☕ Discount of 67%!Barista Pro 1680W 2L Coffee Maker

This product is really great. The convenient size and attractive design make it a wonderful addition to my coffee station. It heats up quickly, which is a huge plus for those early morning rushes. The sturdy construction and large water reservoir show its quality. The milk frother is a star performer. But the best part? The espresso flavor is just top-notch. I might add a tip: watch a few YouTube videos on how to use it. It took me a few tries, but once I got the hang of it, the coffee tastes amazing.

EASY TO USE AND SO CONVENIENT TO MAKE LATTES AT HOME. There was a learning curve, I watched the Breville instruction video several times and that really helped me a lot.

We love this espresso machine so much! It is certainly an investment and no small amount of money - but its definitely worth it.

I will say, the machine is a bit of a challenge to dial in for a first-timer. Definitely recommend to anyone who buys this machine to watch some videos online on how to properly dial in the machine. It was super helpful, for example, to know about adjusting the grind size on the inside of the machine and not just with the dial on the outside. I had to adjust the grind settings inside to really dial it in. Additionally, I found it helpful to measure out the dosing size (18g is what I used for a double) outside of the machine before grinding them in the machine. This cuts out one variable (the grind amount setting, which is based on a timer) until you figure out the correct grind size. Once the grind size was dialed in, it was fairly easy to figure out where the grind amount setting needed to be for the dosing that I wanted. Likewise, steaming milk takes practice. Definitely recommend practicing with water and a drop of soap. It takes some time to figure it out. Lastly, its very helpful to know that you can adjust the output amount by using the program button (I use the 2:1 ratio of 18g coffee and 36g espresso out).

All that said, this machine is GOLDEN once you learn the ropes. It has every feature you will need to get into the espresso world. Its such a well-built machine that clearly had a lot of thought put into it - for example, the hot water shuts off automatically to get the right amount for an americano. This machine has opened up a whole new world for our family and we are so happy we made this purchase.

Needed an espresso machine that makes drinks that taste like the latte's I get at the coffee shops. I spent over 3,500 dollars a year on buying coffee from coffee shops. I am happy to say my daily coffee run streak has ended as I use this espresso machine DAILY. The coffee is immaculate, the tech is there, and BUILD QUALITY is AMAZING! No plastic parts here!

If you are an average vanilla latte drinker and you spend 7 dollars a day at the coffee shop, save yourself some money and get this machine! Within 5 mins (and like 2 mins of cleaner after), you have yourself a coffee!

Obsessed. And finally quit the bucks! Very worth it and amazing espresso when using high quality beans. I highly recommend this for espresso lovers, I use mine daily.

This is definitely worth the extra money. It works wonderfully! After a year of use it works great. Just make sure to clean it and it will last you. The espresso tastes so much better! We had been using a cheap machine to learn how to make espresso and we upgraded to this machine. It grinds the espresso really well, and has different options.

Great Expresso maker for the beginner/intermediate coffee drinker.
Just wish it had two boilers, but at this price you won't find a better one than this!

My boyfriend had one of these in his previous marriage-lost it in a divorce. Bought himself another one and lost that to his follow up girlfriend after the marriage. lol I showed him how to buy on Amazon and had it shipped to his home. He is very pleased and feels back on track in his life and he said he is making a pre-nup to keep it!! Hahahahaha

I'd been eyeing the barista express for quite a while and finally pulled the trigger when it was heavily discounted. I have owned espresso machines before but nothing compares to this one by a large margin. The espresso shot quality is really great (given you're using relatively fresh beans) and the steam wand is excellent for making latte art once you get used to it. The grinder is also great but more number of settings would have made it even greater.

I would highly recommend this espresso machine. From automatic cleaning to its sleek design, it's a joy to use. Quick heating and a large water tank make brewing a breeze, while the milk frother adds a touch of luxury. The durable construction promises longevity and the espresso quality is top-notch. Plus, customizable settings mean I can get my coffee just the way I like it. A dream come true for any espresso aficionado.

This is my second Breville. First one (BES860XL) was purchased around 2010 and was used daily except for when we were on vacation. The BES860XL is actually still going strong, but I could not pass up the price for black friday for the upgraded model. I will move my old model to my cabin in the mountains. As far as the 870XL, I can definitely tell the difference in taste. Much richer and fuller flavor. Hoo on this espresso machine, you will not regret.

This works fine but not so sure there aren't better options. I typically just make americanos and should have looked for that simpler machine where I could just press "Americano" and no need to tamp, switch to make espresso and then add water. Oh well, live and learn.

I wanted to wait 6 months for this review!!!
I wanted to use it a lot… and I have !! I use this every morning to make espresso and a latte, it is so good !! Easy to learn, cleans easy & works SO GREAT !!!
I only wish I would have bought this sooner.

One of the best things I ever bought.
Use it every day.
Fantastic cappucino, just a little adjusting to make it perfect to your taste.
Quick and easy to use.
Don't hesitate.
You will love it!!

This lived up to the hype in my mind. Great pulls of this for what it is. It may have some issues but if you compare this to something half the price it’s a no brainer to go with this. I had bought a few 150-300$ units from here such a gevi and I wish I just did this from the onset

this article converted me to being a true full blown coffee snob! short learning curve and must stress the use of freshly roasted coffee for proper extraction. the frequent use and success of use makes me forget about the initial expense. highly recommended.

I have one of this espresso machine for years! We finally made the plunge and bought it this year, I absolutely love it. I have nothing negative to say about it - BUY this!!!

I was initially a little upset that my husband bought me this for Mother’s Day, but as soon as I started using it, it is definitely the best gift I have ever received!! We use it daily, sometimes multiple times. It’s so easy to use. It has been very durable, and we haven’t ran into any issues with cleaning etc.

The best coffee maker! I Love it! My husband loves it! Pricey, but I purchased it on sale and would definitely purchase it again! Everything about this machine is good!

I would highly recommend this espresso machine. It's super easy to use and clean. The design is sleek and attractive. The quick heat up time is a real bonus in the morning. Excellent value for the price. The espresso it makes is great tasting and the milk frother works well. I am more than satisfied with this purchase.

My original review was a 2-star. But Amazon customer helped me get a replacement and the new machine works consistently. I am changing the review to 4-star based on the customer service experience and the performance of the replacement.

I purchased the original expresso machine with high expectation, believing it'd be a good entry level expresso maker for a regular home user because of 4.5+ review rating. Unfortunately, I received an item that's not as good as advertised.

I noticed there are some tiny scratches on the tray and on the wall of the machine. They didn't really bother me as other items in the box were brand new and wrapped in the original package. I went ahead and assembled the machine. After my first few tries, I couldn't get good extractions. I watched many videos for improvement tips. I used different beans, grind setup/amount, etc, frustrated. After a few more days, I came across a video showing how to check the machine pressure and how to fix it. I followed the instruction and repeated the check steps to validate the pressure level of the machine. I even tried with the double-wall cup with clean disk to test the pressure. The machine struggled to reach the mid point of the pressure gauge with everything sealed completely.

I contacted Amazon product support. I described the pressure issue with the support. I was offered a refund or a replacement. I chose to receive a replacement because I want an expresso machine. Thank you Amazon support for the professional assistance.

I am giving this product a 2-star rating for now. I will come back to update the rating after I receive the replacement and try it...

Great Quality Breville Coffee Machine!

If you enjoy controlling the coffee-making process, this is a great option. The machine offers a lot of versatility and precision.

However, I have a few concerns:

1.The tamper it seems defective and doesn’t feel as sturdy as it should. I would like to change it! how to do that?
2.The milk jug doesn’t have the Breville logo, which makes it feel like an unbranded or mismatched piece. It’s a bit odd, especially considering the brand’s reputation for quality.

Overall, despite these minor issues, the machine performs well, and I’m happy with it!

Cons- I wish I could fit a travel mug under it. Sometime the steam wand needs a second priming.
Pros- pretty easy to learn to use, even for a new coffee drinker. Love that I can switch between regular and decaf with each serving. Honestly quicker and easier to clean than my french press.
Its a great machine and with several coffee drinkers in the house this will pay for itself in just a couple months. I do wish the tamper was on the right, but I'll bet the lefties are pumped.

Best thing about this machine is the quality of the shot. Our previous machine was Starbucks Barista which is a great machine for the price but can't put out the quality the Breville does. I'm still experimenting and even with the double walled shot cup and grind set to 2 the pressure gauge only barely hits the lower end of the espresso range. With the regular portafilter cup it hardly budges.
The grinder puts out very find grind which is impressive.
It seemed our Starbucks machine put our more steam but could be my imagination.
The small size of the water tank which I have to remember to check every day and steam levels are only issues I have found so far.

This product is terrific, I must say! Easy to use and the fast heating feature is a real timesaver. The quality of espresso it produces is top-notch, just like a professional barista. The customizable settings are an added bonus. I am loving my new coffee routine with this machine.

Estoy haciendo esta reseña a casi un año de que compré esta cafetera y lo que puedo decir es que es una de las mejores qué he comprado.

Tengo otras cafeteras profesionales de uno y dos grupos a las qué esta Barista express no le pide nada, sobre todo por el precio.

Para empezar hace una muy buena molienda, ajustable por supuesto, y la extracción es rápida y muy eficiente.

En espresso esta listo en 45 segundos desde la molienda. Es fácil de usar, limpiar y dar mantenimiento.

Yo la uso principalmente para espresso ya qué la parte del espumador debo decir que si es bastante lenta.

En conclusión la recomiendo ampliamente y si vas a hacer capuchino, te recomiendo un espumador aparte.

I bought this machine 4 years ago, telling myself I had to cut back on trips to the coffee shop. Wow. I really didn't expect how quickly and completely I would shift my entire routine. I used to be at Starbucks 4-5 times a week. Now I only visit a coffee shop if it's for a meeting or I'm on vacation. The amount of money I've saved in the last 4 years with this machine in my home is staggering.
I used to work at Starbucks, so the manual aspects of the machine were no problem for me, and I enjoy having control over the grind. My only complaint about this machine is that you can't steam milk at the same time as you pull shots, which basically rules out a perfect cappuccino. Solved that problem with the Breville Milk Frother.
If you have any inclination toward making coffee at home, get this machine! It's easy to use, easy to maintain, and it looks pretty on your kitchen counter. Cannot recommend highly enough!

Update:
Just received a replacement, the grinder is working better, but it definitely sounds different than the other older models that I’ve owned. Sounds weaker and has a little more trouble getting through the grind. Hopefully it will last, but I’m keeping the box in case it needs a repair down the road…

I love this espresso machine, but it has its problems. This is the third one that I’ve owned. The first one had two issues over the first few years which required replacement of one of the pumps and a solenoid valve done with help from YouTube. I have a second machine at a vacation home.

I just bought a replacement for my first machine when it finally gave up the ghost and started leaking (5years old), just received it yesterday. I set it up today and grinder motor is defective and I’m going to have to return it.

Hopefully the next one will work OK. I think if I hadn’t owned two of these, I wouldn’t have known that the grinder wasn’t working properly.

When it’s working, it’s a great device for sure and can’t be beat, just wish the failure rate was a little lower…

This machine works great for all of our coffee needs. Best coffee we have made at home. Definitely recommend !!! Easy to set up but it does take a few attempts to get everything set up. Instructions are great.

I love how easy this machine makes it for even a novice to learn how to make all types of coffee beverages. With so many great videos online on how to dial in your beans and use this espresso machine I found it so much fun and can now enjoy lattes, americanos and cappuccino drinks anytime of the day without going to Starbucks! can customize and save my own favorite and name it so next time I can just press my icon and get the same drink.Right out of the box they give you everything you need. I did upgrade a few things but that was my personal choice. I love my new coffee bar area and found a great local bean roaster as freshly roasted beans is the best thing you can do for your coffee experience besides having a solid espresso machine!

I've been using this coffee machine for a while now, and I'm quite pleased. The milk frother works really well, giving me that perfect froth every time. It also has a large water tank, which means fewer refills – a definite plus. Something else I love is how quickly it heats up; I don't have to wait long for my coffee, which is fantastic! The durable construction gives me confidence it's going to last a good amount of time. In short, it's been a great investment.

My wife bought this for her coffee needs. She loves coffee and wanted high quality. It’s pricey for sure but she no longer goes out for coffee everyday. Think we will save money in the long run! It’s very sleek and has tons on great features.

This is a great multifunction machine for anyone looking to make a similar espresso to what you would get in Italy. It has a great range of features for the price and is easy to operate. We sampled multiple super automatics and the breville touch is far superior in taste. Once you get your whole bean preference and get the machine dialed in, it’s very simple to make a wonderful espresso, americano or one of the many other options. Very happy with our purchase and would highly recommend.

The touch screen makes picking a drink to make very easy. You can also program your own drink for "bob" or "mary" or "grandma". Then when you pick that bob icon, it will be all ready to make bob's favorite drink. Instructions are good. The frother has a temperature gauge, so you can tailor make the temperature for your own liking. I did a taste test of the same coffe in my dripper and in the Breville, and hands down....it takes better with the same coffee. The hot water pressed through the coffee grounds (which the machine grinds) makes the flavor of the coffee really come through.

I look so forward to using this machine every morning and so do my guests.
It took a few tries to find “my” settings in grind and brew time but not difficult.
My overnight guests love using this too.

My neighbor had one and raved over it! I have had a couple of these in the past and they were either too complicated, too finicky and didn’t work well for long. I’ve only had this for a couple of weeks. We’ve really enjoyed it thoroughly. My neighbors had his for a year or so and had no problems whatsoever.

I really like this product. Touch buttons for all the primary coffee house flavors are preset and you have the ability to modify settings to personal taste. Easy to follow setup tutorial gets you up and running quickly and when you become familiar with machine operations and setting which is not difficult at all, you can create other flavors. In a household where two or more have different preferences outside of the factory preset settings it is easy to adjust and save to an individual taste then next time you do nothing more than press the saved button for your personalized setting.
Admittedly it is on the expensive side for home use, but for those who are coffee house regulars it will pay for itself in a short period of time The time spent to make a cup is faster than standing in line to have someone else make your cup and you have more options.
I feel that I should address what I don't like about the machine, but that's difficult. It is solid, manufactured mostly out of stainless steel with very little plastic. If I had to request one change it would be for a larger water tank as the tank soon seems to empty when you are making more than one cup and purging the system to clean, but that's all I can think of.
My heading has significance as I am fortunate to live in a location where I grow my own coffee. This machine now gives me the means of repeatability and knowing that every cup will be produced with the same grind, brew time and temperature allows me to assess coffee bean preparation and roast knowing the cup is made the same.
With the Breville Barista Touch you have control of your own cup.

As an aspiring home barista, I was seeking an espresso machine that could provide a high-quality brew without a steep learning curve. After extensive research, I landed on the Breville Barista Express, and I can confidently say it has exceeded my expectations.

At a sale price of $550, the Barista Express represents a reasonable investment for those looking to elevate their coffee game. Compared to many other semi-automatic machines on the market, this Breville model provides an exceptional value.

Aesthetically, the Barista Express is a real winner. Its sleek, stainless steel design seamlessly fits into any kitchen, blending in beautifully with surrounding appliances. The compact footprint also makes it easy to find a home on the countertop without dominating the space.

But the true star of this machine is its functionality. As other reviewers have noted, the ability to grind beans directly into the portafilter and then pull espresso shots is remarkably convenient and fun to experiment with. The grind size adjustment allows you to fine-tune the extraction to your personal preferences, providing a level of customization that is rare at this price point.

Possibly the most impressive aspect of the Barista Express, however, is its durability. I have been using this machine 4-5 times per week for the past 12 months, and it has held up remarkably well. There have been no issues or malfunctions, instilling a strong sense of confidence that this was a worthwhile investment.

Overall, the Breville Barista Express is an excellent choice for espresso beginners looking to take their coffee game to the next level. With its appealing design, intuitive features, and proven reliability, this machine is well worth the $550 price tag. Highly recommended for those seeking a gateway into the world of home espresso making.

I had a Breville Espresso machine previously - the most popular one. However I really like the improvements on the Touch. Better grinder, info LED, better steam wand, more setting details to take advantage of. Dialing it in is easier than the more manual type. Once you get that, then you can do things manually or more automatic depending on what you like to do. It costs more, but I feel you get what you pay for. A very good quality product and works as designed and expected. Very good for beginners or those a bit on their way as well.

