Starts at 10:00 am
OzBargain's favourite coffee machine is back on sale! Better price than the Priority10 coupon code.
Pair it with the ever popular Smart Grinder Pro
Original PGOODGUYS 20% off Storewide at The Good Guys on eBay Deal Post
Mine arrived last night. had a few issues putting the order through but have got one click and collect now for $568.80. Can't complain about that.
How does the espresso and milk based coffees taste from this thing compared to your favourite local cafe if you're a novice at using one? Will this save me spending $4 each morning or will I eventually revert back to my favourite cafe?
Really depends on your skills and the type of beans you use! I have had one of these for years now and I can make as nice, if not better coffees than a lot of cafes out there. The machine will pay for itself in no time if you make your own coffee every morning. It has a timer function so it can be on and heated up for you when you wake ;)
yes, better than most $4 cup cafes, and i use $20 kg beans when on special. another great thing is weekends, you can make a cup of coffee and go back to bed , no need to dress, go to a cafe and wait for table or service.
trick is don’t skimp on amount of coffee used.
This. Good beans and grinder. Currently getting some rather good milk coffees from the Aldi Lazzio Brazil single origin. Together with a Sunbeam EM6910 (not quite as good?) Better coffees at home than many coffee shops.
Second the Aldi Lazzio Brazil single origin!
It's amazing
@moomilky: I have been using one of these coffee machines many times daily, with the smart grinder pro since 2013/14. Amazing consistency once you dial in the process.
Using Campos brand for years but would love to find a cheaper option.
Will give these Aldi Brazil beans a go after these endorsements.
Thanks.
@[Deactivated]: Update: I tried the Aldi Brazil beans but will stick with the Campos Superior blend for now, as I prefer the "less fruity" and "more earthy punch" of the Campos.
I had the em7000 (now in garage as I bought a breville 920 a few weeks ago at $860 from bing lee).
the Em7000 is dual thermoblock, and very fast heat up for those not able to stretch the budget to the 920 dual boiler and it does bake as good as cafe coffees.
@garage sale: Just ordered a BES920 to replace my EM7000 as well. My sister has a 920 so i'm pretty confident i'll be happy with the upgrade. How are you liking it so far?
@Arsenal: @arsenal don't worry you won't look back. had the EM7k now on bes920 over a year now with the smart grinder
Hi,
Does anyone use the Aldi Lazzio Brazil beans with the smart grinder pro?
I'm having some issues figuring out the correct time/coarse size. So far I found that 7 seconds at 14 grind size and 8 seconds at 16 grind size to give decent results (but not great).
Anything less than 14 grind would be too fine (and not enough coffee in the single shot basket) so it would only extract 5-10ml at best in 30 seconds.
At 7-8 seconds at 14-16 grind size I get about 30ml in 30 seconds but I'm not quite happy with the flow.
Also, would these settings vary greatly between beans producers/roasters? With the ALDI beans it's cheap enough to experiment (I used about 400g trying to figure out the optimal number of seconds / grind size and it's still not quite OK) but with more expensive beans it would be tricky.
Thank you.
@xejta: What the f**K? When you increase the grind number it grinds coarser. Meaning you get more grams per second. Grind coarser and you decrease the grind time, grind finer and you increase the grind time.
I usually hit 3-6 over roughly 9-10 seconds for a 58mm portafilter grind.
How hard are you tamping??? I fill my portafilter basket with a fine grind then gently press down and polish. I also pre-infuse so tamping hard doesn't make sense.
That's the only thing I can think of unless your grinder or machine is screwed
Really depends on your consumption preferences. Many people prefer to drink coffee in a cafe surrounded by others or just not at home. If you prefer drinking at home this will be perfect. For many, making coffee is a ritual and not just about taste. I enjoy the process and can't even imagine buying a coffee in the morning (need two to get me out the door)!
This. I really enjoy the process of making my coffee every morning. I upgraded my machine and grinder when a similar deal popped up for this exact combo a few years ago and have been so happy with the coffee I can get. Worth every penny.
You can find some great YouTube tutorials to help you learn, too.
yes, if you sit down and have a coffee at a cafe, its an experience you want, for people that are into take-away, cheaper at home and less hassle.
I was disappointed at first when I began using this machine, but after some more practice and getting a .1g set of kitchen scales, I soon improved.
