Breville Barista Express BES860

All the tools and care but no consistency – I followed all instructions and coffee handling and storage but never once got a consistent quality coffee out of the machine. In the end sold it for half the price out of frustration. I recommend an automatic machine as an alternative Show details

Worst machine ever – Within the first month, it starts to over heat. Second month, it gets to 122c. Cost me $1600. Worst machine that I have ever brought. When I wake up I have to try and get it to temperature, otherwise it wont work. Word of advice NEVER BUY A BREVILLE COFFEE MACHINE. They break and quickly. Breville, it's time for consumer affairs to look into this.

2nd upgrade on 860 to 870 & now BEP920 – Hi, We had an 860 silver model and it performed reasonably well, though the doser dial switch was useless, And way too much coffee was wasted, even after sending for an initial service complaint about it. Anyway the boiler went bung after three and a half years and would not steam enough to do anything at all. Luckily enough we paid extra for 4… Read more ·  1

years warranty, The service centre that handled it were very good , and in two weeks had a brand new upgraded black 870 on our doorstep, This machine works well in all facets and will give it heaps again to see how it performs over the next 5 years.

Update to Feb; 2020, This Black beauty hasn't missed a beat in 4 years, regularly decalcifying the MC. We roast our own beans at 500 gms at a time and don't use the oily beans for fear of the grinder clogging up, which it hasn't. It probably pushes out 5+ coffees per day/ 7 days a week.

Update for November 2020, the BES870 sprung a serious water leak under group head pressure at the rear of the MC 4 years after purchase and it had a 5 year extended warranty. I Took the replacement option and upgraded the dollar value to the latest BEP920 - 2200 watt, semi auto dual boiler upgraded model. ( HAPPY CHAPPY ) Tip;. Take out the extended warranty to a max of 5yrs ( but it's now only repair, not repair or replace, Ins; Co; finally woke up ?? ) We Still make 5-8 cups of coffee per day.

Thanks breville

Almost perfect for the average home user – The Barista express is a clever invention with both a grinder and espresso machine in one. Positives: For the normal home user, it produces fine espresso and froths at a consistent and moderate speed. Relatively cheap considering you have both grinder and espresso machine, allowing home users to have freshly ground beans every time. The… Read more

programming feature is a little bonus on a home machine like this.

Negatives: Thermocoil PID is a little inconsistent, always run a fair bit of water first before extraction to ensure its really ready to go.

The drip tray size is also way too small, it fills up after 4-5 cups are made, annoying having to empty it often.

Grinder is the biggest issue for me. I prefer lighter roasted beans, however have found that my machine doesn't share my liking. Using lightly roasted beans, the grinder jamms and makes a horrific metal banging noise. E.g. Market Lane's seasonal espresso, Small Batch's Candyman. These refuse to grind in the grinder at the finer setting required for a single wall filter.

Other than that, it is a nice little machine to have at home, away from the La Marzocco from work and does its job for the price quite well!

It's good for the Average User! – Ok so i got this for a steal, Really good staff price as it's now clearance stock. So i love the Machine i had some $120 Espresso machine before this one that didnt give a crema at all so this one is A++ on that. So the good is as follows in detail as always :) #1 Machine grinds hard beans very well. Cant say the same for soft ones seems… Read more

to be hit and miss, Some are thik grind some are thin, no matter what the dial setting Instead we just use Pre grinded bags.

#2 The Steamer is fast to froth milk, Very fast infact. from first switch on to done is Around 32 Seconds for me. @ 45c i like a colder Coffee.

#3 The Drip tray is amazing, has plenty of room and only requires emptying after about 30 coffiees which you get an indication lever that pops up in yellow to alert you.

#4 Setting up is wonderfull and very easy

#5 If you steam first It decompresses the Chamber before makign the Coffee which fi you ever owned a smaller cheaper Machine this is a great feature to have.

#6 It makes a good coffee if you can set it up properly as you can easily over cook the coffee. Just do some googling on how to cook the perfect cup and be prepares to make about 10 cups getting it right :)

The not so Good Review

#1 The bad, They could of put a bit more thaught into the Steamer Dial and made it a button to be honest.

#2 The gage on the front is absolutly pointless and offers no actually guide to what makes a good coffee or not and it fogs up.

#3 It turnes it self off which i dont mind but turning back on is an Issue as it Takes 45Seconds to warm up and the only indication is a flashing light that looks like it's malfunctionin and goes solid when ready, which at 5am you dont even notice and end up mashing the botton to start.

#4 You cant find replacement parts anywhere, Our local Harvey norman dont see the cleaning tablets, water filters, spares or anything like that. Called the Manufaturer and they said contact the place of sales :| I gave up.

#5 The maching sometimes freraks out and wont make a coffee actls like it's blocked? Rare but it has happened.

#6 It takes up a huge amoutn of bench space, imagine two toasters side by side and stacked on top of each other.