I always loved my nephew’s professional coffees he makes (he has a business). Now with this machine our coffees are the nearly the same (practice makes perfect when learning how to tweak your coffee as you like it). We love this machine and how the coffee tastes. Totally worth it. The only downside is we are drinking more coffee than before because we enjoy the coffee more. It looks and feels professional and I was concerned about it being extra “work” but it’s very easy to use.

Having never made Espresso before, nor having used an Espresso maker, I did a lot of research into the best maker I could find for a reasonable cost before purchasing. I watched videos of people who have owned this machine for several years, and by and large they were positive. I decided to go for it. Having used it for a while now, I'm impressed with the quality of the resultant coffee drink, the ease of steaming the milk, and the quality of the whole bean grind. The machine is heavy. It's all metal, except for some components like the water drip tray, grind funnel etc. The water tank is the width of the machine and large enough to make many cups (including steaming the milk) before being refilled. The learning curve for just using it to make some espresso is pretty easy. Some people have complained one cannot make a cup and steam milk at the same time, but for me it's not a problem. I do the milk first, then the coffee. So for a beginner, it's a great investment, but for someone who really enjoys the whole process of finding that perfect cup, there's plenty of options to play with. How fine the bean grind is, how much to dispense into the funnel, even adjustments of the grinder blade itself are adjustable. Your desired setting can even be saved for one-button recall. The machine is ready to be used from being turned off in about 30 seconds. Steaming (in the provided little pitcher) takes upwards of a minute depeiding on what you like, and actually making the coffee is about 10-15 seconds. So a session to make two cups for my wife and I (including cleaning) takes maybe 10 minutes. But for me, being able to experience a Cortado like we had in Spain that 10 minutes is well worth spending!

I’m not new to drinking coffee but new to making a lavish espresso. I had been using Lavazza coffee beans and had a certain setting. When changed to a locally roasted coffee beans had to change settings significantly different. Hence, this machine allowed me to work with two very different beans effectively. Locally roasted are 1.5x more expensive but maybe double superior in taste. Lavazza does a great job for everyday espresso though.

As a loyal DeLonghi customer for over a decade, my experience with the LaSpecialista semi-automatic espresso maker was, unfortunately, a letdown. After 18 months of persistent issues and frustration, I finally decided to cut my losses and switch to the Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine—and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

The Breville Barista Touch surpasses the DeLonghi LaSpecialista in every category. From its user-friendly interface to the superior quality of espresso it produces, I didn’t realize how much I had been missing until I made the switch. The intuitive design, precise controls, and reliable performance of the Breville have completely transformed my at-home coffee experience.

While I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly evaluate Breville’s customer service yet, it’s worth noting that summary reviews suggest it could be an area of concern. However, based on my experience with DeLonghi’s customer service, which was far from satisfactory, I’m optimistic that Breville’s support will be an improvement.

Overall, my first month with the Breville Barista Touch has been exceptional. It’s refreshing to finally have a machine that delivers on its promises, and I look forward to many more months of great coffee.

Been wanting one for a while and when I saw it on prime deal, had to get it. Easy to use. Amazing coffee and great quality machine! Do not regret buying. Shipping was fast and the machine was packed nicely.

I’ve had this machine close to 20 days, using it daily. This makes great espesso and lattes. It’s super easy to use and takes about 15 seconds to grind and 30 seconds for a shot. Main pros: great coffee, easy to use, straightforward. The touch screen is super intuitive and walks you through the steps for each drink. The tamper and portafilter feel solid, heavy, and are made of high quality stainless steel. It feels like quality when using. The tray below is super easy to clean.

Cons: At first the grinder made a small clicking sound and got stuck. But then I realized it was because my coffee beans were too old and dry. After getting better beans the issue went away. For a true coffee snob, you might want to invest in a very high end grinder ($500 or more). In that case you’ll end up with two grinders one built in and one external. However, for the vast majority of people the built in grinder is good enough. Keep in mind having the grinder and espresso machine as one unit means there’s a little more risk of something breaking down the line, but it’s convenient and looks nice having everything in just one unit.

A few tips:
1. make sure to pack enough grinds in the portafilter to get a good shot.
2. A bunch of reviews complain about the steam auto clean making a big mess. This is super easy to resolve. Just put the wand in the stainless steel cup before lowering it for cleaning. Then it sprays into the cup not all over the place. Seems like a no brainer. Because of the force or the cleaning, there’s no way it could be clean without containing the wand in a cup.

I've had my Breville Touch for a month now and it has been an amazing step up from the superautomatic machine I had previously. The learning curve is steep but short; if you've never manually made espresso before you'll need about an hour to sit it up properly: of figuring out grind size, tamping firmly, cutting the top with a razor, getting expression to start at 8s. But the reward at the end is extremely good and extremely strong espresso wholly beyond what a superautomatic can do. It's about two minutes from power on to latte in hand as opposed to 45 seconds, but the quality is definitely worth it.

Now I have my own Starbucks at home 😁 coffee ready in a minute. This Breville espresso machine fits my kitchen perfectly. It is well made, makes great coffee, latte, cappuccino, americano or whatever your heart desires. You can program it to brew your favorite beverage to the amount of coffee shots, milk froth etc. depending on how strong or creamy you prefer it to be with freshly grinded coffee beans. YUM!!! I'm enjoying it ☕️

I'm not gonna lie, I was intimidated reading the manual. Once I unboxed it, followed the on screen instructions plus the book instructions, it was easy and I was hooked! I went through the first tank of water tasting the difference with fresh grounds, already ground, regular and decaf, with and without milk. I loved every bit of it. I'm so happy and geeked up on caffine. Who needs a transmission pulled? I got you! 🤣

Initially, this Breville Barista Touch was everything I wanted in an espesso machine. I don't want to be a barista, I just want a decent capachino at home with a minimum of fuss. This machine exceeded all my expectations!
However, after 2 months I noticed that the brewing process was lower in pressure and temperature. I have descaled, changed filters, and cleaned seals, but nothing improved. Now at 6 months, the machine can barely make a regular cup of coffee, let alone an espresso. I opened a case with Breville, and they sent me a custom shipping box to return it for repairs. A week or two later it came back to me and has been working flawlessly for the past month. What can I say. I love the machine, Breville honors their warranty, and the customer service is top notch.

Great starter machine, comes with all the basics to get started. Very user friendly, the machine will walk your though how to use it. Worth the purchase!

I bought this as a gift for my nephew and his wife. Their old machine (another brand) died. I’m not a big coffee drinker but enjoyed a coffee my nephew would make. The old machine would creat a little bitter coffee. This machine created a lovely cappuccino. I know both of them were excited and said how much better this coffee was. They used the same beans and creamer to make their drinks as the old machine. My nephew said how easy the machine was to use. His wife said the coffee had a great taste better than their old machine. I know coffee is their thing and they were very happy with this machine. They liked that the frothier was automated and would bring the milk to the right temps. The self cleaning feature was an added bonus. I took a leap of faith not knowing anything about coffee or machines but hit this gift out of the park. My cappuccino was delicious that I may get a machine for me in the future.

So far I've been delighted with our purchase. Makes great coffee and the touch screen feature is so convenient. Easy to maintain and clean too. There is a plastic basket to help funnel ground coffee into your 'portafilter'. If you don't remove the basket from the portafilter, before you brew, it can get caught in the machine - so be careful (adding a picture of the piece in question). This is the only watch out I've come across in an otherwise great purchase. 5 stars!!

The touch screen is amazing. First I thought, you won't be able to personalize any drink... then I watched some you-tube videos.. then there you go. There is a learning curve but once you get the proper weight, grind size, and brewing time... you gonna have so much fun... for me, I like doing it... it's the process that gives me so much joy... the aroma of freshly ground coffee. It's a bit loud during start up and when you are brewing. Starbucks is now just a thing of the past.

The auto purge feature of the frother is a big plus.

It makes amazing mochas and so easily. A month ago I had never used an espresso machine. It was frustrating at first because the grind size was constantly needing adjusting for every cup, but then I bought beans from a local roaster and it has been consistent and perfect every time. I never change any settings and it's so easy and makes amazing coffees!

It's a good chunk of money, but sooooo worth it!

Very simple, easy to use and easy to clean. It's going to save me a lot of money in the long run, by not having to go to a coffee shop. Plus, I think this tastes far better, as I can make it exactly how I want. The milk frothing is a game changer.

Beings I’m a huge coffee snob, this is the only way for me to go. Consistency is key. Super easy to use, programmable settings, just all around happy with my set up. Saving me time & money!

Bought this just before Christmas last year. Amazon had it marked down, but I missed paying lower rate. My son's girlfriend lives with us, and she was a supervisor at a coffee expresso bar. They were paying $7.50 each plus tip daily. Now getting 3 per day and save on tips. Has paid for itself, and getting sugar free syrups. Just need to buy a cow for the milk. Excellent investment, and just clean it and maintain it after every use.
**UPDATE**
After 5 months, I am a solid believer that this is the best Expresso Machine on the market. Reviews are all positive, except for 1 or 2 neanderthals that complain about them not able to fine tune the grind level so that the pressure is perfect. It's like fine tuning a car, depends upon the bean, the grind level, water and adjustments.

1. I buy my expresso beans from Costco.

2. Grind Amount Dial on front is around 2:00 to 3:00 degrees.

3. Adjust the Grind Size Selector side wheel (Outside Left) to around 4 to 5 (This can help control the pressure gauge on the front).

4. Pull out bean storage bin on top, and clean any access. Notice the Burr Grinder arrow to where it's pointing. Make sure this is cleaned out, and try repositioning the Burr Grinder to clockwise, when you put it back in. Depends on the beans. Youtube has several videos that really helped me to fine tune it.

5. If everything is just right, the pressure gauge should be around 11:00 to noon at the top.
Again, it takes some fine tuning, just like a coffee expresso mechanic to adjust it, but well worth it.

Remember, it's a poor mechanic who complains about his tools. You have to fine tune this machine, and keep it tuned. Clean it ever time you add a new bag of beans, and maintenance is important. Worth the investment.

Still going strong. Makes 3 - 4 Expresso's / Mocha's per day. Had relatives spend a week here, and more like 7 - 8 per day. Just maintain this machine, and it should last for years!

Update for Xmas 2024. Loved this machine so much, I bought one for my brother Dr. Mike in Southern CA. They visited last summer, and we were going thru 7 to 8 per day, no problem. Just saw that Amazon listed it as they #1 Best Seller, and just need to keep it fined tuned and maintained.

The Breville Barista Express can make great espresso, but it is far from a plug-and-play experience. The machine's biggest drawback, by far, is the lack of an espresso volume sensor featured on more expensive machines, which adjusts the amount of pressurized water based on the final espresso volume coming out of the portafilter. This is essential for brewing consistent espresso. The Breville has pre-set volumes for the amount of water going into the puck; however the final volume of espresso is a function of several variables, including amount of coffee, grind size, quality of beans, how forcibly the grinds are packed, water temperature, etc. Therefore, without an espresso volume sensor, the only option the Breville offers to get the final espresso volume right is to guesstimate by manually stopping the water flow when the amount of espresso looks alright. This can be a setup for frustration. Most of the first few dozen shots I attempted were too concentrated because a significant portion of the shot volume was absorbed by the coffee grinds without making it through the puck, leaving me with a few drops of espresso in my cup.

The other major flaw of this machine is the unreliability of the milk steamer. Once the steamer comes to the right temperature, it is supposed to have an 8-second timeout to allow the user to pause the steam and put the steam wand into the container holding the cold milk. In reality though, turning the dial to standby causes water to shoot out of the steam wand when it's turned to steam mode again, resulting in watered-down milk. The only way I've found to reliably steam milk is to quickly slip the steam wand into the milk while it's steaming full force, which is obviously not ideal because it makes a mess.

The third issue I would wish to see addressed is the water tank, which wastes a lot of water, especially if you are filling the tank with purified water. Below the minimum water level, the machine cannot pump water out of the tank, so the water needs to be discarded and filled to at least halfway. It would be nice if the machine could use water more efficiently so that water below the minimum level is not wasted.

Beyond these three shortcomings, the Breville has the potential to be a capable home espresso machine. The burr grinder is excellent, the machine has a relatively small footprint and looks nice in the kitchen, and it comes with everything you need to use it out of the box except for water and roasted coffee beans.

If you read the manual carefully and learn to manually adjust the shot volume right off the bat, then you may have a new favorite appliance in your kitchen. When done right, it's a worthy upgrade to traditional filter coffee.

We like good coffee but I am not one of those people that will pay for coffee everyday from a coffee shop. I enjoy it but not that much. This machine makes great coffee drinks and is cheaper than using k cups.

Some of the things we like:
1. It is fast! Total time to brew a cup
Is about 30 seconds including the time for it to heat up. You can grind your beans, brew your coffee, froth your milk, dump out the grinds and clean the frother in under 2 minutes even if you’re still half asleep.
2. There is a ton of flexibility on the drinks it can make and how it makes them. Different sizes, strengths and how much froth it puts in your milk. It does take some time to try everything and figure out what you like best but once you do, it consistently makes the drink just how you like it.
3. We waited to buy this because we thought there would be a lot to clean. But cleaning is not an issue. Only takes a few seconds to do it. Just wipe down the frother and machine. Rinse out the porta filter and milk cup. We throw them in the dishwasher at some point during the day.

There really are no complaints about this machine. Yes it is a little pricey but it does onsale for 25% pretty regularly so just wait for the sale like we did you will not be disappointed.

From the second I unboxed this machine it has been such an easy process. The screen illuminates and explains step by step tutorial for setting it up. It is very user friendly! I am so glad I finally caved and bought this machine, I no longer go to Starbucks for my lattes! They taste way better at home now! Treat yourself to this machine, it is 100% worth it and you won’t regret it!

This is our first espresso machine and I have to say it's been amazing. Before purchasing, we did a lot of research and settle on this one as it seems to have the most features and the shortest learning curve compared to many options out there. The pre-programmed settings are great to start out with and will give you a decent cup with very little experimentation. That being said, we don't get into this hobby just to be satisfied just there. This machine makes it easy to create custom settings and toy with all features from temperature, time, and so on. After about a week of adjustments and the sink drinking more coffee than us, we finally got it dialed in to how we like it (until we change the beans that is). Recommend getting used to the pre-programmed settings first until you get a consistent cup and then do a bit of research on how to dial it in further. Grind finer? Grind coarser? That is the question!

Disclaimer: I spent a month in Australia last year and found an absolute appreciation for good coffee/espresso. So I went on a mission to have that experience right in the comfort of my own home.

With that being said, I spent tens of hours scouring the internet (and asking friends) on what at-home machine I should invest in. The answer was the Breville Barista Express. Then I read the reviews on Amazon...and one review was so concise and informative I took the plunge. The reviewer commented on his experience from the machine to all the accessories you would need to get. And that's what I did.

** WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS.... WAIT to purchase until the machine is 20% off (if you can stand to wait & watch). The sale was almost $200 cheaper during the Prime sale. ** Because you will want to spend money on a few other items, which could potentially be that extra $200 **

1) The machine itself is extremely easy to use. There are videos on YouTube that are less than 10 minutes that will tell you how to unbox, set-up, and pull your first cup of espresso.

1a) Turn your machine on and start getting everything ready and let it warm up for about 10 minutes. Use the top of the machine to warm your cup before you pull your espresso.

2) I purchased beans at Whole Foods. I only buy 1/2 bag at a time...which lasts me a week or two (I don't make an espresso every day)... I suggest getting "fresh" whole beans. It makes a difference. Definitely purchase an air-tight container for these. Target, Amazon... get something that fits your visual vibe. But get one.

2. In terms of measuring beans and all that... I did it the first few times. I purchased a digital scale at Target. But to be honest, if your grind amount is set correctly, you're gonna be okay without one. I add a couple of scoops of beans (with the Breville measuring cup that is added) and grind those.

3. The tamper that's included is good... but I'd also recommend the "MATOW 53mm Coffee Distributor & Tamper, Dual Head Coffee Leveler" - I actually use both. The amount of coffee grounds in the filter cup is extremely important. When using the tamper, the silver part of the tamper should just be seen above the rim of the filter cup. DO NOT OVERFILL! Use the leveling tool to get the right amount and them tamp!

