to do.the included instructions are...informative. Watch the videos save your stress.

2. Size - cup size to be precise. From the pic notice your standard coffee mug under the thing where your coffee comes out (not trying to impress you with my knowledge and terminology of every part of this thing) but standard mug I press button coffee goes in, large mug I need to use ANOTHER cup or an espresso mug to get my espresso (or coffee) and then pour it in my normal Monday morning late coffee cup. Again, not a big deal but just know that 2 cup mug isn't fitting under extractor.

3. Water tank - not that it's small and not that it matters if you have it sitting on a counter NOT underneath a cabinet.but you'll notice we have ours on a lazy susan so that we can spin machine around fill with water and spin back. It was a few weeks of lifting machine pulling it out taking stuff off the top of it emptying tray to put water in that made us go that route. If it's under a cabinet consider that. The lazy Susan spinning while lock g in extractor took some getting used to but it works.

That's it I won't go on because anything else would be nit-picking in my opinion.

Oh last thing price. Just a $100 less and this is a no Brainerd but that last $100 made us think hard about a new kurig or nespresso machine or this. Find a sale or wait for the price reduction it'll make it easier to click buy.

To me, there's a middle ground between great quality and decent price and this machine does that. Granted, its more expensive than most espresso machines but the quality is there every time. I bought my machine in November 2020 and it took me some time to find the perfect grind settings and grind amount (it comes with recommendations, but I found settings that work best for me) but once I did, I don't think I ever have a bad cup. The trick is in the beans you choose. Cheap beans = bad tasting. Decent-great beans = great tasting. I'll add the beans I use at the bottom for those who are interested in a decent price. But I'll talk about a few minor cons.
Cons
1) It takes time to get used to the machine (watch some youtube videos and you'll figure it out)
2) the milk steamer doesn't have a thermometer (I bought my own, burnt milk can also ruin a cup of coffee)
3) The instructions seem to be from a previous model where a couple of changes were made - most notably the tablet cleaning process is a bit different
4) It comes with a lot, but a cleaning towel for the milk steamer would have been great. I can obviously use my own towel that works, but as you'll see some fabric doesn't work so well at cleaning.

Overall, like many things on the expensive side, it takes some time to understand the system, but its great/consistent in the long-run. I don't foresee any mechanical issues in the future, but the product support is there as well!

My beans recommendations: Lavazza Caffe Espresso Italiano Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Medium Roast, 2.2-Pound Bag (Pack of 2)

I love the Breville Barista Express. We make 4 or 5 double shot lattes every day. We have been doing that since we got it in Nov 2018. The machine still looks and performs like new over 2 years later. It also lets you know when to clean or descale it. I don’t have to try to remember the maintenance. This will make it last a long time.

There is a bit of a learning curve to get the grind size and volume set right, but once that is done, there is no need to mess with it unless you change coffee beans.

The steamer does a great job, too. That also takes a bit of practice. But I can now make latte art like hearts and rosettas.

We love this thing so much that, if we leave on a long trip and we are driving, we take it with us! We have set it up in several hotel rooms and all our family comes to our room in the morning for coffee instead of going to Starbucks.

I did get a few accessories. These include a Knock-box to dump the used grounds, a small rubber bar mat to catch excess grounds and provide a soft surface to press the grounds, some clear double-wall glasses so you can see the coffee, and a bunch of cloths to catch water from the steamer wand and to clean the wand.

Bottom line, this is an excellent purchase. It is worth every penny. I highly recommend it and would buy it again.

I don’t know how I feel about this machine. I finally found a setting that I believe produces quality espresso shots, but who the heck knows at this point. It’s a frustrating and, to me, tedious process. Definitely not going to be perfect right out of the box, so prepare yourself.

I also don’t know if it’s normal for so much water to accumulate in the drip tray, and it even seeps below the drip tray. Make sure you empty it after each use to avoid a mess.

But the good part is it’s easy to use on the human side once you get it Calibrated, and it’s a beautiful machine that will make anyone’s kitchen appear that much more sophisticated. Now that it’s rigged up and ready to go, I enjoy americanos every morning. And the occasional latte.

The steam wand does not detach for more deep cleaning, so I’d advise you to have a wet cloth ready to wipe it down after use to prevent milk buildup.

I love it so much now, but I think for the price it shouldn’t be so difficult to get it up and running. This is the first espresso machine I’ve ever purchased though, so maybe I just need to adjust my expectations.

***Updated 3/4/2021*** I switched my beans and that made all the difference. I didn't have to adjust the grind at all, it pulls espresso shots without issue now and I love this machine! Still not a fan of not being able to clean the steam wand well, and all the excess water.

What a machine! I’ll add photos later. After doing months of research into espresso machines I decided the best option for me was to go with the Breville Barista Express and I don’t regret it. My first try resulted in a well-bodied flavorful and neatly extracted espresso that honestly blew me away. I also have a Flair Pro 2, which I also highly recommend, but you must invest in a nice grinder (I use a timemore hand grinder for it - yes it takes forever).

