OzBargain’s favourite coffee machine. BYO grinder (not included). If you’re new here, a common pairing is the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. Enjoy.
It is better to have a separate grinder.
Sorry newbie here, why is that? I believe both would let you choose the grind size. For couple of coffees a day, makes sense to get a combined one to save space and $?
People who are very picky about their coffee prefer to have the grinder away from the boiler to make sure the ground coffee is not overheated.
@dealspider: I havent heard the overheating thing before - i have a Delonghi with grinder built in, and the grinds certainly dont get warm at all.
That being said, i think the built in grinders are not great, and having a separate grinder means it can be maintained, upgraded etc separately. I bought an all in one type thing because it was convenient and saved on space, but its a bit comprimised.
@Gmetal: I think my wording was wrong. It's not "overheating". I have read about this thing that, heat coming from the boiler can change the quality of the coffee beans/ground. Maybe it is not true. I am happy with my Barista Express since I am not making enough coffee to justify the upgrade (almost double the price)
@dealspider: Breville seems to believe it, the Oracle has a fan around the grinder/hopper area to help prevent the heat from reaching the beans.
Built in grinders just… Are never that great, and invariably, if you make a lot of coffee, you'll want to upgrade the grinder.
Many people believe good grinding is more instrumental in making good coffee than any other step (provided you don't mess anything up, of course) and I'm inclined to agree.
For reference, I have the barista express with built in grinder and while it was good for me a 18 months ago, I've now grown to despise it.
@Assburg: Not completely true re built in grinders. My built in lelit grinder is the same as the standalone unit which is around $300-400. Your point is true for standard appliance coffee machines though.
@adam149: You use a Lelit built in grinder?
If it’s not grounded by a $1000 dollar grinder I might as well drink puddle water.
Minimum Niche Zero grinder.
To each their own.
@alienurbanite: I would say you can prevent the overheating of beans if you only put the amount of beans you want to use for that one shot. Also stops you from filling the hopper to the top, to make sure the beans stay fresh.
However, after having used for the Barista express for roughly 6 months, a dual broiler would a be a dream to make coffees faster
If you only do espresso, sure it's props fine. But if you do pour over, aero press. Syphon etc. You will need a separate grinder for sure
@sushimaster: Yeah, the single boiler is ideal if you're just making black coffee, and the occasional latte for a guest.
Re: the single boiler barista express, it's a case of needing to get a really good routine of concurrent cleaning while you wait for the steam wand. I'd rather have this….
But it's also ozbargain, so, the value proposition is important too. Do you think the time you spend, the cost of fresh beans, the cost of a grinder, the cost of milk and good glasses, +$900 is going to save you money on coffee over 3 years or so?
If it's comparable you might just find it's actually more enjoyable and better valuento go to a nice cafe and relax (if you're lucky enough to live nearby).
It's also the perfect time of year to pick up a cheap barista express or similar that falls into the category of unwanted gift…which I think is how I justified the purchase of a BE.
For anyone interested in the smart grinder pro, it's at the fairly normal price of 199 at JB Hifi - https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/breville-the-smart-grinde…
What is the dual boiler with grinder included?
That's packaged as the Breville The Dynamic Duo (BEP920)
Sorry I meant dual boiler with grinder on top
Not sure about the "lower" Breville models under the BES920 but the "higher" the Oracle and the Oracle Touch options meet your requirement. However they target a different audience/market, come for a hefty price and most coffee snobs would want to splash that level of cash on "Italian grade" gear a level above Breville (not to mention the general recommendation to separate your coffee machine and grinder per discussion above).
Cheaper to buy the dual boiler and grinder separately, don't know why there is a significant price increase if you buy it as a package
No delivery to WA?
Sadly doesn't seem like it.
Ah the device that got me through lockdown in Vic
I'm now my favourite barista. Perfect coffee everytime once you dial in
We need to make a latte art thread for all the baristas that were created in lockdown haha
Could anyone tell me why this is a good coffee machine and is it worth buying compared to something like the Sunbeam Barista Max Espresso Coffee Machine EM5300S
No contest imo. Dual boiler, froth your milk while the coffee is pouring, makes a wonderful cup. It's just a much better machine.
Very different price range. If you buy the dual boiler you still need to buy a grinder, which will set you back around $200 if you go with Breville's Smart Grinder Pro (so $1100 in total). The Sunbeam you've linked has a built in grinder already and costs only $400.
Ask yourself if you need a dual boiler, which has the advantage of being able to extract espresso and steam milk at the same time. Do you host a lot of people who might want coffee at the same time? If so, a dual boiler might be worth it. Otherwise, a cheaper machine might suit your needs.
This machine has stood the test, other than leaking steam wands they are pretty much bullet proof.
One pro feature it does have that is often overlooked is a PID in the grouphead. This controls the brew temp perfectly and is usually only found in > $3k machines.
The Sunbeam you mention does have a PID, which is great but it's in the thermoblock and will lose temperature as the water goes through the grouphead.
Being a thermoblock they are susceptible to scale buildup and realistically you can expect 3 to 4 years before it ends up in landfill.
Also pair this up with a decent flat burr grinder. If you're on budget put most of your money into the grinder and buy a cheap thermoblock machine. It will taste better than even the Breville with a cheap grinder.
I am pretty sure I saw one of the EM5300's earlier in the week, it has an aluminium group which if you compare with a chromed one that the breville's mostly have it's far inferior.
The whole machine feels plastic and cheap, even comparing it to the Breville Bambino Plus (which I have)
So which one should I look at. I got a decent burr grinder for Christmas (to use with my aero press and bruer cold drip). Now thinking of getting a proper coffee machine. Probably don’t need a dual boiler as I rarely even use milk (espresso or long black)
What’s a good option.
Even though it looks expensive, this machine is probably the best of both worlds. That's taking into account that you won't use the second boiler, however it will make a really good espresso.
I've had mixed experience with my bambino plus, it is well made and very fast warmup time, however the smaller group size (54mm) and lack of adjustments means it's really only good for making latte's in my opinion. It is however under half the price of the dual boiler and a very small footprint, so there are pros and cons for most of your choices.
Would recommend watching a few reviews from James Hoffman and Seattle coffee gear to see what would suit
Seems they don't deliver to VIC :(
I ordered one today in Adelaide at $899 from The Good Guys. I had to pay a 20% deposit which I put on credit card but will buy some evouchers at a 5% discount through my health fund to pay the balance.
What is the dual boiler with grinder included? Do they jump to $2k?