4. This machine is EXTREMELY easy to clean. I'm all about iced lattes. So as I'm waiting for my espresso to cool down a bit I empty the grounds, pull the bottom try (which will fill with water each time after use) and empty/wipe it down.

I wouldn't say I visit coffee shops very often... but once you start making your own espresso you'll become super judgmental of how others prepare your coffee. Once you get the hang of it... you'll be pleasantly surprised with your newly developed skillset.

It's worth it. Take the plunge!

Love this expresso maker so much my sister now has one and we got this one for my parents for Christmas as well. It makes a great espresso, easy to use with everything you need. The quality is superior to other brands we’ve tried. The milk frother is excellent and the cleaning cycles are great as well. Change the filters and also use filtered water to preserve the life of your machine. Have had no problems with mine that I’ve had now for 6 years, so I’m hoping it lasts a long time!

I have been making espresso on home machines for 25 years and can pull a good shot from even a cheap machine. Prior to buying this beauty I was using the breville barista pro. It is a very nice machine and I have enjoyed it for many years. I am getting old and my dexterity is not so great now. I started having difficulty steaming milk without burning myself. I watched some reviews on this machine and thought it was worth a try. As with all machines it took some time tweaking the grind size and amount. Those settings are then stored for all the programmed drink selections. The pre-programmed drink selections are actually all the same setting for brew time but different froth settings. The touch screen allows you to tweak each drink to your taste. When you have designed your perfect drink you can label and save it. After that it an easy and consistently good experience. The frothing wand is a pleasure to use. Having that hands-free minute allows for a quick clean up. The foam levels are each slightly different but all are pretty smooth micro foam. I sometimes like some dryer foam on top but haven't been able to achieve that. For me, that is minor. This is a beautiful machine and worth the upgrade.

I was skeptical at first because of the negative reviews. Not sure what people are talking about. I'm a month in and love this machine. First off, spending a little more for a machine you can select your drinks, the machine gives a general baseline on the drink you select, and you can program other drinks. Second, great frothing add-on. Built-in temperature gauge takes the experimenting out of the equation. Third, the tools included are good. The razor is nice to ensure you are getting a good distribution of grounds after grinding. The portafilter is nice. The tamper is okay. I feel it is just a hair to small for the portafilter and no matter how well I leveled the puck there were still grounds that went past my tamper. I bought a different tamper and no more issues getting perfect puck each time. I love the storage up top (need the silicone cover for the top) and the underneath storage bin. The automatic purge and cleaning for the frother is awesome.
As far as upkeep and maintenance. I did a descale right when I bought the machine. I read using filtered water is the best for longevity for the machine. With using filtered water I will do descaling every 2/3 months. Other than that, the dailing is all subjective to the beans you have, the machine, and the tools as well. If you have all the tools and can dial in on the beans you will get a great tasting expresso drink. I definitely recommend getting this machine and if you are skeptical about warranty and Breville customer service buy amazons protection plan. I used it on another product and easy straight forward plan that protects your investment.

I love this thing so much. The coffee is great, but there’s so many hidden features like the hidden toolbox that make you thing “wow time was spent designing this thing”. Haven’t bought a coffee since I got this & im always researching to see how I can take my espresso to the next level.

Very easy to tune the grind size, amount of grind, and brew time to pull the ideal espresso shot. I saved the setting so my wife, can use the touchscreen to easily pull a shot. Was debating to buy an espresso ‘machine’ that is potentially more rugged but harder to use and with a steeper learning curve or this appliance. Since my wife will also be using it and she doesn’t have as much interest or patience to learn the nuances to pull a perfect shot, and she just wants her coffee, this was a good fit for us. And I on the other hand can keep fine tuning the shot and save the setting for her.

Other things we love:
- Automatic milk frothing. Nice to set the milk pitcher down, hit a button and come back to frothed milk especially in the busy mornings
- Auto clean of the milk frother by shooting extra steam/water after milk is frothed . Our old machine, we had to disable to clean the nozzle internals
- Comes with everything you need. Tamper, pitcher, descaling supply, and also an adapter you can put on top of the portafilter so dispensed beans don’t overflow.

Suggestions:
- We put a screen protector on the touch screen. With previous machines that we’ve used over time the face of the machines will be ‘polished’ and lettering will come off, likely from daily wiping and especially with fine coffee grounds floating around. I imagine the screen will eventually get scratched from daily wiping.
- The water tank has been running low quicker than we anticipated. We put a low friction mat underneath so we can easily slide the machine out to refill the water. Otherwise it’s a hefty machine to pull out from underneath your kitchen cabinet.

I had previously tried a Philips superautomatic (doesn't matter which, they'll all be about the same in terms of the nature of their limitations), and was pretty disappointed by the lack of espresso that, well, tasted like espresso. I got rid of it and used a $200 unit that was pre-ground coffee only (and it did a far better job than the $850 Philips in terms of sheer espresso quality), but it still left something to be desired. I wanted fresh-ground but with convenience.

This thing was sitting around in my Saved For Later space for a long time, and I decided to snag it when the price dropped significantly due to the recent sales. Very glad I pulled the trigger, blew away my expectations.

It walked me through not only how to set up the machine, but how to make a GOOD espresso with it (dialing in settings, advising how long it should take for the espresso to begin flowing as an indication of grinds being too course or too fine), and this all culminated in a cappuccino I made at home that for the first time took me straight back to Italy, where no prior machine I'd ever tried could. If you want to make good quality espresso drinks at home, this is the style of machine to get, and I recommend this model in particular for its beautiful ease of use and its excellent, refined engineering, from the hardware to the user interface and on-screen interactive guides.

Do not be afraid to learn how to make a real espresso! This machine will teach you start to finish, in a manner of minutes, and you'll be proud of your results. In the end, using this semi-automatic actually requires less of my time for maintenance (cleaning the milk carafe in particular on my old machines was a nightmare, no such problem here), instead utilizing my time to directly impact just how good my espresso will turn out.

As a side note, people seem to insist on trying to get their tamper perfect with just the exactly "right" amount of pressure and the exact "right" dose of coffee into the portafilter, often by buying extra contraptions to make it foolproof, but none of this is necessary (and the machine subtly indicates this while guiding you through your first espresso). The most important thing is that you develop a habit of preparing the portafilter in a SIMILAR way, every time, so that the settings you leave on the machine will produce consistent results (in other words, let the machine do the heavy lifting, you just make sure you provide it with some amount of consistency on your end).

If you want real espresso and want to put your few minutes into making it good rather than into cleaning up after a sub-par "super"-automated facsimile, buy this machine, and not the alluring but ultimately entirely inferior superautomatic.

It works really good warms up fast and we like the customizability you would think for the price it would come with a knock box but I guess at least it seems like a really, really good quality. We like the stainless steel look and it seems pretty well-made. It isn’t too loud when it’s brewing or grinding and it’s great for the different coffee that my wife and I like to drink

I love it so far. My coffee maker arrived yesterday and I've made my first successful cup of coffee. There is a learning curve, it's not as fully automated as the Jura I've been Jonesing for, but at -half the cost I am happy. It makes a mean cup of coffee and I know it will be even better when I learn the ins and outs.

The instructions are not quite accurate or complete. Using coffee ground within the recommended timeframe I used the single-wall filter and could not get a good extraction. It was too quick to start, 6 or 7 seconds, and changing the grind didn’t change that either way. Breville finally told me to use the dual-wall filter (after a lengthy phone/video call) and that improved things measurably. The rep told me that was their most common issue, and that some coffees require the higher pressure the dual-wall filter provides—even if they’re fresh. So before you call the customer support line and jump through all the hoops (do you really want to flip the machine over to read the serial number?) just try the dual-wall filter.

Despite that frustration, I really like this machine. Pretty simple to use, makes a great latte even with a less-than-optimal extraction. Fits under my kitchen cabinets, though it has to be pulled out in front to refill the hopper or tank, but it’s fairly compact. Order a knock-box right away; you’ll need it. I like the Breville mini knock box. An old video on YouTube recommends an aftermarket dosing funnel but my machine came with one included. Noise level isn’t too bad; louder than a KitchenAid grinder but not as bad as others. Cleanup isn’t too bad, either.

Me and My husband has been wanting one of these forever and finally decided on this one. There's not a day that goes by that he doen't use it and comment on what a fabulous little machine it is. He comments on how well made it is, and how easy it is to use, but says it's very important to read the instruction manual before using. Oh, and of course it makes a fabulous latte! See ya Starbucks!

This machine is incredible and paid for itself in 3 months in a house hold of three adults. It even tells you when to clean the machine and walks you through the process. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Keurig pods were just not doing it for us anymore. This thing is life changing. It is very easy to use and makes as good a cup of coffee as any coffee shop. Get some Koffee Kult coffee or a good Cuban dark roast and you will be set! Really as good or better than what is served on the Disney Cruise line in the concierge lounge. It is also easy to clean and maintain. The touch screen makes this complex machine easy to use. Great job Breville!

I received my Breville Touch Thursday. I really believed I would return this. I didn’t think I would ever be able to use it and felt I would just be returning daily to the local coffee shop and continue spending $10 a day there. Well, I did run to the local barista for fresh beans and watched a few videos on YouTube about using the machine. It took a couple tries figuring it out and I poured several shots down the drain but now- now I’m in Latte heaven!! Today is Monday and after coming down off my 3 day caffeine high, there’s no way I can go one day without it. I’m keeping it lol. They can’t have it back. So, if your on the edge about purchasing this-do it. I knew absolutely nothing about making espresso drinks. Now I’m making mochas every bit at good as my home town coffee shop. And way better than any Starbucks

This machine is awesome when you get it dialed in to make lattes and other specialty espresso drinks. Getting consistency from the machine is a challenge, especially with americanos. One thing you need to know is that you will make a lots of noise while using this machine. Nothing about it is quiet; not even turning it on. The one compliant I have is the grinder will get “dry” if you don’t give the top of the hopper a few pats. I do it every time so I don’t miss any beans during grind time.

I do really like what it produces. I make a latte with a double shot. Grind set at 17 (btw adjustable digital grind is awesome) for 15 seconds. A 30 second brew and I use almond milk at 150 degrees with a froth rating of 3.

Everyone I make a latte has commented that it is the best they have ever had. All that being said if you spend too much money at Starbucks grab one of these. I think even in the long run it will be cheaper than keurig pods we were running.

Edit: This is also very messy and make sure you clean it often. Water fills the base and it gets pretty gross in there but a quick scrub with soap helps it not smell. Expect lots of drips and splatters to clean up as well.

Shipped to me the next day awesome delivery.
My old automatic machine gave me nice shots with crema, but after two year it sprung a leak, I really liked the idea of a more manual quality espresso, I have the extra time now that I work primarily from home.

I read all the reviews, watched the YouTubes and thought ok I can adjust from my automatic espresso maker. The top review here was excellent.

I understand that different coffee beans require different grinds, however, the machine will not reach any pressure when making the espresso. No where in the manual does it indicate HOW the gauge works, so here it is, the gauge only works when you press the button, so before you press the button the gauge will tell you if you will have good espresso or not, you have to wait to see what happens, did you get pressure?
If not then adjust the grind, or the amount of coffee or the espresso cup you are using. Ok so now think of this: There are about 20 grind settings, another 20 amount settings, 4 different espresso cups to use, and then the amount of hand pressure you use to tap in the grounds, it should be 30 pounds of pressure with your hand? Do you know how much 30 lbs. of pressure is?. So that is like over 300 different combinations of settings to see even if the gauge will show you anything. One YouTuber had a way to test the gauge and unfortunately following his instructions mine only moved slightly, so in the YouTubers experience I have a dud machine. But wait, a call to support and there is an 1.75 hour wait so they said they would call me back 2 hours later they did. A guy from India set up a video call with me to walk me through it. He laughed at me when I asked for some reference for the hand pressure, "I dont know what to tell you its 30 lbs of pressure" Dude I dont have a gauge on my hand, give me some reference, any way I think if you press it tightly so the rim is even all the way around you will be ok, when you tilt the handle no coffee should move. Anyway the rep was very condescending and must of been doing something else cuz several times I had to show him again, I had to say to him look I'm not going to do this if your not going to watch, after that there was no more do overs. The rep showed me that the pressure gauge did work by utilizing a rubber cup inside the handle (apparently the YouTuber did not know about this) and BAM there was the pressure. So here is what the rep said, don't use store bought coffee beans like Starbucks, for the best flavor and best use out of the machine use local roasted coffee that was roasted recently days not months like Starbuck. Starbucks coffee is too old by the time you get it, vacuum packed or not. Breville ships a special cup to use for old coffee. Once I changed to that the pressure was there and the crema was there pressure and it tasted better. So I am going to the local coffee roaster and see what I can accomplish.

I've been using it for a few weeks now and really enjoy it. It is super intuitive to use, and since I'm far from being a coffee buff, the touch screen display is really helpful. Even a novice like me could figure it out without much difficulty.
Initial setup and calibration took a little while and I'm still tweaking the grind size and quantity. I'm getting better at getting the right pressure on the tamp too. That took a while to figure out.
I've only used Americano and Latte so far but both have turned out great.
The auto milk foaming wand is really nice. I found that having it foam for about 5-10 seconds longer than default allows me to more easily make the art on top of the drink. The wand self cleans which is amazing.
The machine is solidly built and looks really nice on the counter. It is a little taller than I thought, with the bean hopper on top, so I have to slide it out from under my cupboards in order to fill the beans or fill the water behind.
It's making very consistent and delicious coffee, and I'm very satisfied with it. With the high price point though, it'll be interesting to see how long it lasts and whether it ends up saving me any money from buying coffee instead. Time will tell.
The spacing of everything is precise, down to the centimeter almost. The hot water sprayer and the portafiller are both super close to missing my mug, but somehow don't.
I haven't cleaned it yet, as we're using Sparkletts water and the filter it came with, so very soft water and not much buildup. We'll see how the cleaning process goes but if I follow the instructions on the screen, I'm sure it'll be easy.
Making the coffee is a little messy so it's good to have a damp cloth handy.
I think Breville is a well respected brand and this one does not disappoint.

I love this machine!
I have purchased several automatic espresso machines in the past 2 years and they have nothing on this machine. This machine is easy and simple to use, very customizable, easy to clean. I can’t seem to develop the skill of steaming milk myself, but this machine does it automatically and it’s perfect every time (please note that I only use dairy creamers and milks, so I have no experience with plant based products).
Sidebar advice: the fully automatic espresso machines out there that grind, pack the puck, pour the espresso, and put the puck into a waste basket are in my opinion terrible. I’d recommend not wasting your time and money on them because all the ones I had a plethora of problems like: watery espresso, random errors that prevents you from making any coffee, cheap parts that easily broke, and the waste basket ended up moldy even when cleaned on a daily basis.
In summary, I am very happy with my Breville and won’t ever go back to any of those fully automatic machines that just do not work well. Having to pack the puck, attach to the machine, and dumping and rinsing it is a small price to pay for superior coffee and actually takes less time to do than maintaining any of the fully automatic ones that are supposed to improve “efficiency” and don’t.

