Breville Barista Express BES870 (Viking's Review) [Coffee Machine]

[RedViking]

Coffee Machine:
Bought here: home.co.za walk-in-store. Waited 2-3 Weeks.
Price: R10,000

Other Goodies:

53mm Coffee Distributor: Amazon
Digital 500G/0.05G Pocket Scale: Takealot
Caffenu Cleaning Tablets: Takealot
Microfibre Drying Mat: mr price home
Microfibre Swabs: mr price home
Regent Stoneware Cappucino Cup: deco-vie


Breville Barista Express Review:
My previous machine was a Breville Cafe Venezia, the baby Breville. So the Barista Express is quite an upgrade as it comes with a built in grinder, 53mm porta filter and single/double wall baskets.

Here is a side by side photo:


A Quick Look:
My first cup I poured (without all the extra goodies and after fiddling with the settings and grind a bit) wasn't too bad, although running a bit fast. The coffee beans I had was also far from fresh and not nice at all.
But after experimenting with different beans, from local coffee roasters, Woolworths and online shops, my favourite beans ended up being from Terbodore. I found with the poor quality coffee beans you have to also set the grind much finer to get a better result, and with the good beans there is much more room for grace and perfection. So if you struggle with getting good results, start with the beans, and preferable not older than a couple of weeks from the roasting date. Woolworths beans just don't cut it.
The steamwand is powerful for such a "small" machine, but it does take a minute or two depending on the temperature of the milk before texturing (room temp or straight out of fridge). However I get nearly just as good results as on a commercial machine, of course with a massive™ time difference.
The grinder is not always very consistent, but still gives good results to make a good cup. So extraction times might differ 2-4 seconds. This might be a deal breaker for some.

In the following post I'll take a closer look.....

 

[RedViking]

A Closer Look:

NB: This review is based using only the double filter single wall basket and good quality coffee.

Build Quality, Looks and Price:


The machine feels solid, doesn't move when being operated and looks great. The shell is mostly high quality plastic lined with a brushed stainless steel metal of sorts. I don't mind the plastic frame internals, as here at the coast any cheap metal will rust. Only time well tell how much stainless steel is in the brushed metal finish and if itis truly stainless steel.
The grind settings knob and the steamer knob on the sides I feel could do with a better quality feel and adjustment.
The rest of the buttons at the front and when activating the grinder feels fine and looks nice with the LED finishes.
The steamwand is similar to the entry level Cafe Venezia, moves and rotes without issue, cleans easily and gets the job done.
The 53mm portafilter is mostly well built and solid but has a plastic lining on the inside where the basket goes. The baskets are good quality. It comes with 4 baskets, single/double shot and single/dual wall. You will only really need to use the Double Single Wall Baskets, because that is how I roll. If you still a noob, you can start with the Double Dual Wall Basket, but move onto the single wall basket quickly.
The machine only comes with a 1-year warranty. That is bummer.

I'll give build quality a 4/5 for the machine and 3/5 for the portafilter.

Water container:
The water container is big and you can make a bunch of cups. It has a filter that needs replacement every couple of month, and seeing that you can only get them from @ home , they are pricey.
I have no complaints for the container itself and the capacity. But I will subtract a point for the filters that are not easily available. 4/5

On a side note, it would have been great if there was a warning light when it reaches a specific level and needs refilling.

Grinder:


The grinder has two places you can change the settings, on the side of the machine with easy access knob dialer (not sure what you call that) and inside when you remove the bean hopper. I have the inside setting on 1 or 2, and then make all the adjustments on the knob dialer on the side which is usually on a 5-8. The grinder has no issue getting the coarseness you need for a 25-35 second extraction. I do wish it had a finer stepping to get that in between grind. I do find using the same amount of coffee, coarseness and tamping will still yield a 2-4 second difference between cups. This is not a big deal as I work on weight, rather than timing.

There are various factors that influence the grinding and timing inconsistencies and can be controlled with a bit of effort from an experienced home barista and some extra tools, but I believe with some improvements in the hopper this can be sorted or reduced to a 1-2 second difference between cups. One of the big reasons is the beans you put in gets stuck between the hopper and the grinder, another reason is the power of the motor and then lastly the settings and what is keeping the grind setting from adjusting, my opinion anyways.

The best and easiest way to adjust the grinder is while it is running and then adjust it to the setting you want.

So due to the inconsistency in grinding I will give it a 4/5 for a somewhat experienced self proclaimed barist. But if an inexperienced person uses it, 3/5.

Tamper:

The tamper (picture on the left) is okay and works. But it is not great. It is all plastic, has no weight and terrible grip. Myself, I can use it and get great results. For a beginner and don't think it is the best design. They went with style and easy storage, rather than being practical. 2/5

As soon as possible get a good , solid, tamper. They not cheap, specially for odd sizes like 53mm and range between R500-R800. Checkout online coffee shop

I make use of a distributor tool and then firm tamp. I really recommend this pro or beginner. You can also get them locally, although it worked out cheaper through amazon.

