Customer Ratings & Reviews

I reviewed/utube'd many Espresso models for 5 months and finally selected the Breville BES870xl. I purchased mine in Jan 2015 and let me tell you...this is truly a top notch espresso machine. My advise- follow the directions for "machine preparation/flushing the machine" when it arrives and read through the short manual. Some reviews I read questioned things/situations that were actually explained/resolved in the manual. With that said, take care of your machine & it will take care of you! If you have concerns or questions not in the manual, Breville's customer support is really helpful and sincere about it. Tips: - placing your stainless steel milk jug in the freezer helps drop the temperature of whatever milk you choose even more, to aid you in "working the milk," with your steam wand (I learned from Breville's customer support) - I am no expert Barista but I have now learned from careful study that "pulling the perfect shot of espresso" requires FIRST adequate DOSE of ground espresso beans in your portafilter. Focus on the dose THEN proceed to adjusting the grind. If you follow that you will guarantee reaching the "ideal espresso zone" on the Breville's espresso pressure gauge. - I used Illy medium roast espresso beans when I first received the machine. Currently, I'm using Lavazza Super Crema beans (my current favorite!!) grind set at 5/grind amount set at 3/sometimes 4, using the (single walled) double shot basket. I make 3-4 lattes per week and make my husband a Long Black (2oz of espresso poured into 4-8oz of water/makes different consistency than the Americano) on the weekends. I use almond milk and was able to make latte art for my first time today...still learning. I LOVE this machine !!!!! :-) If you are torn between another model, choose this one...you will absolutely be satisfied!!

This item is extremely hard to use. It looks very nice but I just want a cup of coffee. I don’t have time for an experiment.

Worked great for two weeks, then it quit. I called the manufacturer and they blamed it on my coffee beans. Don't waste you're money.

WE DID NOT RECEIVE THE ITEM BUT THE EMAIL SAID THAT IT WAS DELIVERED TO MY FRONT PORCH. IT IS NOT THERE. I TRIED CONTACTING BUT CAN'T FIND A CUSTOMER SERVICE NO WHERE.

After less than two months of use the pressure for espresso stopped working. And now I cannot return it as the return window has closed.

I didn't like it! 30 minutes in the morning to make coffee

$750 for it to break after less than a month of having it

...don't give up if your grinder doesn't work. Don't be concerned...read on! I've owned three other espresso machines, from manual to semi-automatic, to automatic, and I know how to operate these things. The grinder on my Barista Express did not work out of the box. It tried to grind, but the interior of the grinder became coated with bean residue, causing it to spin without being able to grind. I tried two different brands of beans, cleaned, retried, same result...grinder spins...no grounds. I called Breville tech support, and Mike solved my problem by suggesting...believe it or not...that I cycle uncooked white rice through the grinder...about a handful. He explained that sometimes during shipment, the grinder may become misaligned, and running a cycle of white rice through the grinder would fix the problem 99% of the time. Although skeptical, I did as he suggested. Within 2 seconds of grinding the rice, fine rice grains came pouring out. I finished that grind cycle, immediately placed coffee beans in the grinder and...everything worked perfectly. Don't ask me how or why...it did...so remember this trick. About the machine's ability to pull a great shot or shots...that is limited only by your ability to read and follow the comprehensive directions. Once you do that, you'll be making better espresso than your local coffee shop...and I'm not kidding. It takes some practice and a bit of fine tuning of the controls, but once set...you are good to go. Making great espresso is an art that no automatic machine can match. They can come close, but they won't be able to match what you can achieve with this machine once you practice enough to rival, and perhaps surpass, your local Barista. Go for it!

Bought my first one in 2018, and all three machines are running perfectly in that time. I do the cleanings as indicated, that's it. If you're hoping that money will resolve the complexities of this machine, you are going to be very sad to learn that the lack of reliability of the more expensive and more automatic machines will be terrible. There simply is no better espresso machine for the home market. I cannot recommend it highly enough. My main machine (I have this machine at work and at a family home) makes about 3 lattes a day on average. Sometimes 15 lattes, sometimes none. What you're trading here is a medium amount of dollars (look around there are $3,000 machines) for a top spec tried and true system. You're gain familiarity with the process and I've grown to enjoy making the drinks. The issue that I cannot stress enough, is that the more complex systems will NOT work better. You'll get a fully automated system, make 5-50 mediocre lattes very easily and then the machine is a disaster, with elaborate cleanups. Pro Tip: I use the steam from the steam wand the hot water function along with a small paper towel square to quickly and easily clean the steam wand after steaming milk. The size of this machine is goldilocks too, it could be smaller but it would come at great functionality cost. I don't see anyone wanting a bigger one. If I had an event or something, I would bring a second one of these.