I was spending money on coffee everyday and that needed to stop .
I wanted something that I could froth the milk myself since I like white chocolate mocha and the powder mixes in the best with the steam wand.
It was also very important to me that I could set the temperature as I like my coffee really hot.
I wanted something that made customizable coffee but also looked good on my counter. This is it! I now make coffee every morning, it’s delicious, I absolutely will save money in the long run and I don’t have to leave my dogs to go to the coffee shop. IF YOU HAVE THIS IN YOUR CART BUY IT, you won’t regret it.
Pro Tip: DON’T buy cheap coffee with your nice new machine. I love Stumptown coffee from Portland so I got that and it’s delicious. Get nice coffee ! Enjoy

Before purchasing this espresso maker I would drink coffee at Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and other smaller coffee restaurants. Now that I realize how good espresso can taste I only drink it at home. This thing is amazing, you will not take this out of the box and make a fantastic cup of espresso on your first try. But after taking the time to get it dialed in correctly however this makes a fantastic cup of coffee or double shot of espresso. I liked this so much I bought another one for my second home. Just a few tips to help new users, the goal is to get two times as much liquid as the amount of grounds you put in.
So 18 g of ground beans should give you 36 g of espresso. That is called the yield, the 36 g of espresso should be delivered between 20 and 30 seconds. All of my instructions are for creating a double shot espresso. The very first thing to do is reset the amount of time the machine will output liquid when you press the double shot button. You will need a stopwatch for this procedure. The clock app on your phone should work fine. Press the round button on the right hand side of the gauge and you will hear one beep, press the far right double shot button and it will start outputting water, once your clock/stopwatch app shows you that it has been running for 28 seconds press the double shot button again. You will hear two beeps. This tells you that it has been set successfully. Now you know that you will get the proper time for your espresso you next need to work on the proper amount of liquid in that time. The amount of liquid that ends up in your cup will be affected by the grind size you choose and how tightly you compact the ground beans in the porta filter. I would suggest starting out with a grind size on the outside left edge of 4. I would suggest grinding until you get 18 g of ground coffee ain the porta filter. I purchased a digital kitchen scale to help with this. Remember if you are getting too much liquid in your cup your grind size is too big if you are getting not enough liquid in your cup your grind size is too small. Those are not 100% rules because how hard you press the grinds in the porta filter will also affect how much liquid is able to travel through them. Make sure that no matter what size you are grinding your beans to. You always compact them with the same amount of force. I usually use my thumb and index finger to press the tamper. I know this has been a long winded review and I still have not covered everything. In closing, do yourself a favor and purchase a dosing funnel, not a dosing cup a funnel. That will help you keep the mess from ending up all over your counter. Put the tamper on top of your grinds and slightly press it down, then remove the dosing funnel and finish compacting your grind. You will notice that you have almost no mass. One last tip, if you have tried everything and you still cannot get the proper amount of espresso in your cup change your beans. I have been frustrated When using old or poorly roasted beans. I have changed the grind size, changed how hard I was compacting the grounds, changed the filter and become very frustrated. All I needed to do was buy some good beans and everything was perfect again. Trust me, if everything you try does not work get new beans.

This machine is pretty amazing. Takes a little more effort than our old Nespresso machine but way better quality coffee. The touch screen really makes it easy. I was afraid the tamping, etc would be too much work for my wife to do before heading to work but she loves it as well. Highly recommend.

This machine is perfect for people who are real coffee aficionados or have barista experience! Makes an amazing cup of coffee that is tailored exactly to your preferences due to its customizable features. Even without a lot of experience with coffee, you can still use it by doing some research online about the basics of coffee grinding and brewing, and then experimenting to find the right settings for you.  

BEWARE: This machine is semi-automatic! It is easier to use than a manual machine. With that being said, there are still several manual stages that you have to know what you are doing.

PROs: 
- Eliminates going to the coffee shop as it provides the same, or even better, level of quality.
- Color touch screen with saved configurations makes it super easy to use.
- Makes different types of real coffee and allows you to save customized configurations. 
- Comes with self cleaning for the brewer, milk frothing and water descaling.Life saver! 
- You will be notified when the tray is filled up or water level in the tank is low.

CONs: 
- Expensive if you are not planning to use it that often. 
- Hard to get technical support and customer service is not that responsive. 
- The water could be hotter. Preheating your mug in advance might be a solution to this.
- The self cleaning of milk frothing is not well designed which makes a mess everytime.
- No way to update the firmware yourself.

Its a great machine overall. It has allowed my wife and me to save money by not having to go to Starbucks and other coffee shops!

I hardly write reviews but I HAD to make time to do this one. When I tell y’all this machine is amazing, I absolutely mean it. I’ve had it for almost a month and have used it every single day and couldn’t be happier.It’s extremely sophisticated and elegant in appearance, yet extraordinarily EASY to use. The instructions are very clear and simple. The fresh ground beans with each brew is probably my favorite thing, makes the kitchen smell like (the good parts) of a coffee shop. The froth wand is simple to clean and even effortless to use. I would highly recommend that if you are on the fence about this one, it’s worth it and you won’t be disappointed.

an awesome espresso machine for first time home baristas. overall this machine is great but has just a couple of shortcomings which are easily mitigated. first off it has a premium feel to it. no flimsy plastic or cheap construction, it feels solidly built. i got the stainless version and it fits in perfectly with the rest of my stainless kitchen.
As for the device itself. pros: large capacity water reservoir. plenty of grind settings (ill go over my setup after listing the pros/cons) conical burr grinder (fully auto with selecting the dosing amount or manual ability) single and double wall portafilters (for both 1 and 2 shot sizes double wall for pre ground espresso-yuck) 15 bar pump, and a pressure gauge for letting you see where you are when it comes to seeing how you did on puck prep. it has the ability for programming the shot duration so you can get the perfect 1:2 ratio (18g espresso into 36g of finished product in ~25 seconds - this is what you are aiming for when dialing in your settings...)
Now for the cons which are few: its not a double boiler system so you cant steam milk while you are pulling a shot. its not the thermojet heater which has a 3 second heat up time (seriously no biggie) the steaming power is not that strong- while it steams milk just fine its not super fast like if you go to a cafe and they steam it for all of 3 seconds and its done. it will take about 60-70 seconds to get it to microfoam and be at the right temp. (for this reason i steam milk immediately prior to pulling the shot so the espresso isnt sitting there waiting for the milk and cooling off). the manual tamper that comes with the unit is pathetic. they tell you how to use it but there i've found there is a steep learning curve with it as you have to have the right amount of grounds, right tamping pressure applied, AND you absolutely must have a level tamp otherwise you will get channeling and will pull an uneven and ultimately sour shot. i think i did 4 correct shots out of 15 made that were enjoyable. they were all "drinkable" but using the provided tamper only 4 of them tasted good and i would consider serving them to other people. as i said these problems are mitigated. the milk frothing taking longer than could be. boohoo deal with it honestly its really NO BIG DEAL... take your time do it right and get that pro barista microfoam and do some latte art if you want (i tried to do the art, im not artist and suck at it so i gave up lol i find it stupid and would rather put my effort into making a great tasting drink which is about to go into my stomach and not an art museum). as for being a single boiler system and not being able to pull a shot and steam milk at the same time no big deal as i said before i do the milk prior to making the espresso and thats it if you are making multiple drinks then it will just take a little bit longer which again is no big deal. if you drink straight espresso or americanos or any non milk drink this is a moot point. the puck prep is made easier by #1 weighing out 18-19g of espresso putting that into the hopper (dont fill the hopper all the way up because you expose the beans to air and oxidize them you want to store them in as much of a vaccuum as you possibly can.) #2 using 3rd party accessories prepare the puck- (CREMA BRAND dosing funnel and CREMA distribution/palm tamper tool [which you have to calibrate once]) you evenly distribute the grounds to a flat/level surface (with the distributer side) and then tamp it with the tamping side (using your palm to push down on it) once calibrated you get a perfect puck and a consistent shot every single time. you can find youtube videos on how to calibrate the distibution/tamping tool these devices make espresso idiot proof right off the bat.

my setup:
Illy classico whole bean...
grind setting #5
19g beans -> 19g ground -> 36g liquid in 26 seconds. (using single walled 2 shot PF)
steamed half and half
Crema dosing funnel
Crema distribution tool (distributor set all the way at the base, tamper calibrated as per youtube videos)

overall this is a great machine that is easy to use once it is all dialed in (which has to be done with any espresso maker btw) and it pulls consistent great tasting shots each time. as for taste start at the baseline and customize from there which is totally doable with this unit. obviouslyt you can try different beans but you will need to dial it in again because beans have different strengths etc stuff not having to do with the machine. get it, i like it, and it gets rave reviews.

Dislikes:
- EDIT: 2022/03/01: Recently noticed a nasty smell coming from the steam wand arm after removing the steam wand tip. Turns out, if you don't remove the steam wand tip after each use, some milk remains between the connection point of the tip and the inside of the arm, which grows nasty stuff. I now remove and clean the steam wand tip and flush the wand after each use... :(
- Water tank grows things. I anticipated this, and am sure the manual must recommend frequent cleanings, but if you're waiting for the fancy digital touchscreen to remind you, you'll be sorely mistaken. I might have to throw out water more frequently and scrub it down (weekly?), but that's way too high maintenance for a parent with a toddler.
- The waste water/grounds container is made of plastic and shows wear and tear very fast (weeks) on a $1000 machine. Unfortunately, this is a high touch area as one is always sliding the milk frothing cup and mugs in and out.
- The auto-clean feature on the steam milk wand is annoying. Auto-cleaning by pouring milk and water to the water catch bin is a recipe for some nasty smelling stuff, unless you're constantly cleaning it. Or, you use something to catch the rinse water and pour it out. I'd rather just manually clean it myself, but I can't find a way to disable this feature.

Likes:
- Espresso and lattes are yummy.

Ok, I am going to try to split this into two sections- the short review and an extended review.

The short review: It is AMAZING and well worth the expense. Buy good beans and you are good to go.

The longer review:
First of all, this machine is expensive so I would look for any sort of sale. For us, it was worth it.
The expense: At time of purchase this was going for roughly $799, but in terms of value it was worth it for us. Looking at our Starbucks bill, we spent well over that in just a few months because we would go there each morning and sometimes on the way home from work. We haven’t visited Starbucks at all since we bought this machine so it has more than paid for itself, and that is including the purchase of good beans.
Starbucks was always a hit and miss depending on who was making our coffee each morning, but the Barista Touch has been a hit because once you create your settings it is always the same AND you can make micro adjustments until you get it just right (see “Features” below).
The quality: It is very well made and the touch screen makes this a breeze to use- sooooooo easy. It has a drip tray that is very easy to empty and clean. The froth wand is easy to use and makes perfect frothed milk without any hassle at all. The tamper, it was good but not great so we opted for a spring loaded tamper and purchased a grind distributor which made using this even easier. If you have never tamped coffee, it can be tricky but using a spring tamper just made it so much easier however the tamper included is perfectly fine. We purchased the Sccody 53mm Calibrated Espresso Tamper which makes espresso tamping a breeze without any guesswork needed. The Barista Touch does come with a "blade" distributor, but I opted to buy a better one which has made for perfect coffee. We bought the Gurudar 53mm Coffee Distributor which is also a palm tamper but we just use it for the distribution of the grind instead of using the included Breville blade- again the included blade is good butr we wanted something a bit easier to use. Both the Sccody and the Gurudar are perfect additions and take all the guess work out of learning to make espresso, but there are many other options and even using what is included with the Touch you will be good to go with a small learning curve.
The features: First, the touch screen- the Barista Touch comes with a screen that makes it so easy to create your coffee of choice. It has preprogrammed options (which are adjustable) and it allows you to custom build your coffee of choice and assign it an icon. In fact, everything is icon based and it even has a tutorial built in. For instance, if you want to make a latte, press the latte icon and a screen pops up with the easy to follow steps. You can make many different types of coffee including Americanos, Cappuccinos, and even simple espresso shots. You can even custom design your coffee, then assign it an icon, then every time you want that coffee you just hit the icon and follow the steps. Blamo- great coffee every time.
Second great feature-the grinder. It has a built-in grinder which makes all the difference. The grinder is adjustable so you can change the grind size to fit your needs and to customize your coffee (fine or coarse grind).
Next good feature- the water tank. It holds a good amount of water and is located at the back of the machine. You just have to watch the level but it will give you a “water tank is empty” message on the screen when you need to refill it.
The downside: The only real thing we found to be a problem is the grinder and changing beans. We decided to try a different brand of coffee to see if we liked it but the hopper was full. Removing the beans from the hopper was a bit tricky and I know there is probably some short cut, but we managed and honestly it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Comparisons: Our first espresso machine, the De’Longhi 15 bar espresso maker, was a good beginning machine but just isn’t as good as the Barista Touch. The De’Longhi didn’t have a grinder so we used pre ground coffee which was ok, just not super good and certainly not good enough to keep us from returning to our Starbucks habit. Our kid ended up taking it to college, so we upgraded to the touch. One thing that has made a world of difference, besides the included grinder, is the automatic milk frother on the Barista Touch. Super easy to use and is as simple as placing the milk pitcher, which is included, under the wand but it has to sit on a temp sensor to work accurately. We haven’t had a single problem with it to date. You can also use the frother in manual mode if you want, which is a great added feature but the automatic mode is good enough to make latte Art…that is if you know how to actually make latte art unlike me.
As for adjustability, you can adjust how much coffee is ground, how fine you want the grinds, and how long the machine grinds the coffee. You can adjust the temp of the milk froth, you can go from automatic to manual mode to froth the milk so there are several options to adjust and fine tune to your exact specification.
Overall, we love the Barista Touch- it makes amazing coffee. Of course, the beans have a great deal to do with it but still this machine rocks.

UPDATE: Ok, I did find one tiny aspect of this most excellent machine that Breville could fix, aside from the price, and that is the frothing wand. Once you finish frothing the milk you have to clean the wand. It does a self clean, but when it self cleans the wand does not line up directly with the hole in the drain pan. ours is off a slight bit. The drain pan hole should be just a bit larger and that would fix everything. We found that after cleaning the wand we put the damp paper towel or rag near the base of the wand on the drain pan to avoid splashes. not a big deal but thought you should know.

UPDATE: I have been using a trick when frothing the milk- when it finishes frothing the milk and wants to do the automatic wand purge to clean the frothing wand, I put the wand back in the empty milk pitcher and the water/steam purge empties into the pitcher instead of the drip tray. Makes cleaning so much easier and I don’t have to empty the drip tray as often.
By the way- it is Dec 2024 and we have used it every day since we purchased it without a single issue, so this is a very good machine!

The first espresso machines I've tried were all Brevilles: 2 Barista Express' and a Barista Pro. I did return all of them before the 30 day return period to Amazon. I thought they were not working properly. After a few weeks, I purchased a Lelit Victoria. Big mistake. It does not froth milk "properly" or because I don't know how? So, I put it away for almost a year and I switched back to my dependable drip coffee machine the Technivorn Moccamaster. However, I keep up with what are the latest espresso machines on the market and their reviews, including the "poor" Breviiles. The Breville reviews are mostly positive. I thought I'll give a Breville machine one more try. I was leaning toward buying a Barista Express again or the dual tank Breville. Honestly, I don't think I did Breville justice in any of my evaluations. This time I chose the Barista Touch, instead, due to its automatic and manual milk frothing, whichever you choose. I'm sorry, Breville, I was wrong about your machines. All I can say now is Wow. This machine will be hard to beat on performance and price point! This may be the last espresso machine I'll be using until it goes haywire. Milk frothing is outstanding. BTW, most reviewers on the Brevilles that use a 54mm portafilter failed to explain the differences between the "pro" 58mm and the "non-pro" 54mm portafilter. The 54mm Breville portafilter can handle up to 21mg of grounds without touching the grouphead screen. The 54mm and the 58mm have the same total coffee ground capacities. End of the story on that. The tamper is excellent as it is. Get a grind distribution tool called WDT, instead. You don't need a fancy one tamper. I tested the built-in grinder and did the optimum ground for my brew and It works great, but it's hard to do a single dosing. Since I already have a Eureka Specialita grinder, this is what I prefer to use for single dosing. More repeatable grinds and less waste of fresh grounds. Lastly, the Barista Touch has a regulated grouphead pressure within the "accepted" best pressure of 9-9.5 Bars. I would highly recommend this machine or the the Barista Pro with manual knobs to save yourself a few hundred bucks.

I was originally looking at a model with more manual options, but for a couple of hundred dollars more and touch capability, I couldn't pass this unit up. Setup is a breeze, and cleaning the unit is as expected and not bad at all. The machine is pretty self intuitive and, overall, the results are excellent. This machine makes great coffee drinks that are tailored to your liking. The frother workers well, and I love the fact that it cleans/ rinses itself after each use. Keep in mind that it will take a few uses to dial-in the machine to your specifications. The most important thing to watch is the grind level. The Breville manual recommended a starting grind at number 12. That was way too fine and did not allow sufficient flow from the portafilter. It was not flowing at all. I have experience with these machines, and I was not over tamping the grinds prior to brewing. I adjusted the grind to number 20, and the coffee flows like a dream with excellent crema on the surface and still very robust flavor. Any finer, and the espresso or cappuccino was way too bitter and did not flow at all. It trickled and sputtered out of the portafilter flow vessels. I use the best coffee beans from boutique coffee roasters around the world -- most on the darker side. If you just pay attention to the grind level, you will eliminate any unnecessary frustration right off the bat and the machine will work perfectly for you. To reiterate, adjust the grind level to number 20 to start. You can always go lower, but I doubt you will need to. To conclude, I'm very happy with the purchase and recommend the Breville Barista Touch to anyone looking for a sub one thousand dollar machine.

