Finally I decided to pull the trigger after missing out number of deals on the BES870
Other colours are $50 more expensive.
$60 off for order $500-$999.
Finally I decided to pull the trigger after missing out number of deals on the BES870
Other colours are $50 more expensive.
$60 off for order $500-$999.
The tamp clamp in the impress is a complex mechanism, and probably increases the price. Maybe it will never get down to the price of the 870.
Though a nifty idea, I don't trust this to to a better job at tamping, as you rely on so many moving (wear) parts to apply the 10kg of pressure. And 10kg isn't much- Upper body weight will probably allow even and more accurate tamping.
Besides, the tamps Breville provided to date were a big compromise, (they are held magnetically captive in the machine, again a nifty idea), but most wooden handled tamps do a far better job. For this to work better it'd have to be a very expensive mechanism indeed.
The 870 is excellent value in my book, not a patch on a 920 but allows you to get away from pods and never look back. Takes up less space on the bench with the build in grinder too… and unlike most, the grinder is actually very good.
Tamp pressure doesn't really matter if you have consistent dosing, leveling and the right grind size.
If you want consistent results it helps a lot. More so if you don't use the screen to compress the puck any, at least, that's what I find so far
@resisting the urge: what's more important is tamp consistency IMO, not how much pressure is applied. Tamp pressure needs to be X amount is an old barista tale. There are a few good videos out that clarify this. Its also my experience over ~10 years using various machines.
@djevoultion: It really depends on the bean, how fresh it is, grind coarseness and dose.
For example if you buy a cheap 1KG of stale beans from Coles, you'll most likely need to apply a huge amount of tamp pressure just to prevent a dish water result.
But if it's a freshly roasted bean and a fine grind, applying too much tamp will probably choke it and end up way over extracted/bitter.
@djevoultion: Indeed, consistency is the name of the game once you have achieved a good brew. Else you cannot maintain or enhance from your particular combination of temp and pressure in the puck. It's a sweet spot, so if you can't even maintain it, you have little hope of making good coffee on an ongoing basis.
Density of the puck is the result of the tamp, and the reason why feel- through a mechanism or a tamp handle, is so important.
I'd rather spend my money on a machine that does it' job well, a tamp and a tamp pad are items that never fail and last forever. A tamp mechanism OTOH, in a machine introduces more failure points. And from an engineering POV, would need to be executed extremely well to achieve this. Then the question is just, whether it will last.
All that said, if anyone can do it, it's Breville based on their work in consumer machines to date. I'll wait to see what people say after a few hundred and then a few thousand pulls
I think the tamping mechanism of impress 876 is quite different from the oracle 980. Not sure if it's really necessary to have such a premium machine for everyday use.
The impress isn't just about the tamping though. It's about containing the mess and reducing the number of actions required. I currently stuff around with a dosing funnel and distributing/tamping tool - its a bit of a pain and increases the amount of time/effort considerably.
If perfect coffee is your goal and you are an expert barista and you don't value your time - yeah maybe manually tamping (and dealing with the time / effort and mess) is better.
If you're a normal person and want to spend less time / effort while probably getting a better and more consistent tamp than you'd be capable of yourself - I'd go with the impress. I wish it was around when I bought mine.
Set an alert on OzB and wait 2-5 years when Impress goes down to this price. And then this Barista Express should cost like it used to 3 years ago.
I can't add it to cart
This is such an amazing machine and an incredible price. Couldn't recommend this more. Using this beats most cafes in the area. If you drink coffee regularly it'll save you heaps.
Just an FYI if you’re considering; the monometre doesn’t function. I mean it does but they are not accurate on these. Otherwise 👍🏻
Doesn’t post to wa :(
Is this promo still going? I cannot get the discount, price is 590
Thanks
Since 876 (the Barista Express™ Impress) is out, I'd prefer to wait for a deal for 876 instead.