Breville RM-BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine,15 Ounces Brushed Stainless Steel (Renewed)

I debated whether to buy the Breville Barista Express with its built in grinder or the Breville Infuser, essentially the same machine sans grinder, and then get a separate grinder, for some time. I figured for the $100 price difference I could get a decent grinder, and if one went down I would still have the other. Then I saw the refurbished Barista Express for a bit more than half of the price of a new one and the decision was easy. I was concerned about the reports of reliability issues but adding a four year warranty for about $30 still kept the price exceptionally low and gave me enough of a comfort level to pull the trigger.

The unit arrived about three weeks ago and aside from coming in a special box for refurbished items and having a slight coffee smell, everything appeared brand new. It was missing the storage tray and the retaining spring that holds the basket in the portafilter but a call to Breville had both items sent out in a about a week. Neither was essential to the operation of the machine. I actually had to contact Breville twice because it took me a few days to realize that the reason the basket kept getting stuck in the group head was because of the missing spring. The second time I used the chat function on the web site to speak to a rep and avoided the 30 minute hold time.

Making espresso as well espresso based drinks (cafe latte, cappuccino, macchiato, etc.) with this machine requires a bit of work. No more work than any other semi-automatic machine, but it’s not press a button and forget it simple either. It requires at least a passing interest in and basic understanding of the art and science of espresso. And that’s half the fun! That being said, the instructions are more than adequate and pulling a shot of espresso and steaming a pitcher of milk is fairly straightforward. The machine does both very well. It’s not a commercial machine, it can’t pull shot after shot in short order while you steam milk; it’s built for home use. I can’t speak to long term reliability and users report a wide range of experiences in that area but the four year extended warranty seemed prudent given the incidence of failure.

While getting the machine to produce espresso is fairly easily accomplished, there is a bit of a learning curve to getting great espresso for neophytes and it requires an understanding of how the variables of grind size, dose, tamping pressure, brew time, and water temperature affect the final result. Fortunately there are some excellent resources available online and possibly locally depending on your area.

The machine comes with everything you need to start making espresso, cafe latte, cappuccino, etc., except for coffee beans, water, milk (when required), and a cup to drink from. Do yourself a favor and find a local roaster and use only freshly roasted beans. It won’t make as much of a difference in a caffe latte which is mostly milk but you will definitely taste a big difference in a cup of espresso and even cappuccino which when done properly, still retains a very strong espresso flavor. Depending on the particular bean, roaster, and who you ask, freshly roasted coffee requires between three and five days to rest after roasting to taste it’s best and should be used up between 14 and 21 days after roasting. It won’t be horrible after that but there is a noticeable difference.

I have a few recommendations for what I consider essential accessories for getting the best out of this or any espresso machine. First of all, cups. Maintaining the proper temperature and the correct ratio of milk to coffee as well as proper presentation requires different cups for different drinks. Go to any cafe in Italy and you will never be served a cappuccino in a cup meant for caffe latte or vice versa. At the very least I would get espresso cups (large enough for a double shot if needed), cappuccino cups, and caffe latte cups. Pouring a shot (or two) into either of the latter cups then filling them to the brim with the proper ratios of steamed milk and foam will result in the perfect taste for each drink. I also recommend a scale that measures in 0.1 gram increments and a measuring shot glass for dialing in your dose and serving sizes. I would consider a timer as well though the timer on your smart phone will do nicely. A proper storage container will help keep your beans fresh though you should still use them up within the recommended amount of time. The Airscape ceramic or stainless steel canisters come highly recommended and are attractive enough: https://www.amazon.com/Airscape-Ceramic-Storage-Canister-Small/dp/B07C4Q78BT/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541280574&sr=8-4&keywords=airscape%2Bcoffee%2Bbean%2Bcanister&th=1

I think a knock box is an essential convenience but it won’t impact the final result in the cup. Demi-tasse sized spoons are nice to have and from there you can go crazy with a fancy tamper (the included tamper is perfectly adequate if not a stunning example of industrial design) drink flavorings, shakers of cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, sauces, or anything else you desire to dress up your coffee. None of that is necessary to getting the best out of the machine however.

Go slow, master the basics, and invest the time to understand the process and you will produce espresso and espresso based drinks that are far better than what you will find in most cafes in a very short period of time.

