Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine BES870XL, Brushed Stainless Steel

The media could not be loaded. I can't say enough great things about the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine! As someone who loves a perfect latte, I know this machine has completely changed my daily coffee routine. The quality of espresso this machine produces is incredible. With the right coffee beans, I can make rich, smooth espresso with a beautiful crema that rivals my favorite coffee shop. The built-in grinder ensures that I get fresh ground beans for each shot, making all the difference in flavor. Before getting this machine, I spent way too much on lattes at coffee shops. Now, I make my own at home, and the savings have been tremendous! In just a few months, this machine has practically paid for itself. Plus, I can customize my drinks exactly how I like them—strong, smooth, and with perfectly steamed milk. I was worried about the learning curve, but the intuitive controls made dialing the perfect espresso easy. The powerful steam wand creates silky microfoam, ideal for latte art.In addition, the brushed stainless steel design looks stunning in my kitchen! It's easy to use, makes top-tier espresso, and has already saved me hundreds of dollars. I recommend pairing it with high-quality coffee beans to get the best results!

Update May 2024: I purchased this machine in 2015. I've had it almost 9 years. It's now starting to have issues - the 1 cup pour does not stop at automatically any longer, and a few weeks later, the 2 cup pour started doing the same. I'll look into repair, but this is probably it for the machine.Update July 2023: Still going strong!! Using it daily! I've followed their cleaning guide and decalcification guidelines and have had no issues!Update June 2nd 2019: Still use it daily, and it's working well! It's now been almost 4 years! (Time flies when you're drinking good coffee :)Update August-6-17: Still going strong after almost two years!Original Review and Tips:I love this thing. I've been using it multiple times a day for almost a year I think. Every day it makes amazing espresso, and as long as I keep it clean it preforms beautifully. This thing is also easier to maintain and requires less cleaning than other cheaper espresso machines I've tried.A tip for anyone looking to make actual espresso at home, I recommend looking for a local roastery in your area. I use to buy bulk beans online like many people, but once I tried local whole beans and found a blend I liked, the difference was amazing. Bean choice is very important if you actually want to enjoy your espresso!A few tips I picked up for using this machine:1. A few people complained about the grind amount knob not going low enough. To counteract this, I changed the cup size to "Single" and increased the grind amount by turning the knob to the right. This gives me the perfect amount of ground coffee every time.2. If the machine keeps going over or under on the pressure gauge, try cleaning the grinder. And remember to clean the grouphead with those desolvable tablets when the clean me light comes on!3. You can get cheap replacement cleaning tablets here on amazon. I chose Urnex Cafiza Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets here on amazon, and they work great!4. You do not need to order a separate tamper, the one included is perfect.5. The included frothing cup is small but works for me. Some might need a bigger one.6. Do not underestimate the need for a burr grinder. Trying to make good espresso without one is like trying to hammer a nail with an inflatable hammer!Some of the features I love (Pros)*1) The grinder. I know many would rather use a separate burr grinder, but this thing works perfectly fine, and is easy to clean. Many complained about the coffee machine heating up the beans too much if you leave them inside the hopper, but I actually store my beans in a special container outside of the hopper, and use the included the scoop to pour in the beans when I grind them.2) The frother is amazing. Much much better than cheaper machines.3) Clean me light is awesome. Always reminds me to keep up on this things maintenance, and helps prolong the life.4) The Stainless steel is beautiful. (It is not 100% stainless on the outside though, a little bit of plastic, see cons.)5) The pressure gauge. Absolutely invaluable in making good tasting espresso. I would not recommend buying any machine without one. It really helps with learning and getting it right!6) The included tamper is perfect.7) Creates perfect pucks of coffee to dump out in the trash.8) The hot water dispenser is an awesome addition!9) Is an all-in-one, meaning I don't need to buy a separate grinder!10) Just makes good coffee.11) Great manual included for lots of useful information.12) Has an automated cleaning cycle to clean the insides of the grouphead. Awesome!14) Includes a beautiful copper dosing tool.15) Includes tools to clean out the filters.Some things that bother me (Cons)*1)The top of the machine is plastic.2) The bottom sides of the machine is plastic3) The water tank needs to be refilled often, and it also thick plastic.4) The bottom water catcher thing (sorry) needs to be emptied often, but its not too bad.5) The coffee grind separator doesn't really seem to help much, but it does help keep it out of the water below and little bit, which keeps it from smelling!6) Expensive, but to me, was a very worthwhile investment for how much coffee I was buying from the shop.7) Can't seem to find inexpensive filters for the water tank, however, I use filtered water instead of tap.8) The Lowest grind amount is too much on the "double" setting. QC Should have caught this! But not a deal breaker. See above for workaround.*Might add more later as I think of them!This thing is also great for making sweet frappicinos and iced drinks.For caramel flavored drinks I use Hershey's Caramel Syrup (Edit: I now make my own caramel syrup! It's super easy!)For vanilla flavored drinks I use Torani Vanilla Syrup that I get cheaply from a bulk wholesale store in my town.For my sweet drink of choice I mix the two, add a double shot of espresso, 2% milk, and top with whipped cream and caramel syrup.Nothing beats a great espresso in the morning!Added tons of pictures.Edit: It seems quite a few people had problems with the machine dying on them, If your machine died on your please comment on this review with any information you think may help, such as the level of maintenance you preformed while your machine was working, the brand of water filters and cleaning tablets you used, etc.Maybe we can find a common cause of this defect!

I did a lot of research before deciding on this brand and model, but I've been so impressed from the very beginning. It took some time to tune in (as will any espresso machine), and as a complete novice learning on this machine, I had my frustrations, but the machine is so intuitive and there are so many helpful videos out there I quickly got the hang of it. The grinder seems excellent (given it doesn't cost hundreds on its own), everything you need comes in the box (and good quality accessories too), and it's just such a perfect little home use espresso maker when you're not trying to churn out lots of coffees back to back (given the single motor, you can't steam milk while pulling a shot, so not nearly as fast as the commercial or more expensive machines if you want efficiency in making lots of coffees, but that's not my use case). I love how tunable the machine is yet how automated it can be if you choose so (don't have to time your shots, etc.). For home use a few times a day, I really can't say enough good things about how perfect this machine is, especially at such a relatively affordable price point compared to the other highly rated options out there.That said, I'm about 16 months in to ownership and it started to act up. I ran the clean, and then the descale, and just generally tried some troubleshooting, and I kept having intermittent issues. But I knew from reviews that this is generally a long lasting machine and this shouldn't be anywhere near end of life for it (or it wouldn't be getting nearly this good of a review from me). Some people said Breville was helpful, even after the warranty period, so I did some research, though I identified which component may be going bad, and reached out to see if they would send me a replacement part. To my utter amazement, they instead sent me the packaging to ship my machine to them and have it repaired at no cost to me months past the end of my warranty. Huge kudos to Breville; this further confirms what I believed, that this product should last for years and Breville stands by the quality of their product.Seriously, making coffees for one household? Not a professional barista? Just love good coffee and want to be able to make that consistently? This is the one.