Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine BES870XL, Brushed Stainless Steel

Update 9/19/2020-- The machine continues to may fantastic coffee. Enjoying some right now. One of our most used small appliances during the pandemic. Will never go back to SB again. It compares very poorly to what I can make at home now. Have run the descale cycle once because the light turned on, but I think it is set to turn on at a certain number of cycles rather than based on actual scale build up since we use RO water and scale build up is minimal. In any case, certainly does not hurt. Another tip I've got is to get yourself some disposable earplugs and set them next to the machine. The decibels during steaming can be really high and they hurt my ears. I also keep a quick read thermometer on the machine to know when my steamed milk is at the temp I like. Update 6/17/2020: This has ended up being one of my favorite birthday presents I gotten in years. Prior to owning the machine my family had a $100/week Starbucks habit. Since purchasing this machine 4 months ago, we've spent maybe $40 at SB. With COVID19, we've been at home and using this machine several times per day. The coffee it makes has only gotten better as we've learned to calibrate it. It has more than paid for itself in a few short months. It is well designed. We drink mostly Americanos so the hot water dispenser with automatic shut off is one of my favorite features. We were able to reprogram the machine to raise the water temperature very easily. The only glitches have come with the grinder which is a bit temperamental with certain beans, but these have been minor. The coffee the machine produces is delicious with a good amount of crema. I run a cleaning table through the machine about once per month, but because we have a reverse osmosis filter on our tap, we have had no need to descale. I highly recommend using reverse osmosis filtered water in the machine to cut down on internal build up. The machine is fairly easy to clean and has a lot of nice touches like the little float indicator that tells you when you need to empty the drip tray. We also like the ability to calibrate shots. I am raising our review from 4 to 5 stars since it seems that our poor experience with the first machine we received was just luck of the draw and we really have no complaints with our current machine. It is wonderful! Update: 2/18/2020 Amazon agreed to swap out the lemon (see original review below) for a new Breville Barista Express. It arrived today. I set it up and ran two cleaning tablets (3 cleaning cycles) before I even tried to make my first cup of espresso. I let the machine warm completely and set the grind size at 5 as suggested. Pulled my first shot and the new machine performed perfectly with the pressure reaching and staying in the middle of the gray extracting zone as it should. The shot was smooth with beautiful crema. I took the opportunity to program this shot so that it would be exactly 1 oz using my little espresso cup. I then pulled a double shot and did the same thing programming the machine to fill two of my espresso cups. Again the pressure was perfect at the level 5 grind size setting and the coffee is absolutely delicious with a beautiful smooth crema. Apparently the first machine I received was a dud. I'm glad Amazon allowed me to swap and will be sending the old one back tomorrow. I've changed my rating from 1 to 4 stars. If the new machine continues to perform as it did in its maiden voyage, I will revisit the rating and perhaps raise it to 5 stars. I highly recommend that anyone who buys one of these start off with a couple of clean/descale cycles before trying to make coffee. Save yourself a headache and a lot of wasted coffee. Pros: Very attractive and sturdy. The hot water dispenser is super convenient for making Americanos which is what I drink. I now don't have to heat up a separate kettle of hot water. It's great. The built-in grinder is really nice and its automatic function that also allows manual operation is convenient. The programmable temperature and shot amount adjustments are great. Cons: Because it takes so much water to keep the machine clean and operating well (it flushes itself after each use of steam or hot water) the water receptacle has to be refilled OFTEN (around every 3-4 coffees for me). I wish the machine had a bigger water tank. The drip tray also needs to be changed fairly often because the machine flushes itself, but this is does not bother me as much and it is not as often as the water tank. The grinder amounts tend to fluctuate and I'm still trying to figure out what adjustments or cleaning will might fix this. I'm not impressed with their customer service. When I tried to get help for the first unit I purchased (which ended up being defective), it took a couple of days to get a response and then that was an email with the exact same information contained in the user's manual (I guess the assumption was that I had not read it) along with a flat dismissal that there could be anything wrong with the machine. Thankfully, Amazon dealt with the problem quickly by replacing the machine so I did not have to rely on Breville. I hope that I have a better response if I ever need to contact Breville in the future. Original review: I've wasted almost a pound of coffee over the past day trying to get the pressure on this machine to the "espresso" level that the instructions say is required. The machine will not go beyond the "pre infusion" level. I have cleaned it with the cleaning tablet as suggested in some of the reviews and I have adjusted the grind fineness and grind amount to every combination I can think of. Both settings are currently at the maximum levels. I've tamped the coffee harder and also used less pressure. NOTHING works. Like I said, I grew up with espresso as it is a daily drink in my culture. When I was little, my mom made it a the little stovetop espresso pot. My last espresso maker was a $79 Mr. Coffee that lasted almost 7 years and made very decent coffee with a nice crema everytime. No fuss. Then it finally broke and I can't find that model. I didn't want the new models with milk receptacles. Yuck! Anyway, I thought, well if I'm going to spend over $200 on Mr. Coffee, why not just splurge and get the Breville. The coffee I've so far gotten from this machine is thin and acidic and has almost no crema. As I've said, I have tried everything suggested. The pressure gage only reached the correct level on two shots after I had just cleaned it and then it went back to barely registering. IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS DIFFICULT TO MAKE A DECENT CUP OF COFFEE! Right now I feel like all these 5 star reviews are a product of the psychological phenomenon that happens with very expensive wine, where people report it tastes better because they don't want to seem stupid for paying so much and not liking it. I will update if it turns out I'm just missing the magic key to having this thing not be a ridiculously expensive pain in my coffee loving butt. But I'm not feeling hopeful.