Pros of this machine:
Grinder built-in: produces a fairly consistent grind and has easy step adjustments)
Cleanliness: I wipe the front down each day with a damp rag, but overall it’s easy to clean. I’ve also cleaned the grinder already using the espresso Grindz and the included brush, works wonderfully. The one drawback is the steam wand, which milk burns to easily, I use a wet sponge to clean it after each use which makes cleaning it a breeze.
Pressure gauge: this makes understanding your extraction super easy if you don’t want to time and weigh your shots.

Cons:
Steaming power: it takes a minute or two to get started after selecting steam, and it’s very slow, I’d say I spend about 1-1:30 minutes steaming milk. It does create great milk texture though, and I’ve had success with dairy and non-dairy milks.
Tamper and distribution razor : the tamper and included razor tool suck, they’re not unusable, they just take a lot of practice to get consistent tamping and distribution. This is incredibly important and I recommend checking out accessories that distribute and tamp easier. The razor is just plain stupid, and I never use it.
Portafilter: the 54mm basket is more forgiving than a 58mm (standard size), which actually makes extraction easier for a beginner; however there’s a plastic piece inside this portafiler that I popped out with a screw driver because that’s silly and unnecessary. As you get used to using it, I recommend looking for a bottomless portafilter. It’ll change your espresso experience for the better.

All in all, if you’re new to espresso and want to play barista get this machine. It’s an all a rounder and amazing value.

This is our third Barista Express machine.
The first was a BES860XL. When the grinder stopped working we gave it to a friend.
The second was a BES870XL. The mechanism that automatically stops the extraction after enough water or time has passed is not working consistently. After we get this one repaired we will take it to a lake cottage that a friend has.
We purchased this third machine so we don't have to go without espresso while waiting for the second machine to be repaired.
This latest is a BES870XL/B. It was not grinding the beans fine enough. I set the grind dial on the side of the machine to its finest setting (1), but no matter how much pressure I applied while tamping, I could barely get the pressure into the "Espresso Range" on the meter.
While cleaning the machine to return it, I noticed on the upper burr of the grinder embossed numbers and the legend "<--Finer Coarser-->". So, I looked at the instruction book, and there is a new page that wasn't in the old book. In our book it is page 23 titled, "Adjusting Conical Burrs".

The upper burr dial came from Breville set at 6. I set the upper burr dial to 2 and set the side dial to 5. I am now able to grind, tamp and extract our espresso the way we've become used to with our second machine.

For the record, I try to get the needle on the pressure gauge between the third "S" in "Espresso" and the "N" in "Range", with the favored point being the "R" in "Range".

So, if you are used to one of the older Barista Express models, be aware of the new upper burr adjustment function.

Breville needs to update their instruction book to refer to this new page in the "Espresso only drips from portafilter spouts or not at all" and the "Espresso runs out too quickly" entries in the "Troubleshooting" section.

Short: I have had this machine for 3.5 years. I use it every day, and I absolutely love it. I have had no issues with it and haven’t needed to fix anything. I would purchase again in a heartbeat.

Long: I was a barista for 3 years and basically consumed so much coffee that it replaced the blood in my veins. I love coffee. When I got a new job, I had a hard time transitioning from espresso back to your average black coffee. I ended up buying coffee almost every day (which really adds up $$$). I started researching at-home espresso machines to see what my options were. There were pros and cons to every machine. After months of research, I ended up splurging to get this machine. 3.5 years later I have not regretted it. I adore this machine. I make espresso every day, and I have brought it on vacation with friends multiple times (and even persuaded some friends to buy their own ). Most days I only pull one shot, but I have pulled up to 20 shots on a single day. She works like a champ. The espresso is smooth; the crema is magnificent. It’s not automatic, so you need to know what you’re doing. If you’ve never been a barista, there will be a learning curve on how to tamp, steam milk, etc. But it is so fun! If anything happens to this machine, I will definitely buy another one. It is an expensive investment at first, but I have saved almost $5000 in the 3.5 years I’ve had this machine by not going to coffee shops anymore.

Pros:
- you can remove the tamp (which is high quality). Many at-home machines have an attached tamp that is very awkward
- manual steam wand - this was a must for me. I like control on how my milk is steamed
- customizable settings - I love being able to customize the time of my shots, the grind size, and grind amount
- easy to clean - a light turns on every time she needs a cleaning :) so easy!
- amazing grinder with removable hopper
- convenient hot water spout
- helpful built in pressure gauge
- handy storage tray behind dump tray (see pictures)
- single or double shot
- everything is so high quality. The tamp, portafilter, filter baskets, milk pitcher, and the machine itself are solid and made of metal. Nothing feels like cheap plastic. I did drop the water tank a couple months ago and it cracked, but I taped it up and it works just fine!
- feels like you’re in a coffee shop, but from the comfort of your home
- MONEY SAVER

Cons:
- I wish the water tank was slightly bigger, but that would make the machine bigger
- it would be nice if it came with a knock box, but you can buy those separate for only like $15
- big investment and potential learning curve

Overall, I would recommend this machine to anyone. It’s fun, easy to use, high quality, and saves you a TON of money. It is the best machine for less than $1000. I truly will never not own this machine.