We purchased this coffee machine about two years ago. We are so happy with it that i am coming back to write this review. For the two years of using this machine daily we never had any issues with it, nothing broke, go stuck or needed extra care. This machine still works like brand new and looks great on our counter. The coffee is great, and once you master the semi automatic it takes no more than 60 seconds to get a perfect cup of coffee..

It took me five years to write this review—not intentionally, but because a friend recently asked if this machine was worth buying, and I figured I’d share my thoughts. The Barista Express is a true workhorse. The built-in grinder works perfectly, and there’s nothing like an espresso made from freshly ground beans. The milk frother can be challenging to master, but that’s more on the operator than the machine itself. The one thing I’d change is the grinder setting; I wish it could grind at a coarser level so I could also use it for drip coffee. Another good thing is that you can find spares in the manufacturer’s website.

As a novice, I bought this machine with some kind of hesitation. After spilling coffee grinds and milk the first time, I watched some tutorials on YouTube. Very helpful. 4 weeks later, I consider myself a stable barista that can produce a very delicious capucchino in a few minutes. The machine has been reliable, easy to keep clean, good quality and a sight to behold. I can imagine it being designed in the 1950's as a steam-powered espresso maker. I would buy it again! BB

Best lattes every morning for six years. Easy to use but i recommend youtube videos for those new to espresso machines. Also, no softener treated water!!!! Salt will build up. Do your research on cleaning fluids. Clean your machine regular before the notice. Buy a vaccuum attachment to be kept food safe clean or a small handheld vac set aside just for cleaning the hopper regularly.

It's a really good machine my wife did like it, one of the things I would like to highlight it's that preparing coffe with it is really easy and if you are a lover of coffe i would recommend it to you 100%

Despite its attractive looks, it seems impossible to make a good cup of coffee with this machine. This should be easy to use, and it is not. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going back to Best Buy. I really wanted to love it.

If you are a coffee lover and coffee addict, this Breville one is perfect for you. The quality is super worth it. You will enjoy every sip of your coffee like a queen and king. I have been using mine for a few years now and I’m always excited to use it as if I’m using it for the first time whenever I use it. No issue with the machine.

We have had this about 6 weeks now and use it 3-4 times a day pulling shots. While the price is a bit to overcome, once you look past it you won't regret it. We use local beans and powders to create the same drink we were paying $4 to 5 at a pop. The machine itself is simple to use once you have the grind size and tamp down. It took us a day or two to get both dialed in. Once you have that down, you can literally pull perfect shots every single time. The exceptional taste and convenience of brewing at home is well worth the front end sticker shock that is quickly recovered by skipping your local barista.

My hubby bought me this machine for my birthday. I've been using automatics, and he has no idea how coffee machines work, so he didn't realize it was a semi-automatic. But I was game to step up my coffee routine and learn how to do it this way, even knowing it was going to be more work and time. I have one capp a day, so not a big deal. I read many of the very helpful reviews here, and I knew there would be a learning curve. I spent the next five weeks watching video after video, buying a distributor/tamper (gamechanger for finally getting pressure), buying fresh roasted beans locally, reading the manual, taking 9 pages of notes and keeping track of my daily tries, timing, grind changes, temp changes, and I never got a yummy cup of coffee from this. I drink capps, so the milk and stevia do help mask it, but I would taste the plain coffee and even when the pressure was right (that took weeks) and the flow and crema looked good, the coffee tasted sour. I kept buying accessories hoping to get it right. I even took a barista class online! I found myself feeling a pit in my stomach as I approached the machine instead of a happy feeling. I'm so relieved that we could return this thing (THANK YOU, BEST BUY!!!). I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I just want a good capp that I don't need a laundry list for the multiple steps needed to pull a good shot...even if I could pull one. Maybe this was one faulty. I sure gave it my best shot. Lots of folks love this machine, which kept me going on my journey. I kept thinking, "there's got to be a delicious cup of coffee in here somewhere!" I also know people have been frustrated by it. I never wanted to throw it out the window LOL, but I'm so happy to go back to a press-the-button machine.

Finally a espresso machine that’s easy to use and doesn’t take long to prepare a great coffee. At current coffee prices my payback will be roughy 90 days. No brainer!

Awsome for perfect Lattes. Love Breville. Grinding beans works perfectly. This machine is fabulous.