The machine so far is working good. Is making good coffee and looks very robust. Read more

I did a lot of research before deciding on this brand and model, but I've been so impressed from the very beginning. It took some time to tune in (as will any espresso machine), and as a complete novice learning on this machine, I had my frustrations, but the machine is so intuitive and there are so many helpful videos out there I quickly got the hang of it. The grinder seems excellent (given it doesn't cost hundreds on its own), everything you need comes in the box (and good quality accessories too), and it's just such a perfect little home use espresso maker when you're not trying to churn out lots of coffees back to back (given the single motor, you can't steam milk while pulling a shot, so not nearly as fast as the commercial or more expensive machines if you want efficiency in making lots of coffees, but that's not my use case). I love how tunable the machine is yet how automated it can be if you choose so (don't have to time your shots, etc.). For home use a few times a day, I really can't say enough good things about how perfect this machine is, especially at such a relatively affordable price point compared to the other highly rated options out there. That said, I'm about 16 months in to ownership and it started to act up. I ran the clean, and then the descale, and just generally tried some troubleshooting, and I kept having intermittent issues. But I knew from reviews that this is generally a long lasting machine and this shouldn't be anywhere near end of life for it (or it wouldn't be getting nearly this good of a review from me). Some people said Breville was helpful, even after the warranty period, so I did some research, though I identified which component may be going bad, and reached out to see if they would send me a replacement part. To my utter amazement, they instead sent me the packaging to ship my machine to them and have it repaired at no cost to me months past the end of my warranty. Huge kudos to Breville; this further confirms what I believed, that this product should last for years and Breville stands by the quality of their product. Seriously, making coffees for one household? Not a professional barista? Just love good coffee and want to be able to make that consistently? This is the one. Read more

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. Read more

As an aspiring home barista, I was seeking an espresso machine that could provide a high-quality brew without a steep learning curve. After extensive research, I landed on the Breville Barista Express, and I can confidently say it has exceeded my expectations. At a sale price of $550, the Barista Express represents a reasonable investment for those looking to elevate their coffee game. Compared to many other semi-automatic machines on the market, this Breville model provides an exceptional value. Aesthetically, the Barista Express is a real winner. Its sleek, stainless steel design seamlessly fits into any kitchen, blending in beautifully with surrounding appliances. The compact footprint also makes it easy to find a home on the countertop without dominating the space. But the true star of this machine is its functionality. As other reviewers have noted, the ability to grind beans directly into the portafilter and then pull espresso shots is remarkably convenient and fun to experiment with. The grind size adjustment allows you to fine-tune the extraction to your personal preferences, providing a level of customization that is rare at this price point. Possibly the most impressive aspect of the Barista Express, however, is its durability. I have been using this machine 4-5 times per week for the past 12 months, and it has held up remarkably well. There have been no issues or malfunctions, instilling a strong sense of confidence that this was a worthwhile investment. Overall, the Breville Barista Express is an excellent choice for espresso beginners looking to take their coffee game to the next level. With its appealing design, intuitive features, and proven reliability, this machine is well worth the $550 price tag. Highly recommended for those seeking a gateway into the world of home espresso making. Read more

When turned on, the grinder is not working properly. The milk steam wand and water are not working. Read more

