Comments on: Breville 800esxl Commercial 15-Bar Triple-Priming Die-Cast Espresso Machine

By: Helen

Helen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:07:18 +0000

I note some people are having trouble with the texture of the coffee grounds. I use coffee grounds and have no trouble because I always look at the pkt and when I see a picture of an espresso machine I know it will be suitable. Vittoria makes a very nice coffee but make sure you buy the one for espresso machines. I prefer Harris Espresso Ground Coffee in the green pack it is a strong coffee but oh so nice!

By: Helen

Helen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:58:51 +0000

I bought my Breville 800 machine about 6 months ago. I had had 2 of a different brand previously and this is by far the best. I can’t fault it and my coffee looks and tastes better than the bought drink. I have the froth down to a fine art now and never have a failure. Thankyou Breville!

By: Tuggie

Tuggie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:37:26 +0000

My machine has stopped making steam, it sprays water but not steam, any clues? The coffee has never been hot, we have to zap it for 1 min to get it up to temp.

Thanks in advance.

Tuggie

By: Rick C

Rick C — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:03:17 +0000

To Brand new user:
As a rule, I suggest timing the shot to about 25 to 30 seconds. The time begins when you push the coffee/espresso button (you’ll hear the pump start the triple prime cycle) and it ends at 25 to 30 seconds. You must push the button again to stop the extraction or you’ll over-extract. You can always add more water later if you want an Americano. The same time applies for a single shot basket or a double shot basket (1 spoon/7 grams or 2 spoons/14 grams of coffee grounds). I used to weigh my grounds but the spoon that comes with the 800esxl works well. I tamp with just enough pressure to ensure no voids in the puck, and do so evenly with a slight polishing half twist. Brush off any excess grounds on the pf (portafilter) so as to make a good tight seal. Run about 5 secs. of hot water through the group head prior to inserting the pf. This will assure that the water temp is optimum. There, you’re ready to push the button and time your shot.

Also, I use the typical heavy 2 oz shot glass like most coffee houses use. It has a line at the 1 1/2 oz mark where I usually stop extraction despite how much time has passed. Some persons stop the extraction at 1 ounce while others at two. Soon you’ll judge your shots by volume rather than time.

For straight espressos you might let the shot rest for a minute or two to let the crema settle and the flavors mingle. A slightly cooler espresso will taste better and it allows the mouth and nose to experience all the flavor characteristics that the little cup of heaven has to offer. However, if you are drinking a latte you wouldn want to let the espresso cool I suppose. For my lattes I use a 9 oz Bodum insulated glass, 3 ounces of espresso and top it off with steamed milk. The tongue-searing heat is retained for at least 5 minutes.
Good luck with your Breville. I really like mine. And it makes a great cup of espresso. But for an even better espresso experience try to get the freshest most recently roasted beans available. Typical store bought coffee beans are 6 months old. Never buy pre-ground or grind all the beans at once at the store because air makes coffee stale (skunky) quickly. Grind just before using. Only buy what you will use up in 1 week. Store in an air tight container, glass if possible with a latch catch lid for a tight seal. And please use a good burr grinder–not one of those lawn mower blade types. Hope these few suggestions help. If not then read up or better yet watch videos on youtube for helpful hints from how to brew that perfect shot of espresso to roasting your own green coffee beans. Good cupping to you….

By: brand new user

brand new user — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:03:16 +0000

I just recieved the Breville 800ESXL. It is the first espresso machine I have owned so I am very new to all of it. I am wondering how much ground espresso I use to make one shot of espresso (I want to make a latte). I put a tablesppon of ground espresso in the 1 cup filter and it made a lot of espresso. Do I just put the dial to standby as soon as I have 1 shot?? Am I wasting a lot of ground espresso if I did that? Any advice is appreciated…thanks!

