Breville - the Barista Touch Espresso Machine with 15 bars of pressure, Milk Frother and intergrated grinder - Black Truffle
Model: BES880BTR1BUS1
SKU: 6423171
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I write this review with the context that it is my first espresso machine. I'm a big coffee drinker overall, and was spending about $20 a day on coffee at work. I've since started using this machine to load up a large mug, and am saving about $15 a day as a result. This is a great espresso machine for someone like me. As I'm no coffee expert, it's really easy to work with as it provides many presets for each type of drink. I find myself using the "latte" setting consistently. It creates a hot, consistent pour and froths the milk perfectly. The bottom tray slips out and can easily be rinsed. The hopper holding the beans lasts a good amount of time, and the water reservoir on the back is large - you can go days without filling it as a heavy coffee drinker. Adjusting the grind is done easily by a wheel on the left side of the machine, and the electronics recognize and assign a value to your grind as a result. The machine is sleek looking, and looks great on the countertop - and the cord is awesome and it's pretty heavy-duty feeling, and provides a loop for you to pull it out of the outlet. Why didn't I give it a 5? 1. The hopper has no self-agitating method to push the beans down toward the grinder, and relies on gravity alone. There are many times the hopper looks fuller than it is, and the grind turns out lighter than expected as the beans have packed themselves in a way to stop them from falling into the grinder - requiring you to open the hopper and push them down manually. 2. This is probably a function of my lack of espresso experience and grinding / packing the beans consistently in a way that is appropriate for each time of bean used - the grounds often get stuck on the top of the section where the water comes out during the pour process. I pack them down solidly and use the leveling tool to ensure they don't sit too high - but it often feels random. Some "noob"-proofing in this area would have been nice. 3. The milk frothing wand does the self-clean cycle after each frothing, and splatters the milk a few inches around the grill and onto the frothing temperature sensor instead of directly into the disposal hole leading to the bottom tray. This is likely due to the initial and quick force of air/water coming out of the wand. I have to wipe around the grill after every clean cycle as a result. This feels like a fixable issue. 4. The tool storage tray magnetically connects to the "catch all" tray (I'm sure there's a better term for it), and every time I pull out the "catch all" tray, the tool storage tray pulls out and gets cock-eyed as I separate it from the other - often starting to spill the tools if you're not paying attention. I wish there was a locking mechanism to prevent this from happening. 5. The top of the "catch all" tray is removable and in a stainless steel color - but scratched pretty easily, and I'm not even sure from what. These are nit-picks, but improvements that would set this machine leagues apart from others in similar price ranges and get rid of some annoyances. The machine makes great coffee, and I have ZERO REGRETS in buying it.
This review is from Breville - the Barista Touch Espresso Machine with 9 bars of pressure, Milk Frother and integrated grinder - Stainless Steel
Posted by ChristopherR
I spent a lot of time researching for the best espresso machine I could find without spending a fortune on a professional one. I am not dissatisfied with my purchase at all. It is relatively easy to use once you go through the initial learning of the operation and process. There’s so many different things to consider when trying to make espresso at home. I have found lots of tips and tricks on Reddit and YouTube which have helped a ton. Regardless this machine has been fantastic and if you are considering it be prepared to practice for awhile to get it right. The auto froth works well. If you’re just making a quick latte it suffices. If you’re trying for latte art, it’s not the greatest instantly but the more you practice the better you will get at it and learn tricks. Once again Reddit and YouTube for the win. After purchasing this and actually enjoying making at home its made my cost at coffee shops decrease substantially. Obviously the first month was mostly a lot of trial and error as I was learning and trying to figure it out. Buying different beans puts you back to the drawing board to get everything dialed in. But once your initially setup it’s easier to figure out. If you enjoy a quality coffee beverage this is a great choice. An average time for a latte to make and cleanup is typically 5min. So in comparison to a nespresso machine or keureg it takes a bit more time but you also get a lot better quality than coffee brewed through plastic cartridge. Only complaints I’d have on this machine would be that I wish there was an option to run a water line to it vs having to refill the tank. It’s got enough for several drinks but I like to preheat and run empty cycles for better results. Another thing that isn’t necessarily a problem is that you can only do one thing at a time. Meaning while your espresso is brewing you cannot froth your milk. Not something I thought would be an issue but now that I’ve learned and got it dialed in.. that would cut down on the average time. Other than those minor desires this thing is solid! Be prepared to spend a bit of time to get dialed in. The machine is not hard to use, it’s the different things that you have the ability to change to get it right to your taste. I grew frustrated cause I was making espresso just not good espresso. And at first I thought it was the machine, not the case. It was the settings I had changed for different coffee beans so it’s a science and variables to get it right. Some of those variables: Water hardness (set up with initial setup of machine), brew temp (automatic setting from factory but you can change it if needed), grind setting (on screen), internal grind setting (inside machine under hopper), coffee bean, portafilter temp, how hard you tamp the grind, etc. Some variables are standard variables with any espresso machine but when all the experience you have is a standard coffee pot and some Folgers it’s a learning curve.
This review is from Breville - the Barista Touch Espresso Machine with 9 bars of pressure, Milk Frother and integrated grinder - Stainless Steel
Posted by Cjiyfj
My wife convinced me to buy it. We tried another brand but we’re not satisfied. I’m not a coffee connoisseur or anything but I like it. I like that you can manually grind and froth and things. It’s a really nice machine
This review is from Breville - the Barista Touch Espresso Machine with 9 bars of pressure, Milk Frother and integrated grinder - Stainless Steel
Posted by DominiqueH