We have had the unit for 8 months now, it's been through 4 cleaning cycles (2 descaling, 2 normal backflow), so I've 'tested' out most of the possible functions it has. We like it, a lot. If it dies this year, it is probably a break-even so far based on the number of times we've used it vice buying from coffee shops. At $5 a cup, you have to buy at least 120 cups to even do a simple break-even. Of course, using milk/substitute and other items at home adds to this cost. Assume that you have to run 200 cups at home that you otherwise would have bought elsewhere, and you have basically done a break-even. If you drive to get to the coffee shop, and buy other things, then it may save you a lot of money sooner. In my opinion, this unit easily costs less than what we would have done within a year. The grinder seems to do a great job, and the dials to alter the size and amount, work well. I have had to clean it once since the grinds seemed to be working poorly, on Breville's recommendation, running rice through the unit, and then cleaning it (removing the screw from the top), helped. We have not tried other machines, having been satisfied with the reviews, and price, of this one as listed. So far, just great results. We tend to do espresso drinks each time, meaning we use the grinder, frother, and espresso for each drink. The machine would likely last longer with less maintenance needed if you just did espresso, and used preground beans (or had a separate grinder), most likely. Family of 2 (with kid), in general we probably push through 4-6 cups a day on average, and up to 9 max at times. If we have guests, maybe 10-12, but not often. While we would certainly have NOT been buying this many from the local brewhouse, the quality of the product is just great. We choose to use almond milk exclusively as our base, and we make it ourselves, so the quality of the milk will never be that of the rich and creamy milk frothed up, but it is still amazing. This machine does a great job of grinding, pushing hot water, and frothing, so we get a cup that literally is as good as we ever had anywhere, and with the quality we want. Most coffee shops, when they do have milk substitutes, use poor quality almond milk anyhow, and it affects the taste. If you haven't tried making your own almond milk, it's extremely easy - don't bother unless you buy good almonds from Spain or California. Soak them (called sprouting), then blend 1 cup almonds to 4 cups milk. Then strain through a nut milk bag (or cheesecloth), and add 2-3TB honey, vanilla bean, pinch salt, cinnamon). Blend. Some folks have gently heated the almond milk on a stove which helps thicken it a bit, and actually makes it more of a milk consistency than the 'almond juice' that you get by just straining. Lots of different options, and chefs are still coming up with ways to handle this. But frankly, after doing the almond milk thing, we will not use anything else. Some folks also add some coconut creme to the mix, and it also thickens things a bit. There are excellent non dairy and healthy alternatives out there, and they work shockingly well. We also pretty much gave up on buying beans from local brewhouses, we found the quality and taste not as good as we could do ourselves, so off we went and bought a small roaster (Fresh Roast SR700 Home Coffee Roaster), and frankly, this make the cycle complete - not only can we buy green coffee beans via amazon very cheaply, but we can also control how much we roast, and when we use them, making it a very turnkey and enjoyable experience. I advise also buying the Knockbox from Breville - this is a great add on and helps you control the waste from the Portafilter. Great tool/wastebasket, and helps you inadvertently throw your grinds into the drain, not good if you have a septic system either!! Agree with prior posters - use fresh beans, and consider roasting your own. The best bean we've found so far is the Colombian Huila (also sold on Amazon.com) - 5lb bag for $30 shipped. For about $6 a pound, you will have plenty of opportunity to find the roast level you want. Reason we like this particular bean (other than being available on amazon.com), when roasted to near or after second crack, it has a nice caramel/chocolate aftertaste to it. Not a bean expert here, but we've tried a dozen or so varieties, and for the price and availability, this is a really well priced and nice tasting bean. As mentioned before, we've done the local brewhouse roasted beans, and it's basically russian roulette, and we've yet to find an 'awesome' tasting bean from them. The breville has a multiple of ways you can alter the taste by changing the temperature, grind, and amount of water through the bean, but some beans just aren't suited for espresso, it seems. I'll let the experts deal with that - once we find one that is suitable, we work more on the base taste, which is mostly affected by the milk/milk substitute that you use, unless you are just doing straight shots of espresso. We like the machine so much, it's worth considering taking with you on travel if you have the power, and way to store your own milk at your location. And yes, we've been at places with in-room espresso machines like the Ritz, which has in-room espresso from Nespresso, to places that have full kitchens with a variety of machines, and places with club level places that have fully automatic machines. We continue to be underwhelmed with the quality and taste that most places do. Yes, we've been in Italy and had the best espresso/cappuccino's, and they can't be beaten due to the location, ambiance, etc. This machine does a bang up job of that without the expense of travel - lol. Frankly, Breville has provided a cost point and quality machine that is hard to beat. Other than my calling for help on a small grind question/issue, I have had no service issues yet. From other posters, if there are substantial issues that start to creep up after the 1 year mark, it's kind of a cost tradeoff to consider paying $250 for a repair, or just buying a new one. I guess there is also a warranty you can buy if bought through Amazon, that goes up to 4 years, so that may be an option to keep it running longer, and truly have cost savings for many years to come. Read more

