Need Some Feedback Before I Buy Breville's BES870 Coffee Machine

Hunter80 on 28/04/2020 - 22:36
Last edited 29/04/2020 - 06:17

So I would like to consider myself a coffee connoisseur, or more realstically, we can say I appreciate good coffees. Industry Beans on York Street is my favourite, Workshop on George, and depending on the Barista on the day Dopio on Pitt can be good too.

Of late I have started drinking Nespresso Pods, with Delonghi EN500, Latissima One Nespresso machine, and they are ok whilst we are in lock down :-(

I was wondering how close you can get to a good coffee, of course after some practice, with say BES870? Been tossing up whether to buy it or just stick with Nespresso Pods?

Will appreciate some first hand experience or tricks to help me buy a good machine and then make good coffees.

Food & Grocery Breville Coffee Machine

Comments

  • Drifta on 28/04/2020 - 22:51

    Good machine for the price point. takes some practice at the start but provides you better control than the pod machine and also ends up being cheaper in the long run. I buy beans from my local roaster in 500g packs so get to try various different roasts and regions.

    Still learning myself and been using it for 2 months. Cant do latte art to save me but besides that the coffee is good.

    probably only con is that you need to clean the machine, if not daily at least every 2-3 days as the waste tray fills up as water goes in while heating up the steam. Also havent been able to fully master how hard to press the coffee so i dont "extract" all the coffee from the ground up coffee. I run the machine twice instead which helps and makes me feel that I am not throwing away unextracted coffee beans.

    Use the "waste" beans as fertiliser for the roses and thats been working great too.

    • Quasi Human on 29/04/2020 - 07:11
      +3

      Please watch some YouTube videos on dialing in your shot. You want to make sure you're tamping the same each time and adjusting the grind to the age/type/roast of bean. Don't run the machine through twice, you'll get over extracted bitter yucky tasting coffee.

      Ok tamping you can buy a tamp which will apply even pressure each time. Look on Amazon or eBay.

      The best thing you can do is use fresh beans. It makes a huge difference, and is harder to screw up.

      • ESEMCE on 29/04/2020 - 08:46

        +1
        I reccommend James Hoffman on Youtube.
        He's acutely aware of his coffee snobbiness, and I think he gets the right balance between reality and perfection as a result.

        Remember the aim is good tasting coffee, not making the blackest cup of coffee.
        Get out out of the mindset of extracting everything out of the beans…
        Some things are better left in the beans than in your cup.

        I am amazed by the difference a cup can have just by altering the dose by a gram (or less). And I am no super taster.
        As a result of watching his video's I'm now dosing ~2g less, grinding far coarser, tamping with minimal pressure (which I think results in better consistency) and I think my coffee's taste better!

  • spackbace on 28/04/2020 - 23:24
    +1

    Ask the baristas at those cafes how long it took them to get good.

    That's how long it will take you…

    Type of bean, coffee ground coarseness, freshness of the coffee, how hard you tamper down, length of pour, type of milk… Hell even the diet the cow had can affect the frothing of the milk. All factor into how good or bad your coffee is.

  • markb28 on 28/04/2020 - 23:31

    The Breville is way better than the pods I've had it for about 18 months, I too came from Nespresso. Even with my early efforts being less than optimal, still way better than pods. However friends of mine also have one and have stopped using it as they didn't like the tray cleaning requirements and filter changes, I don't mind, in fact I like the manual aspect. It's good to learn with but I'll probably progress to a dual boiler model in a couple of years to speed things up when making multiple coffees.

    I took a half day Barista course from one of those gift experiences, got pretty good after that with the extraction and heating/stretching milk aspects. Industry beans also sell their beans so you have a good reference to what you are aiming for. It does take longer to make a coffee than the pro machines the wand is not powerful..

    There are videos on youtube to learn the basics. If you get one, also pick up a cheap coffee thermometer as burnt milk will ruin the coffee.

  • nubzy on 28/04/2020 - 23:38
    +1

    You are in Sydney, if you want to make good coffee please go to a specialist like Di Bartoli or Jet Black Espresso. They have a great range of machines and grinders and expert staff who will help pick the right setup for you. It is worth investing in a quality machine which is serviceable as you will get much more consistent coffee quality and a longer life out of it compared to an appliance machine.

    • Drifta on 29/04/2020 - 01:24

      i wouldnt invest in a profession machine as a rookie.. each to their own.

      costco sells a variant with built in thermometer frothing cup. better option imo

  • Jck2216 on 29/04/2020 - 02:05

    The express is a great model, there’s a reason why it’s the best selling manual espresso machine in this price bracket. As has been said above there is a degree of learning required but YouTube is invaluable here and has taught me a lot with my Barista Pro. Check out ‘Seattle coffee gear’ on YouTube they have a few reviews of the express and they put it up against more expensive machines and it is always well received. I only bought the pro over the express due to the thermojet and I was tossing up a dual boiler, realistically the wait time between brewing and frothing is 10 secs max.

  • ESEMCE on 29/04/2020 - 07:18
    +1

    Any coffee made with fresh beans in any device will destroy pod coffee.

    I'd go for one of the high end Instant brands over a Nespresso pod coffee.

    Next level from there is a good grinder and a cheap plunger.
    A stovetop gets you a step closer to "espresso".
    But after that, you really need to make an enormous jump up to the top end Breville or Sunbeams. Anything less than them really doesn't do a whole lot more than a stovetop (aside from froth milk).