I have to preface this review by pointing out that I'm not a coffee guru. Not an expert barista. Not schooled in the art of espressos. So with that in mind, take this as pure opinion from a frugal consumer who loves coffee house coffees, cappuccinos and lattes, but hates coffee house prices.

I bought this machine because over the years I've purchased coffee makers, moka pots, etc., trying to up my coffee game but never quite getting the same result as those coffee house drinks. The closest I've come so far is the moka pot, but it's still not quite there yet. Granted, those coffee houses have espresso machines that cost thousands of dollars. Hey! I like coffee as much as anyone, but not THAT much. I refuse to pay that amount, even if I have the means. It's not how much you make. It's how much you keep. Right? Anyway, I chose the Breville Barista Express because 1) I love their products and they've been reliable for me over the years. And 2) this model has enough power and features at a reasonable price for someone who is no expert. I bought this model for $599.99 + tax on a Black Friday sale (not a huge one, but still) because it's the only amount I could stomach to pay for a machine like this. Plus it was my Christmas gift to me. I have to say that it's been totally worth it! I suspect even those who are anal about their coffee would love this machine as well.

My first cappuccino on this thing was not great. In fact, it was horrid! It may have had something to do with the fact that I dislike reading instructions and barely made it through the quick startup guide. When will I ever learn? But I have the patience of a five year old on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to get to it. So, after that first disappointing cup I watched a few videos on YouTube. Fine. More than a few. And I finally thumbed through the manual. The videos were more helpful when it came to creating the best cup. All the tips were valuable. And gradually I saw improvement until I got to what seemed like a good cappuccino. So far so good. But still not quite there yet. So I followed another tip and got better coffee beans. Oh dear! Now comes more tweaking. Because when you change to another bean the entire process starts over. Until finally, the cup I wanted and craved. Wow! What a difference.

I'm improving with each cup and small tweak. The grind, the amount, the tamp pressure, the amount of milk (or almond milk or oat milk), the amount of sugar, cinnamon or no cinnamon, etc. I had no idea how much actually went into a good cup of coffee. But I'm appreciating it more and more. And I'm getting spoiled. So much so that my other coffee machines (standard, Keurig, moka pot) are all taking a back seat and getting less use. Like none, lately. The other thing I appreciate more is the local barista in those coffee houses. I may not frequent them as much in the future. But I don't think I'll ever complain about the price again. I will gladly tip the barista. And I will simply enjoy the fruits of their labor.

KEY POINTS: The learning curve is real. Have patience. The end result is worth the effort and the cost of this machine. The absolute best tip I can give you is to wait the full 15-20 minutes it takes for all the elements of your machine to heat up before making your cup. It makes a huge difference if the coffee beans and portafilter are warm, but especially the water. Duh! The other tips are to read the manual and watch video tips from Breville and legit baristas. It all helps. Education is always good.

This espresso machine is a great buy for both the novice and the more experienced barista. It will pay for itself in the long run.

Now I'll go make myself a cappuccino. Happy 2022! #PeaceOnEarth #ItsTheLittleThings #Enjoy

I LOVE my Barista Touch. I am an espresso newbie. I am learning pretty fast. You might think that since this is a touch everything will be super easy to make a good espresso. THINK AGAIN. There is still a learning curve, especially in dialing in your beans. I have practiced on fresh beans and ground espresso. I am no expert by any means.

Personally, I feel a little scale is necessary to do the 1:2 ratio. For example, for a double shot I do 18 g in - 36 g out. For a single shot I do 14 g in - 28 g out. Currently, I am practicing on ground Bustelo espresso. I still have not found a fresh bean that I like.

It takes some time to play with all the settings. You probably will waste at least 2 bags of coffee. But once you do—-my goodness! What a delicious cup of espresso.

My all time favorite feature of the Barista Touch is the milk steamer. Specifically, the temperature sensor. Bye bye burnt milk!!

My only complaint about the machine is when the steam wand automatically purges, milk gets everywhere. It is a quick fix, but still would have preferred not such a splotchy purge.

This machine has been amazing, I am thrilled with the purchase. We've made 2-4 drinks per day between my wife and myself every day for the week we've had this, and it has been perfect. The first latte was a bit thin, so we adjusted the grind size finer, and from our 3rd drink onwards it's been ideal.

I have not had the temperature issues other reviewers have had - this heats up in seconds and makes an amazing cup.

This is an excellent espresso machine. I had the ninja coffee maker that would make single cups and a whole pot with grinds but my husband and I would crave espresso and real lattes from time to time. my dad has this outrageously expensive Italian espresso machine and I would argue this makes espresso just as good... and more easily. The automatic milk cleaner is so freaking cool too... I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned my hand on my dads espresso machine cleaning out the frother Lol if I had to change anything about this coffee machine, I wish it was a tad taller. 90% of my coffee cups don’t fit under the espresso drip so I always have to use my smaller cups or dirty 2 cups. The right cup in the photo is the only one that fits.

My old coffee maker stopped working so my wife surprised me with the Breville Barista. Let me mention I am an avid coffee drinker and was a daily Starbucks drinker as well. I have to say since I have had it , I have not had takeout coffee. The coffee is the best coffee I have ever had. Even black there is no need for sugar or cream. But it looking for a treat the froth is a great topping. It is so easy to use. There are so many selections to choose from I take my coffee to go. Worth every penny

Breville Barista BES870 12/22/2020

First off I'm no expert espresso maker, 12 yrs ago had DeLonghi espresso machine and made pretty good espresso for the time, as good as many drive through stands.

Well because of different work hours I just didn't have the time to use machine so went to drip machine.

Well my Son in law bought me a DeLongh ECP 3220 and even though it used Pressurized baskets it was ok espresso and I was hooked again and wanted a better machine.

I was looking at the Solis Barista Perfetta and a Eureka Mignon Notte Espresso Grinder at $708.00 on sale, but also had been looking at Breville Barista BES870 which had a lot more support on YouTube and internet then the Solis.

Picked Breville Barista Express on sale for $599.00 on Amazon.

There is a learning curve on pulling the right shot for the right coffee, on non pressurized baskets, I've only had my machine for five days.

I have found some coffee like Starbucks Winter roast I can pull a better shot with the Pressurized basket then with non pressurized basket (still working on this), with non pressurized basket I've got it down to a light sour taste, but once mix with milk in latte it was good.

I've found it easier to dial in my LavAzza Dek Decaf coffee, next coffee will be a local roasted Sumatra coffee.

There so much you can do to dial in your coffee with this Machine, shot time, Temp and grind, sometime it can be overwhelming, my advice is to write down, coffee name and type, grind settings, how much coffee in and how much coffee out till you find the right Balance. Remember you could do everything right and still pull a bad shot, do it again everything the same and get a great shot, remember this is an entry level machine, I've read and watch video's that to to get a machine that is consistent shots one after another you will have to spend four time as much on a machine, but if you want to experiment and just starting out this can be a great machine, pretty flexible.

There are many YouTube channels like Hoon's coffee and Lifestyle lab and many others for great info on Barista Express.

My only complaint right now is Grinder retention, sometime I have 1g hung up in grinder and other times it's right on, all I can say is keep it clean.

I've not had machine long (5 days) and don't know the reliability on it, but there are so many video's on maintaining it, I would highly recommended Breville Barista Express 870. For me I'm retired and having lots of fun with it. :)

***************************** Addition to first review *****************************************

I've had my BBE for almost a year now and the more I use it the better I like it, I've watch many youtube channels about using and getting the most out of the BBE which has help.

I've gotten caught up in watching some of these channel that say if you get a Better more expensive espresso machine you will taste the holy Grail of espresso coffee and to some that might be but so, if you do milk base drinks like me you can make a not so good shoot and in a milk base drink most the time it will taste fine.

I've bought a separate stand alone espresso grinder Eureka Mignon Facile and to me the espresso using it does taste brighter and cleaner but using the built in grinder and using WDT tool with the right grind and weight and using in a milk base drink I feel there is little to no difference.

So overall I would rate the Breville Barista Express 5 Stars for people just starting out or you just don't want to spend $3000 - 7000 on a high end espresso machine, think of all the different kinds of coffee you can buy with the savings on the BBE.

These are just my thoughts about the BBE so far so good :)

One thing a lot of people are missing the most right now is their specialty coffeehouse lattes and cappuccinos. Having burned myself out on drip coffee out my boring old coffee makers our household decided it was time to take the plunge into an espresso machine.

We vacillated between many brands and options but ultimately we narrowed our choice down to machines by Breville because they provided the most versatility and ease of use. We specifically chose the Breville Barista Express due to it's smaller design

I'm going to preface this review by saying an espresso machine is one of those things that you have to do the math on to decide if it's a worthy purchase for your home, between my partner and I we typically each have two lattes a day. If we were going to Starbucks that would be $3.65 each drink...if you add that up it's $14.60 a day *muffled scream into pillow* and that's before the tempting pastries and breakfast items. Needless to say, we were prime candidates for cutting out the daily Starbucks trip and just making our own drinks.
The espresso machine is something we spent weeks discussing and researching and we finally made the decision to go with the Breville machine.

FEATURES
This unit features a grinder, multiple portafilter cups, and a milk steamer/frother wand built into the machine. The grinder has adjustments for grinding your beans to a beautiful fine powder that helps with the pressurization process needed to make espressos rich and full of crema. The grinder is a burr type that is easy to clean and easy to understand, you simply select a grind amount between fine and course and go.
The espresso functions are simple, you have two options single shot or double shot, there's a button for each corresponding type. The unit heats up quickly and provides piping hot water within 30 seconds, enough time for you to pour your milk of choice in the stainless steel milk frothing pitcher. From this point you simply turn a dial on the side of the unit to the steam function inserter your steam wand and try to stimulate the milk into a gentle whirlpool motion, this process takes less than 2 minutes depending on how hot your like to steam your milk. This milk frothing process becomes second nature after the first couple of tries. I'm happy to share that almond milk frothed beautifully. The texture and microfoam with almond milk were both perfect and delicious tasting, traditional whole milk or 2% milk works fine as well.

EASE OF USE
My partner previously worked as a barista and knew general techniques, I on the other hand had no idea how to use the machine out of the box, the included manual is both detailed and straight to the point...even if you're a complete novice you'll still be making lattes and other popular drinks in no time.
最令人生畏的部分是牛奶起泡过程，但它始终如一、可预测，一旦你尝试一两次就非常简单。

味道
这台机器制作的意式浓缩咖啡可与我在星巴克喝到的媲美，事实上，当我们制作第一杯饮料时，我们很高兴看到它比我们以前在星巴克喝到的口味更加浓郁和干净。一旦你制作了自己的拿铁，就很难再喝其他任何东西了。
我们在购买机器的同时还在亚马逊上购买了无糖糖浆，只需不到 40 美元，我们就能得到各种不同的糖浆，让这些咖啡饮料更上一层楼。

清洁
清洁很简单，底部滴水盘像抽屉一样伸出来，只需将多余的水倒出，然后用肥皂和水清洗即可。蒸汽棒可以用超细纤维布和从机器中流出的水清洁。早上喝完饮料后，清理工作真的只需要不到 3 分钟。

最后的想法
我通常不喜欢在这样的电器上挥霍，我的伴侣真的很想要这个，并说服我这是一笔明智的购买。我很高兴他这么做了，因为它在我们家里非常有用，每天都在用，没有让我们失望。如果你经常喝拿铁、卡布奇诺或冰咖啡，这就是你必须购买的那些生活质量产品之一。除了水、牛奶和咖啡，Breville 提供了你需要的一切！

I laughed when my older daughter put this machine on her wedding registry. $1000 for a coffee machine?! Yep, some folks chipped in to buy it for her. She and her husband love the strong Cuban coffees. Then we tasted the espresso, flat white, and cappuccino coffees. It is at least as good as the premium coffee shops in town. So-- we bought one for ourselves. The great thing is you can customize drinks. So now my husband has a custom "Tim" drink choice that is a flat white with just the right amount of espresso and microfoam for him. This is not just push one button, however. For example, each morning he pushes "Tim", then "grind", moves the ground coffee in the filter holder to the area for the drip, then presses "brew", and then loads the milk container in that area, and finally pours the foamed milk into the espresso for the flat white. It only takes a minute or 2 and is so worth it! Unfortunately, our younger daughter came to visit and is obsessed with Breville as well. Have had the machine for several months and it is holding up well. Does take some cleaning. The tray that is under the grinder/brew/milk area comes out easily. We end up cleaning/dumping it every few days. There are wayward grinds and some liquid when we splash a bit. The set up of the machine-- somewhat tougher than most. Instructions are not very clear. I was missing the cleaning kit when it arrived, but called Breville and they sent it out express mail. Excellent service! When making coffee, you will need to tamp it down well after grinding and scrape any excess from the edges of the filter basket or you will have trouble fitting the basket in the brew area. Sounds like a lot of work for coffee and a lot of money? Really turns out it saves time (running to a coffee shop) and $. At $3-6/day for coffee store coffees with tips, versus home brew, the machine can pay for itself pretty quickly.

I held off on writing a review for years because I saw someone saying that this machine lasts only around 2 years. This is totally not true. I purchased this Apr 17, 2017 and I am writing this Feb 16, 2020. So I'm just shy of 3 years. It still works perfectly.

I have 5 years of barista experience and have worked with Nuova Simonelli and Rancilio machines and I love this machine. I've never had any issue with it at all. I was worried because my tap water is VERY hard. I was afraid that the insides would seize up after a while due to build up but nope. I'll also add that I'm kinda lazy. I don't descale it nearly as much as I should. I think I've only descaled it 5 times in the 3 years I've had it.

I think what a lot of people struggle with is getting the settings right. Even if you've worked with espresso machines before, each one is a bit different and each type of bean is different. It took a bit of experimenting before I got the grinding coarseness, grind amount, and tamping pressure right; but once I did, it's so easy. So be patient, try different things and see what works for you.

I love the power of the steam wand. You're actually able to get good microfoam. It takes longer than commercial machines but that shouldn't really be a surprise. It comes out hot, luscious, and creamy.

Is this the best home espresso machine ever? Probably not. But unless you're a huge coffee snob and have tons of money to throw around, it's unbeatable at this price range.

Some tips:
>Don't use the auto grind dispensing setting. Not because it's inaccurate but because it will get messy as the heap of grinds tumbles down and over the edges of your portafilter.
--> What I do is I set the auto dispense to a single shot with the amount only at about 1/3 of the way turned up. I auto dispense that base amount, take out the portafilter, gently tamp down the grinds a bit, then manual dispense grinds to my desired amount. This prevents a world of mess. What's the desired amount? That's up to what you're making and with what size filter you have on your portafilter. Single, double?
--> As a general rule of thumb, on my final, full pressure tamp, I make sure the grinds are about 5mm down from the top.

>How much grind you put in and how hard you tamped it will affect the pressure reached while infusing!!
--> if your machine is not getting to "espresso range" pressures then don't assume it's broken! You might just not have put enough grinds in or tamped to the appropriate level. Getting it right may take some time.
--> When you remove the portafilter after infusing, the "puck" of espresso grinds should come away in the portafilter and be easily disposed by tapping it (with a bit of force) on the edge of whatever grind receptacle you're using. If you get sludge when you remove, you did not put enough grinds in/tamp with enough pressure.
--> If you're still struggling to get a good infusion, play with the grind coarseness setting. It's different for different beans!

>RINSE after each use! Start up a single shot without a portafilter under for a few seconds then turn it off again. Having old grinds stuck on there is gross and affects the taste of your next espresso.
--> Rinse out the milk steaming wand after use! Have a wet tea towel ready before you steam milk! Once you're done steaming IMMEDIATELY wipe down the wand (watch your hand! It's hot!) Otherwise, the milk will cook onto the wand and form a hard crust. Rinse the inside by turning it on while pointed at the tray for several seconds.

>If you turn on the steam wand and it's not starting, don't panic. Be patient. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer to get going.
--> If it's really not turning on, turn it off, then check the hole. It may be blocked up with the aforementioned cooked and crusted milk. They provide you with a handy tool to clear it!

That's all for now. If I encounter any issues in the future, I will update this review to include details.

