It was never a childhood dream to become a barista one.
But some weird and coincidental events happened that eventually made me one.
To tell you the truth, even though I’ve been addicted to coffee since childhood, I’ve never realized how much delicate details were involved in making a latte fit for a king.
From the quality of the beans to the type of grinder used, then from the espresso machine to the quality of the milk froth. And there are so many minute details that happen between them that I haven’t mention.
But what’s stopping most coffee lovers from having their own lattes from the comfort of home is not the lack of a Starbucks located at a walking distance from home.
It is the lack of a proper espresso machine at home.
It’s not that these things are so scarce that archeologists are searching for them in the pyramids of Egypt. They can be found in a lot of places.
It’s just that the good ones are exclusively found in cafes… because they cost thousands of dollars.
There is no way a regular household is going to spend $15,000 on an espresso machine. And what about the grinder and steaming wand?
But the silver lining is that the posh ones found in cafes are heavy duty equipment meant for commercial use. They are required to do so because they could be brewing hundreds of cups of coffee a day for patrons.
This high capacity is one big reason why they cost so much.
So what about a great espresso machine that’s meant for the house and don’t brew as much coffee as a cafe bar?
Well there is the Breville BES870BSXL which consist of a grinder, espresso maker, and steam wand.
Slickly named The Barista Express, I knew I had to give it a run the moment I laid eyes on it.
Build quality
This is a gorgeous and high-tech looking piece of equipment that you wouldn’t look out of place on board the international space station.
It is housed in a stainless steel chassis.
If you don’t like that stainless steel look, there is also the option of black or red color.
Measuring approximately 13 inches wide, 16 inches in height, and 12.5 inches in depth, this is considerably bigger than most household espresso makers you can find in the market.
For me, this size makes it look stronger and more sturdy that those espresso machines that actually look like regular coffee machines.
Probably in part because it weighs 23 pounds.
The position and design style of the buttons and the pressure gauge give it a look informing people that it should be taken seriously.
It feels premium to the touch compared to other competing machines. Sort of like how an iPhone or flagship phone from Samsung feels like compared to cheap smart phones from China.
Features
From an end-user point of view, there are four main components of the barista express.
- Grinder
- Water pressure
- Group head and portafilter
- Steam wand
Let’s look at each of them, then round up the rest of the components.
Grinder
If you have a little background with baristaring, you would be glad that this is a burr grinder instead of one that uses a blade.
Blade grinders work just like throwing a basketball into a turbine fans. It slashes everything into bits with no mercy.
Burr grinders uses a system consisting of two parts that move closer or further apart as coffee beans pass through them to control the space available.
This action is what crushes the beans to eventually grind them into powdery form.
Burr grinders also comes with two common types.
- Flat
- Conical
Flat ones tend to produce inconsistent doses of coffee ground while conical ones are known to be more dependable in terms of consistency.
If you ask any barista who knows his or her stuff, there is little doubt that conical burr grinders are the grinders of choice for brewing consistency.
What’s the grinder of Breville BES870BSXL?
Conical burr.
Water pressure
The water pressure of an espresso machines plays a critical role in making a cup of joe.
Otherwise all that is needed is to pour hot water over coffee ground over a sieve or pack the grounded coffee beans in a tea bag and put it in a cup.
While I know of coffee drinkers who consume their coffee this way, it is not what we are after here.
I would like to go into the specifics of how water pressure makes a difference in coffee brewing. But that is just too much science that would bore you.
After all what a homeowner would need to know about lighting is that it comes on and goes off with a flip of a switch. There is no need to understand electrical currents to enjoy the convenient of lighting.
What you do need to know about water pressure regarding this product is that Breville has got that covered for buyers of the BES870BSXL model.
The water pressure gauge has a grey zone indicating when it is ready.
When the needle points to any area of the grey zone, it means that the home barista can start infusing the shot of espresso.
If you don’t want to do this manually, the machine can be programmed to automatically infuse when a particular pressure level is attained.
This means that you can hook up the portafilter to the group head after grinding and leave the smart machine to do the rest.
Group head and portafilter
The main concerns with the portafilter is how well made it is. For the group head, it’s about how wall it locks in the portafilter.
The portaflter that comes with the barista express is made of high-grade stainless steel that is undeniably heat resistant.
Not that the metal parts will will cool after the coffee is dispensed. But it can withstand the high heat with no problems.
It comes with 2 sizes of baskets.
The handle is well insulated and no warmer than the handle of frying pan when cooking.
From my testing, the group head also locks in nicely with the portafilter with no noticeable leaks.
As the espresso trickled down the portafilter, I’m surprised to how accurate a shot (1 ounce) is when dispensing 1 single shot of espresso.
I’m even more surprised that when ordered to make 2 shots of espresso, both shots were pretty accurate and evenly dispensed.
If you would like to manually control this process, the software will also allow you to override it and takeover the controls.
Steam wand
The steam wand is what you use to froth the milk.
It requires skill and practice to consistently produce nicely frothed milk. It is also one of the fun parts of making a latte.
Those who have never used one before should practice caution when trying it for the first time.
Get a wet cloth ready to grab the wand when required.
