Breville BES860XL Barista Express Espresso Machine with Grinder

UPDATE So, from my experience with this machine, I thought this information would be useful to people who just got one. Since it can be a bit intimidating at first, having some help with the settings can definitely help. 1 - Even though I make double shots, I set the grinder to a single shot amount and the dial to the least amount of coffee. Before pulling the filter holder from the cradle, I shake it a bit so the ground coffee sets a bit, that's so it doesn't spill when I pull it. Once I do that, I smooth the coffee into the filter a bit with my hand, and then I tap the filter holder onto the counter top a few times to help pack the coffee in. At this point, I run my finger over the top and dump a bit of the excess before I use the tamper. Make sure the tamper goes in as far as where the black line starts on the handle, otherwise there is too much coffee and it will be hard to get the filter in place for extraction. Basically, this machine grinds a lot of coffee and I found that using these settings was the way to use most of the coffee that is ground. Other settings just got me way too much coffee and a lot of it went to waste. 2 - I set the dial on the side to the medium grind, I think it's 5. I'm not home right now, so I can't check it, but I think it goes up to 9 and I have it set for 5 or so. This is the dial that defines how coarse the ground coffee will be. 3 - If you tap the filter holder onto a counter or another hard surface, then tamper it and the beans are ground to a medium, where if you hold it between your fingers it feels like thin sand, the pressure should come to the right range and you should have beautiful coffee with great crema. You should also wipe the area that touches the coffee, where the filter goes, with a moist cloth or paper towel each time you make coffee. This information should resolve the main issue I ran into at first when I started using this machine. The grinder would grind too much coffee and I couldn't get any crema because I was grinding it too coarse, so it was very frustrating. The pressure level would not get to the ideal range for espresso and I keept trying to find a way to raise it on the machine. It took me a while to get it that the problem wasn't that the machine wasn't being set up properly to make espresso, the grinding and the way I was getting the coffee set into the filter were causing the problem. Once I got that figured out, my coffee started coming out P E R F E C T! I also started using Lavazzo beans, the http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SDKDM4/ref=rcxsubs_mys2_product_title, and although it took a couple of cups to get used to it, I now love the taste and the crema! One of these bags lasts a couple of months for me, and I make coffee (just one cup) pretty much once a day, every day. I have it on automatic re-order here on Amazon for delivery every other month, and because I'm signed up for that, they give me a 5% discount on the coffee, which is shipped for free with my Prime membership. Another useful thing I got and that I didn't realize I needed until after I started using the machine is an espresso stein. I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016J76CE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01 and really love it! Another piece of information that I thought would be helpful concerns frothing the milk. This is how I do it... 1 - After I make the coffee, I place a cup under the frothing wand (which I use with the shield tube that comes with the machine) and turn the knob so the steam runs for a minute into that cup. 2 - I use the metal frothing jug that comes with the machine, and by the way, it comes with it. I had also purchased one because I neglected to read all the information and didn't realize it came with one. I use 2% or skim milk, cold from the fridge, and I add milk to about 1/2 way before reaching where the pouring "beak" starts when looking at the inside of the jug. I also use a thermometer, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/IRB220-F-ProAccurate-Insta-Read-Beverage-Thermometer/dp/B000E8BFP2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354167507&sr=8-4&keywords=frothing+thermometer. So I make sure the thermometer is always clipped to the jug. You want to make sure you have a wet cloth, or wet folded paper towel by you when you start frothing the milk. 3 - After the steam runs for a moment, I turn it off and get the jug with the milk in place, with the wand in it, and turn the knob back on. As it works, I move the jug up and down, slowly, so the wand will touch the bottom of the jug and then move close to the surface of the milk, but not any higher than that. As I do that, I hold the thermometer clip with my thumb and keep an eye on the temperature. You will notice that the milk will double size and by the time it reaches 150, keep your eye on the thermometer, as you will need to turn off the knob by the time it reaches 160, or close to it. 4 - As soon as I turn it off, I open the tap water in my sink, grab the wet cloth and pull the metal cilinder that covers the frothing wand, bringing it to my other hand and under the cold water to cool it down and rinse it before the milk dries up. At the same time, I use my other hand with the wet cloth to wipe the wand while it's still hot and steaming. Make sure you wipe it well so milk doesn't dry up there. 