The scales really helped me get my extraction accuracy better. What I do is weigh the grinds first, to ensure the right dosage, tamp it, then weigh the volume of liquid coming out. This helps me dial in the right tamp pressure and grind setting on the grinder.
Out of interest, what are your settings for the grinder and then grams per shot etc.?
Would love to know too please!
His settings won't help you too much. It is really dependent on your beans and how hard you tamp. A couple notches from locked burrs and 18g is a good place to start, and you want to tamp 'reasonably hard'. If you ended up with the top of the metal part of the tamper in line with the top of the basket then 18g is you number, otherwise adjust accordingly.
If the coffee runs out too fast then grind finer and if it's too slow or not at all, go coarser. You may need to adjust your weight if you've moved significantly from where you started.
Have a look on YouTube for examples but this is the basics. Expect to pour a fair bit of coffee down the sink when beginning and I suggest not starting with supermarket beans as they are usually stale and you'll be scratching your head wondering why you can't get it right.
Good luck!
@tanabe88gg: Everything tanabe88gg says! Also, the grinders on each machine might be slightly different so you really have to play around with your specific grinder.
@tanabe88gg: That 18g is for the double shot basket, right?
I don't use a scale but after a while you get pretty good at making changes on the fly with each new set of beans. Grinder is currently set to 17.8 time with 8 grind level (Campos Burundi Munkaze beans).
Campus and Patio are my go to roasters for freshness, quality and range.
18 grams , compress and then add some more so 22grams total for me on the breville smart grinder.
doing 22 grams in one go tends to fall off the portafilter.
22 grams of coffee would be $5 cup at a cafe.
the breville 920 and sunbeams em7000 (Australian designed) have larger portafilters than std overseas as Australians tend to drink stronger coffee, probably why Australian coffee shops are the rage overseas.
@garage sale: Not necessarily, pretty standard price for regular sized coffee is about $4 in Melbourne.
Most good cafes would use a dose of about 21-22 grams and get out around 42-44ml of coffee for a double shot, so a regular coffee is only getting half of that.
Different for everyone, but it's trial and error, then you can just do small adjustments on the grinder as the beans age. If I start going over 60ml for a double, I set the grinder finer. If I get under, I adjust coarser. Having the scales lets me see the volume easily each time.
For me, I do 21g shots in the double basket, grind around 8 on the grinder, but I've adjusted the burrs once in about 9 months so it probably won't be the same for you. I adjust the coarseness a bit each day though.
Depending on the beans (I'm using Fox coffee ATM), it's around 17-18s for the double basket. I pause the grinder, tap to settle the grounds around 3 times otherwise it will overfill the basket. Some use a toothpick to distribute it but I found this the easiest.
I also bought a pressure tamp (Joe frex), which I guess is cheating a little. But in the beginning it helped maintain consistent pressure and eliminating another variable.
Usually 13g of beans for single and 18g for double for me, also got a triple that takes 24g.
Highly recommend the already mentioned set of 0.1g resolution digital scales.
Ensure you pair with either the Breville or another decent micro adjustable grinder.
Best thing i ever bought 2.5 years ago now, i am still a novice haha.
If you are not super into the idea of having an expensive, time consuming new hobby then avoid.
Good quality coffee machines have a warm up time, about 15 to 30min. The beans need to be fresh roasted and used within 20 days of roasting ( not available in supermarkets, you will have to order online or get from a cafe around 15 to 20 dollars for 250g will get you 10-12 shots of espresso). Also several roasters sell shit coffee which you won't know until you spent a lot of money trying them and not knowing if coffee is bad or your not doing it properly. Most good barista's in cafes makes several shots which are thrown away to dial in their coffee grinders (to calibrate the grinder for a good espresso, each day the coffee bean has changed slightly and needs a different grind). Other variables to tinker with are: weight of espresso in and weight of coffee out, learning how to tamp coffee down well, adjusting temperature of water.
Next you will have to worry about cleaning coffee machine regularly, changing rubber seals, getting filtered water or descaling… if you don't do this your machine won't last more than 3 years…
If you are drinking at home diluted with tons of milk then doesn't matter too much how shit your espresso is, but then you have to master the art of foaming milk…
Watch James Hoffman's (former world barista champion) review of the Breville Oracle machine on youtube, in it he explains very eloquently why he doesn't drink espresso at home, because he can't be bothered tinkering with grinder, and weighing scales every morning to get a good espresso shot. /End rant
It definitely doesn’t take 30mins to warm up… maybe 5
yep that's why this machine has an element in the group head - speeds up warm up. Your 30min quote yt55 is for machines with no group head element and you are talking about 30mins for thermal stability to the large copper block. Breville hacked this and have done a damn fine job.
