Breville BES860XL Barista Express Espresso Machine with Grinder

UPDATESo, from my experience with this machine, I thought this information would be useful to people who just got one. Since it can be a bit intimidating at first, having some help with the settings can definitely help.1 - Even though I make double shots, I set the grinder to a single shot amount and the dial to the least amount of coffee. Before pulling the filter holder from the cradle, I shake it a bit so the ground coffee sets a bit, that's so it doesn't spill when I pull it. Once I do that, I smooth the coffee into the filter a bit with my hand, and then I tap the filter holder onto the counter top a few times to help pack the coffee in. At this point, I run my finger over the top and dump a bit of the excess before I use the tamper. Make sure the tamper goes in as far as where the black line starts on the handle, otherwise there is too much coffee and it will be hard to get the filter in place for extraction. Basically, this machine grinds a lot of coffee and I found that using these settings was the way to use most of the coffee that is ground. Other settings just got me way too much coffee and a lot of it went to waste.2 - I set the dial on the side to the medium grind, I think it's 5. I'm not home right now, so I can't check it, but I think it goes up to 9 and I have it set for 5 or so. This is the dial that defines how coarse the ground coffee will be.3 - If you tap the filter holder onto a counter or another hard surface, then tamper it and the beans are ground to a medium, where if you hold it between your fingers it feels like thin sand, the pressure should come to the right range and you should have beautiful coffee with great crema. You should also wipe the area that touches the coffee, where the filter goes, with a moist cloth or paper towel each time you make coffee.This information should resolve the main issue I ran into at first when I started using this machine. The grinder would grind too much coffee and I couldn't get any crema because I was grinding it too coarse, so it was very frustrating. The pressure level would not get to the ideal range for espresso and I keept trying to find a way to raise it on the machine. It took me a while to get it that the problem wasn't that the machine wasn't being set up properly to make espresso, the grinding and the way I was getting the coffee set into the filter were causing the problem. Once I got that figured out, my coffee started coming out P E R F E C T!I also started using Lavazzo beans, the http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SDKDM4/ref=rcxsubs_mys2_product_title, and although it took a couple of cups to get used to it, I now love the taste and the crema! One of these bags lasts a couple of months for me, and I make coffee (just one cup) pretty much once a day, every day. I have it on automatic re-order here on Amazon for delivery every other month, and because I'm signed up for that, they give me a 5% discount on the coffee, which is shipped for free with my Prime membership.Another useful thing I got and that I didn't realize I needed until after I started using the machine is an espresso stein. I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016J76CE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01 and really love it!Another piece of information that I thought would be helpful concerns frothing the milk. This is how I do it...1 - After I make the coffee, I place a cup under the frothing wand (which I use with the shield tube that comes with the machine) and turn the knob so the steam runs for a minute into that cup.2 - I use the metal frothing jug that comes with the machine, and by the way, it comes with it. I had also purchased one because I neglected to read all the information and didn't realize it came with one. I use 2% or skim milk, cold from the fridge, and I add milk to about 1/2 way before reaching where the pouring "beak" starts when looking at the inside of the jug. I also use a thermometer, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/IRB220-F-ProAccurate-Insta-Read-Beverage-Thermometer/dp/B000E8BFP2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354167507&sr=8-4&keywords=frothing+thermometer. So I make sure the thermometer is always clipped to the jug. You want to make sure you have a wet cloth, or wet folded paper towel by you when you start frothing the milk.3 - After the steam runs for a moment, I turn it off and get the jug with the milk in place, with the wand in it, and turn the knob back on. As it works, I move the jug up and down, slowly, so the wand will touch the bottom of the jug and then move close to the surface of the milk, but not any higher than that. As I do that, I hold the thermometer clip with my thumb and keep an eye on the temperature. You will notice that the milk will double size and by the time it reaches 150, keep your eye on the thermometer, as you will need to turn off the knob by the time it reaches 160, or close to it.4 - As soon as I turn it off, I open the tap water in my sink, grab the wet cloth and pull the metal cilinder that covers the frothing wand, bringing it to my other hand and under the cold water to cool it down and rinse it before the milk dries up. At the same time, I use my other hand with the wet cloth to wipe the wand while it's still hot and steaming. Make sure you wipe it well so milk doesn't dry up there.5 - I then hold the jug in my hand and swirl it so the frothed foam gets mixed with the liquid milk on the bottom, making the whole contents creamy. This is a really important step. I know we think all the foam is great, but you do want that incorporated with the milk, otherwise you don't get the creamy latte you would get at a coffee shop, you just get a bunch of foam on the top and runny coffee and milk on the bottom. I swirl in a somewhat fast movement for maybe a minute, then I pour the milk into my coffee.If you follow these steps, you will get lattes that are just like what you would get from a good coffee shop, on a good day. I have got some pretty crappy ones at the store, and I can say the ones I make at home are always perfect if I follow these steps religiously. You can see my results by looking at the photos I posted here with this product.____________________________________________________________________________________________I am so happy I got this machine! Almost speechless, I'll write a review...This is the 5th espresso machine I have owned, although the 4th one was at my place for less than 1 day before I returned it and purchased this one. I started with a cheap one that really didn't make anything close to an espresso, went to one that was sort of ok, then had a DeLonghi that was almost there, but not quite. Since the latter was on the $200 range, I thought I'd upgrade to something on a $300 price range and see what happened, so I got the next-up DeLonghi. When it arrived, I took it out of the box and made a shot. It was ok, but it wasn't any better than what I could make with my previous one, and at $125 more, it made no sense to keep it. It went right back to the box and was returned the next day.At that point, I decided that I should go for something a step above it, and this machine seemed like the obvious choice. Yes, it was more expensive, but if you took into consideration what I had been spending on lower-end machines through the years, and not having perfect coffee, it just made sense to spend a little more and get something that might keep me satisfied. Buying something cheaper only to spend the next couple of years thinking about getting an upgrade was getting old!I received the Breville and could see the difference in quality as soon as I started opening the package, even the box is nicer. The machine is sturdier and just looks gorgeous, even if a bit intimidating. I set it up, read the manual and decided to try to use it without the "scaffolding" tools. After all, I had been playing with 15-bar-pump espresso machines for over 6 years, I should know what I'm doing... Nope, I didn't know what I was doing and after dumping countless shots of espresso, I ended up drinking what was possibly the worst cup of latte I have ever had. And that was enough for me to leave the machine alone for a day and completely change my attitude. Not only did I swallow the worst coffee ever, I also swallowed my pride!I did some research, watched the videos posted with the higher-end Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler Semi Automatic Espresso Machine (very helpful if you're like me and just can't follow written directions!), and, with my tail between my legs, picked up the dual-wall and grabbed a bag of ground Seattle's Best coffee. Since my experience with the grinding the previous time had been appalling, I didn't want to take chances and mess around with the grinder. To my delight, I was able to, for the first time in my life, make a latte as good as what I used to drink at the Seattle's Best coffee shop! Hmmmmm... How I missed it! I had been ordering Fontana Caramel Sauce, the same they use at the coffee shops, by the way. Definitely a good thing to get if you are a caramel latte addict like me. :)So, to all you people getting one of these wonderful machines, don't be embarassed to use the "amateur" tools. You can always play with the other settings later, but when you just want to have that awesome cup, it's good to know we can rely on those tools to deliver!In closing, I wanted to add that the tray under the machine does seem to accumulate water, but I don't think it's a problem. This is probably why it has a part in it that's supposed to let us know when it's time to clean the tray and remove the water. Since I read a lot of reviews complaining about that and saying this was a machine failure issue, I thought it might be a good thing to point out. Another point worth stating is that the manual clearly says to only change grinder settings when it's empty, or during use. There are so many reviews saying the grinder is faulty that it makes me wonder if some of the people didn't cause damage to it by trying to change the settings when the machine was not in use and with beans in it.I hope everyone else can be as thrilled with this machine as I am.Enjoy!

