I just came across this and JB's website doesn't show it as a deal, but the good guys have the same model listed for $699. So, I believe that this is a deal or could be a glitch.
I'm not sure if theres a difference between this and the Black Sesame model except the colour.
Ah alright, would you say it's worth it for that price?
It's pretty good for an all-in-one machine (friend of mine is happy with his barista express), but if you have the good guys commercial you could get a breville bambino plus machine + breville smart grinder pro for about the same price which can offer more flexibility. Bambino plus also has a faster heat up time and can do both manual and auto milk steaming.
This. I got the combo the other day, around $570 total.
Do you have a link to this deal?
@bulbasaur: You need to have access to TGG Commercial. $361 for the bambino+ and $218 for the grinder. Try via sunsuper, it's free.
@tman2020: What information do you need to provide Sunsuper with to gain access to this? I'm a bit wary of sharing my contact information…
how would the bambino compare with something like DeLonghi Dedica Espresso Machine?
Yeah I have one in silver. Had it for years and still works well. Just ditch the single shot basket and only use the double shot. I messed around for ages at the start trying to dial in the single shot and couldn't get it to taste good. Found out that it can't do a single shot well. Now I just use the double. Once you've dialled it in it is on par or better than a lot of coffee shops. Pays for itself pretty quickly
Agree 100% with this.
Couldn’t dial in a good shot with a single, but results were much better immediately with the double. Then got a single wall basket and the results were even better (once dialled in).
@JamieNZ1980: What was your proces? Did you start with a double wall baskets? Was there a reason for that? Asking because the manual say double wall baskets are for pre-ground coffee - no idea why.
@pizzaguy: Because pre-ground is generally not actually fine enough to create enough of its own pressure - that is why double walled baskets with restricted flow are required to make up the difference.
I had a hell of a time dialling it in. Ended up dispensing two single shots (slightly less than default volume, tamping between each, into a double shot, single wall basket, then programming the extraction volume to a different level than the preset, before I could get even close to something right.
Just to say, its not a setup and forget. It takes a lot of effort, and there are a lot of dimensions to control to get this even half way right.
Oh, and the water tank is a pain and doesn't last long.
@sane: Water should be rinsed everyday anyway .. i regret drinking my algae water in the breville coffee machine.
I have owned this machine, it is definitely worth it.
I paid $399 for factory seconds a year ago. I would spend more on a better one imo. Makes a huge mess, and parts aren’t high quality, like grind settings moves and vibrates while grinding.
It might be your factory second as both mine aged my brother's don't have this issue at all.
@PuppieWayne: We got it after a recommendation from a friend. Their machine has started doing it recently, although they only make a few coffees a weeks and don’t adjust the grinder much. I make 10-20 a week, and noticed when setting it to around 3.5 it would just move to 4.5 while grinding. Both machines do the same thing. Could be bad luck? My factory second was a dented box, never opened. There was no dent.
@onlinepred: Interesting. I've send mine and just leave it alone. I make about 5 a day.. so close to how many you make a week as well.
I'll have to check mine. I thought you meant you can feel it actually vibrating.
@PuppieWayne: Yep took me almost a year to notice it does it, I always assume my wife changed it or something, but it always went to around 4.5. Luckily that's what I need for the beans I like most, but still annoying.
Yeah, that's BES870BKS and this is BES870SLQ. Looks like the same model except for the colour, I could be wrong.
BKS is Black Sesame
SLQ is Liquorice colour
Normally $699 minus 15% has been the recent pricing, so this is very similar
Looks like coffee machine prices are starting to get down towards pre-COVID levels again
I saw the Barista Pro was advertised at a few places for$829 recently. Normally $899-$949 is standard pricing.
Look for factory seconds for breville. Picked one up for $399 start of covid
Also has a redemption promo attached which for some reason Jb hasn't put on the site:
https://promotions.breville.com.au/fathers-day-bonus-july-20… (although not sure its worth $152 in real value!)
And receive a BONUS Gift Pack valued at $152
• 1 Month of Veneziano Crave Blend Coffee Beans
• Voucher to redeem 1x Veneziano Online MasterDemo
That redemption is only valid for the BES870BSS/BKS this model is BES870SLQ
My bad.
Is this the same as the Breville Infuser with a grinder attached?