If you want to make really good espresso/cappuccino, you need good equipment. The Barista Express is a self contained espresso bar. It utilizes a good conical burr grinder and an excellent semi-automatic espresso machine all in one unit. My old setup, comprised of a separate grinder and espresso machine was okay, but always left quite a mess to clean up after making a couple of coffees. With this Breville model I have no coffee dust all over the counter after grinding the coffee. Brewing is as easy as touching a button. It is very easy to dial in your grind,dose and tamp because of the pressure gauge. I had it all set after pulling 3 shots. The unit has features found on much costlier machines. You can go full manual or automatic on both the grinder and the brew. You can swap out the bean hopper without spilling a single bean. It has both a professional steam wand (single hole) and a hot water dispenser, which enables you to make any coffee drink you like i/e machiato, capuccino, americano etc. I am finally getting the most out of my coffee with no hassles whatsoever. Very happy with my purchase and would recommend this product to anyone who loves coffee.
It's been 4 years since purchasing this excellent espresso maker. I make up to 8 coffee drinks per day on average. And I still make the best coffee in town. Just use fresh roasted coffee beans and do regular descaling. The rest is easy.

First impressions since I just got it, and only used it for a couple of times. First things first, it arrived double boxed and actual product box was in neat condition. Machine is brand new. I can’t believe I saw a review from someone claiming that the machine arrived used with residue coffee grinds and scratches. That must sucks but thankfully not my experience. To me this is a high end machine for a espresso beginner like me and so glad I got it for less than the typical $700 price tag. I added the protection plan too so some peace of mind there. My current coffee beans are dark roasted and oily so it was kind of tricky to find the right maybe not perfect but considerably right grind size. Lots of trial and error until I felt like I had dialed in a good size. Also had to mess with the grind amount. I started with the recommended setting of 3 o’clock and oh boy that wasn’t right at all for my beans. Anyways just keep in mind that you have to spend some time adjusting if you’re using whole beans and a non pressurized basket. The steam wand is awesome and works great. Please don’t make my mistake even though I know I have to wipe the wand immediately I got distracted and took longer than I should have to wipe clean the wand so it got messy but got it cleaned up good now. The hot water dispenser is so convenient to quickly warm up cups. It has that preinfusion feature and also the one that removes the excess of water from your group head and leaves you with a dry puck. Those are excellent features. Overall again first impressions are excellent. This looks like a high quality machine to me and I hope to see it work well for me for years to come. Maybe on the high maintenance side but oh well I will do my beat to keep clean and we’ll maintained. Cheers!

I held off on writing a review for years because I saw someone saying that this machine lasts only around 2 years. This is totally not true. I purchased this Apr 17, 2017 and I am writing this Feb 16, 2020. So I'm just shy of 3 years. It still works perfectly.

I have 5 years of barista experience and have worked with Nuova Simonelli and Rancilio machines and I love this machine. I've never had any issue with it at all. I was worried because my tap water is VERY hard. I was afraid that the insides would seize up after a while due to build up but nope. I'll also add that I'm kinda lazy. I don't descale it nearly as much as I should. I think I've only descaled it 5 times in the 3 years I've had it.

I think what a lot of people struggle with is getting the settings right. Even if you've worked with espresso machines before, each one is a bit different and each type of bean is different. It took a bit of experimenting before I got the grinding coarseness, grind amount, and tamping pressure right; but once I did, it's so easy. So be patient, try different things and see what works for you.

I love the power of the steam wand. You're actually able to get good microfoam. It takes longer than commercial machines but that shouldn't really be a surprise. It comes out hot, luscious, and creamy.

Is this the best home espresso machine ever? Probably not. But unless you're a huge coffee snob and have tons of money to throw around, it's unbeatable at this price range.

Some tips:
>Don't use the auto grind dispensing setting. Not because it's inaccurate but because it will get messy as the heap of grinds tumbles down and over the edges of your portafilter.
--> What I do is I set the auto dispense to a single shot with the amount only at about 1/3 of the way turned up. I auto dispense that base amount, take out the portafilter, gently tamp down the grinds a bit, then manual dispense grinds to my desired amount. This prevents a world of mess. What's the desired amount? That's up to what you're making and with what size filter you have on your portafilter. Single, double?
--> As a general rule of thumb, on my final, full pressure tamp, I make sure the grinds are about 5mm down from the top.

>How much grind you put in and how hard you tamped it will affect the pressure reached while infusing!!
--> if your machine is not getting to "espresso range" pressures then don't assume it's broken! You might just not have put enough grinds in or tamped to the appropriate level. Getting it right may take some time.
--> When you remove the portafilter after infusing, the "puck" of espresso grinds should come away in the portafilter and be easily disposed by tapping it (with a bit of force) on the edge of whatever grind receptacle you're using. If you get sludge when you remove, you did not put enough grinds in/tamp with enough pressure.
--> If you're still struggling to get a good infusion, play with the grind coarseness setting. It's different for different beans!

>RINSE after each use! Start up a single shot without a portafilter under for a few seconds then turn it off again. Having old grinds stuck on there is gross and affects the taste of your next espresso.
--> Rinse out the milk steaming wand after use! Have a wet tea towel ready before you steam milk! Once you're done steaming IMMEDIATELY wipe down the wand (watch your hand! It's hot!) Otherwise, the milk will cook onto the wand and form a hard crust. Rinse the inside by turning it on while pointed at the tray for several seconds.