Great Espresso machine and with some VERRRRY important steps, you will not go wrong. When I first got the machine, I was struggling with a consistent cup of espresso. One would be over extracted, the next would be under. After a night of research and a pound of wasted coffee beans, I have developed a process that will make a novice be able to use this machine without error. Step 1- WEIGH YOUR COFFEE! To get a perfect double shot of grounds into the hopper, you MUST have between 16-17 grams of ground coffee. If you don't have, you will not get a consistent cup of espresso. That means you set your courseness to what you prefer, then set the amount untill you get 16-17g. I use a small weigh scale, weigh the hopper then add the grounds. Once you get the desired weight of coffee, pack it down with 30 lbs of pressure. Step 2- The manual says it comes pre programmed for 2oz or 1/4 cup of dispensed water but it doesn't . you are going have to program the output. What I did was after I packed down the 16g of ground coffee and placed the dispenser in the group head, I placed a larger cup with a 1/4 measuring cup resting on the top. Hit the program button once, which will make the cup size selection lights blink. The I hit the two cup option. Once the machine started to drip into the measuring cup, I immediately started the timer. As soon as the measuring cup was full, I pressed the 2 cup selection again (which then programmed the amount of fluid) then hit the timer. This is where you need to waste a bit of coffee beans. According to MOST information out there, in order to get a good double shot of espresso, you need to get a 23-30 second brew for 2oz of espresso. While doing step 2, you need to time your shot. If you are getting less then 23 seconds, your coffee is ground too course and it needs to be adjusted down. If you are getting a longer brew time or the guage reads above the espresso range, you coffee is too finely ground. I adjusted 1 stop either way until it was 16.5 g, 2oz double shot in 26 seconds. this seems difficult but all in all, it took me 7 shots to get it down to a science. Read more

En general es un equipo bastante disfrutable después de la curva de aprendizaje que he de decir que no es sencilla para principiantes (ninguna máquina decente de espresso lo es). Al ser una maquina de "Termoblock" (de temperatura ajustable) equipada con PID, la temperatura del grupo permanecerá estable electrónicamente, por lo tanto no será necesario hacer "flush" antes de hacer un espresso como en las maquinas equipadas con caldera; el inconveniente de no tener caldera es que no es posible hacer una extracción y cremar leche a la vez, pero al ser un equipo destinado para hogar eso no debe representar problema. La calidad de espresso que entrega el equipo es SOBRESALIENTE si está correctamente calibrada, dando tazas muy equilibradas. Hablando de calibración, el punto débil de este equipo es precisamente el molino, que a pesar de tener muchísimos ajustes es "de pasos", es decir, se tiene que ir de nivel de molido 1 al 2 sucesivamente sin poder usar niveles intermedios lo que al final hace que algunas tazas no queden perfectas pero infinitamente mejor que de cualquier cafetería de cadena. Siguiendo con el tema de la calibración, deben tener en cuenta que el equipo se debe calibrar EN CADA USO (molido y/o tiempo de extracción) a menos que la temperatura y la humedad se mantengan constantes por días (lo cual es imposible). He observado algunos "reviews" que se quejan que la máquina o el manómetro no funcionan correctamente, el error es ¡DEBIDO A LA CALIBRACIÓN!, no es problema de la máquina. Cada que se cambia el grano, incluso la misma bolsa pasados días se debe re-calibrar. Si quieren facilitar o casi omitir el proceso de calibración, pueden usar las canastillas presurizadas de doble pared que vienen incluidas con la máquina a expensas de la calidad final de la taza. El mantenimiento es extremadamente sencillo pero se debe tomar muy en cuenta y considerar los gastos asociados: Personalmente hago unos cuantos back-flushes cada fin de semana para mantener el grupo limpio y ya que el molino NO ES "sin retención" lo aspiro cada cambio de bolsa para extraer restos de granos y molienda vieja. También eventualmente el LED de Clean/Descale se mantendrá encendido o parpadeará y se deberá proceder a limpiar la ducha con una pastilla (incluida) o descalcificar el sistema con el polvo descalcificador (incluido). Otra cosa a tomar en cuenta es que se debe cambiar el filtro de resina cada 3 meses, pero al usar agua embotellada que es mucho menos dura que la del grifo puedes espaciar el cambio. Read more