By: Rick C

Rick C — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:12:52 +0000

There’s an exception to every rule. Throw enough money at something and sooner or later you’ll find a $3000 machine with a great grinder. But I prefer the semi-automatics and the choice to choose the grinder I prefer, not letting that decision up to the marketing department/and accountants of the manufacturer. And I stand by my assertion that most superautomatic machines have cheap grinders. Most are worthless to the true barista. Personal experience and reading the many reviews tell me that espresso aficionados tend to agree with me. The grinder is often more important than the machine if you want a great espresso shot. Simply. There can be no compromises. Cheap grinders produce cheap espresso. Superautomatics are nice for the lazy or those in a hurry, or can’t figure out a real espresso machine, or those that don’t want to take the art of making the perfect expresso to the Nth degree (never heard about a superautomatic that made a God Shot–that is only culled by using the freshest beans, a very good grinder, proper tamping pressure which varies with the grind and the bean, and the skill practiced by the barista. You cannot call yourself a barista if you use a superautomatic (and many couldn’t care less, of course, they just want to make the best drink that button pushing can produce). You’re a technician, plain and simple. SA’s cannot produce the perfect microfoam for latte art either. But as for the grinder, the bin for beans on the Solis Master 5000 is flat, so the beans won’t flow properly. So you have to lift the lid and push the beans over the hole to the grinder. Solis dropped the ball on that feature… Many complaints about that issue. But the machine does produce consistently good drinks. I’m NOT crazy about the espresso though. Sometimes sour or bitter and the crema blondes too quickly for my tastes. But dessert drinks are what SA’s are all about anyway. I don’t disagree entirely with the premise that a superautomatic will produce a good consistent espresso when new but as time passes those grinder burrs will dull (I don’t think that they’re ceramic). Oily gunk will clog the grinder as well. Cleaning an a daily basis will prevent most problems but who does that? We just dump the beans, grind, watch the cup fill and go about our merry way. We get in a hurry after we’ve had the machine and little cleaning duties are ignored maybe for too long and then one day the grinder fails or burns out from stress. How easy is it to replace it? Then how much to replace it? The Solis has been around for awhile and I dare say it’s beautiful to look at. But for my money I’d put the investment in a Silvia and a Rocky, until upgraditis hits me again… So many great machines too little cash.

By: John Abbott

John Abbott — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:59:26 +0000

I respectfully disagree. I have a Solis Master 5000 that has a built in burr grinder that produces a perfect grind each and every time. Our Breville accepts grounds from our Zassenhaus 169DG without complaint as well as our new Masser Mini Espresso Mill.

By: Rick C

Rick C — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:07:49 +0000

Williams-Sonoma sells the new Breville Programmable Espresso Maker with Integrated Burr Grinder for about $600. It has a 1450W power rating. I think that the above article confuses features and functions of the 800esxl and the programmable unit. The programmable also features a dry puck function and it includes a non-pressurized filter in addition to the ppf. Honestly, I’d rather choose my own grinder. Take note, the Rancilio Rocky grinder (considered by many a medium priced grinder) that doses directly into the filter basket costs nearly as much as the suggested retail price of the Breville 800esxl. Espresso aficionados all agree that the grinder is almost as important as the espresso maker. Many more think that the grinder is more important than the maker. Having said that, IMO, including a grinder on an espresso machine at all merely assigns it to automobile hood ornament status–it’s just for show and serves no useful purpose….

By: Rick C

Rick C — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:36:13 +0000

For those persons concerned with the pressurized portafilter system there is an alternative fix. Also, I read that Breville is working on a new non-pressurized filter accessory too. I bought this machine December 2, ‘09 with the intention to purchase a non-pressurized filter from Krups. Several customer reviewers (Kelvin Wong & Gavin Olds)on the Coffeegeek website were kind enough to have included a web link to those sites and the parts number. Krups has one for $7.98 plus S&H but the site shows not picture of the filter and I cannot testify that it’s an exact fit but heard that it’s very close. At BB&B I tried other Krups ppf filters and a few fit perfectly in the pf. Other machines with non-ppf filters didn’t fit at all. So, buyer beware….

By: Danny

Danny — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:49:32 +0000

Is it possible that you are using a slightly finer grind of coffee than before and it is slipping through the perforations? Or has any damage been done to the filter basket widening any of the perforations. One other possibility is that over time grinds have found their way between the double wall and are being foced out the bottom.