>If you turn on the steam wand and it's not starting, don't panic. Be patient. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer to get going.
--> If it's really not turning on, turn it off, then check the hole. It may be blocked up with the aforementioned cooked and crusted milk. They provide you with a handy tool to clear it!

That's all for now. If I encounter any issues in the future, I will update this review to include details.

Update: I've now had this machine for a year, and we still adore it. Not long ago we had to evacuate for a hurricane, and I actually packed this up and took it with me, because I couldn't bear the thought of a long evacuation without good coffee in the morning. I still wish the water tank were bigger.
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I got this machine for Christmas and we love it so much. I have three teenage sons, so this machine gets a lot of traffic, especially on the weekends. My husband hates learning new gadgets, so I was a bit worried about him, but with a few practice runs, he’s now also enjoying daily Americanos and says it’s the best “coffee” he’s ever had. On weekday mornings we stick to Americanos, and the hot water dispenser makes a good tea too. For mornings where we can slow down more, all of us have gotten decent at steaming and frothing milk, although that definitely took some trial and error.

I appreciate the small footprint of this espresso maker. Some users have suggested ample space is needed around the machine, but we have it on a smaller counter segment with only 6-8” on either side and it’s fine. When we had it set up at my parents’ house, it was horizontally awfully close to the bottom their cabinet, but it fit. However, that makes it harder to remove and replace the water receptacle, which for my family needs to be done at a minimum daily, and usually more. I have higher raised cabinets though, so it’s fine.

As far as accessories, we bought some double-walled glasses, but we mostly drink taller drinks that need a mug. I recently bought an inexpensive knock box, and this is more useful than I would have expected. Besides using it for disposing of grounds (or in our case transferring them to compost), it’s also handy to have below as you smooth and level grounds. Before I’d walk over to the sink to do that, inevitably leaving a trail of grounds. I also bought a poster that shows all the different kinds of coffee drinks. That’s a fun reference and provides more drink ideas.

The cleaning light finally came on a few days ago, but as I said we’re heavy users. I used one of the tablets that came with the machine and followed the directions. It was a pretty easy process. I haven’t needed to descale it yet. Once or twice a bean has jammed the grinder, but again that was an easy fix even for the mechanically uninclined.

Overall, we love this machine. I hope it has a nice long and happy life.

We were looking at the Breville machine without the grinder since it was on Cyber Monday special but glad we spent the extra for this. The espresso comes out great every time, the cleanup is easy and the steam wand actually works to froth milk. I used to work at a coffee shop on much more expensive machines and while this may be no where near those, it does produce exceptionally consistent shots and has a pretty high quality feel to it. My wife was at first concerned it may be too complicated but running through it a few times teaches you everything you need to know and it’s quick to operate. What I really like about this is the level of thought that went into it. They really did think about everything in this machine. The bottom grate removes easy and is split into a coffee grind collector and water tray that catches and extra steam runoff or missed espresso if you don’t get cups directly under the portafilter.

Pros:
- High quality shots every time
- High build quality and easily cleaned everything
- Automatic grind feature is really nice and avoids another device on the counter
- Steam wand is one of the better ones on a home unit

Cons:
- Breville recommended grind amounts were way too much. We dialed ours back to 1/4th rather than half way as recommended and waste a lot less Espresso. However your results may vary.
- The Breville razor is kinda useless. If you get the grind amount right I’ve noticed that the included tamper marks about the same level if you line up it’s metal tamper with the rim of the portafilter
- Having multiple portafilter caps is nice but we find unnecessary. 99% of the time you’re gonna use the one for two shots with whole bean coffee, though it’s nice to have in a pinch if you have to get preground.
- This machine requires water filters every two months. This isn’t really a con but more so inconvenient. The benefit of this, though, is a cleaner machine so it’s the least concerning. Also the filters and cleaning tablets are pretty cheap.

All and all I’d highly recommend this machine for those in the market. It may be more expensive than others but produces a far better quality product.

***UPDATE*** After 16 months of daily use, once per day to make double shots of espresso, this machine gave out. Being outside warranty, the cost of shipping and handling, cost to diagnose the machine, and then replace parts, would at minimum cost nearly 1/2 what this machine cost me when I bought it on sale. What happened? The machine stopped pumping water into the group head with enough power to do an extraction. I kept this machine clean, clean, clean, and even after careful descaling it still would not do the job. I will not be replacing this machine with another Breville. I will not chance it. ***I owned a Starbuck's Barista espresso machine and it lasted about ten years. It was a durable machine, but it couldn't brew a great espresso because it was underpowered. So, when I gave the Barista machine to the local Goodwill, I began shopping for it's replacement. I wanted a machine that could brew several drinks in a row without any reheating issues or steaming issues. Enter the Breville BES870XL.I live modestly, but I do like an excellent Almond milk latte. I also like to spend much less money on said latte than what I am charged at the local coffee shop! The Breville BES870XL is a God send! The machine fits nicely on my limited counter space in my very small apartment kitchen. It grinds beautifully and I can whip up wonderful lattes at will. The machine is so easy to use compared to the old Barista. Extraction of the espresso always gives excellent crema (I use Lavazza Super Crema beans) and taste and steaming the milk right after extraction always happens, since the Breville has the water good and hot, ready to go.The only con is that the grinder is messy. I use a tray to collect the grinds that fall out during collection and also pressing into the basket. But that is really the only issue I have with this machine.I keep the Breville clean after each brew. Be scrupulous with cleaning and the machine rewards with great tasting brew!I haven't owned this machine for but a month, so durability is not considered here. However, if the Breville BES870XL lasts as long as my old Barista did, I will be extremely pleased. I would buy this again without thought! Enjoy.