5 - I then hold the jug in my hand and swirl it so the frothed foam gets mixed with the liquid milk on the bottom, making the whole contents creamy. This is a really important step. I know we think all the foam is great, but you do want that incorporated with the milk, otherwise you don't get the creamy latte you would get at a coffee shop, you just get a bunch of foam on the top and runny coffee and milk on the bottom. I swirl in a somewhat fast movement for maybe a minute, then I pour the milk into my coffee. If you follow these steps, you will get lattes that are just like what you would get from a good coffee shop, on a good day. I have got some pretty crappy ones at the store, and I can say the ones I make at home are always perfect if I follow these steps religiously. You can see my results by looking at the photos I posted here with this product. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ I am so happy I got this machine! Almost speechless, I'll write a review... This is the 5th espresso machine I have owned, although the 4th one was at my place for less than 1 day before I returned it and purchased this one. I started with a cheap one that really didn't make anything close to an espresso, went to one that was sort of ok, then had a DeLonghi that was almost there, but not quite. Since the latter was on the $200 range, I thought I'd upgrade to something on a $300 price range and see what happened, so I got the next-up DeLonghi. When it arrived, I took it out of the box and made a shot. It was ok, but it wasn't any better than what I could make with my previous one, and at $125 more, it made no sense to keep it. It went right back to the box and was returned the next day. At that point, I decided that I should go for something a step above it, and this machine seemed like the obvious choice. Yes, it was more expensive, but if you took into consideration what I had been spending on lower-end machines through the years, and not having perfect coffee, it just made sense to spend a little more and get something that might keep me satisfied. Buying something cheaper only to spend the next couple of years thinking about getting an upgrade was getting old! I received the Breville and could see the difference in quality as soon as I started opening the package, even the box is nicer. The machine is sturdier and just looks gorgeous, even if a bit intimidating. I set it up, read the manual and decided to try to use it without the "scaffolding" tools. After all, I had been playing with 15-bar-pump espresso machines for over 6 years, I should know what I'm doing... Nope, I didn't know what I was doing and after dumping countless shots of espresso, I ended up drinking what was possibly the worst cup of latte I have ever had. And that was enough for me to leave the machine alone for a day and completely change my attitude. Not only did I swallow the worst coffee ever, I also swallowed my pride! I did some research, watched the videos posted with the higher-end Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler Semi Automatic Espresso Machine (very helpful if you're like me and just can't follow written directions!), and, with my tail between my legs, picked up the dual-wall and grabbed a bag of ground Seattle's Best coffee. Since my experience with the grinding the previous time had been appalling, I didn't want to take chances and mess around with the grinder. To my delight, I was able to, for the first time in my life, make a latte as good as what I used to drink at the Seattle's Best coffee shop! Hmmmmm... How I missed it! I had been ordering Fontana Caramel Sauce, the same they use at the coffee shops, by the way. Definitely a good thing to get if you are a caramel latte addict like me. :) So, to all you people getting one of these wonderful machines, don't be embarassed to use the "amateur" tools. You can always play with the other settings later, but when you just want to have that awesome cup, it's good to know we can rely on those tools to deliver! In closing, I wanted to add that the tray under the machine does seem to accumulate water, but I don't think it's a problem. This is probably why it has a part in it that's supposed to let us know when it's time to clean the tray and remove the water. Since I read a lot of reviews complaining about that and saying this was a machine failure issue, I thought it might be a good thing to point out. Another point worth stating is that the manual clearly says to only change grinder settings when it's empty, or during use. There are so many reviews saying the grinder is faulty that it makes me wonder if some of the people didn't cause damage to it by trying to change the settings when the machine was not in use and with beans in it. I hope everyone else can be as thrilled with this machine as I am. Enjoy! Read more

Here's my review for the the Breville Barista Express with built in burr grinder... LOVE this thing! Well, that's the 3 word review...but seriously, I've been using this machine for over a month now and here is the run down... It makes fabulous, and most importantly, consistent espresso every time I use it. Takes 45 seconds to warm up and then bam, you're all set for extracting cups of lavish espresso. The espresso shots, when properly extracted, come out with a proper, tri level finish, with the darkest portion on the bottom, follwed with a more mild middle "browner" layer, and then the caramel colored crema top layer. Awesome, thick and rich crema is achieved when using a bean such as Lavazza's Super Crema... The key, I feel, to a proper tasting espresso, and any coffee beverage is to obtain freshly roasted, and even importantly, freshly ground beans. The built in grinder works splendidly for this purpose and can make the grinds very find; Don't think you can buy a $100 grinder and get your grinds fine enough...it will likely be far too coarse, and hence, you'd have to pony up the cash for a good conical burr grind, which will likely set you back probably between $200.00 - $400.00 -- this, to me, is what makes this machine so appealing. The grinder doesn't feel cheap either, never had a jam, or any problem for that matter...just try not to use super oily beans. The