The Breville Barista Express is one of the best espresso machines in its class. It looks good, brews great espresso, makes it easy to steam milk, and has a built in grinder. Let’s dig in deeper in this Breville BES870XL review.
Breville BES870XL Review: What makes it so special?
For the price point, the Breville BES870XL can’t be beaten. It has features found in much higher-end machines, and it’s an all-in-one suite for making espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, and other specialty coffees.
Built-In Conical Burr Grinder
The key to making good espresso, or indeed any kind of coffee is grinding fresh beans before extracting. Like most high-end espresso machines, the Breville Barista Express BES870XL comes with a top-mounted burr grinder.
You can put in up to half a pound of coffee beans and the Barista Express will grind them fresh for you. You can also adjust the consistency of the grind using a dial on the front of the machine. This way, you can tweak the fineness of the grind to your liking.
Unlike other machines where the coffee is ground and brewed automatically, the Barista Express actually grinds the coffee into a portafilter, which you then have to manually tamp down.
This is not a deal-breaker. In fact, it combines the best of both worlds: you get a built in grinder, but you still have manual control over the tamping.
Low Pressure Before Brewing to bloom
This feature, along with the showerhead-style water distribution system ensures that the espresso puck is saturated before pressure builds. By just wetting the coffee, you can bloom it, releasing the extra gases just before the final brew.
This results in more even extraction and ultimately better flavor, and ensures that you’re enjoying the most out of your espresso beans.
Adjustable One-and-two-cup Options
Amazingly, this Barista Express allows you to program for either one or two espresso cups each brewing. One preset ‘cup’ is normally 30 milliliters or 1.5 ounces, but you can still adjust the liquid amount going into each shot to get your desired flavor exactly.
This feature is quite complicated and it takes you some practice to get it to your liking. Otherwise, you can just stick to pulling the standard single or double shot.
You can choose between a single or double shot by using the controls on the front of the machine.
Pressure Gauge
The pressure gauge in this machine is not as attractive as those in other pricier models, but it is much more functional. It is the key of the brew’s stability. For instance, you can check the pressure to determine where your wanted flavor is, and how much crema is available on you shot.
This is more of an educational feature than anything else, since you are unable to adjust the pressure – but you can see how the pressure changes as the shot is pulled, and you can use this knowledge to improve your manual espresso pulling skills.
You will be able to adjust the pressure through other factors, though, like the fineness of the grounds and the pressure at which you have tamped them.
This is a great way to experiment and see what pressure range the machine is able to work at when the ground consistency has changed or you have tamped it looser or tighter.
Ideally, you want the pressure to stay as stable as possible throughout the extraction. This results in the most balanced and flavorful shot.
Spacious and Detachable Water Tank with Filter
Like most high end espresso machines, this machine comes with a large water reservoir, so you do not have to pour water for each espresso making time.
I sometimes want the tank to be side mounted, not rear mounted as it is really because we need to pull the machine away from the wall a bit when starting refilling.
However, this change can affect the machine’s look and may make it harder to use. In addition, with the reservoir’s capacity of up to 67 ounces of water, you do not have to refill water frequently. What about the filter? The integrated filter will help to take out impurities from water, ensuring you’re your final espresso will taste marvelous.
Stainless Steel Steam Wand
The steam wand is an integral part in an espresso machine. Without it, the machine will become incomplete, as you won’t be able to make lattes and cappuccinos without an external frother.
The Breville BES870XL Barista comes with a solid, 360-degree wand, allowing you to heat and texture fresh milk. With a little bit of practice, you can use it to form microfoam bubbles for you to exercise your creative side with a bit of latte art.
The steam wand is activated by a dial on the side of the machine.
Remember to wipe the steam wand clean after using it. This includes purging it with some steam to remove any milk residue from inside the pipes, as well as wiping down the outside to clear any residue from there.
Ease of Cleaning
The machine has a built in indicator light for cleaning which will tell you when you need to perform some regular maintenance on it. For best results, remember to clean every month and descale every 3 months. This will help extend the life of your machine.
The drip tray should be cleaned every few days, since you will experience quite a bit of drip from the end of the espresso shot.
Pros
- Fast and consistent brews
- Includes a burr grinder, which is a huge plus
- It is durable and sturdy due to made of high-quality material and solid structure
- It leaves no slip feet even when the burr grinder is on work, which avoids “walking” across the counter
- You can brew single or double shots by putting two cups side by side
Cons
- The drip tray gets full quickly
- The grind occasionally spray on the counter instead of all going into the portafilter
Bottom line
In conclusion, Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine is really a wise investment to those who are looking for solution for fine espresso at home, especially to beginner and intermediate baristas.
For beginners, it’s a great way to progress and learn about espresso from the basics to more advanced shot pulling.
For intermediate baristas, they’ll appreciate the level of control afforded by the machine to adjust brewing variables. The ability to see the pressure on the dial is real-time feedback of how your adjustments affect the brew.
Last update on 2024-04-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