My Rancillio finally bit the dust after 10 years. I researched espresso machines extensively before going for the Breville. I wasn't sure about the combined grinder because that is one of the most important aspects of pulling good shots--a good grinder. And I already have a good stand alone grinder. I almost bought the one without the grinder, but I thought I could save counter space if I paid a little more and got the grinder. I'm glad I did. This machine grinds well. I wait until just a few grains fall over the top, then use the tamper (that attaches by magnet to the inside top of the machine-great because I constantly lost my other tamper after rinsing it), then use the razor that comes with it before connecting the piece to the machine. The grinding, tamping, razoring process takes about 40 seconds. After connection, I just push the double button and I have two perfect shots in 33 seconds. I like lattes so I pour about an inch of whole milk in the stainless steel pitcher that comes with the unit, and turn on the frother. It takes about 78 seconds to froth the milk for a latte or cappuccino. I wipe the frother with a damp rag I leave on top of the machine. So in under two minutes, I have a fabulous latte. The first time you turn on the machine, it heats up in under a minute. If the machine has just gone to sleep, it heats up in about 15 seconds. This is much more time efficient than waiting in line at the coffee store, and it saves a lot of money, now that the Denver coffee shops are charging nearly $5, before tip, for lattes and cappuccinos. I drink 3 or 4 lattes a day. I figure once you include the cost of your time, gas, and the cost of the actual drink, this machine will pay for itself in about a year, less if you drink more and your time is worth a lot.

Update: After 2 Years, I am still very satisfied. Nothing has broken, and the coffee is still great. Don't hesitate to buy this. I am at home 7 days a week now due to Covid-19 and I use the hell out of this. Original review below:

This is a great machine. Below are the reasons I give it a favorable rating.

Coffee - This is not my first espresso maker, but it's my first advanced model. It makes a great shot of espresso with good crema.

Second: Features - Not too many features. This unit has the basic ones you need: Automated Burr Grinder, Pressure Gauge, Single/Double shot options and of course a steam nozzle. There are a few tweaks you'll need to dial in, like any espresso maker. These center on grind size (easy to use dial on side of machine), grind quantity, and how to properly tamp down the espresso. Once you get that down, you're golden. Most importantly, the pressure gauge will tell you when you have your settings right. I only briefly referenced the manual to answer a few questions. Still haven't read the whole thing.

Second: Materials - It is made of good stainless steel and has user-serviceable parts. Espresso Portafilter is heavy gauge - it feels good in the hand too. Someone put some thought into the user-experience with this machine. Four filters are provided with the machine for varying brew quantity and strength.

Third: Longevity - I have been using this continuously for 4 months. No problems so far other than a clogged steam jet, which was easy to remedy via the screw-off steam nozzle. Didn't even have to reference the user manual - it was that easy. I will try to update later to see how it's doing after a year in service.

Fourth: Looks - this unit will most likely be placed in your kitchen, and it is not small. Your eye will be drawn to it (my friends all comment on it when they come over) so it's important that it not be a plastic beast. The stainless is easy to clean and looks good. It also has a great drip tray that tells you when it's full. I'm not a terribly neat guy, and this thing is easy to keep clean.

Why I Bought It:
My goal was to cut down on what I was spending at Starbucks. I was averaging one 5.00 coffee per day during the week. That means roughly $100.00 per month. I wanted an espresso maker that would provide quality coffee and, over the course of a year, save me money. The Breville BES870XL hits this mark. It also saves me a little time and some gas (going to the coffee shop). I still support my local coffee shop because the owner and his staff are great - but the afternoon trip to Starbucks is gone!

Hope this helps in your purchasing decision!

Owned since Oct. 2017, no issues yet. Avg. of maybe 2 double espressos per day, steamed milk less often, so relatively low use. We have a whole-house water softener (and 5-stage RO filter for drinking water), so scale buildup is not an issue at all. I do run the cleaning tablet when the "clean me" light comes on. I did descale it once so far, but might not have been necessary (eg. our electric kettle doesn't build up any scale). We only use the non-pressurized filter baskets (tried the others, didin't see the point, harder to clean).