    Moving to a cheap Italian machine gets you pretty close to most cafes for not a whole lot more than the Breville or Sunbeams.
    I actually made this jump a few years back on a demo machine that was cheaper than the Breville /Sunbeam machines.
    It looks better and the coffee is better and easier to get right

    And then you're probably going to need a grinder upgrade before escalating into the multi-thousand dollar machines.

  • Haplo on 29/04/2020 - 09:08
    +1

    The milk wand is under powered and takes a long time to heat the milk to the correct temp but otherwise it's good for the price and I think much better than pods. The dosing grinder helps you be consistent when you are first starting out.

  • dumdum83 on 29/04/2020 - 10:38
    +1

    I have a Sunbeam EM7000 and love it, have been using it since more than four years every day without any problems. I don't like machines with built in grinder, but you have to be aware of going down a potentially expensive rabbit hole as good grinders cost a lot…

  • slick7 on 29/04/2020 - 11:49

    Pods are convenient but not enviro-friendly or great-tasting (unless you fall for the marketing). A got a very old crappy Krups espresso machine and buying freshly roasted beans + Breville Grinder Pro has transformed my coffee. I got a Hario hand grinder first but after about 1 year and my wife and I went from 1 to 2 coffees a day, so I've had to buy the electric grinder cause it was getting me too tired.

    The Krups machine is starting to get a little too old. The pressurized double shot basket fell apart a week ago because it uses a little bit of plastic which crumbled. I can't find a replacement because the machine is too old and specialized shops cant help with Krups. It's about 8 years old so also contemplating an upgrade to BES840 or BES500. I am not a fan of having the grinder built-in and since I already own a good grinder my choice is made simpler :)

  • ihavok on 29/04/2020 - 12:21

    Price has always been the major deciding factor for me when it came to choosing coffee machines. On sale, the BES870 is great value for money.

    The BES870 was also my first coffee machine (replacing my previous Nespresso one). These have a decent resale value too on eBay (so you could see that as an option to exit if you change your mind or when you're ready to upgrade your machine).

    When I was ready to upgrade, I got a dedicated grinder while continuing to use the BES870. Eventually I replaced the BES870 with the BES920 (keeping my previous grinder).

    As others noted, there is a bit of a learning curve. But I think of it as a hobby. It takes more time and effort than a pod machine, but the result for me is worth it. Also helps that I enjoy making coffee.

  • crashloaded on 29/04/2020 - 15:00

    I've got a rancilio Silvia that's served me well for many years now. Probably gonna upgrade to a dual boiler soon.

    The main thing I'd recommend when learning is invest in a timer and scales, with these 2 things you can pull decent espresso out of mediocre machines.

  • onetwothreefour on 29/04/2020 - 16:58

    I don't drink coffee but my wife loves it and was a barista in her younger years and enjoys making coffee. We have the Breville dual boiler and she really loves the coffee it makes, I also love the chai lattes and matcha lattes she makes me, kids love hot chocolate etc so it's been a good purchase for all.

  • squigglz on 29/04/2020 - 17:29

    I got a Breville Barista Express to keep me sane at the beginning of lockdown and I am enraptured by it. I love it! I look forward to making my morning coffee the moment I wake up.

    100% absolutely recommend this machine. You won't regret it!

    • jchay on 03/05/2020 - 21:44
      +1

      You are right there. Did keep me sane during the lockdown with the Breville coffee machine. I brought it thinking it’s a fancy equipment to have in the house but right now I been looking forward each morning to use it

  • Choc0 on 07/05/2020 - 16:56

    bought one in the very first week of lockdown and it's been an excellent decision.

    Pre lockdown, I would buy two coffees a day, the missus one, so that's roughly $12 per working day saved, not to mention coffees at weekend brunch.

    On that basis, I'm saying it's saved us $70/week. Knock off $20 a week for Milk/Beans I'd still say the payback period on this is a matter of weeks.

    Not to mention fewer cups going into landfill

    Plenty of videos on youtube to learn and get better if you haven't pulled coffees before.

  • cc23 on 15/05/2020 - 10:34
    +1

    I'm enjoying that this thread exists as I too am looking at grabbing a breville machine, the thing that is getting to me though is the lack of good deals going around… Also could this (the barista express) be recommended over the Bambino + Pro Grinder combo that people seem to be enjoying?

    • slick7 on 19/05/2020 - 14:29

      Cafes have not really been trading for 8 weeks or so… with so many more ppl making coffee at home deals have not been that common. It's actually been hard to find stock.

      Depends if you like the idea of all in one. I personally like to have the grinder separately in case of upgrades or if something goes wrong. It also works better in a smaller kitchen having 2 smaller devices to find room for. Mine are not even exactly next to each other. I think the Bambino is quicker to warm up but overall the Barista Express is probably a touch better at making coffee compared to the Bambino. I'm chasing a deal on the Bambino. Best I can find at the moment is about the $420 mark.

      • cc23 on 19/05/2020 - 14:47
        +1

        Interesting that we are in exactly the same boat. I did manage to find the Bambino for $336 delivered at Good Guys Commercial, but it is only the black colour which wouldn't fit in with all the other stainless steel appliances on my work top. Best I can find for the steel is $420. I'm thinking to just bite the bullet and buy them both save waiting for ruddy ages.

        • slick7 on 19/05/2020 - 16:16

          Thanks - I'll look into the GGC $336 deal. Not my first preference of colour but nearly $90 saving on a $300 item is enough to make me consider it…

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