Update March 28, 2019
The grinder died last week. This machine has been making excellent espresso drinks for the last five months, better than any Starbucks and most boutique cafes my wife and i have been able find. Fortunately it is still under warranty and will be repaired or replaced free of charge, and Breville pays for shipping both ways. But the shipping boxes they send you to return the machine have been out of stock for the past week and probably will be for another week. Together with the repair time I anticipate the machine will be down for three weeks or more. It still makes coffee, just no grinder. Not the end of the world and Breville customer service is friendly and easy to deal with. I also purchased an extended four year warranty, something I usually consider a waste of money but given this product’s reliability record, I consider it essential. Unless you want to spend many thousands of dollars I still think this is one of the best machines you can buy for anywhere near the price but like a vintage Jaguar, it may be in the shop from time to time.

Got it for a week, so far so good

Cela fait maintenant + de 3 mois et la machine fonctionne toujours #1. Comme neuf pour la moitié du prix Wow !

I’ve wanted (and watched out for) a good espresso machine for home for about a decade now so when I saw this machine on Amazon for $200+ off the original price, I couldn’t help myself. Truth be told, I used it at home for a while but when the newness wore off I got tired of cleaning it up every morning after making just one cup of coffee and returned to stopping at my favorite local coffee shop on my daily drive to work. At least 3 other coworkers stopped at the same local coffee shop daily so I decided to take my machine to work. Best decision. I now enjoy an incredible cup of coffee every morning (and often an iced latte in the afternoon) and share the responsibility of cleaning it with my coworkers. We’re all happy. Here are my best tips for fully enjoying it:

BE PATIENT
It will take some time before you get it right. Read the instructions. Watch some YouTube videos. Then start working with it. You won’t get it right away but when you do, it’s worth it.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BEANS
For the love of all that is good in the world, please don’t insult this machine with Starbucks beans. I know it’s tempting to buy those cheaper beans (or others) at the grocery store but when you spend $500 on an espresso machine, you must be serious about coffee. It’s time to be equally as serious about your beans so buy them from a local roaster. If I can find good quality, locally roasted beans in the middle of Oklahoma, you most likely have access to them, too. If not, I’ve heard you can buy good beans on Amazon. I happen to LOVE my local roaster (Elemental Coffee) and after trying beans from other places, nobody else comes anywhere close. Good beans make a serious different in the quality of your coffee.

AUTOMATIC VS MANUAL GRINDING
This machine has the option to grind a set amount of beans into the portafilter. If you place the portafilter properly in its place under the grinder and press it all the way back then release, it will fill with a preset amount of beans (as controlled by the dial on the front of the machine). However I never use this function. Instead, I push the portafilter all the way in and hold it in place until it’s filled. When you choose to have it autofill, the portafilter isn’t directly under the grinder, it’s just a little off-set, so more grounds end up on the tray under the grinder than if I hold the portafilter in place. I spend good money on beans so there’s no way I’m wasting any of them.

GRIND MATTERS
Did I mention it will take some time to get it right? Because it will. You’ll have to adjust the grind size of your beans and adjust the pressure you apply when tamping to get the pressure right for that perfect cup of coffee. It takes practice but you’ll figure it out. And know that if you switch beans, you almost have to start at square one with grind size because different beans grind differently. The goal is to get the pressure gauge to read in the “espresso range” for every shot you pull. That means you need to watch that gauge every time you make coffee to make sure you got everything right. (It sounds insanely high maintenance but again, if you spend $500+ on an espresso machine, you must want a superior cup of coffee.)

MILK TEMPERATURE
There are only a couple things I recommend to buy to go with this machine… the first is espresso shot glasses. They’re completely optional, though. I usually pull my shots directly into my re-usable ceramic coffee cup so I don’t really use them but if your coffee cup is taller than a standard height it won’t fit under the portafilter. In that case, shot glasses are handy. The one tool I highly recommend is a thermometer to clip on the side of your milk carafe. Milk is best between 140º-160ºF (60º-71ºC) for lattes. Too cool and you’re drinking lukewarm coffee. Too warm and you risk burning the milk. When you get it in the ideal range, the milk is at its sweetest (for lack of a better term, it isn’t actually sweet). It really does make a difference in the taste of your latte. Eventually you’ll be able to simply touch the carafe and know you’re in range but it’s worth a few extra dollars to make sure you get it right while you’re learning.

SYRUPS… EH
I normally get a vanilla latte at coffee shops but when I have really good beans, I want nothing but espresso and steamed milk. It’s just that good. If you buy lower quality beans you may want syrups. And if you buy Starbucks beans, you definitely need syrups to cover up the weird, almost burned, taste.

I can’t say enough about this machine. I love that it has the grinder attached but that it’s still mostly manual. I was tempted to spend a little extra money and go with one of the Breville upgrades but I wanted a little more control than just pushing a touchscreen button to brew a cup of coffee. I think this machine is the perfect balance between a fully manual and fully automatic espresso machine. I couldn’t be happier. And neither could my coworkers (they talk about it every day).