Yes
Not bad .. but an auto temp control for the milk is essential.
Love my bes870 great machine
Bought BES878 2 weeks ago from TGG using 15%off + cashrewards, so total cost $655.
how can we get the 15% off?
if i drink 2 small caps per day, how long will a 1KG bag of beans last? Currently on a nespresso machine set up and am looking to get a all in one machine for the long run.
Depends on your taste, but usually 16g-18g for double shot espresso
And to clarify for ezym0ney6: in cafes in Australia, typically every drink comes with a double shot by default (so if you ask for a "double", you'd actually be getting a quadruple shot).
If you get a large you'll usually be getting a double shot, but regulars or smalls will be a single. Asking for a double shot will either get you a 'we already do double in the large, would you like an extra?' or they take it as a single extra shot.
Asking for a double shot in a large cup won't get you four shots unless you specifically ask for two extra.
@ctg: We're probably talking about different things. It sounds like you're saying that baristas will only do a single extraction out of the machine for a small coffee, and I agree with that.
A "double shot" espresso is still just a single extraction out of the machine, but with a larger coffee dosage than the traditional, Italian-defined 7g.
What most would consider a normal, modern, single shot is technically a double shot, or even a triple shot, and that's the terminology BlueSky84 was using.
From Vittoria:
A traditional shot of espresso is made from 7g of ground coffee, however modern dosages have almost tripled. A standard shot in Australia usual varies between 20-22g while in the UK and USA baristas tend to offer 18-20g per extraction.
More info on single vs. double shots: https://www.javapresse.com/blogs/espresso/single-vs-double-e…
….because this is ozbargain I was wondering if grinding your own beans would be any cheaper than Nespresso. I don’t think it is. My local roaster sells 1kg of beans for $43 which at 18g/coffee is 55 coffees or 78c/coffee. The l’or pods are frequently on sale for 40-60c/pod.
Do people agree with my maths? I agree that Nespresso is inferior quality, but for me it is good enough.
18g is 2 shots compared with l'or or nespresso capsules which are 1 shot.
When I was using pods I was getting down to 26c a pod with a brand from Costco which was of comparable quality to those two.
If you're happy to drink l'or or nespresso coffee, you'd probably be happy with Vittoria coffee which is usually $20 a kilo from Coles/WW. If not, there's plenty of avid coffee drinkers on here so lots of deals on good quality beans from $18 - $30 a kilo.
I'd suggest that you'd have to drink a lot of coffee before making back $399. I'm not convinced of the longevity of these machines either (I own a BES870).
Pods are environmentally lousy if that's a concern to you though.
We go through 4 lattes a day with this machine and a 1kg bag of beans lasts about two weeks. Divide 1000g by 18g (the approx you'd use for a double shot) and that's how many coffees you'd get from the bag. Minus a bit for dialling in the shot, of course 😉
I drink 2x double shots (same for my wife) and we get a kilo every second week. For you it sound like a month. It’s is good time to consume coffee while fresh anyway. My settings for a shot is on smart grinder pro is size :10, duration 13-14 sec (depends the freshness of the coffee)
the burr of my machine has broken, does anyone recommend a manual coffee grinder? thanks
If you want it fixed, I can highly recommend Metro Wide Appliances in Hornsby. My 3 year old BES870 wouldn't stop extracting and they fixed it for me in 3 days. Great service and they even did a full clean of the machine too. Lockdown obviously makes this more difficult if you're not nearby.
Saves you having another appliance on the kitchen bench if that is a concern.
Approx cost if you don’t mind?
$120. I got their details from Breville when I called about my problem. My BES870 was way out of warranty but I was more than happy to pay knowing I've made daily coffees with it for 3.5 years and prices seem to have gone up with covid (purchase price in 2018 was $540 thanks to an ozbargain 20% off eBay Bing Lee deal).
My experience with Metro Wide was great, I just dropped it off and they said the repair would take up to a week depending on parts and their backlog.
When dropping it off, they asked for permission to proceed on repairs without contact if the cost was to be below $200. Their practice was to only get in touch when it's done (to keep servicing quick), or if the cost was over $2/300 (couldn't remember) so they can explain everything before you decide to proceed or not.
I read somewhere this is fairly common with one of the Breville machines. Apparently you can 3D print another piece to replace it, but I don't recall if they said it functioned just as well.