@Spicket: I was talking generically about most boiler espresso machines. I knew the BDB was a quicker warm up than most boiler machines, I thought around 15min but I just looked it up, it's 8m20s according to Seattle coffee gear website. Thank you for flagging this.
@[Deactivated]: Yep, I confirm it only takes a few minutes to reach my 96 degrees setting. Heatup is not much of an issue with the BES920
Breville manual recommends that you set autostart 15min before intended use.
@yt55: Give it up, I have owned one for 2.5 years stop sprouting bs, will get to 93c in less than 5mins.
$15-20 for 250g… You're doing it wrong..
even Merlo are 1kg for $41 delivered
I can't use 1 kg of beans in 2 to 3 weeks, after this time coffee becomes stale.
Quantity over quality. If you want the other way around @megahowler then you'll order smaller amounts more often.
Unpopular opinion but James Hoffman is a bit of a tosser
The beans need to be fresh roasted and used within 20 days of roasting
Some say by the end of 14 days they need to be used. But then you also have to give them a few days to settle after roasting and packing so the window is even narrower for expensive coffee.
Also several roasters sell shit coffee
I would say that 90% of roasters will not be to peoples tastes once they hit how they really like their coffee.
If you are drinking at home diluted with tons of milk then doesn't matter too much how shit your espresso is, but then you have to master the art of foaming milk…
This is somewhat true although I feel that espresso shot will most certainly raise the level of your latte if it is a good one. Foaming milk is the harder part (unless you have a machine like this, than a few youtube vids and practice will sort you out). I'm still looking for a auto frother that works good enough that I don't need to buy a machine to texture/foam milk.
he explains very eloquently why he doesn't drink espresso at home,
Yeah well you can go out and get a great espresso shot for $3 so why bother? But for milk coffees at home and social situations a machine is great to have around.
will be interesting how many they have for sale, as most other stores eg myer, hn, have the machine and grinder bundles only except for bing lee.
Shot and milk texture of cafe quality is totally achievable. Most good cafes in Sydney use around 21g basket. The Breville basket is about 18-19g in the double shot - run the shot about 35sec inc pre-infusion for a 50ml double (I pour slightly short). Make sure you run some water thru the basket or allow to preheat entirely and clear any residual water from the wand before steaming so you dont bruise the milk. Beacuse you are able to pour and steam at the same time you can create art no probs.
grab a VST basket for the BDB and you won't be disappointed
Roughly how many grams of coffee does the VST basket take, and do you find you're getting more consistent results?
this or the 870
is the 870 ($480) compared to the 920+grinder($790) a significantly lesser machine for the $300 diff?
Drink milk based coffee and normally make two at a time (currently using Creatista plus nespresso machine)
I paid $1070 for both 2.5 years ago, for $790 almost worth buying as a spare, no brainer.
spare is what I'm thinking, a replacement boiler is $220 alone, so I'd be set for may years to come, and if I need parts I don't need to wait, fire up other machine until parts arrive …. like owning 2 bikes and never worried about flat tyre in the morning.
hmmm 2 lady friends and not having to worry if one is in a bad mood ?
But then $1700-$1800 on one machine would be a really nice machine.
I don’t have either but the 920 is double boiler, so you can do milk while coffee is extracting. 870 is single boiled so you’d need to extract coffee, heat up again then do the milk. If you’re doing two at a time I’d say 920 is better. Yes it’s $300 more, but if you get frustrated and stop using the 870 it’s a waste of cash.
The 870 uses a thermocoil, not a boiler.
The 920 should be better at regulating temperature for espresso extraction.
I currently have an 870. Looking to upgrade to the 920 soon. Don't know of a better alternative at this price point.
having owned a single boiler, solf it 3 months later, I would never go back, then had the sunbeam em7000 dual thermoblock, now the 920 dual boiler ….. never again single boilder machine.
pay the extra ….if you don't get the breville 920, get the sunbeam em7000 dual thermblock if on a budget.
this, the 920 is in a completely different league than the 870
I agree. I would not go for the 870 as the machine will heat up the beans, which is not good for bean freshness over time.