Extraction and Pressure:


I will need A LOT more time to talk about the extractions settings, options and timing. I will go into more depth later. I can however say the machine has all the right settings to be able to get the results you need and pull a 25-35 second shot. You also have FULL control over the timing by holding in the button to get manual start stop control. You can also program the timing if that is what you want to do. I just use manual mode and a scale.
It heats up within a couple of seconds ready to use.
For a 15-bar pump the pressure is not bad and gets the job done. I would like to compare it to something like the Gaggia Classic Pro or the Rancillio, but considering you are only paying R10 000 for a machine with built in grinder, I will give it 4/5.


Will get back to this in a later post.


Milk Steamer/Frothing/Texturing:

For these type of machines the milk frother works great. I have no complaints. It has enough pressure to make a good cup. The machine also comes with the perfect size jug to match the pressure of the pump and can pour a cappuccino sized cup. You can not use a bigger jug, it will take forever. There are some really nice prosumer machines out there, but nothing in this price category. You next step will be the Rancillio V6 at around at 11-13K and then you still need a good grinder at around 4-6K. Then you still need all the tools of the trade. And even then, you might end up with the same results.

If you are a beginner, milk frothing is one of the biggest challenges you are going to need to learn and the machine does not have the magic to make it easier. 10% machine, 90% skill.

As I know what to expect and how to use it. I will give the steaming a 5/5.

Drip Tray ,Cleaning and Maintenance:

Man, the drip tray is awesome and works great. You can also make a bunch of cups before you need to empty it. It cleans easily with a brush and has a "empty me" sign when it gets too full. It also separates the wasted ground coffee from the water.
The machine also has a warning light and maintenance mode for cleaning and descaling. Read the manual on how to access it on your machine. One is to clean the group head and flushing system. You can get affordable cleaning tables from Takealot and to descale you can make your own solution, just google coffee machine descaling home mixture. Or you can get the recommended Breville approved solutions from @ home at a premium price.

5/5 from me for the drip tray and how easy it is to clean.

The End Result:

Well, what more can I say at this stage. See for yourself



There are some optional items you can get. But I will cover this in a later post.

 

[RedViking]

Conclusion:

If I only have R10 000 to spend, will I buy it again. Definitely.

My only concern with Breville is that you rely on @ Home for spares and after sale support. And they can be SLOW at times. Here I would not blame the Breville machine, but rather the local distributor (TFG) they chose to use. It took @ home a couple of weeks just to send a machine from another shop to the local branch.

But as for the machine, I don't think for the price you will get anything better and spares seems to be available. With a bit of practice you can make a good espresso, americano or latte. It is easy to clean or maintain and has been around for many many years with little change in design.

It is fairly compact and looks nice. In fact, I would even say it is portable enough to take with on holiday , consider leaving one of the kids at home if you tight on space of course.

If you are looking for a fully automated experience, quick cup of coffee, this is not the machine for you.

To appreciate it you need to LOVE coffee and LOVE making coffee.

If you already own a good grinder or If you have a R15-20K budget for a machine and grinder to stay on your counter, I would definitely consider the Rancillio V6 with PID.

 

[heartbroken]

Looking forward to the rest of the review. I have the Cafe Venezia, it's an awesome little machine, but the quality does vary a lot, depending on how awake I am when operating.

 

[RedViking]

Looking forward to the rest of the review. I have the Cafe Venezia, it's an awesome little machine, but the quality does vary a lot, depending on how awake I am when operating.

Rest of review posted. See #2

 

[SauRoNZA]

I find the difference in grind settings doesn’t relate so much to the origin of the beans but rather whether they are medium, medium/dark, dark as I need to adjust mine ever so slightly to compensate.

Currently running the Mac Espresso from Terbodore but it leans a little bit to the dark side and I reckon their This Is Africa is still my favourite.

 

[heartbroken]

Damn @RedViking, that is a proper review, thanks. That setup you have looks insane!

I am seriously considering one as a gift to myself for my birthday, although after reading your review I might need a lot more practice, until then my little Cafe Venezia will have to do.

 

[RedViking]

Damn @RedViking, that is a proper review, thanks. That setup you have looks insane!

I am seriously considering one as a gift to myself for my birthday, although after reading your review I might need a lot more practice, until then my little Cafe Venezia will have to do.

Honestly man, that Cafe Venezia is awesome for what it is. If mine didn't completely packed up I would still be using it. It was very old but worked hard. Opened it up a couple of times to clean out the pipes. But the corrosion and rust got too bad. But yeah, great machine to practice with. It also travelled with me to the Midlands on holidays.

And it made a good cup.


It is nice however to have a better grinder and be able to use single wall filters and get the extraction time and flavours I want.

With the Cafe Venezia (or actually any Dual Wall basket, barista express as well) it is always more or less the same timing and running pretty fast for my taste. And no point in using a 5K grinder with it as the dual wall baskets will usually have the same amount coming out anyways.