Is a 3d-print hard enough for a burr that's normally ceramic or steel? Ie. won't you be brewing plastic at some stage?
Definitely not hard enough for the burr; I think there is a different part that can be 3d printed that commonly breaks though.
Manual as in hand cranked? I got a Handground grinder a few years ago and haven't been that happy with it; the grind is not very even. Still good for camping though.
1zpresso manual grinder. I have one and i love it
I've been using my Jx-pro on some speciality espresso roast beans and have been thoroughly impressed.
I feel like getting a Breville Bambino (BES500) and a separate grinder would be a better option.
Bambino can be had for $400 most of the time and has dropped to $350 a few times.
Pair this with something like the Breville Smart Grinder Pro (BCG820) for $180-$290 depending on if on special.
Along with a new bottomless portafilter and you'll have yourself a decent espresso setup.
This way if you decide later on you'd like to upgrade you can just upgrade the espresso machine and still use the Breville SGP which is a pretty solid grinder considering the price.
bambino plus.. tgg commercial $360
how can we access to the $360 at TGG Commercial ?
A number of companies offer the TGGC as a member perk, sunsuper seems to be one of the easiest ways
hey did your bambino plus come with 4 filters ? pressurized and unpressurized. i've heard of europe/america getting different baskets
no. came with two pressurised (dual-walled) baskets. one single shot, one double shot.
ordered 1x double unpressurised basket from breville online store (~$10) along with few extra items for the free shipping.
I got bambino plus + smart grinder pro using Qantas points.
@Bigredkeg: excellent.
been using nespresso U for many years now and although quite a few parts have broken over the years and i keep fixing and it's still currently working. pretty happy with nespresso (2x pod/coffee, black or small amount of milk), so im no coffee snob and my opinions maybe completely invalidated.
finally bit the bullet and got the bambino+ bcus.. LoCKDOWN. didn't go dualboiler because didn't want to have to get a kitchen expansion and im not allowed to throw out the ornamental kitchenaid.
no real cons from the bambino+ other than having to have a huge smart grinder pro (although this is an advantage given that it's such a good grinder).
ive used barista express and pro quite a bit because we've got them in the office. however i rarely frothed milk using them. faster than barista express/pro in every aspect - start up, prep, frothing, cleaning. i think only areas that the barista express/pro is better are looks and pressure gauge (not that it actually matters). i also like how it holds the tamper.. so i stuck a magnet on my bambino+ so my tamper hangs as well haha
unless youre asking about the difference with just the baskets?? no idea/can't remember, i only had it for a week before replacing. i doubt i'd be able to tell the difference.
Spending money on a bottomless portafilter is for the IG crowd. Nothing more. It's pointless.
It isn't pointless, it allows you visually check if you have any channelling affecting the quality of the shot.
Agree otherwise you are shooting in the dark.
I also find single shot extraction from a breville requires a finer grind as opposed to a double. I am yet to find a way/filter that might overcome the single shot issue but for the mean time I always try to drink with a buddy (or double shot).
Honestly who drinks single shots, you may as well just have some warm milk
you may as well just have some warm milk
Honestly. Bed time routine
Double shot before bed makes you go oooh
You have milk?
Just started looking into these machines, coming from pods.
Whats big diff in this vs a delonghi dedica (which is a bit cheaper).
Presume i can just buy a bag of preground beans and should be better than pod coffees to start with.
Preground is not much better than pods (in fact pods might be better in some cases as they remove oxygen from the packaging so the coffee doesn't oxidise). Fresh beans, freshly ground makes a lot of difference. Seriously, get a grinder.
I have this, going strong for about 3 years already. Best VFM all in one machine on the market hands down.
We've had this machine (but silver) for over 4 years, almost 5, and we got it second hand to being with. We would not hesitate to get a new one should this die. Such a good machine!!
I've had my Barista Express for 3 years now and it pumps out between 4-6 coffees every day no problems. Takes a little work to dial in but it is a great machine for the money.
I have my eyes on a good coffee machine to upgrade. I was thinking of BES920 dual boiler but no good deals recently. For someone who drinks black coffee only, and has a seperate grinder already (smart frisbee pro) should I wait for dual boiler or is this one good enough ?
