Customer Reviews

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine BES860XL

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was hesitant to buy this and almost bought a big name brand espresso machine. In the end I needed a model easy enough for my wife to use and this fit the requirement. We have been using this for 2 months now every day making about 3-6 drinks per day. It has been so nice to make drinks at home and it has paid for itself with the money we have saved from going out. Make sure to buy extra cleaning tablets as it only comes with 2 in the sample. Pick up some Saeco tablets if you can't find the same brand, they work as well too. The water filter lasts 2 months so pick up some extra because only 1 is in the box. Perform the cleaning cycles and take care of it per instructions and it should last a long time.

Enjoyed the drinks I was able to make in the first week, but it was only 1 more week before the grinder on the machine broke. Very disappointed that it lasted as little as it did.

We have been using the Breville Barista Express for about 6 months now. I make about four expressos daily. Overall, I think most people will be satisfied with the quality of the expresso it produces. Very comparable to any expresso you could get at a cafe. Assuming you buy fresh beans and use the water filters. The downside of this machine is the following -- The coffee bean container is ridiculously small and should be round shaped (and not rectangular) to allow the beans to 'fall' into the grinder easily. Sometimes the grinder is grinding air only, as the beans are stuck, sitting on the container's ledge. Give the machine a few gentle taps to solve this problem. Starbucks expresso machines have large bowl shaped coffee containers. I'm not sure why Breville didn't follow suit and design theirs similarly. Additionally, this machine requires water filters. Again, only one filter is included with the machine and they are expensive to replace ($25 for 6 filters). Breville suggest frequent replacement to ensure good tasting water and thus good tasting coffee. We have a Brita water container. I pour filtered water into the Breville expresso machine. At least, the Brita filters are somewhat cheaper than Breville's. Second, you will need to clean the device every two months using cleaning tablets. Breville was ever so generous to include two cleaning tables with the machine. Replacement cleaning tablets can be very expensive and Breville does not distribute them. Shop around online and you can find them much cheaper as most expresso machines use them. Essentially, the tablets are made of baking soda. Perhaps, just using a small amount of baking soda does the same thing? I'm not sure. Overall, I am satisfied with this machine and rate it 3 out of 5. The expresso machine attractively sits on our kitchen counter top and seems to be well built. We get nothing but compliments on the attractiveness of the device. I do not use the milk frothing wand at all, so I cannot comment on that. I find it much easier to froth milk in a Nespresso. I have friends who have paid thousands for their automatic expresso machines. For the price, the Breville Barista Express is hard to beat. Change all filters as suggested and regularly clean it and this might be the expresso machine for you.

I've owned this machine for a year now. I've worked in a coffee shop and it is no commercial espresso maker. It is fantastic for a household machine though.

I make 2-6 coffee on this almost everyday.
It does take some tinkering around to get the settings right for the coffee your using. It only took me a pound of (cheap) coffee and I had figured it out.

I started with the dual wall filters which are a little less finicky. The single wall filters are all I use now. They will give you a better crema.
I don't use the single shot filters at all though. They are much trickier. Who wants a single shot anyway?

The grinder doesn't hold much coffee but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You want to keep it stored in an airtight container anyway.

The milk frother took some time to get used to. It's not as powerful as the commercial machines, so it takes a longer to heat up you milk. As a beginner this can be a good thing since you have more time to incorporate a finer bubbles in the milk.

I am so happy with this machine.

This machine makes great coffee and the steam pressure is fantastic for frothing milk. It's the first counter unit I've found that's excellent for both. I highly recommend this product.

Very annoying that the cleaning tabs aren't easy to find in stores - you have to order them and pay $10 shipping on each order, which I guess is fine but if the company sells the machine, I figure they could make the cleaning tabs easier to find (or not so expensive to ship).

I had trouble with the first breville machine I received. The pressure gauge wasn't functioning but I could still use the machine. A call to amazon got me a new machine within 3 days. Excellent service! I'm enjoying the level of control the Breville offers you. The grind size, dosage and tamping lets you make the espresso just the way you wish. Great product.

Très bonne alternative aux superautomatique hors de prix! Vous pouvez tous faire manuellement également ;-) Le grinder est un must !

my wife is really happy ... ;) now she makes worlds best espresso drinks ... best part is the grinder ... nothing like fresh ground coffee ..

great machine, solid, looks and feels expensive.

i'm having trouble steaming the milk properly but thats probably just me, not the machine!

We love this coffee maker !! It makes the most delicious espresso ever and we are cubans, we drink espresso as soon as we are born. Thanks.