My best advice for an easy and consistent "Italian café style" espresso is to get a can of Illy medium roast beans. Especially if you're new to making espresso (actually in this case you may want to start with a can of ground Illy -- still tastes great and takes one major step out of the equation, and you then know the desired coarseness for grinding your own). This gets me a great espresso every single time. With local roasts (we have several roasters in the area I'd prefer to support instead of Illy) I found it is much more finicky... can change from cup to cup, and definitely from batch to batch. While I've gotten some great espressos from locally-roasted sources, with interesting flavors, I've gotten way more poor shots. With the Breville and Illy I can make a better (IMHO) espresso than any of the local shops can manage... honestly. Mind you we live in a small college town. I guess most ppl drink frothed milk with a little coffee and don't really notice the espresso part.

Don't try to grind a double all at once... a lot of it will overflow (wasteful and messy). I grind one shot, take the filter out, spread out the grinds and give it a couple taps on the counter to settle them, then grind the 2nd shot on top of that. Makes almost no waste or mess this way. I've found that the "half a double" grind amount is typically one click less than an actual single-shot grind (so eg. twice at 1 o'clock for double, once at 2 o'clock for a single).

Also forget the metal "leveler" thing they include... it's silly. Spread the grinds out in the filter with a finger edge. If the double filter is full to the brim before packing, you're good to go. The single filter should be a little under full before packing. After packing either filter, the metal rim on the press should be even with the top of the filter (as shown in the manual). Hardest part is making sure you're not tilting the press while pushing down, as it is easy to get a "cockeyed" pack. Again, watching the metal rim of the press vs. the filter rim is a good way to check that.

Low pressure can be a direct result of old beans -- really. Came home after a 2-week trip once and tried to make espresso with beans from an Illy can that had already been opened (and had made good coffee before trip). Couldn't get the pressure high enough, regardless of grind size or amount, or tamping. Even tried a cleaning. Opened fresh can of Illy, et voilá, good pressure again.

I didn't find any other accessories necessary (except eventually some cleaning tablets). You will want something on the counter to put the filter on while packing (and banging it to settle grinds) -- a folded kitchen towel works well. The space under the filter allows for a wide variety of drinking vessels (whoever suggested using paper cups... really? Wasteful and ruins the taste IMHO).

The grinder maybe isn't the best -- the grind is good. and can be set very fine, but would be better to grind based on weight instead of time. It's important that the beans are fed into the grinder consistently. Make sure they're spread out evenly in the hopper, and as someone else mentioned, tapping on the hopper while grinding may help (esp. if there aren't many beans in there). You can hear the grinder sound change when it is grinding beans vs. air. Regular cleanings help as well.

This is not a great machine for serving a party of people. Unless they like cold coffee, or you serve them all individually as the coffees are ready... the first ppl you serve will be done by the time you serve yourself. It's fine for a couple of servings, but beyond that it starts to get awkward. Especially if they want steamed milk.... you'd want the double-boiler model for that at minimum.

Overall very happy with this machine. I had never made my own espresso before owning it, but I certainly knew what I liked. This machine delivered, after a modest learning curve (and the Illy beans helped a lot).

It was everything I hoped for. This machine is beautifully made and makes a coffee better than I had in France and Spain. I had tried some friend's machines, ranging from high-end Italian made commercial equipment ($$$$) that was fully manual to a De'Longhi MAGNIFICA Fully automatic for about the same price, one-button machine (also a very good machine), and the Breville unit is right in between the two--but it is considered fully automatic. The construction is top-grade and the small surprises were: the magnetic nest the tamper fits into, the use of a filter in the water tank (plus spare), the hidden drawer for the cleaning equipment, the warming tray on top for my cup and the pop-up tab when the tray is filled and it's time to empty. It took me a few tries and adjustments to get everything just where I want it to be and that was easy to get from the instruction manual. The only improvements I can suggest are: offer a larger water reservoir and a better indicator when the water tank is getting low, but these are hardly show-stoppers.

P.S. I've tried only a few different sources of beans from various countries and settled on the Hawaiian Gold Reserve Kona Blend medium roast beans (Not the Kirkland) at COSTCO. Delicious, rich and creamy. Still plenty more to try. I have tried other beans (ie.e Starbucks, Columbian, Guatemalan, etc.) and had to fuss with the grinder settings as well as the conical burr grinder settings to achieve the perfect extraction. For the Kona, I set the grinder to "5" and leave the burr grinder at "6" I also find that when using a double, you are better off grinding a single, then tamp it, then hit another single instead of a double to begin with (less grind spill).

I bought this about a month ago and thought I'd give it some time to review. This is my first espresso machine, and I must say, I am very impressed.

The reason I bought it was mainly because I was tired of reloading my Starbucks card, and I missed real Italian espressos from Italy. I had tried brewing with Moka pots, but it just didn't work out. The Breville is spot-on!

At first, like everyone else, I had a bit of a hard time getting the dial to register correctly in the espresso range. Finally I settled on the Starbucks espresso beans with the grind set to 3. When you grind the beans, start off just barely filling the filter, then gently pressing the grounds to the sides. After that, grind a little more just so you can make a little rounded hill. Then, tamp firmly.

Milk frothing is a breeze as well. There were some YouTube videos I watched to get an idea of how to do it. Honestly it's not a difficult machine to use. My 11-year old daughter has the whole process down pat and has officially become the family barista. My wife won't drink a capuccino unless my daughter made it.