Additionally, the dual boiler is always a premium feature over the cheaper thermocoil to allow for simultaneous extraction and milk texturing.
I like having the grinder separate, in case it needs to be fixed/replaced etc, the coffee machine is not affected.
Sorry for a potentially stupid question but how does this compare to an aeropress. For example, the aeropress makes a very similar coffee to a French press in my opinion and nothing like one's from a cafe. I'm assuming this is very cafe like in taste?
Interesting comment. I have an Aeropress I use for my daily coffee at work. While it’s not as good as an espresso, I find it much better than other French press.
Do you use the inversion method, and really put it under pressure? I find that helps.
I use the inversion method.
Honestly you cant compare the brewing methods.
If you have good beans and prefer long blacks, imo aeropress/pourover etc is far better than an espresso shot with boiling water.
On the other hand nothing goes better with milk than an espresso shot. It doesn't even have to be 'great' as the milk masks alot. This is why most cafes serve average espresso and no one notices.
It’s not about being as “good” as an espresso, it’s just a different style of coffee. (If you like espresso, then no, it’s not as good! But if you prefer French press style coffee, or even pour over, then perhaps Aeropress may in fact be “better” to you than espresso)
Aeropress is somewhere between an espresso and a French press, but much much closer to a French press than it is to an espresso.
Great price, but be weary of the quality of it. The group end sleeve is made of plastic and wears over time. Just out of warranty and it will cost about $150-$200 to replace with a maintenance service. Good at the present price. For an automatic type expresso machine its ok. The single and double pour settings never worked for us in that it never kept the settings for the pour time. You need to get the grinder which I highly recommend. Very adjustable for grinds. It works out to be about 50cents a cup. Not factoring in cost of machine though. But you have the convenience of being able to make you own coffee anytime.
the seals on my sunbeam have done about 5000 cups and are still going, I now have the beville 920, seals are $50 if you fit it yourself but I'm sure to get 1000's of cups that is needed.
When I bought my 920 and smart grinder back in 2016 from Hardly Normal via an OzBargain deal I also got their 48 month product care replacement warranty for an extra (I think) $90. That provides an extra 4 years for repair/replacement warranty that starts AFTER the expiry of Breville's 2 year warranty - giving 6 years warranty.
Was a no brainer imho and might be worth looking into if Good Guys have something similar (they are both part of the same company so I assume they do).
After 3 years almost daily operation my machine has only experienced 2 problems - failed solenoid after 18 months and the filter holder in the water tank snapping - both fixed under warranty by Breville without an issue. Very happy.
Annnnnd, go. Bought.
'This code can't be applied to your order.'?
CANNOT CHECK OUT FFS…."Something went wrong. Please try to check out again"
used 2 diff cards amex and master
bought :) C+C locally, in stock. Stoked!
- thanks OP
Oh and did I mention, this is now my second machine? Already had one for home, and now one for the office :D
Great machine and grinder. I think I’ve had mine for 2+ yrs now. Probably makes on average 2 cups a day.
Does take a little time early days to get the grinder and tamper set up for your taste.
I recommend getting a good tamper, it makes a world of difference.
Easy to maintain, and best of all brilliant tasting coffee (with good beans from your local.)
Anyone got a link to like a dummies setup guide video on these and how to dial it in to something in the ball park?
Coming from nespresso land this will be my first grinder and machine that requires 'work' ;)
Want to try and lessen the learning process with a decent starting point
would this be a better investment than the other Breville Barista Express Machine? https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/463803 (Breville BES870CRN).
Thoughts? Is the upgrade in taste worth the extra dollar spend on the machine + buying separate grinder?
Cheers!
Yes the dual boiler config do make a huge difference over thermoblocks.
Really? Is the coffee that much better?
hmm checkout error for c&c at moorabbin and springvale stores on phone, ipad and laptop …..wonder if stock is gone ?
Try Dandenong. Just worked for me after getting the same error messages on moorabbin, springvale and essendon.
I pressed order at 10am and picking up from my local GG. My EM6910 has cranked out great coffees for 10 years and I’d been looking at an upgrade to an Italian HX or DB machine. At $632 though the BDB couldn’t be passed up. Looking forward to dialing in and pulling some cracking shots.
Definitely one of the best consumer grade coffee machines.