Update 9/19/2020-- The machine continues to may fantastic coffee. Enjoying some right now. One of our most used small appliances during the pandemic. Will never go back to SB again. It compares very poorly to what I can make at home now. Have run the descale cycle once because the light turned on, but I think it is set to turn on at a certain number of cycles rather than based on actual scale build up since we use RO water and scale build up is minimal. In any case, certainly does not hurt. Another tip I've got is to get yourself some disposable earplugs and set them next to the machine. The decibels during steaming can be really high and they hurt my ears. I also keep a quick read thermometer on the machine to know when my steamed milk is at the temp I like.

Update 6/17/2020: This has ended up being one of my favorite birthday presents I gotten in years. Prior to owning the machine my family had a $100/week Starbucks habit. Since purchasing this machine 4 months ago, we've spent maybe $40 at SB. With COVID19, we've been at home and using this machine several times per day. The coffee it makes has only gotten better as we've learned to calibrate it. It has more than paid for itself in a few short months. It is well designed. We drink mostly Americanos so the hot water dispenser with automatic shut off is one of my favorite features. We were able to reprogram the machine to raise the water temperature very easily. The only glitches have come with the grinder which is a bit temperamental with certain beans, but these have been minor. The coffee the machine produces is delicious with a good amount of crema. I run a cleaning table through the machine about once per month, but because we have a reverse osmosis filter on our tap, we have had no need to descale. I highly recommend using reverse osmosis filtered water in the machine to cut down on internal build up. The machine is fairly easy to clean and has a lot of nice touches like the little float indicator that tells you when you need to empty the drip tray. We also like the ability to calibrate shots. I am raising our review from 4 to 5 stars since it seems that our poor experience with the first machine we received was just luck of the draw and we really have no complaints with our current machine. It is wonderful!
Update: 2/18/2020 Amazon agreed to swap out the lemon (see original review below) for a new Breville Barista Express. It arrived today. I set it up and ran two cleaning tablets (3 cleaning cycles) before I even tried to make my first cup of espresso. I let the machine warm completely and set the grind size at 5 as suggested. Pulled my first shot and the new machine performed perfectly with the pressure reaching and staying in the middle of the gray extracting zone as it should. The shot was smooth with beautiful crema. I took the opportunity to program this shot so that it would be exactly 1 oz using my little espresso cup. I then pulled a double shot and did the same thing programming the machine to fill two of my espresso cups. Again the pressure was perfect at the level 5 grind size setting and the coffee is absolutely delicious with a beautiful smooth crema. Apparently the first machine I received was a dud. I'm glad Amazon allowed me to swap and will be sending the old one back tomorrow. I've changed my rating from 1 to 4 stars. If the new machine continues to perform as it did in its maiden voyage, I will revisit the rating and perhaps raise it to 5 stars. I highly recommend that anyone who buys one of these start off with a couple of clean/descale cycles before trying to make coffee. Save yourself a headache and a lot of wasted coffee.
Pros: Very attractive and sturdy. The hot water dispenser is super convenient for making Americanos which is what I drink. I now don't have to heat up a separate kettle of hot water. It's great. The built-in grinder is really nice and its automatic function that also allows manual operation is convenient. The programmable temperature and shot amount adjustments are great.
Cons: Because it takes so much water to keep the machine clean and operating well (it flushes itself after each use of steam or hot water) the water receptacle has to be refilled OFTEN (around every 3-4 coffees for me). I wish the machine had a bigger water tank. The drip tray also needs to be changed fairly often because the machine flushes itself, but this is does not bother me as much and it is not as often as the water tank. The grinder amounts tend to fluctuate and I'm still trying to figure out what adjustments or cleaning will might fix this. I'm not impressed with their customer service. When I tried to get help for the first unit I purchased (which ended up being defective), it took a couple of days to get a response and then that was an email with the exact same information contained in the user's manual (I guess the assumption was that I had not read it) along with a flat dismissal that there could be anything wrong with the machine. Thankfully, Amazon dealt with the problem quickly by replacing the machine so I did not have to rely on Breville. I hope that I have a better response if I ever need to contact Breville in the future.

Original review:
I've wasted almost a pound of coffee over the past day trying to get the pressure on this machine to the "espresso" level that the instructions say is required. The machine will not go beyond the "pre infusion" level. I have cleaned it with the cleaning tablet as suggested in some of the reviews and I have adjusted the grind fineness and grind amount to every combination I can think of. Both settings are currently at the maximum levels. I've tamped the coffee harder and also used less pressure. NOTHING works. Like I said, I grew up with espresso as it is a daily drink in my culture. When I was little, my mom made it a the little stovetop espresso pot. My last espresso maker was a $79 Mr. Coffee that lasted almost 7 years and made very decent coffee with a nice crema everytime. No fuss. Then it finally broke and I can't find that model. I didn't want the new models with milk receptacles. Yuck! Anyway, I thought, well if I'm going to spend over $200 on Mr. Coffee, why not just splurge and get the Breville. The coffee I've so far gotten from this machine is thin and acidic and has almost no crema. As I've said, I have tried everything suggested. The pressure gage only reached the correct level on two shots after I had just cleaned it and then it went back to barely registering. IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS DIFFICULT TO MAKE A DECENT CUP OF COFFEE! Right now I feel like all these 5 star reviews are a product of the psychological phenomenon that happens with very expensive wine, where people report it tastes better because they don't want to seem stupid for paying so much and not liking it. I will update if it turns out I'm just missing the magic key to having this thing not be a ridiculously expensive pain in my coffee loving butt. But I'm not feeling hopeful.

Hubby said he would never buy me an expensive machine like this but Santa said ok! If you are looking to stop your Starbucks habit and be more budget friendly, the Barista Touch is PERFECT! I researched for over 1.5 years on an espresso machine that made sense. I hate the pollution and expensive k cups/Nespresso pods that you have to add to certain espresso drink makers (aka the nespresso latissima).

The grinder on this machine is by far the best coffee grinder on the market. Everything is extremely easy to use from start to finish. I love how the barista touch has its own water filter to boot. The frothing wand is also mind blowing. You can use regular milk, but milk or oat milk and you still get the same amazing frothing no matter what kind you use. You can also program you own recipes which once you start to use it you will understand how easy it is.

Don’t pay the extra money for the oracle! The Barista Touch is all you need!

Did a lot of research on home espresso makers, and finally decided on this one and it was definitely the right choice. Very flexible, and has a interactive liquid crystal display for different drink types... even allows you to program a choice for your own personal tastes which is great. I've had it for over a year-and-a-half now and it is not broken and still is used every single day. I would go online and watch the videos so you can learn different techniques and tricks. The instructions are not the greatest. The most important thing about this unit as well as any espresso maker is the quality of the beans. You must use fresh coffee beans. That cannot be stressed enough. Pass on the Starbucks at the grocery store or the Starbucks at the Starbuck stores. Try to find a store that actually specializes in selling beans only and you will see a big difference in the quality of the pour it comes out more like a syrup and taste great. I also checked the temperature of the espresso as it was being pulled, and it was 185F, so I don't have this problem that other people are mentioning.

I've had this almost two years now, so I figured it was time for a proper review.

If you don't want to read my in depth review but just my quick opinion and are in the market for a semi-automatic espresso maker (with grinder!), you can't beat this machine for the money it costs (especially here compared to a department store). It comes with a satisfactory grinder (anything better itself will cost you hundreds of dollars on its own), and an easy to use (and learn) espresso maker which makes good espresso, latte's, etc. (assuming you don't use garbage beans of course). Its been nearly two years and I've yet to have a problem and still works just as good as it did the day I got it.

I'll start with the cons, because there aren't many and they are very minor, picky issues.

The grinder: I find the size setting to be slightly misleading. I'd assume you could use the full range of grind sizes, but anything less than a 4 you'll have trouble pulling a shot with the proper pressure. Over time I've found I've needed to reduce the grind size more and more, but that could be to poor (lack of) regular cleaning habits because I'm lazy.

The pressure gauge. There's an "espresso range" on it which you may think anywhere in that is OK. Its not. To get a good pull you'll need to make sure it starts around at least "12:30" and ideally about "1:00" if you treat it like a clock (pointing straight up would be 12:00). Once you get a feel for the grind and how much tamp pressure to use, you'll be able to do this with regular ease after a couple weeks of use (assuming you mainly stick with one type of espresso).

The port-a-filter. Its not standard sized so it may be hard to replace. No big deal. Those interested in this probably have more "professional" machines anyways and aren't in the market for this.

Now onto the good things:

If you've never used a steam wand before, this is probably a good machine for you. Enthusiasts may say its not good or powerful enough, but its great to learn on. Its not a "double boiler" machine where you can froth milk and do the espresso at the same time, but for starter home use its great. Those double boiler machines start at 2-3 times the price of this. If you only make lattes for yourself a couple times a day (like me), its perfect. Because its doesn't use a boiler, its a little slower. That actually makes it EASIER to make perfect milk for the novice (also like me!). By the time I'm done making a latte, I've probably spent about 3 minutes. That's about 6 minutes out of my day which is quicker than waiting forever at st*rb*cks for something worse.

The grinder: Its built in. Enough said. Clean it out once in a while and you'll be fine.

Making espresso: You can adjust the temperature within 4 degrees of 200f (the factory setting). Adjust according to your taste and beans you are using (I'm not an expert, there's a ton and probably too much info out there on the subject). I keep mine at 202 as it brings out slightly better flavor for the standard bean I use. If you're using relatively fresh coffee beans, you shouldn't have much trouble pulling a decent shot.

Maintenance/cleaning: its easy to use the cleaning cycle. Don't buy the cleaning tabs or descaling solutions. Buy Cafiza tabs as they will cost you a fraction of what the Breville ones cost for regular cleaning. Dezcal can be bought for descaling also with the same cost difference. The drip tray is dishwasher safe (top shelf). I put mine in about every two weeks. In between that, I give it a good rinse when the tray is full to get rid of any grime that may have built up.

If I get 2 more years out of this, I'll be extremely happy. I've already gotten back my return on investment.

What I like: I've dove into reviewing different expresso machines this past several weeks. If you want the short version then this is it....The Breville Barista Express at $450 that I paid, is an absolutely fantastic machine. It makes a great expresso, it's easy to use, easy to clean.

What I don't like: at this price, nothing really. Perhaps I wish the steamer wand is of no burn design. As is it gets hot and mild scorches on it with every use. You have to clean it with a wet towel with each use.

Overall: My research into the best expresso machine led me from the POD based machines such as Nespresso, etc, to $9000 La Marzocco machines. First, the POD machines, especially the Nespresso ones, make a really good, consistent expresso. It's quick. It's pretty cheap. It's simple. It's easy to clean up. If this sounds good to you, stop and get a Nespresso Classic machine. If you want a great expresso, you have to go further.

I find the expresso world is like the wine world. People taste all sorts of flavor such as nut, vanilla, etc in their expresso. I tried, but frankly I can tell if I like the expresso or not, but my palete is pretty average and those super refined flavors escape me. I'm the same with wine. If it taste good, it taste good. But I'm not able to locate which region the grapes came from. And frankly it doesn't matter.

OK....the super expensive machines...the group 61 based machines go up to $4K easily. Others such as the La Marzocco machines go easily to $9k. And yes, they make a FANTASTIC expresso.....90% of the time. You have to be an artisan to really get the most out of these machines. If you don't get it just right, it's average at best. For the home owner, the Breville makes just below fantastic 99% of the time. The expensive machines are usually based on boilers, which takes 30 minutes to heat up. Their steam function is more powerful. They are well built and they look like art in your kitchen. But for an average person like myself, I can not make a better expresso on those machines than I could with the Breville. The Breville heats up in about 30 seconds. It's built in grinder is plenty good and is consistent. Once you get the finess of the grind, the amount of grind, and learn to tamp correctly, everything else is pretty much idiotproof. The machine pre-saturates the grind, then builds up to the appropriate pressure. I find the steam function more than adequate. At first I'm put off that the machine can't make the expresso and froth milk at the same time, but after using a friend's dual boiler, I don't think its a factor at all. The thought is that if you froth the milk while the expresso is brewing, then both will be done at the same time and nothing gets cold. Reality is that the 30 second it takes to change from expresso to frothing function, makes no noticeable difference in temperature to me.

If you have lots of friends over and make multiple drinks, then the Breville Barista Express is a bit limited. This is because you make the expresso, change to steam for the milk, then when you change back to make another expresso you have to wait just a bit for it to cool down. If you do tend to make several expresso at a time, consider a dual boiler version of this machine or get the Delonghi version that also has the dual boiler function.

In conclusion, I thought I had to spend thousands to get great expresso..this Breville is much more advanced in technology than thousand dollar machines, and makes better expresso most of the time. It's an unbelievable value at $450!

Let me start off by saying this. This machine is perfect if you:
- Don’t want to spend $10-$20/week on coffee beans
- Just need morning caffeine and don’t know/care about the frivolities of espresso
- Do want to have time for other hobbies/activities in the morning
- Want to impress the occasional guests but still go to cafes on the regular

It does the job that you need it to do and a little bit more. It is easy to setup, use and maintain. It will feasibly last as long as most other kitchen appliances if you’re making 1-2 coffees per day. For the price, you can’t really find a comparable deal (a decent grinder, volumetrically programmable espresso machine, decent steaming power and ease of use). So if you like coffee but don’t want to obsess the minutiae, then this machine is perfect.

—

However, I must also confess I’ve basically given this machine away to a (close) friend. If you’re obsessive and are looking to develop coffee/espresso/milk-based drinks as a hobby, this is not the machine for you. I think there will be many people expecting this to be a starter setup that they will upgrade from. I encourage those to look at used items at a discount (Rancilio Silvia + Rocky grinder or sette) or machines without as many creature comforts (Gaggia classic + knock feld2 hand grinder) as a serious alternative. With those, you can grow with your machine and eventually take all of the accumulated accessories with you to your dream setup.

Setup/Ease of use (5/5):
Setting the Breville barista express is easy. Out of the box, there’s all you need to get started (minus the glass and coffee, BYO) and a condensed pamphlet for those too busy to read the more extensive manual. Time from initial plug in to brew ready is 1 minute max and the grinder is immediately ready. The central brew pressure gauge is good as another way to help dial in a new coffee. There is a solenoid value (behind the front plate) which relieves brew water from the coffee bed and brewing chamber after the shot is complete to allow for easy cleaning. The drip tray is large and has an indicator when it needs to be emptied. The water tank is large enough to be filled once a week and container a spot for A cycle-count based cleaning indicator will also alert the need for backflushing and descaling.

Programability (4/5):
I was actually surprised by how programmable this machine is. Not only is there timed grinding and volumetric shot programs, there’s temperature control (!!). This might not seem that amazing, but at the price point, I’m not sure there’s anything actually offering that feature. You can play with temperature as a variable in addition to grinding/portafilter prep. The only downside is that the machine can’t be programmed to turn on/off and a switch won’t help with that.

Grinder (3/5):
This is where the machine starts to falter. The grinder is stepped (13 knob based adjustments, 10 burr based adjustments) which isn’t ideal for espresso. However, you can definitely still grind fine enough for espresso. Just anticipate a single step creating a pretty large jump in shot time. Also, the grind tends to come out clumpy so further grind distribution techniques will be required to avoid channeling. The grinds themselves seem to collect in mound first (I suspect due to the smaller conical burrs that get quite hot) and leads to grinds falling out of the portafilter before actually filling it. The first material upgrade I made with this setup was a separate grinder. However, it feels like a waste when there’s the option to buy this as a stand alone espresso maker and grinder. Overall grind retention is very poor meaning a morning bleed/flush is necessary (and a waste of perfectly good beans). It was actually so bad that I realized this was problem (6 months), I couldn’t consistently pull 2 shots on any given day.

Espresso (4/5):
This machine includes ~5 seconds of preinfusion + normal vibration pump driven brewing. The shower screen is a bit taller than you would think so leave a decent of head space when tamping. The machine is perfectly capable of pulling good to great shots of espresso. It helps to ensure the group head and portafilter are sufficiently warm before brewing.

Steaming (4/5):
I’m not big on steaming milk so I can’t add much here. Just know that it takes quite a while for the machine to ramp up to steaming temp (Thermoblock - basically an aluminum radiator- rather than a traditional boiler). Once up to temp, the machine can definitely produce enough micro-foam out of the single steam hole for latte art.