UPDATE--After nearly a year, this thing is still chugging along! Two things stand out as must-do's to keep it that way:
- Clean regularly -- I had let the grinder get clogged up and it wasn't grinding as well. Routine grinder cleaning is essential, as is regular descaling and cleaning using the tablets.

Also, I do have to say that you should call customer support when you're not sure what's going on. I had a problem also with the pressure and found out that because of the beans I used, I needed to change the grind size to a finer grind. Not only did they help me figure it out, they also sent me some Breville descaler and cleaning tablets free because the machine was still under warranty. That's worth an extra star in my book!

Follow up: Oct. 2019,
Still going strong. No issues with the machine to date. Still looks great, works great. Daily use, 2-3 cups a day. Thousand+ cups made. I have been cleaning it regularly and descaling about every 6 mos (not hard water area). I have cleaned the grinder once and even that was probably not necessary. I didn't find a lot of buildup on the burs. I only grind fresh roasted unflavored beans, I was kind of surprised to not find any buildup on the burs, but hey, I'm not complaining. I would definitely buy this again.

Original Review:
A fine machine for the cost. I was not sure what to expect, but this thing is nice. For a home machine it kicks out a nice cup-a-joe!
Bottom line, this is a great machine. I have tried several and so far, short of a commercial unit, this is the one to get.

Not an automatic coffee maker. You have to learn how to use it. But if you are like me and don't mind a little hands on, and a little thinking you will love this machine. If you are looking for a 'push the button and have a cup of espresso', look elsewhere. You will need to adjust and adapt to the coffee beans you choose.

Pros:
Pump is powerful. Have not had any issue getting excellent extraction.
Heater is powerful. Heats up fast and not much waiting at all for a single boiler unit. I was initially debating on getting the dual boiler unit since almost all I make is cappuccino type drinks. However, the wait for steam is only about 10-15 seconds and at this point I can't see spending the extra cash. Plenty of steam!
If you like hot milk, or lots of foam, or somewhere in the middle, you are set. Once you get the hang of the steam wand, it is no big deal to make it how you like it.
Construction is solid. Materials seem high quality and sturdy. Has a good feel.
Grinder works just fine. As long as it doesn't break, we're good. The grind is consistent. I have used store bought and fresh roasted (same day) coffees. All grind just fine and make a good cup. I don't use the pressure filter, but have tried it out on some pre-ground coffee. It does fake out a nice crema. So if you don't want to bother with fresh beans and proper grind, you can still get a nice looking cup.
It is not 'automatic' as in brainless. One still needs to get the right grind and tamp for the beans you are using, but for anyone with a tad of experience you will be proudly sipping your efforts in no time. I find the results very consistent and repeatable. Once you are dialed in for a batch of beans, you don't need to mess with it.

Cons:
Mostly nits but some may find them more annoying...
The drip tray fills up very fast and if you wait for the little 'empty me' flag you waited way too long. Prepare for a mess. Just stay on top of it.
There are lots of crevices in the drip tray that you will never get clean. OCD people will not like this, but it's nothing you see and won't affect the operation at all.
The grinder does not feed itself well. It will run dry with beans in the hopper. You have to tap it or stir the beans to get them to drop in. Not a big deal though.
It is a tad on the messy side, but I really don't see any way around this. You will have grounds and drips and stuff around the work area. Again, I don't see any way to load the filter without a bit of a mess, but just know this is not a clean freaks operation.
You will have a perpetual gob of steamed milk on the steam nozzle in the little flat area that is there to thread it together unless you scrape it out every time. It's just a little space but again, if you are the OCD type you will notice it...
The drip tray finish scratches easily. Don't expect the work surface to stay pretty long. It will show use. No harm. Just not new looking...

Wish List:
I wish it had an option for a water line and a drain tube.
I wish the finish was a little more fingerprint and scratch forgiving.

I rarely write online reviews of products I buy, but I am so impressed by this machine I must share with people who are contemplating this purchase.

BOTTOM LINE:
This is an extremely good value for the price, and I would HIGHLY recommend this machine to anyone regardless of their experience level with making espresso-based beverages. Read on for more detail...

BACKGROUND:
I am very careful when buying products in this kind of price range, and thus do a lot of research before buying. This is especially true with something you can't truly "try before you buy". I read over 100 of the reviews on this product, and although there are some complaints the major theme is very positive. I have been using the Breville daily now for almost two months and feel I understand it's pro's and con's very well.

As a coffee person, my focus is on espresso, Americano, and lattes. I was never a drip-coffee person, but I have been a hardcore Starbucks latte guy for 6 years. I have talked at length to baristas over the years to get a more technical understanding of what makes great coffee, and previously owned a fully automatic machine from Saeco (about a $600 machine). When it came time to buy a new machine, I felt that I was ready to make the jump to a semi-automatic machine.

Lastly, I come from a technology background (e.g. Apple employee) and feel that I am a good judge of design, manufacturing, user interface, etc.