I've had mine for a couple years now with the smart grinder pro and it hasn't missed a beat.
With the right coffee beans, and some practice you'll be making far better coffees then the cafes.
It does take some time to lean how to use the machine and it's essential you clean it well each time, but if you love your coffee it's worth every penny.
Thanks OP, upgrading my 10YO EM6910 has been on my mind for a while
I made the same upgrade a couple of years back. Mine lasted 10 years too.
You'll notice a significant difference in terms of consistency of your shots with the BES920. and the near-silent milk steaming is nice too!
Worked in pubs/cafes/restaurants in a previous life, so have always had access to a commercial machine. Had to take up all-grain brewing and buy a three-tap kegerator to satisfy my need to pour beer. Which has also helped with my need to consume beer. The EM6910 was always a stop-gap measure but after 10 years the bloody thing still hasnt died (will be relocated, so no longer wishing it an untimely death…cant imagine that will go terribly well). Pick up the dual boiler tomorrow, exciting times.
EM6910 was always a stop-gap measure
Ditto …. but it was such a good and reliable machine that just refused to die!
Unpacked your BES ?
50% off Next 3 P&R Home Coffee Deliveries (from $12 for 500g) @ Pablo & Rusty's https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/463544
P&R tho
Got mine home and setup and have pulled my first shots. A change in grind was needed to get it finer, but it was easy to hit 9 bar and get a great extraction with a solid crema. This is a great step up from an EM6910 for both shots and milk texturing. Looking forward to playing around with the settings next. Very happy with the purchase at this price.
Same. I've had the Breville Smart Grinder pro for a while with the intention of getting the BES920 on sale. Took 5 goes to sort out grind (burr set to 6, electronic set to 1!) to get to 9 bar but after that….Holy Smokes! Incredibly happy with it. Can't wait for Sunday morning and some more tinkering :)
same just upgraded from EM6910 and cant believe how much better this is (or though my EM6910 was probably in poor shape)
Operation is a million times more quieter, i hit 9 bar very quickly and the coffee extracted looks much nicer. (using 11 grind size on breville smart grinder pro) at about 19 seconds for a double = 19g coffee to 60g extracted for the double.
the steamer is a million miles better than my old one. no matter how many techniques i tried i could never aerate the milk enough to have it feel smooth/velvety throughout the whole coffee, but i got it first shot on this one.
basically my first coffee i made on this was the best one i have ever made!
Likewise, Got Smart Grinder last year and was waiting for BES920 to get into the $600 range before buying. I’d been grinding on 9 but went down to 5 to get about 19 grams in basket and hit 9 bar. I thought I did a pretty decent shot on the EM6910, but I definitely wasn’t doing it this good! Holy smokes is right I reckon. Enjoy it mate!
I've been slumming it with a Bialetti Moka pot for ages. Massive upgrade. Just been measuring by eye into the double basket and using that Razor thingy. Now i'm in the market for a decent set scales and a knockbox
Bought the machine and grinder…..
Little bit nervous about screwing up, but soooo looking fwd to doing more than just popping in a capsule.
Seems like now I've gotta keep an eye out for scales and …..of course, decent beans.
Good lord, you don't need scales with this machine (i've been using this combo for years), particularly with the smart grinder! If you're coming from a capsule, even the cheapest supermarket coffee beans will be 100x better than what you've been used to.
Awesome. Can't wait to make my first cup
@Spending2Much: It will take a few test shots to get the dosing right (amount and courseness) . Possibly even more than a few. But ones you've got that sorted it's effortless. Continue to use the same brand of beans you'll likely only need to ever make minor adjustments.
Bought one last night. When I choose C&C it says will be ready to pickup in store by 1PM today.
Still haven't received email confirmation yet…
Hopefully I can get it today.
I had a similar Q to a poster above how much better is this + separate grinder (~$800) than the Breville BES870CRN on sale (~$480) on the other post?
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/463803
More info: coming from a DeLonghi Magnifica Automatic Coffee Machine - ESAM 04110B which has been great for my humble beginnings!
TIA :)
Was looking to pull the trigger on the BES920 this morning.
Sadly it looks like it was removed from The Good Guys eBay page :(
Was going to buy this afternoon but its gone :(
Think i will get the grinder and pray for another EOFY sale from somewhere else
hoping my 10% off ebay GC's turn up in time