BI have no doubt that anyone who has a passion for good coffee would be able to acquire the basics of milk frothing with a little practice.
The good thing is that with the barista express, you will have one at home to practice as much as you like… whenever you like.
I can only say that after using it a few times, I have absolutely no issues to complain about it.
It can twist and swivel 360 degrees.
It does it’s job.
If you’d like to sidestep this step completely, Breville does have an accompanying product, the BMF600 Milk Frother that will froth the milk for you.
I just feel that a milk frother just takes the fun out of making coffee. But I can understand if people find that the frother will save them a lot of time and heartache.
Other features
After water is heated up by the 1600w thermo coil heating system, a purge function automatically controls water temperature to maintain the optimal conditions for espresso brewing.
The water in turn is stored in a 67oz (2 liter) water tank. That is a lot of espresso one can make.
The tank is easily removable for cleaning and even comes with a handle for good measure.
The space between the drip tray and portafiler (when attached to the group head) is tall enough for mugs, glass, and tumblers.
This makes it possible to dispense your espressos directly into your glassware and is especially useful when making mixed drinks like flavored lattes.
If you have the tendency to spill drinks, the drip tray even has the awareness to tell you it needs to be emptied.
Just how it can tell you, with indicator lights, when it needs to be cleaned. The cleaning guide is of course included in the user manual that comes with the product.
This products comes with a cleaning kit, by the way.
It’s even smart enough to turn itself off after an extended time of not being in use.
Using the barista express
This machine has 5 buttons and 1 dial located along the top area of it’s face.
From left to right, they are:
- Power
- Grind amount dial
- Filter size
- Program
- 1 cup
- 2 cup
The power button turns the machine on and off.
The grind amount controls the dose of coffee ground you want to grinder to produce.
The filter size tell the machine whether you are making 1 or 2 servings of espresso.
The program button enables the user to adjust presets and save them to memory.
The 1 cup and 2 cup button commands the machine to make the amount of espresso. Together with the program button, it helps a user set up the preset settings.
Making a cup of coffee
To start using it, first fill up the water tank with water and press the power button.
The indicator light on the power button will start blinking telling you of it’s heating status.
When the machine has warmed up and water temperature has reached the desired level, the power button stops flashing. Instead all buttons will illuminate with indicator lights.
This shows that it is ready for action.
While it is not a necessary step, I recommend that users flush the machine before making that first cup of coffee.
Flushing basically means to run the water through the system and pipes so as to clear any debris inside.
There are 3 parts to flush.
- Group head
- Steam wand
- Hot water dispenser
To flush the group head, press the 2 cup button to allow hot water to run through it. Do this a couple of times.
To flush the steaming wand, position and point it towards the drop tray and turn the Steam/Hot water dial located at the side the the machine to the steam position. Let it run for 5 to 10 seconds. Do this twice.
To flush the hot water outlet, turn the Steam/Hot water dial to hot water and let it run for 5 to 10 seconds. Do this twice.
Now we are ready.
Set the coffee grind size with the grind size selector dial located at the side of the machine. A lower number results in finer grind size, and the higher the number the coarser.
I recommend setting it to 5 and them adjust accordingly to your taste as you use it over time.
After setting the grind size, the next step is to set the grind amount with the grind amount dial.
Again, just like grind size, I recommend to go with the neutral level which in this case is 3. Then adjust it accordingly as you get more familiar with the product.
Once the ground is collected in the portafilter basket, level and pack it tightly with the tamper that comes with the machine.
Then lock the portafilter to the group head and press the 1 cup button.
This is for a 1 cup serving. You could of course do a double shot by pressing the 2 cup button.
The bean hopper opens easily to input and extract coffee beans, the ground was excellent, and the espresso and crema dispensed has a quality that meets my expectations.
Time to froth the milk.
The steam wand is made to cater for home makers. It’s not as powerful as what high end espresso machines use probably because it does not incorporate a boiler. This enables the user to be more consistent in frothing good quality milk without needing extraordinary skills and experience.
The drawback is that it’s a slower process as it lacks the power baristas are used to. But why would you need all that power when you are just making a nice coffee from the comfort for home.
Overall the steam wand worked well with little trouble, and the drip tray is easy to clean.
Finally pour the milk using the meta pitcher that comes with the product into the cup of espresso, and we have a latte.
And with a 1 year warranty, what’s there not to like about the barista express.
Should you buy the Breville BES870BSXL barista express?
What’s really amazing with this machine is that it has a price point that is a fraction of it’s closest and most comparable competitors.
But I cannot see this espresso machine holding up for long when put under the stress of tens of espressos a day, let alone hundreds.
This means that this item belongs in the house. The kitchen counter table to be exact.
It might be able to stay alive and in tip top shape in a cafeteria that don’t take a lot of latte or cappuccino order, provided it is cleaned and maintained everyday.
It should also be able to play a small critical role in restaurants with the occasional orders for coffee.
For busier cafes, surely you must be using something more industrial in the first place.
Otherwise, if your initial intention was to buy one for the house, I can honestly say that this is a premium product that will be all you need to have premium coffee at home.
That is assuming you buy premium freshly roasted coffee beans. If only Breville throw in some of that too. 😀