Hot water:
There is hot water (which actually can’t be said for some machines in this price point).

Included accessories:
Double spouted portafilter (2/5) - This is actually one of my largest gripes. The portafilter does not give the growth potential for to those who want to “ascend” into cafe level espresso. The size is 54mm (possibly even 53?) in diameter and has a channeled plastic base to remove brew output inconsistencies. These might not seem like a big issues but they seriously hamper your ability to correct what’s wrong. The channeled base removes the ability to diagnose potential tamping inconsistencies. The size is restrictive because it doesn’t allow you to find many accessories in the market. Common portafilter sizes are 49mm (old Italian style), 51mm (idk, newer Italian style?) and 58mm (commercial sized). Many techniques to overcoming a poor grinder will require portafilter accessories (Weiss distribution technique: funnel, top distribution tools: OCD, blind shaker etc.).

Tamper (3/5) - could be heavier in hand and handle is a bit small

Milk pitcher (4/5) - its fine.

Single + Double non-pressurized baskets (4/5) - they work, I wouldn’t recommend using the single basket since its a bit shallow

Single + Double pressurized baskets (5/5) - great addition for those not wishing to fuss with grinding/tamping too much to dial in

Water filter (5/5) - love seeing this included, helps slow down scale build up
Backflush disc
Coffee scoop
Cleaning supplies (for one full cycle, backflush tablet + descaler), brush for grinder, steam hole reamer
Hex wrench (for removing shower screen)

Nits:
The cleaning light came on at 8 months and never turn off despite multiple cleaning and descaling cycles
Breville support is hit and miss. Don’t expect anything out of warranty and its kind of hard to get normal day to day support.
The casing is actually plastic wrapped in aluminum. Its fine if you don’t beat the machine up but it won’t last as long as a 100% metal-bodied machine
Burr-based grind adjustments are a pain in the ass. Espresso dust can get between the burrs and make it difficult to place the top burr back in without a thorough (read: turn the thing sideways and go at it with a brush) cleaning
Aluminum grate on drip tray has sharp edges

To be perfectly fair, I believe I’m asking for things that are well outside of the price point or consumer group this is designed to fit in. However, it does feel like Breville priced this machine down (given the advanced and full feature set) to make it less user configurable. This means that it will serve 80% of the people who buy it very well. But, for the 20% that want to completely outdo their local tattooed, mustached and bespectacled barista, it's not likely to happen on this setup. Even if you get the best beans and put in the practice, the process is still very much so equipment dependent. Don’t get me wrong…you will make some spectacular drinks on this machine. But every time? Every day? Cafe quality? The odds are pretty low.

Owned since Oct. 2017, no issues yet. Avg. of maybe 2 double espressos per day, steamed milk less often, so relatively low use. We have a whole-house water softener (and 5-stage RO filter for drinking water), so scale buildup is not an issue at all. I do run the cleaning tablet when the "clean me" light comes on. I did descale it once so far, but might not have been necessary (eg. our electric kettle doesn't build up any scale). We only use the non-pressurized filter baskets (tried the others, didin't see the point, harder to clean).

My best advice for an easy and consistent "Italian café style" espresso is to get a can of Illy medium roast beans. Especially if you're new to making espresso (actually in this case you may want to start with a can of ground Illy -- still tastes great and takes one major step out of the equation, and you then know the desired coarseness for grinding your own). This gets me a great espresso every single time. With local roasts (we have several roasters in the area I'd prefer to support instead of Illy) I found it is much more finicky... can change from cup to cup, and definitely from batch to batch. While I've gotten some great espressos from locally-roasted sources, with interesting flavors, I've gotten way more poor shots. With the Breville and Illy I can make a better (IMHO) espresso than any of the local shops can manage... honestly. Mind you we live in a small college town. I guess most ppl drink frothed milk with a little coffee and don't really notice the espresso part.

Don't try to grind a double all at once... a lot of it will overflow (wasteful and messy). I grind one shot, take the filter out, spread out the grinds and give it a couple taps on the counter to settle them, then grind the 2nd shot on top of that. Makes almost no waste or mess this way. I've found that the "half a double" grind amount is typically one click less than an actual single-shot grind (so eg. twice at 1 o'clock for double, once at 2 o'clock for a single).

Also forget the metal "leveler" thing they include... it's silly. Spread the grinds out in the filter with a finger edge. If the double filter is full to the brim before packing, you're good to go. The single filter should be a little under full before packing. After packing either filter, the metal rim on the press should be even with the top of the filter (as shown in the manual). Hardest part is making sure you're not tilting the press while pushing down, as it is easy to get a "cockeyed" pack. Again, watching the metal rim of the press vs. the filter rim is a good way to check that.

Low pressure can be a direct result of old beans -- really. Came home after a 2-week trip once and tried to make espresso with beans from an Illy can that had already been opened (and had made good coffee before trip). Couldn't get the pressure high enough, regardless of grind size or amount, or tamping. Even tried a cleaning. Opened fresh can of Illy, et voilá, good pressure again.

I didn't find any other accessories necessary (except eventually some cleaning tablets). You will want something on the counter to put the filter on while packing (and banging it to settle grinds) -- a folded kitchen towel works well. The space under the filter allows for a wide variety of drinking vessels (whoever suggested using paper cups... really? Wasteful and ruins the taste IMHO).

The grinder maybe isn't the best -- the grind is good. and can be set very fine, but would be better to grind based on weight instead of time. It's important that the beans are fed into the grinder consistently. Make sure they're spread out evenly in the hopper, and as someone else mentioned, tapping on the hopper while grinding may help (esp. if there aren't many beans in there). You can hear the grinder sound change when it is grinding beans vs. air. Regular cleanings help as well.

This is not a great machine for serving a party of people. Unless they like cold coffee, or you serve them all individually as the coffees are ready... the first ppl you serve will be done by the time you serve yourself. It's fine for a couple of servings, but beyond that it starts to get awkward. Especially if they want steamed milk.... you'd want the double-boiler model for that at minimum.

Overall very happy with this machine. I had never made my own espresso before owning it, but I certainly knew what I liked. This machine delivered, after a modest learning curve (and the Illy beans helped a lot).

I absolutely love this machine. With as many lattes as I drink, this will easily pay for itself within a year, inclouding the cost of beans, milk and cleaning products.

Notes: Make sure to keep up with all the regular maintenance. Ever day after I've made my coffee, I wipe the steam wand, purge it, then wipe again. Make sure to get into all the crevices around the tip and you'll never need to use the pin to clean out the tip. Once I've done that and poured my steamed milk, I purge the showerhead by pulling one shot into the empty mug (no filters). This keeps the showerhead clean of coffee debris and keeps the coffee tasting pure.

REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR WATER FILTERS. The filters should be changed every 60 uses or 2 months, whichever comes first. This wolill reduce how often you need to descale the machine, prolong it's useful life and provide better tasting coffees. You will still need to descale the machine every so often. The manual included is very helpful for keeping up with the maintenance (as well as pulling shots, making drinks and other useful tips) and you can also find instructions on their website should you misplace the manual. Gold tone makes pretty inexpensive replacement filters specific to this machine and they're available here on Amazon. I use them and am pretty happy with the results.

Do not let the water run out. Ever. This could cause serious damage to the machine. If you forget once or twice, you'll probably be just fine but check the water reservoir at least 1-2 times per week.

Clean the machine parts at least once a week. You may need to empty and rinse the drip tray 1-2 times a week (depending on frequency of use) but take it out and hand wash at least once a week. This is a good time to wash the tools and tool bin as well. Also, dont forget to take the coffee filters out of the portafilter and wash those as well. Over time, residue can build up underneath there. Also, the spouts in the portafiler twist off so you can clean them better. Clean out your parts, get in those crevices regularly and you'll be just fine.

Don't forget to clean the hopper and grinder. You should clean it out every time you switch to a new bean or at least every few pounds of coffee. The instructions in the manual are pretty easy and straight forward. I also use a clean, dry towel to wipe any remaining coffee and oils from both the grinder parts and the hopper. Do not wash in warm water as you could risk it not drying well and rusting or not being lubricated enough and over heating. Just use the included brush and clean, dry paper towels. You could also vacuum out residual coffee from the grinder to assist in cleaning, but I don't usually need to.

Also, remember that the stainless exterior is stainless plating. This means it can wear over time and not look as nice. The best way to handle this is to wipe it down with a damp cloth (once daily then more detailed once a week) and follow it up by drying it with a clean towel. This will prolong the exterior appearance. Also during your weekly cleaning, be sure to look under where the coffee and steam come out and clean around there. Milk, coffee and residue steam can splatter and build up so be sure to clean it as well.
The weekly cleaning sound intensive but really takes maybe 5 minutes.

Common issues: Keep in mind certain o-rings will need to be replaced over time. This is noted by Breville in the manual and on the website. There are two main places where you need to replace these: around the tip of the portafilter (where the spouts connect) and where the portafilter connects to pull shots.

Another common issue is that the machine will make a loud "buzzing" sound and/or leak water out of the bottom of the machine. This is a common issue and, when it does occur, usually happens around 6 months to a year. This generally occurs due to a broken solenoid valve. If your product is still under warranty, take a video and contact their customer service. Maybe suggest it's a solenoid valve and they are usually very good about fixing or replacing the machines and parts. If it is no longer under warranty and they will not resolve the issue (because sometimes they still will after the warranty period), there are many repair services that can fix this. If you are especially handy and brave enough to fix it yourself, you can usually find the replacement parts fairly cheaply online (not just the valve, but really ANY part that may need to be replaced). Again, if it's still under warranty do not go this route, as it will void any existing warranty. Also, if you don't know what you're doing, you could do more damage than good.

All-in-all, this is an amazing machine for this price point. There is a reason this machine is so popular and highly rated. There's a lot of customization available to you and it is a very good quality machine. I would not suggest any product below this machine and price point for your first machine as you'll likely be very disappointed in the results. Eventually you may want to upgrade to a more robust multi-thousand dollar machine, but this is great for the majority of consumers and is super user friendly. Use higher quality beans directly from the roasters and learn how to use the machine and make drinks and you'll be very happy with it. The quality is truly amazing for such a low cost espresso machine.

Side note: Whole Latte Love on YouTube is a great resource for additional reviews, tips and tricks and maintenance for this machine (and many more). It's also a great resource on how to pull shots, steam milk, pick types of milk and make many different types of drinks when you're just starting out or want to up your coffee game.

Fantastic espresso machine. You get your grinder (with adjustable dosage, and two dials to change the coarseness - the second adjustment is directly inside the grinder), pump, steam wand, hot water spout and a nice tamper all in one machine!
The accessories you get with it are great as well, you get the porta-filter holder (duh), 4 baskets (single and double serve with single walls and the same in double-wall setup), precision dosage razor, frothing pitcher and the cleaning kit. Really don't need much more than this, so if you're looking for a serious espresso machine with all included, this one is it. And the 1,500+ reviews and average over 4.5 stars just proves that.

I debated going with this one or something cheaper. I recently used to have a DeLonghi EC155. That thing started at 4.0 stars or higher, but now I see it lower, I understand why. For a first try of "espresso" coffee, it was okay. I put it in quotation marks, because it was more like a really strong coffee, didn't quite come across as espresso. Maybe I did it wrong. But anyway, I am not reviewing that machine here.

With this machine, there is one thing you need to realize (and a video review of Breville, or rather "Sage" as this brand is known in Europe) is this - with this machine, you're not only getting into serious coffee, you're probably getting into a hobby as well, or a new activity. If you are looking for a simple serve machine that prepares a great coffee with one push of a button, look elsewhere, like the Nespresso machines.
But, if you are looking for something that is a little more involved, gives you the desired control, allows you to experiment and pulls you into the world of coffee, this is it. There is a reason why you pay $2-2.50 for just an espresso at a coffee shop. It takes work, it takes skill and it takes time. Once you start pulling your own great (or good for me, I'm not at the "great" level quite yet) coffee, the sense of accomplishment along with a great drink at home feels nice.
I think it retails at around $560 right now. I put it on my wish list in August 2017 I believe and kept watching the price. Then I noticed it dropped below $500 for like a day and half and I ended up getting this machine for $460. I still would probably purchase it for $560, but man, what a deal.

Don't forget that cheap/stale beans just won't do. I mean, if you got a car for a race track, you probably wouldn't pour in regular 87 gas, no, you'd go with the premium high-octane stuff. Similar with this - you got an awesome, professional-like machine, then feed it quality beans. I mean, you can try to go cheaper, but if you get very oily and stale beans, the coffee will taste burnt and you'll end up spending more time cleaning the thing.

Pros:
1) Sense of control - there is so much experimentation you can do. I've had this for 3 months and I'm still at the beginning. I now froth milk in a decent way but boy, there is a lot to learn.
2) All-in-one - you don't have to get an expensive grinder, fancy wooden tamper and a milk frother. I mean, you could, but why would you, if you have that high quality all built into this one?
3) The supplied equipment - kind of goes with point number 2, but you get a frothing pitcher as well, you get multiple baskets and you get everything you need to get rolling (besides the beans).
4) Quality - it is all stainless steel and what isn't (and is plastic) doesn't feel cheaply made. It seems sturdy and high quality. I've had it for 3 months now, so far so good, so ask me in a few months if I still think so.
5) The display/indicators - it tells you when it wants to be cleaned. I spoke to their customer reps and this was their exact email response:
"I have confirmed with our technicians, they advised me it will actually come on after 300 shots, and unplugging the unit should not reset the counter. " You also have a dedicated button for filter size, you can let it automatically grind the specific amount of coffee you want - this brings me to one of the cons, however.

Cons:
1) As mentioned pro #5, the grinding amount is a bit of a pain. When coffee is ground, it tends to expand. If you let the machine grind the automatic amount, it overfills the basket (because the coffee expands) and you get grounds falling over into the tray. This may not be a design flaw, because when you tap the filter onto the counter, the grinds settle and you do have the right amount, it's just a mess though - someone slightly OCD like myself finds that hard to deal with. I just use the manual grind, I hold it in, let it fill half way, tap it to let it settle, grind some more and tamp. Time consuming, yes, but it's more fun and cleaner.
2) If you live in an area with hard water (like I do), be prepared for water spots all over that beautiful stainless steel - again, not a manufacturer's flaw, but worth mentioning.

I keep trying to think of other cons, but can't. That's when you know it's a good unit, when you "try" to think of cons just for the review and can't come up with any legit ones.

Again, if you want a great coffee machine that will feed (or create) a coffee hobby and make you want to experiment, source local beans and just overall make your own fantastic coffee, go right ahead. I'd say it's worth the money.
If you're looking for a morning/quick convenience of pressing a button and that's it, look elsewhere, this isn't for you. I would also like to say that this machine is my after-work or weekend espresso/play around machine, for my quick morning coffee I have a small Mr. Coffee steam machine (and a Cuisinart grinder).

Let me know if this was helpful, I'm open to any questions!

Despite some of the negative criticism sprinkled throughout this review, keep in mind that (1) I am giving this machine 5 stars, and now that I have spent a few weeks getting to know it (intimately), I love it - so much, that if a burglar broke into my house and stole it, I would order another one the same day - I have not been back to Starbucks since. All that being said, you NEED to read this review so that your machine does not frustrate you and so that you get the most out of it. Read on my coffee-loving friend:

1. I am a guy, who knew nothing about espresso machines before this. I am very mechanically inclined and don't usually read instructions. This was different - this machine is NOT self-explanatory and you NEED to read the instructions (which are well written, and even include a troubleshooting section). Don't get frustrated with this machine until/unless you have read (all) the instructions.

2. This is not a 'stand-alone' purchase ... this machine costs around $500 (give or take), you need to invest another $100 right from the start (preferably at the same time) to get the most out of it, enjoy it to the fullest, and not get unreasonably frustrated by making your own lattes and mochas.