DESIGN:
This is an extremely well designed product. Every little detail, from the exterior & interior packaging to the controls on the front of the machine, is very thoughtfully done, well executed, and serves its intended purpose. From the beginning you see that it is a high quality product, and Breville spent money where it matters. The materials are visually appealing as well as sturdily built, with the kind of craftsmanship and heft you would expect from a much higher priced machine. Nice touches like having the tamper store in a magnetized hole in the top of the machine, having the top surface of the machine stay warm from the boiler to keep your portafilter and coffee cup warm, and creating a hidden accessories tray in the base of the machine are signs of top notch designers. Overall, the product is relatively compact and will fit into any size kitchen situation. Lastly, the user instructions are extremely well done and very helpful - READ THEM.

PERFORMANCE:
The espresso produced is extremely consistent, and only changes as your beans age (although a pretty small difference). The water boiler heats up very quickly and you will be drawing a shot less than 2 minutes after hitting the power button (part of this time is grinding the beans). The controls are easy to use, and the movable items such as the portafilter and steamer wand are holding up well and I have zero concern about long term reliability. The steamer wand, compared to my previous Saeco, seems to create much richer milk foam, which is important for lattes and cappuccinos. There are a number of "complaints" from people on these reviews about how difficult it is to get good espresso, but I can tell you my very first shot was good and has been ever since. I think these people are creating the wrong impression, as this machine is incredibly easy to use. However, it's critically important that you read the instruction manuals FIRST to help ensure you get it right. The grind level is the only thing you really need to set, and that will be personal preference to some extent but for my beans it seems best at 4. The other thing you control is how hard to tamp the grounds in the portafilter, and I will tell you that if you give it a good strong press (I use two hands on a hard flat surface), it will be just fine. Don't overthink this machine!

BEANS:
I strongly suggest you find a local shop that roasts their beans on-site so you can have truly fresh beans. You want espresso whole beans, and they need to be 100% Arabic and NOT the "oily" kind. Otherwise, you will gum up your grinder.

CLEANING:
Terrific design makes this a breeze to clean. The water and grounds catch tray just lifts out in one piece, and you can take everything to the sink without making a mess. A quick rinse and you are ready to put it back. One thing that cannot be avoided is that some of the coffee grinds will spill out of the portafilter during the grinding process, and may even fall off the coffee maker and onto the counter (or floor). I shake the portafilter mildly while its grinding to even out the grounds to minimize the mess, but even that doesn't eliminate it completely. The other mess creator is tamping the grounds and levelling off the dose size, this will cause grounds to be spilled. Up to you how to contain this, although I just turn the dosing blade upside down and use it to scrape the grounds off my counter and into a bowl I use to catch the grounds when I level the dose. Overall it is quite minor and requires less than 5 minutes of clean-up a day.

I had a Breville for 5 years before this model, that I loved. I really had no good reason to buy this because my other one was still functioning perfectly. But I went ahead anyway for two reasons: I saw a video that made the workflow look much nicer, and just the look of the bean that came out of the grinder was intoxicating.

To say I'm not disappointed is an understatement. This may be my favorite appliance of all time.

This machine already has so many 5 star reviews, I decided to write another for two reasons:

1. This machine is such a huge improvement over the prior model it's astounding that it came out as being the same price.
2. The types of improvements indicate that Breville is that rare company that really does learn and refine, delivering amazing excellence.

On the first point, my prior machine had a few little warts: when it started to make the espresso, it would vibrate and often it would move the cup out of the way and pour the espresso down into the grill. I tried a lot of things to cure that. The only real solution was using really big mugs but even then it was rickety. This thing is smooth as silk. Granted, it is significantly bigger, but they have made big improvements. It feels like a completely different machine. Like going from a pinto to a cabin cruiser.

Having the grinder onboard is fantastic. I was using a Krups that sat next to the machine. I was grinding every day or two and keeping the bean in a small mason jar, but still, fresh ground is going to win every time. Also, the grind looks totally different than what you get from a steel blade grinder, which tends to go from coarse to powder very quickly with not much in between. This was one of the main reasons I upgraded: I was off coffee for 15 years and went back after countless studies showed its ability to prevent neurodegenerative disease. Clearly, beans that were ground just now, and in a more gentle, less oxidizing way (the metal blade grinder whip up the contents too much), are going to be the best you can do on this front.

One of the other huge areas of improvement is the degree to which the machine teaches you how to make the coffee you want to make. This alone is worth the purchase price. Turns out I was using 2x the coffee I needed to on the old machine, with pressure rarely getting over minimum. This setup has already in a few days taught me more about getting that balance right, and there are more controls and easier ways to see the effects of each change you make. This is really huge: the ultimate in design is when the product also trains the user.

I am a software developer. We talk a lot about Lean as a process methodology: Kaizen, constant improvement, by minding the things that are done to produce a result. The workflow of making coffee on this new machine is so much nicer: no more transferring ground beans, etc. Filling the water is still kind of a drag. I think they should have a simple way to attach this thing to a water supply, but, that's a minor nit.

Finally, on the financial side, though many people consider $600 a crazy amount to pay for a coffee machine, when you get coffee out it's ~$3 per serving. That means 200 servings later, this thing has paid for itself. Also, an interesting study recently showed that very large machines in commercial installations are often cleaned with harsh chemicals that leach lead into the water. This is the best way there is today to make coffee.