I am in the same situation. Was looking/waiting for the BES920 + Smart Grinder Pro. However, I may go for either (1) the Bambino Plus + Smart Grinder Pro as suggested or (2) the BES870 for much lower price while the taste is not much difference.
I own the BES920 and SGP.
It's a step up from the Bambino and worth it if you're willing to put in the time to dial your shots each time you get a new bag of beans and if you want the ability to pull a shot while you're heating your milk at the same time otherwise I'd stick with the Bambino.
I have a friend who owns the Bambino and I'm actually pretty jealous of how well the automatic milk function is, heats it up consistently and is plenty silky for texture and latte art in my opinion.
thanks a lot for sharing. the information is very useful :)
If you only drink your coffee black, I'd be inclined to suggest just getting a Hario V60 or an Aeropress depending on the kind of beans you usually purchase.
I get Ethiopia Harrar single origin beans and grind myself. I currently have basic Sunbeam EM5000.
I haven't had any experience with the EM5000 so not sure how much of an upgrade the BES920 would be. Price difference would insinuate a decent upgrade but since I haven't used the EM5000 I won't comment on it.
Do you take your shots as a short black or do you drink it Americano style?
@stenchlord: I adjust it my liking. Usually run double shot and another single shot through the same coffee in the filter.
My wife wants to get a sunbeam em7000 to replace our ancient one. We have a grinder but we are short of space, so 🤷
Also saw someone mention MAGNIFICA S.
Breville or sunbeam? (Or delonghi)
interesting
$599 at Costco
With the advantage I can take it back if it doesn’t work for me.
The sunbeam Barista max is a cheaper option even at the regular price. I cannot see any difference in the technology from the specs..why would anyone buy this unit instead of the Barista max specially if you get it for 300-350 ? I did see the Barista max for 360 on ebay with no sales on but I am gunning for a lesser price and am in no rush. Having said that I would prefer the Bambino paired with a 100 dollar grinder like a bodum from Amazon but even that combo would be more expensive than a Barista max . I like the idea of separation of concerns though so maybe the Bambino at a cheaper than 360 price is the way to go.
I got the barista Max a year ago for $360. Been great, no complaints.
Thats what I am thinking both of the units are well rated except the Breville for some reason seems to be pricier. I have no background in these machines though, all I have is a Cafitally and an Aeropress… with this particular unit as opposed to the Sunbeam Barista max.. I would buy the Barista max..unless someone can tell me why Breville deserves a premium.. I have not looked into any other brands so cannot comment on anything else but both of these unit have the same issues and same benefits from what I have researched so why would anyone pay more
Barista Max is a good machine, my only complaint is that the grinder spills grounded coffee to the sides
Yeah Id say it is a better value for money deal.. very few complaints on both units. Either ways someone has negged my comments without any reasoning or replies .. but I would say to anyone looking into this category Barista max is a better alternative so at least look into that before pulling the button or pushing it..If you can read this that is and someone has not negged it :-D
Thanks finally bit the bullet. Used gift vouchers via shopback (+3© cashback) and salesperson dropped it to $570 for me.
If anyone needs help dialing in the shot, I can give them a short demo. I use BES878. The BES870 comes with all the great accessories, however, you'd need a naked portafilter to actually view the shots for channeling. You'll need a distributor tool plus the tamper. Maybe a tamping pad. A very nice latte art jug, optional.
Buy the best beans, 1 week into roasted are best, they stay fresh for 3 to 4 weeks. Always buy 250g or 500g, it keeps coffee fresh as you consume.
Use best milk, Paul, Norco, A2, etc
You can also call Breville to get a nice little demo, you'll need to register your machine for the warranty.
I love mine after one whole year with it. I feel like upgrading to a full blown Italian dual boiler. The main reason is, consistency.
Making coffee at home is way too complicated, it's interesting, you'd get a really nice cup every once in a while. Best of luck.
what would be your Italian dual boiler upgrade?
Linea Mini if I hit the lotto, otherwise, I haven't decided. The investment doesn't make sense when no one is coming to see you and you're only making coffee for yourself. It's so sad, to be honest. My wife doesn't drink coffee or tea LOL Barista Pro is a reasonable machine, I might go to BES920 before making the big jump.
Anyone got a grinder they can recommend?
The Eureka Mignon range are bulletproof… highly recommended
Not a glitch
It’s been at that price for a few days