 

[Johnatan56]

Thanks for the review, was looking at this product on Amazon last weekend, wanted to get this but at $1000 including import, don't think it's worth doing it here, looking for something that I can deliver in Austria at about that price range (and that's sold out on Amazon.de).

EDIT (well not really, haven't posted as left the page open):
Found this: https://www.sageappliances.com/eu/de/products/espresso/bes875.html

So that's the new version.
700 EUR (~R12k), quite tempted, will see how finances look in two weeks.

 

[RedViking]

I find the difference in grind settings doesn’t relate so much to the origin of the beans but rather whether they are medium, medium/dark, dark as I need to adjust mine ever so slightly to compensate.

Currently running the Mac Espresso from Terbodore but it leans a little bit to the dark side and I reckon their This Is Africa is still my favourite.

I used to like Dark. But started appreciating the flavours of medium, medium to light more over time. This Is Africa is still slightly dark but .

I think also it is not so much to origin of the beans but the freshness. The stuff on the shelves can sometimes be months old, and they don't put the roasting date, only expiry. So when I say "cheap" coffee, I guess it is not only the price, but the freshness that matter the most. I am sure if I could grab a freshly roasted Woolworths Kilimanjaro it would be awesome... but not here in Zululand.

 

[RedViking]

Thanks for the review, was looking at this product on Amazon last weekend, wanted to get this but at $1000 including import, don't think it's worth doing it here, looking for something that I can deliver in Austria at about that price range (and that's sold out on Amazon.de).

EDIT (well not really, haven't posted as left the page open):
Found this: https://www.sageappliances.com/eu/de/products/espresso/bes875.html
View attachment 1058177
So that's the new version.
700 EUR (~R12k), quite tempted, will see how finances look in two weeks.

Sage looks just as great to be honest if not exactly the same. Same brand different name anyways? I would buy it if there is after sales support..

 

[Johnatan56]

Sage looks just as great to be honest if not exactly the same. Same brand different name anyways? I would buy it if there is after sales support..

It is the same, they have the rights to sell it here I think, since Breville site linked me to it.

 

[RedViking]

It is the same, they have the rights to sell it here I think, since Breville site linked me to it.

Go for it. Just note these machines do take effort and some skill to get everything right. (sorry, I don't know what your experience is with coffee machines) I could imagine someone not used to coffee making getting very frustrated and thinking the machine is the problem. Would love to post a detailed post on how I make coffee and how every step can effect the timing and extraction etc.

 

[Johnatan56]

Go for it. Just note these machines do take effort and some skill to get everything right. (sorry, I don't know what your experience is with coffee machines) I could imagine someone not used to coffee making getting very frustrated and thinking the machine is the problem. Would love to post a detailed post on how I make coffee and how every step can effect the timing and extraction etc.

Just need to learn milk frothing, I used to drink only espressos with a proper machine.
Don't mind it as a hobby, and milk is not that expensive, so all good, looking forward to it.

 

[Tim_vb]

I bought the barista express and almost had instant buyers regret thinking of the 8k (at the time) had spent on my machine. One month into lockdown and its was the best 10k I could have spent, although my latte art still sucks

 

[RedViking]

I bought the barista express and almost had instant buyers regret thinking of the 8k (at the time) had spent on my machine. One month into lockdown and its was the best 10k I could have spent, although my latte art still sucks

post your results here:

Coffee Making, Latte Art, Barista Skills

You know you have that perfect silky texture when you can see some reflections in it. I took a sip, you want some? Hashtag iSuckAtHearts

mybroadband.co.za

We can then judge you and help you become a better snob.

 

[backstreetboy]

Thanks can't wait for part 3 and your detailed coffee making post. Will either have to get this or service my Delonghi later this year.

 

[AchmatK]

Need to retire my 8 year old bean to cup machine. Only issue is that I will need to be the one making the coffee as it will not be a one touch operation if I get this.

It's either this or a Delonghi primadonna.

 

[RedViking]

Thanks can't wait for part 3 and your detailed coffee making post. Will either have to get this or service my Delonghi later this year.

If it can still do well for a couple of years with a service that is affordable, then I would first do that if you are happy with the machine.

My Breville Cafe Venezia made no economical sense to fix or further maintain. So I was either going to buy another one that was on sale, or upgrade my home barista experience as the dual wall filters didn't do it for me anymore. I am now glad I went with the Barista Express instead of another Cafe Venezia. Some time in the future I would like to go for a Prosumer machine, but they are between 20-40K.

So I think my needs and reason to buy it might be different for other that just want another coffee machine.

 

[RedViking]

Need to retire my 8 year old bean to cup machine. Only issue is that I will need to be the one making the coffee as it will not be a one touch operation if I get this.

It's either this or a Delonghi primadonna.

I think if you are used and happy with a bean to cup, a semi automatic experience will be completely different. The one is focused on getting a good cup to take and drink. The other one is to enjoy the making of a cup and getting to enjoy the skills and effort you have put in. But it has that extra to it, effort. So it will either frustrate you or it will encourage you to go down that bottomle$$ pit of coffee making and barista skills.