The Breville Barista Express has been fantastic for me. It works flawlessly right out of the box and feels very well built. There’s a lot to learn with it, but once you get the hang of it, it’s extremely rewarding. I mostly use the double wall cup for my coffee when I’m not using the built-in bean grinder, and it produces consistently great espresso. The controls are intuitive, the steam wand works well for frothing milk and getting it hot, and cleanup is straightforward. It’s definitely an investment, but for anyone serious about making quality coffee at home, it’s worth every penny. A really solid machine that makes morning coffee something to look forward to. That storage bin that goes behind the drip tray is kind of annoying though since it gets splashed from the steam and boiler drip.

I researched many different espresso machines and read numerous reviews but I finally decided on the Breville Barista Express and I am extremely satisfied so far. I have owned it for about a month and make 2-4 coffees per day. Using the instructions recommended starter settings, the machine produced a delicious espresso and cappuccino right out of the box. I’ve fine tuned it following the instructions and You Tube videos to make it even better. My wife and I believe this produces much better coffees than the local coffee shops. The machine comes with everything you need to get started other than good coffee beans but I highly recommend getting a few accessories and upgrades for the best results: a small coffee scale to help fine tune your input and output amounts, a bottomless portafilter (the one provided appears nice but has plastic inside), a self leveling tamper, a WDT to break up any clumps in your grinds, and a few nice microfiber clothes for wiping the steam wand and quick cleanups of the machine. It is very easy to use, very easy to clean, and makes delicious coffee drinks for a fraction of the local coffee shops. A few notes for other reviews that I’ve read: heat up time - people have complained about the start up and heat up time, I don’t know what they are talking about, as this heats up very fast and is ready to go before I have my portafilter tamped; grinder fineness, watch a few YouTube videos and they show you how to adjust the grinding settings inside the grinder. Bottom line this is an amazing espresso machine for this price point, just don’t pay full price as it regularly goes on sale for 20-30% discounts.

Pros: • Excellent espresso quality • Built in grinder works great • Steam wand makes solid lattes • Durable and reliable over time Cons: • Takes a little practice to dial in your perfect shot I’ve had this machine for over a year now, and it has been amazing. The espresso quality is consistently great, and the built in grinder makes the whole process convenient. Once you dial in your grind size and amount, it pulls really solid shots. The steam wand works well and has allowed me to learn how to make my own lattes at home. It honestly feels like a small skill I’ve picked up along the way. On top of that, it has significantly cut down on my coffee shop spending, which adds up quickly. It does take a little time to learn and maintain, but once you get the hang of it, it’s absolutely worth it. Overall, a reliable machine that delivers quality coffee every day.

