Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine - Demo/Review

A short video demo/review of the Breville BES870XL Barista Express espresso machine. I purchased this machine back in March 2014 and it's been working well since then.

I was mistaken on the price, it was around $595, not the $480 I mentioned, but prices vary with different sellers, so be sure to shop around, associate link below:

I found this review helpful when I was shopping for the machine:

I pull about 3 double shots of espresso daily, so have probably made 1000 shots since I purchased the machine. I've had less expensive machines in the past, but this one is worth the added cost. It makes very good espresso, initial power on to a hot cup of espresso is just over two minutes.

I used to work at a high tech company that had espresso machines in the break rooms. I got spoiled with that and when I started working from home, I wanted the same "benefit". This is my 3rd espresso machine and this is the first one I have tried that makes espresso nearly as good as the coffee shops serve at a fraction of the cost.

The machine is fairly easy to maintain. I'll do some follow up videos on the cleaning:
and descaling routine I use, so stay tuned for those.
Grinder cleaning:
Water filter replacement:

Not saying this is the best machine out there or the most affordable. It is an automatic machine, with some adjustability. You can change the temperature and extraction times as well as adjust the grind and amount of coffee.

I use the non-pressurized filters, so these take a little more tweaking of the grind and tamping pressure to develop the proper extraction pressure and time. But once you get that sorted out, it works quite repeatably.

One tip to pass on with that, is to only make small changes to the grind and amount at a time. I'm now running "8" on the grind and "2-o'clock" on the amount for a double shot. But that will vary up and down a setting or two with different coffee beans.

So if I see the pressure a bit low, I'll bump the grind setting one click finer before grinding the next shot. When adjusting the grind finer, only do that while the grinding is running. This is because there will be coffee trapped between the grinding burrs and if you move them closer while stopped, the trapped coffee beans may jam the grinder or throw off the calibration. If the grind amount is too low or high, I'll adjust that one click more or less.

And when I change coffee beans, I'll add the new beans to the old beans and that way the grinder changes can happen over a few brew cycles. Again, make one adjustment at a time, grind first then amount, one click at a time.

For my needs, this machine seemed to be the best overall that I found. It's smaller than my old Krups coffee/espresso maker. It includes a built-in grinder, so no need to clutter the counter top with a separate grinder. It also does hot water if I want to make a cup of tea and does have the steaming wand.

So, this fits into my slightly off-grid theme as it lets me produce a good quality espresso at home without making a trip to the coffee shop. Ignoring the cost of coffee beans, the machine cost per shot to date is about US$0.60/shot, so quite reasonable compared to purchasing the same drink at a coffee shop, let alone the time and gas to go there and back. I usually use about 1 lb. (454gm) coffee per week, so that cost is under $1.00/day.

The real espresso purists will probably turn their noses up at anything less than a full manual machina. I just wanted something that made repeatable decent espresso with as little muss or fuss as possible and I think this machine delivers that.

I set my double shot volume somewhat higher than typical so I get something closer to a coffee americano or perhaps a lungo:
I like to get a little more volume to fill up my cup.

While I don't typically use the steam wand, it does seem to work quite well. I heats up to a higher temperature in a few seconds, then the pump kicks on and it'll make steam until you run the water tank dry.

Other videos:

If you have any questions or have used this machine, post up on the comments section.

As always, thanks for watching!
#baristaexpress #bes870

[stevehoge]

Ah, you aced that shot! And glad to see I'm not the only one who spills ground coffee while removing the pf from the 870 grinder. I've also adopted the "agitate the pf while grinding" technique to get the grounds to settle a bit more before leveling and tamping.

[paulnerses]

Breville espresso machine leaking water from the bottom when I turn it ON. It's only one week old. My old $80 Capresso worked almost 5 years without any issues. I ordered second one and this one going to return back to Amazon. If second one will be a $600 lemon as well I am going to order other brand.

[jacintojaimes]

am using the non pressurized double cause am grinding my own coffee beans . guess ill have to play with it a bit more. thanks for the help .

[ALEJANDROREYES-ytrr]

I trying to figure out how to program it, since once I'm done with my espresso I can see water the never got through the coffee grounds. I thinking is lack of pressure, any suggestions ?

[WildeFyre]

If you want to change beans what is involved, and how much waste is there? Thank you for the video!

EDIT: I've noticed that the (Breville) machines with built-in grinders tend to make a bit of a mess when you remove the portafilter from the grinder. I think that having a good dedicated grinder is a better solution in the long run. The money you spend on a good grinder is well spent and will return your investment before very long.

[jacintojaimes]

Ok Mr Brown let say that the pressure is set low how can I bump the pressure up, from we're is set now,

[jacintojaimes]

i just bought my 870xl but am having a difficulty trying to get the right pressure its very low and i tried every grinding setting can any one help, thanks

[williambblack]

Good review on the 870XL.  The only (small) gripe I have about your review is that the 870XL uses a Thermocoil, not a Thermoblock.  They're both similar in their design, but the Thermocoil style tends to keep water at a more consistent water temperature than the Thermoblock style does.   Just a friendly heads-up.

[jacintojaimes]

helo again Mr Brown i found the problem with my machine i think. anyways i have been using the razor to have the right amount of coffee, so i just topped my fill cuo to higher amount and that fixed the problem now i just have to work on the grind amount . am sure ill get it right . finally i like to thank you for all you're helpful tips .

[christinasv]

Quick question... i've had my machine for almost a year and i've noticed sometimes I get good pump pressure and other times I get close to no pressure. I am using the same beans, same grind etc. I recently stopped putting as many beans in the holder in case they are going stale. Is there anything you reccommend me do or is it an issue with beans? I rang breville and they said it's my beans, i regularly descale and use the cafiza??

Thanks in advance.

[jorgechau]

would you recommend this machine for a start a small coffee shop?

[JennRoss]

Great jobI!!!

have two issues with my machine:
1. I cant seem to get the grind amount correct. I have it all the way to the left, almost at the least amount possible and I still grind way more than I need so I'm wasting precious coffee. Any ideas on how to trouble shoot that?
2. I counted approx 50 seconds from the moment you pushed the button to the full shot being pulled. Mine drips incredibly fast. Literally withing 15 seconds. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? :(

[amayamocha]

Now that I've been through all of your Breville videos I'm just about ready to make myself amazing espresso drinks every day. But first I want to ask... Is there a process/requirement for cleaning out the grinder?

[KurtsSharpeningService]

Just got one....can wait to play around with it! Yours still working good?

[استغفرالله-ثجض]

HHi
I searching for coffee machine work with one group and with GAZ any one here can help me ?

[TheOldmankk]

Perfect, thumb up. Much much better than my cheapie Krups.