3. The other things you REALLY should order at the same time (and all are available on Amazon) are:
a. ($29) 100-pack disposable 20oz. cups with lids and sleeves (sold by Yes!fresh). Trust me, you want to get these. It's only $0.29 per cup and are far more convenient that trying to clean out a million dirty coffee cups from your car/office each week. These are worth twice what they cost in the long run. And when your friends are over, you need not 'loan' them a nice coffee cup to go (which you may never see again) - just give them a paper cup to take with them.
b. ($5-15 for 25 oz. / $20-30 for 64 oz.) Torani syrups and sauces, AND the pump tops that go with them (always sold separately). IF you drink the same thing on a regular basis (like I do) such as a white chocolate peppermint mocha, buy the 64 oz. white chocolate sauce and not the smaller 25 oz. bottle.
c. ($14) Amazon Basics Cotton Washcloth - 24 pack - grey (the grey matches the espresso machine, but the color doesn't matter). Again, trust me, you want a nicely folded stack of these sitting next to the machine - you will use 1 each time you make espresso, and then it will be dirty and needs to be washed. At my house (3 people using the machine) we bought two 24-packs because we make so much coffee - two 24-packs is not too many for our house (I'm thinking about buying a third pack).
d. ($10 for pair of single shot size, $15 for pair of double shot size) Set of double-walled espresso shot glasses. Do NOT buy the rounded ones (ie: Cutehom espresso coffee cups) because they will not pour very well and drip all over the place (down the side) each time - very frustrating. Buy the JoyJolt Javaah Double Walled Espresso Glasses instead - you'll be glad you did in the long run. And, if you're planning to make mostly double-shot lattes/mochas, buy a set of Dragon Glassware 6 oz Espresso Cups (also double-walled) so that you don't have to keep fidgeting with the single shot cups to keep them in the right spot under the coffee dispenser. It's important to buy double-walled glasses for two reasons. First, it keeps the espresso hot while you're steaming your milk, second, it keeps you from burning your fingers when pouring the espresso into your coffee cup.
e. ($15) Breville BCB100 Barista-Style Coffee Knock Box. Again, TRUST me, you want this right next to your machine - the coffee grounds will start piling up quickly and you don't want your portafilter anywhere near a garbage can. This thing is a must.

4. Space requirements: This machine (and all that you want to go with it) will take some counter space - allow AT LEAST 34-inches of counter width to accommodate - slightly more is even better. You will from my picture, this is a 34-inch setup, and there is no room to spare.

5. Making espresso. After you read the instructions, here are some tips that they don't include to help avoid frustration:
a. When the beans are grinding, lightly knock on the top of the hopper lid (just like knocking on a door) so that the beans keep feeding down to the grinder (sometimes they get hung up - a light knock each time keeps this from happening). Do NOT overfill the portafilter (after tamping) or it will jam coffee grounds into the water outlet and could possibly damage the portafilter or locking guide. After the grounds are tamped down in the filter cup, the silver part of the tamper should be just hidden beneath the rim of the portafilter (the machine includes a tool you can use if you accidentally overfill the filter cup, but after a short while, you'll figure out how much to grind each time and the tool will not be necessary).
b. You ALWAYS want to watch the pressure gauge when making espresso. It NEEDS to be in the dark grey area of the pressure gauge (and ideally in/near the middle of the grey area) during the brew cycle, otherwise you are not making good espresso - rather, you are making either watered down espresso (not enough pressure) or not enough espresso which is too rich (too much pressure). There are two key things that affect pressure: the fineness at which the coffee is ground (which is adjustable) and the volume of grounds in the portafilter (also adjustable). Although there is a one or two shot size setting, I have found it best to do two, 1-shot grinds, tamping down the grounds in-between each single-shot grind. I have the grind (volume) setting on the 4th click setting, and I have the grind (fineness) setting on either 2 or 3 (play around and see what gives you the best results). IF the pressure is too low, then either your coffee is ground too coarsely, or your have not tamped it down tight enough, or the filter is not filled with enough coffee grounds, or a combination of any/all of these things. IF the pressure is too high, then either your coffee is ground too finely, or you have tamped down the grounds too hard (tightly), or a combination of the two.
c. IF using two, single-shot espresso glasses to collect a double-shot brew, keep an eye on them during the brew cycle and make sure they are centered under the espresso being dispensed (this can be avoided by using a double-shot size collection cup).
d. IF making a mocha or other syrup/sauce drink, pre-mix the espresso and syrup in the glass and stir thoroughly before adding the steamed milk.
e. Steaming milk is 1/2-art, and 1/2-science (seriously), and it does not come naturally. If you've never worked at a coffee shop and been trained to steam milk, do yourself a favor and watch a few good (short) YouTube videos on the proper way to steam milk. You will THANK yourself for taking 5-10 minutes on You Tube and learning the proper way to steam milk (and things to avoid). Understanding the steaming process will allow you to control the amount of foam on top and not make big mess.
f. Before you steam your milk, VENT the steam wand to remove the residual water from the boiler line (you don't want a few teaspoons of water in your milk). Vent the line, then turn the steam off ... wait 5 full seconds ... then insert the steam wand into the milk, then turn the steam back on. Hold the handle with your left hand, and place your right hand underneath the stainless steel milk steaming cup, when the cup is too hot for your right hand to touch (I mean really to hot to hold), keep the steam wand in and start counting along with the pump (which sounds like a metronome in the background ... dit ... dit ... dit ... dit ...). For a semi-hot latte/mocha keep the steam wand in the milk for 30 double-dits (don't start counting until after you can non longer touch the bottom with your right hand ... "and-one, and two, and three" and so on until you get to 30 (the equivalent of 60 single dits). For hot (but still drinkable) count to 40 double-dits, and for very-hot, 50 double-dits. Anything above 60 and you risk burning the milk (which will ruin the flavor and you will need to toss it out and start over). When finished, turn the steam off, and remove the steam wand from the milk about 3-5 seconds before it finishes blowing steam (to avoid having milk sucked back up into the steam line).
g. After you steam your milk, VENT the steam wand again to remove any milk that inadvertently got sucked up into the steam wand line and prevent any from making its way into the boiler. IF milk makes its way back into the boiler unit (because you failed to vent the line after use) you will DESTROY the boiler (permanently), in that, the milk cannot be cleaned out, will burn during the next use, and every cup of milk you steam in the future will have a burnt-milk smell/flavor - yuck! DO yourself a favor and vent the steam line religiously after each use - and make sure others who use your machine know that they can ruin it if they don't do so also! (there goes $500!)
h. The bottom tray is easy to remove, empty and clean (comes apart in 3 pieces). You should empty this every 2-4 days of use because it fills up despite you not pouring liquid into it - reason is, each time you finish using the steam wand or hot water dispenser, the machine auto-vents out the line from the boiler into the bottom tray (sneaky little devil) ... so even though you don't realize it, it's filling up a little with each use. (Fun fact - the hot water dispenser can be used for instant hot water to make tea!).

6. Cleaning up.
a. I unfold a clean washcloth each time I make espresso. When you tamp down the grounds, it will help avoid damaging/scratching your counter, and will catch the spill-over grounds (there will always be some spill-over).
b. When finished, use hot water (from your kitchen sink) to rinse the espresso cup(s), milk steaming cup, portafilter and filter insert (remove the filter cup from the portafilter each time you clean them), then use another clean washcloth to set them out to dry upon.
c. The washcloth used to make espresso: fold it in half, twice (into a square), and use the hot water dispenser (on the machine) to get one corner of the square wet with hot (boiling hot) water, then fold the square into a triangle so that the boiling water corner is exposed, then fold that triangle into another triangle around the steam wand and thoroughly clean the steam wand. It will take a little time and firm pressure - make sure the wand is clean so that you don't get nasty milk residue build up on your steam wand.

7. Keeping things stocked:
a. Milk. If your family uses milk for other things (cereal, baking, etc.) and up until now you have been a '1-gallon at a time' household, it's time to go up to a 2-gallon at a time household. Trust me - once you (and others in your house) discover the delicious lattes/mochas which are quick at hand, the milk will begin to disappear quickly (my house is now a 3-gallon at a time household with 3 people regularly using the machine).
b. Keep a spare box of to-go cups/lids on hand, when you open it, order another one - it is not cost prohibitive and you never want to be out of to-go cups in the morning.
c. Keep a spare bag of coffee beans on hand - also not cost prohibitive and if you run out of beans, well, there's no reason to ever run out of beans.
d. Keep a spare bottle of your favorite syrups/sauces. If you run out, all the fun is over.

8. Quirks and tips.
a. Keep a close eye (and refill often - like every morning) the water tank in the back (you need not pull it off each time, just take a 4-cup measuring cup and refill it when it gets 1/2-way down). Reason being, the machine is not smart like a Keurig - it has no sensor telling it when the water is out and it will run itself (to its peril) dry when the water runs out - this is not particularly good for the machine or the pumps.
b. Use top quality beans - I recommend buying 1 lb. bags of Starbucks Espresso Roast beans - whole, NEVER pre-ground. WHY would you spend $600 on a coffee bar setup and then use crap beans or pre-ground (aka: not fresh) coffee? When you use top quality Starbucks beans (I have no financial interest in Starbucks by the by - so if you prefer something else like Pete's or Dutch Bros., fine - but make sure you're buying whole bean bags of their Espresso Roast). 2-4 double-shot lattes/mochas per day will go through a 1 lb. bag of beans every 1-2 weeks.
c. Transitioning to decaf beans...? Nope, not easy, nor was the machine set up for an easy transition. To transition from regular espresso beans to decaf beans you must unlock the bean hopper and remove it - then pour the regular beans into a ziplock bag, then take your vacuum cleaner (I'm not joking) and vacuum out the remaining regular beans from the grinding gear mechanism, then replace the (empty) hopper - lock it in place, then fill it with decaf beans. We did this once at my house ... and will never do it again.

I hope you enjoyed my review and it helps you make awesome lattes and mochas!

Follow up: Oct. 2019,
Still going strong. No issues with the machine to date. Still looks great, works great. Daily use, 2-3 cups a day. Thousand+ cups made. I have been cleaning it regularly and descaling about every 6 mos (not hard water area). I have cleaned the grinder once and even that was probably not necessary. I didn't find a lot of buildup on the burs. I only grind fresh roasted unflavored beans, I was kind of surprised to not find any buildup on the burs, but hey, I'm not complaining. I would definitely buy this again.

Original Review:
A fine machine for the cost. I was not sure what to expect, but this thing is nice. For a home machine it kicks out a nice cup-a-joe!
Bottom line, this is a great machine. I have tried several and so far, short of a commercial unit, this is the one to get.

Not an automatic coffee maker. You have to learn how to use it. But if you are like me and don't mind a little hands on, and a little thinking you will love this machine. If you are looking for a 'push the button and have a cup of espresso', look elsewhere. You will need to adjust and adapt to the coffee beans you choose.

Pros:
Pump is powerful. Have not had any issue getting excellent extraction.
Heater is powerful. Heats up fast and not much waiting at all for a single boiler unit. I was initially debating on getting the dual boiler unit since almost all I make is cappuccino type drinks. However, the wait for steam is only about 10-15 seconds and at this point I can't see spending the extra cash. Plenty of steam!
If you like hot milk, or lots of foam, or somewhere in the middle, you are set. Once you get the hang of the steam wand, it is no big deal to make it how you like it.
Construction is solid. Materials seem high quality and sturdy. Has a good feel.
Grinder works just fine. As long as it doesn't break, we're good. The grind is consistent. I have used store bought and fresh roasted (same day) coffees. All grind just fine and make a good cup. I don't use the pressure filter, but have tried it out on some pre-ground coffee. It does fake out a nice crema. So if you don't want to bother with fresh beans and proper grind, you can still get a nice looking cup.
It is not 'automatic' as in brainless. One still needs to get the right grind and tamp for the beans you are using, but for anyone with a tad of experience you will be proudly sipping your efforts in no time. I find the results very consistent and repeatable. Once you are dialed in for a batch of beans, you don't need to mess with it.

Cons:
Mostly nits but some may find them more annoying...
The drip tray fills up very fast and if you wait for the little 'empty me' flag you waited way too long. Prepare for a mess. Just stay on top of it.
There are lots of crevices in the drip tray that you will never get clean. OCD people will not like this, but it's nothing you see and won't affect the operation at all.
The grinder does not feed itself well. It will run dry with beans in the hopper. You have to tap it or stir the beans to get them to drop in. Not a big deal though.
It is a tad on the messy side, but I really don't see any way around this. You will have grounds and drips and stuff around the work area. Again, I don't see any way to load the filter without a bit of a mess, but just know this is not a clean freaks operation.
You will have a perpetual gob of steamed milk on the steam nozzle in the little flat area that is there to thread it together unless you scrape it out every time. It's just a little space but again, if you are the OCD type you will notice it...
The drip tray finish scratches easily. Don't expect the work surface to stay pretty long. It will show use. No harm. Just not new looking...

Wish List:
I wish it had an option for a water line and a drain tube.
I wish the finish was a little more fingerprint and scratch forgiving.

I rarely write online reviews of products I buy, but I am so impressed by this machine I must share with people who are contemplating this purchase.

BOTTOM LINE:
This is an extremely good value for the price, and I would HIGHLY recommend this machine to anyone regardless of their experience level with making espresso-based beverages. Read on for more detail...

BACKGROUND:
I am very careful when buying products in this kind of price range, and thus do a lot of research before buying. This is especially true with something you can't truly "try before you buy". I read over 100 of the reviews on this product, and although there are some complaints the major theme is very positive. I have been using the Breville daily now for almost two months and feel I understand it's pro's and con's very well.

As a coffee person, my focus is on espresso, Americano, and lattes. I was never a drip-coffee person, but I have been a hardcore Starbucks latte guy for 6 years. I have talked at length to baristas over the years to get a more technical understanding of what makes great coffee, and previously owned a fully automatic machine from Saeco (about a $600 machine). When it came time to buy a new machine, I felt that I was ready to make the jump to a semi-automatic machine.

Lastly, I come from a technology background (e.g. Apple employee) and feel that I am a good judge of design, manufacturing, user interface, etc.

DESIGN:
This is an extremely well designed product. Every little detail, from the exterior & interior packaging to the controls on the front of the machine, is very thoughtfully done, well executed, and serves its intended purpose. From the beginning you see that it is a high quality product, and Breville spent money where it matters. The materials are visually appealing as well as sturdily built, with the kind of craftsmanship and heft you would expect from a much higher priced machine. Nice touches like having the tamper store in a magnetized hole in the top of the machine, having the top surface of the machine stay warm from the boiler to keep your portafilter and coffee cup warm, and creating a hidden accessories tray in the base of the machine are signs of top notch designers. Overall, the product is relatively compact and will fit into any size kitchen situation. Lastly, the user instructions are extremely well done and very helpful - READ THEM.

PERFORMANCE:
The espresso produced is extremely consistent, and only changes as your beans age (although a pretty small difference). The water boiler heats up very quickly and you will be drawing a shot less than 2 minutes after hitting the power button (part of this time is grinding the beans). The controls are easy to use, and the movable items such as the portafilter and steamer wand are holding up well and I have zero concern about long term reliability. The steamer wand, compared to my previous Saeco, seems to create much richer milk foam, which is important for lattes and cappuccinos. There are a number of "complaints" from people on these reviews about how difficult it is to get good espresso, but I can tell you my very first shot was good and has been ever since. I think these people are creating the wrong impression, as this machine is incredibly easy to use. However, it's critically important that you read the instruction manuals FIRST to help ensure you get it right. The grind level is the only thing you really need to set, and that will be personal preference to some extent but for my beans it seems best at 4. The other thing you control is how hard to tamp the grounds in the portafilter, and I will tell you that if you give it a good strong press (I use two hands on a hard flat surface), it will be just fine. Don't overthink this machine!

BEANS:
I strongly suggest you find a local shop that roasts their beans on-site so you can have truly fresh beans. You want espresso whole beans, and they need to be 100% Arabic and NOT the "oily" kind. Otherwise, you will gum up your grinder.

CLEANING:
Terrific design makes this a breeze to clean. The water and grounds catch tray just lifts out in one piece, and you can take everything to the sink without making a mess. A quick rinse and you are ready to put it back. One thing that cannot be avoided is that some of the coffee grinds will spill out of the portafilter during the grinding process, and may even fall off the coffee maker and onto the counter (or floor). I shake the portafilter mildly while its grinding to even out the grounds to minimize the mess, but even that doesn't eliminate it completely. The other mess creator is tamping the grounds and levelling off the dose size, this will cause grounds to be spilled. Up to you how to contain this, although I just turn the dosing blade upside down and use it to scrape the grounds off my counter and into a bowl I use to catch the grounds when I level the dose. Overall it is quite minor and requires less than 5 minutes of clean-up a day.