As my profile name says, this is my first ever review and a feedback for anything I bought anywhere online. I felt like doing it because I have some spare time over Christmas and also I hope someone will find this helpful. If your primary criteria for choosing an espresso machine is the looks, don’t read further. Choose this machine as my opinion it is the best looking machine on the market as of right now. If on the other hand you are assessing other features, keep reading. Bough this machine 3 weeks ago. Was away for a week on work travels and used it effectively 25 times. Made around 15 espressos and 10 cappuccinos. in two weeks. I owned two espresso machines in last 5 years and these were half the price of this one so you understand where my base line or the previous knowledge is. Issues The first issue is around excess amount discharged of water in the bottom tray (you will see it because Breville obviously even made a floater that flips red when it is about to overflow). Issue 1. Bottom tray was overflowing with water after using the machine 15 times. I thought this was strange, emptied the water and continue using the machine and this time I was monitoring the level of water in the bottom tray. After 10 further drinks (mostly espressos and a few cappuccinos) the tray was half-way full. I did not think this was right so I gave Breville support a call. They were very responsive and called me back. I explained the situation and the gentlemen I spoke with said it is a normal operating condition for this machine and that end-user is expected to empty the tray after a while due to, as he stated, 3 events taking place: - Event 1, When you switch the machine on it automatically drains any stale water from its pipes into a tray so that a fresh water from the plastic container is used. I see this as a positive and a smart function for the machine to do and can confirm not much water is discharged into a tray. - Event 2, Machine drains a certain amount of water after every espresso made into a tray in order to get rid of any water in internal pipes so, so no water under pressure is left in machine pipes as this prolongs the life of a machine. I confirmed this whilst on a phone to him and there was not much water discharged in the tray. - Event 3, Machine drains a certain amount of water after using steamer for e.g. milk frothing. Again, as explained this is so any excess pressure is released from the pipes as well as any water. Here, a large amount of water was released in the tray as I tested this whilst on the phone to support. My assessment of this issue is, if you have the time to change empty the tray after roughly you made 15 drinks and stress about whether the water will overflow in you espresso tray then consider this a non-issue. This normal operating condition is not listed in the manual or brought to consumer’s attention when choosing this product. This is obviously known to Breville since they went as far as designing a smart flipping floater turning red when the tray is full. However, they do not consider this too much of a hinderance to users. The next issue number 2, again as per my conversation with the support is a normal operating condition. Steamer pipe was blocked. I had to use a cleaning needle, supplied with the machine, followed by switching on the steamer to get it to work. This is after frothing the milk for around 10 cappuccinos I made using this machine, last one yesterday. The support said it may be because I used whole milk, and I think I did. Again, this normal operating condition/best practice is not listed in the manual or brought to consumer’s attention when choosing this product. This is obviously known to Breville since they went as far as supplying a cleaning kit with this machine all with specifically designed needle. Obviously, they do not seem to consider this too much of a hinderance to users. Issue number 3 is to do with coffee grinder feature usability. You cannot tell how much coffee has been ground (the grinder will go on as long as you keep the porta filter basket/handle pressing the grinder switch). As a result every coffee you make will taste different. Now, in summary, I am returning this product since I cannot afford the time to maintain it (empty water, clean). Although making a coffee is a ritual, I do not feel like I can get use to this machine. It would require too much of my attention to maintain and learn how to operate it. Also, I want to be able to use any milk type without a fear it will clog the steamer pipe and lastly the coffee tastes differently every time I make it (this last one would take some time to get use to the machine which admittedly I did not allow for). Although I am a coffee lover, I cannot justify the price of this espresso machine with having all the basic issues I listed. And for whomever over-engineered the self-cleaning functionality of this machine, and the person who approved it, they have done it to the detriment of usability and have affected the end product result at the end of the day. The next section are my suggestions on how to improve this product in the future, so for Breville Product Owner, in case they ever read this. 1. Have a light at the top of the grinder dispenser so that I can see how much coffee has been ground. Maybe have both options available to users, unlimited coffee grinding (needs light to see) as well as the exact amount 2. Find a better way of cleaning the machine than discharging a lot of the water in the tray - this is a burden to end-user. See suggestion 3. 3. Instead of on/off steamer switch, have a knob controlling how much steam to use. This will help with cleaning the pipes as well as stopping excess water discharge in the tray since the user can simply release any excess steam with the knob. Not as easy with on/off switch, not to say impossible 4. Grinder dial numbers are hard to see Hope this helps.

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.

The Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine is fantastic for anyone wanting a near-café experience at home. The build quality feels solid, the grinder works well, and it’s very convenient to have a machine that lets you grind, tamp, and brew in one device. The shots taste great when dialed in, and it’s perfect for learning espresso at home. That said, I’ve noticed that the consistency isn’t always exact. Some shots pull perfectly, while others are slightly off. I’m not sure if this is due to differences in the coffee beans I’m using, grind size, or the machine itself—but it’s something to be aware of if you’re looking for perfectly repeatable results every single time. Overall, this is a highly capable espresso machine that makes delicious drinks, especially if you enjoy experimenting with grind size and tamping. With a little practice, you can get very close to café-quality espresso at home. I’m giving it 4 stars because of the minor consistency issue, but it’s still a fantastic machine and worth considering.

This is by far the best quality espresso machine at a reasonable price point for your home. My ex husband's father bought us this machine in 2012 and it works perfectly still in 2026. I bought my own machine recently because my ex husband kept our first machine when he moved out. My new version of the same Breville Barista Express is just as awesome and easy to set up and get started as the old machine was. Much to my excitement, I guessed correctly on my first try with the grind size and grind amount. I brewed the perfect espresso with an amazing crema head. I was historically a barista while in college, and this tiny little inexpensive machine makes espressos and lattes just as well as any Starbucks barista can. I waited until this machine went on sale for $500 on Christmas Day and bought it. It also goes to that price on Black Friday or cyber monday. Fun fact, it was $500 in 2012, so it has not increased in price when you wait for the sale price. When you think about how much you would spend at Starbucks everyday, this machine pays for itself in less than 6 months. I'm a huge fan of the hot water feature, as I love to make Americanos. In case anyone wants to know, I use the brand of coffee called Purity, and love the "Ease" flavor. The beans work so well with this machine. I also highly recommend buying the Breville knock box for your grind bricks. This particular machine also comes with something that the old one did not, which is a spill proof topper for when you are grinding. It clicks right on and prevents you from spilling precious ground coffee, but has a wide mouth for easily tamping all of the grounds down before you remove it and brew the espresso. I just love this machine. If you do like lattes, the frother works so well with any type of milk. I have used almond milk, soy milk, and regular cow's milk. It's easy to clean if you immediately wipe it down with a wet paper towel. I can't say enough awesome things about it. There are so many others like this machine, but this one is the best.