I was very excited when I bought this machine and unpacked it. Very nice design, simple to use, nice packaging.When I did my first shot, I found it .I then read the notice, made sure I followed all the steps they recommand to get a hot espresso.. but still got disappointed.I used a cooking thermometer, and found the coffee exits the machine around 140/150 degree....so whatever you do with your glass, etc..does not helpi tried to call the service center, but they are difficult to reachIf I was to buy a machine again, I would take the Saeco Synthia, that I found at Costco for the price of the Breville on Amazon. I had not picked that one because I found the 200USD price difference on Amazon on that model too high...

I'm revising this review after another month, adding another star. The key to being happy with this machine is filling the portofilter to within an 1/8th of an inch from the top. Pressure is up, crema is nice, and the coffee is delicious. If the feeder on the grinder wasn't so feeble and it offered hot water as well as steam, I'd give it the full five No hot water is a missing feature on an espresso machine in this price range.... Now here's the original, more detailed review.As others have said, this machine is attractive. What really counts, though, is how well it makes coffee and how durable it is. I haven't had it long enough to address durability but having used it a couple of weeks now, I feel comfortable reviewing the coffee quality and general performance. I'm going to be especially critical given the $600 price tag, considering there are machines in the same family for as little as $50. So, feature best to worst:* Pressure is strong, provided by a pump, not steam (this is good). Pressure is this unit's most solid feature.* The reservoir is fine; I don't find myself adding water to it constantly and it is easy to remove, fill and replace when I do. I suspect the BES860XL could be plumbed to a tap by someone handy enough.* The catch tray is better than other models I've used in this price range, a bit bigger and easily cleaned with a nice and accurate indicator of when it is getting full.* The dry puck feature... this will not work unless you have the right amount of coffee in the portofilter. If you get a slurry instead of a puck, you need to add more coffee next time.* There are four portofilters provided, single and double shots, and single and double wall. (Double wall filters are 'idiot-proof' versions, although they don't use that term in the manual.) They are adequate and seem to be standard size although I haven't compared.* Tamper works fine. It is conveniently located but kind of hard to put back, like reaching under the dash of a car, you can't see and just have to feel around until it goes click. Also, the top is narrow to fit in it's magnetic slot. Given that you're supposed to put 20 lbs of pressure on it, it should have a wider, rounded top to distribute the pressure better across your palm instead of digging into it.* The pressure gauge is more helpful than I initially thought. While I wouldn't rely too heavily on it, it does give a good indication of whether or not your preparations were adequate as backed up by the quality of results.* The grinder is fine, but the feeder is barely adequate. It hasn't jammed, but "dries up" nearly every time its used and I have to push the beans down with my hand.* The group is solid and adequate but is for dual shots/demitasse only, a nothing is provided for a single but you can unscrew the split-channel thingy to get a single stream.* The steamer is inadequate: steam can be on or off, and that's it. There is no way to control the rate and it will not produce hot water for americanos. Steam and only steam and only at a preset pressure. There is a frothing attachment (read "tube") which is difficult to attach and clean. The steamer is the BES680XL's weakest feature, something that is standard for even the cheapest units, and not easy to supplement with another gadget.All in all, it's a fine, solid, attractive machine. I'm not sure I would by this for myself again, but I would feel comfortable recommending it to a friend that wants to make great tasting coffee, have optional push-button convenience, and needs an integrated grinder.