I've had this almost two years now, so I figured it was time for a proper review. If you don't want to read my in depth review but just my quick opinion and are in the market for a semi-automatic espresso maker (with grinder!), you can't beat this machine for the money it costs (especially here compared to a department store). It comes with a satisfactory grinder (anything better itself will cost you hundreds of dollars on its own), and an easy to use (and learn) espresso maker which makes good espresso, latte's, etc. (assuming you don't use garbage beans of course). Its been nearly two years and I've yet to have a problem and still works just as good as it did the day I got it. I'll start with the cons, because there aren't many and they are very minor, picky issues. The grinder: I find the size setting to be slightly misleading. I'd assume you could use the full range of grind sizes, but anything less than a 4 you'll have trouble pulling a shot with the proper pressure. Over time I've found I've needed to reduce the grind size more and more, but that could be to poor (lack of) regular cleaning habits because I'm lazy. The pressure gauge. There's an "espresso range" on it which you may think anywhere in that is OK. Its not. To get a good pull you'll need to make sure it starts around at least "12:30" and ideally about "1:00" if you treat it like a clock (pointing straight up would be 12:00). Once you get a feel for the grind and how much tamp pressure to use, you'll be able to do this with regular ease after a couple weeks of use (assuming you mainly stick with one type of espresso). The port-a-filter. Its not standard sized so it may be hard to replace. No big deal. Those interested in this probably have more "professional" machines anyways and aren't in the market for this. Now onto the good things: If you've never used a steam wand before, this is probably a good machine for you. Enthusiasts may say its not good or powerful enough, but its great to learn on. Its not a "double boiler" machine where you can froth milk and do the espresso at the same time, but for starter home use its great. Those double boiler machines start at 2-3 times the price of this. If you only make lattes for yourself a couple times a day (like me), its perfect. Because its doesn't use a boiler, its a little slower. That actually makes it EASIER to make perfect milk for the novice (also like me!). By the time I'm done making a latte, I've probably spent about 3 minutes. That's about 6 minutes out of my day which is quicker than waiting forever at st*rb*cks for something worse. The grinder: Its built in. Enough said. Clean it out once in a while and you'll be fine. Making espresso: You can adjust the temperature within 4 degrees of 200f (the factory setting). Adjust according to your taste and beans you are using (I'm not an expert, there's a ton and probably too much info out there on the subject). I keep mine at 202 as it brings out slightly better flavor for the standard bean I use. If you're using relatively fresh coffee beans, you shouldn't have much trouble pulling a decent shot. Maintenance/cleaning: its easy to use the cleaning cycle. Don't buy the cleaning tabs or descaling solutions. Buy Cafiza tabs as they will cost you a fraction of what the Breville ones cost for regular cleaning. Dezcal can be bought for descaling also with the same cost difference. The drip tray is dishwasher safe (top shelf). I put mine in about every two weeks. In between that, I give it a good rinse when the tray is full to get rid of any grime that may have built up. If I get 2 more years out of this, I'll be extremely happy. I've already gotten back my return on investment. Read more

Estoy haciendo esta reseña a casi un año de que compré esta cafetera y lo que puedo decir es que es una de las mejores qué he comprado. Tengo otras cafeteras profesionales de uno y dos grupos a las qué esta Barista express no le pide nada, sobre todo por el precio. Para empezar hace una muy buena molienda, ajustable por supuesto, y la extracción es rápida y muy eficiente. En espresso esta listo en 45 segundos desde la molienda. Es fácil de usar, limpiar y dar mantenimiento. Yo la uso principalmente para espresso ya qué la parte del espumador debo decir que si es bastante lenta. En conclusión la recomiendo ampliamente y si vas a hacer capuchino, te recomiendo un espumador aparte. Read more

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. Read more

The pressure gauge doesn’t work Read more

I have bought the machine in September and been struggling with since then, it had a low extraction pressure for Espresso and milk foaming was so bad to the extent that a machine I own at quarter its price foams milk much better - i am trying now to reach out to customer service of the seller hoping they can help me figure out what's wrong with it. Read more

I am disappointed that the power adapter of the machine cannot be connected directly to the power socket. I am surprised that such a mistake was made by Amazon. Read more

They should offer an adapter at least Read more

A good choice to buy and easy to use. Read more

The quality and given techs are good. Thank you Read more