design and build are pleasing for the price...the machine itself is heavy; this is not a flimsy, crap plastic coffee maker...it might not 100% constructed from steel (at least on the outside), and I did notice some plastic pieces here and there, but overall, this unit comes across as well built...I've had a few of my friends comment that "this is fanciest espresso maker I've ever seen" -- don't know about that, but I cannot fault the build quality. The overall process of making espresso isn't very complicated and hopefully, the undue fear of some overly complicated, long to learn training process, doesn't stop anyone from trying or using such a machine. The whole procees is actually quite simple once you've had a few attempts at it. Begin by using a single wall filter -- yes, there's double wall too, which make it a bit easier starting out, but you might as well learn to do it properly from the get go. Get your grinds to the proper fineness -- you don't want them too coarse -- I like the 11 - 12 setting. The key is not having the grinds too coarse, as then you cannot build the proper pressure for extraction and your coffee will be underextracted, i.e watery and nasty...yuk! Oh, and do make sure to read the manual for adjusting the grinder to a finer setting, as it should only be done when the grinder is already in operation, so as to not damage the grinding mechanism. Next, the grid amount -- this is controlled by a simple round dial -- Once you insert the Portafilter into the grind slot, you have two options here -- as you can do the one push press, so that the machine dispenses one load of ground coffee of the amount you've specified via the dial, or you can push/stop as you go...My advise (after trial & error) is to find the amount that is perfect for your desired extraction level, and use the one push and done method, rather than the start stop -- yes, this will take a bit of trial and error, but in the long term, will allow you to eliminate variations between one cup to the next. The only thing is, the ground coffee might build up a bit high on the one time push and leave method, and so spill over and result in wasted coffee. To counteract this, I usualy press the coffee down with my finger just to slightly compact it as it's being ground out; there's just enought space between the top of the portafilter and the where the grinds are dispensed, so you can stick your finger in there and push it slightly down -- this then allows you get all the ground coffe in the portafilter with little spill. Then the tamping -- for those that aren't familiar with the term, "tamping", this simply means pressing the coffee down wit the provided tamper (its a small steel pusher to press the coffee down) -- try not to tamp overly hard, but with about 20lbs of force -- try also not to tamp more than once as it can leave layers in the coffee that interfere with proper extraction. You want to ideally have a very small amount of room left on the top of the portafilter -- about 1/8th of an inch, (depending on your desired level of extraction, maybe a bit more or less) That's it basically -- once you've got those first few steps nailed down, the extraction itself is a push of button. Now frothing milk is a whole separte beast, which I won't go into detail here -- I will say that the unit comes with a ball bearing attached frothing wand, and it works very nicely if you know the proper technique for frothing milk...Again, after a bit of trial & error, I can achieve properly foamed milk in about 1-2 minutes of use. Nice, thick foam that doesn't disolve after a minute. Cleaning the machine is rather easy, although you do have to do it quite often -- we make about 2 - 3 cups of espresso daily, and you have to relace the water for the tank in about every two days. The bottom tray that collects water also needs to be emptied every couple of days when making about 2 - 3 cups per day. Cleaning cycle needs to be run once a month or so, depending on how many daily cups you're running. It comes with two cleaning tablets, and only 1 charcoal filter (which noted to last 2 - 3 months) -- you will need to buy more for future use. So there you have it -- a fine machine that does a beautiful job performing the task it was designed to do. Yes, this is an expensive machine, but when you factor in that it's a proper espresso maker, with solid build quality, and and has a built in burr grinder, the price is actually justifiable, and when cross shopping other quality espresso makers, quite fair & reasonable. I had just became fed up & sick of always drinking crappy, watered down coffee, that tasted like ass -- and I refused to pay $5 bucks for a shot of espresso or a proper cappuccino...I was always a bit scared/wary of the complications that went into brewing/making your own espresso -- however, after taking the plunge, I can now make myself coffee beverages that rival, equal, or even surpass those drinks made by your local Starbacks or Coffee Bean, and no, I am not exaggerating! They're that good! So get one and start your coffee renaissance today! Read more

Mine has lasted thirteen years of daily. Thirteen years now it labors without ceasing, bringing forth excellent shots of espresso with a steadfastness most rare under the sun. And on this day of our Lord, January 22, 2026, it still forges on! For the Breville BES860XL Barista Express Espresso Machine with Grinder was no common appliance of the counter, but a faithful companion in the morning watch and in the evening calm, a minister of comfort when the world was weary, and a herald of cheer when the day was young. It stood as a strong tower of stainless steel, steadfast and unashamed, and I trusted it as a man trusteth the rising of the sun. Blessed be the maker of good coffee, and blessed be the machine that made it so. Amen. Read more