Summery::

Over all we are happy, The amount of Coffee's this machine has made so far has already saves us over $500 from buying coffee elsewhere. (we use to go next door to buy them)

For us works out to be $3.11 per Cup. cpmpared to the $5:50 at the shop

As for should you buy one? Yes You should the small issues are minor in my Opinion, Soem people have issues Some dont, but you will get this with Any machine. Just keep in ming Sub $1000 coffee Machine are not made to last 20 years!

Would i Pay RRP? No way! If you can get this for Under $400 Do it, if not Honestly look elsewhere. Shiney, Overflow tray, Single and Double basket, heavy duty Puck, Solid Machine No warning light on low water level, Hit and Miss coffee. Large, Cup warmer is Hopless, Grinder is hit and miss.

Dont think just get it! – This sucker has saved me about $1000 this month alone! seriously, a 2x coffee a day habit hit the hip pocket and fast. Once I got this, the biggest decision is choosing the beans. The machine is sold, creates good pressure and if you follow the online instructions, frothing the milk is easy. Show details

Use this machine every day – purchased from the good guys and this machine works perfectly. I enjoy making my coffee every morning. Works perfectly with the beans bought from aldi on grid setting number 5. I find this machine doesnt work well with some other beans purchased from woolies such as the organic range. I don't buy coffees anymore and this machine has saved me alot of money Show details

Love it – Love this machine. Makes great coffee consistently. I love making my coffee in the mornings. Once you learn how to dial in your beans, you'll have great coffee every time. Great for amateur, at home coffee lovers. Show details

Brand spanking new and doesn't work!! – Tried calling the customer service number numerous times of the day and no answer! Have raised a customer service ticket onlne and haven't heard a peep! For what I thought was a very reputable company it is very disappointing!! BUYER BEWARE...DO NOT PURCHASE ITEMS MADE FROM THIS COMPANY....IF IT BREAKS DOWN YOU CAN KISS YOUR MONEY GOODBYE!! I'm going to take this further with fair trading to at least get a response from the company. Show details

Save your money and just buy coffee from a cafe every day – After 1 year the pressure stopped working producing a rubbish weak coffee. Had it repaired by one of Beville’s registers technicians and it worked well for about 2 weeks and is now back to being rubbish again with the same issues. Breville won’t answer their help lines or respond to emails so save your time and money and buy something from Kmart,… Read more

it will probably last longer, or just buy from your cafe every day at least they’re reliable. Honestly done with Breville and all their shi++y appliances. Not to mention it’s so noisy, and slow, shakes the windows when I use it.

Best coffee making machine even still after 5 years – Very consistent coffee, need to change settings a bit with different brand beans , saved a lot of money buying bitter tasting coffee over the years and the smell of fresh beans is great Show details ·  1

Bloody ripper – This would have to be the best coffee machine ever. Perfect coffee every time. Perfect temperature all the time. Kids love the leftover milky froth. Easy to clean, and looks great. Show details

Cannot live without it now – The machine is super easy to use and clean. I love waking up and making my fresh coffee every morning. I now no longer buy coffee out as nothing compares. Show details

Well worth every dollar – The breville coffee machine was recommended by a friend and I must say it is the best coffee machine I have owned. Easy to operate and maintain, the milk frother does a perfect job everytime I can't fault it. The only problem I have with mine is that the clean light won't turn off even after cleaning. Otherwise it's perfect. Show details

Great machine! Never had any issues – The machine is fantastic and the various items are easy to use (grinder, group head and steam wand). It is highly customisable where you can play with output size of the grind, time the water runs through the group head, temperature is the water etc. Would highly highly recommend for anyone wanting to make espresso shots at home. I would… Read more

recommend googling how to use an espresso machine and understanding the level of work involved to get a good espresso. This is by no fault of the machine, it is a science making an espresso.

There are many variables (freshness of coffee beans, grind size, qty of ground coffee, how hard you tamper it etc etc) which affect the quality of the coffee. This can be frustrating to get right.

Amazing coffee machine! – We have had this machine for five years now and it has been amazing. It consistently gets used almost every single day and has given us much-needed energy potion on countless mornings. Never had any issues, thank you Breville for making a fantastic product! Absolutely worth it! Show details

Great machine – Bought this machine in 2011. Used it every day at home for a few years & then took it into my workplace for the past 4 years. I would estimate it's made well over 20,000 coffees so far. The group head seal has just gone but it's only a $15 part with easy fitting. Great machine, never expected it to last this long considering the amount of use it… Read more

has had since taking it to work. Get good beans and you'll have great coffee for years to come. Highly recommend this machine.

Make the perfect coffee at home – I love using this coffee machine every day at home . The quality of coffee produced by this machine is amazing . Just buy quality coffee beans and make the best coffee with this machine at home .  Show details

love ittttt no regrets – such an amazing machine , awesome in size . saved myself $3500 a year buying coffee aha , because now I make it myself at home with this awesome machine . gone buy another one for my mom .  Show details

Cafe quality coffee at home – Such a great machine, takes a bit of tinkering to get right. But once fiddled with, every shot is perfection. Strong pressure on the steam wand too, so can enjoy velvet textured milk in a flat white at home. While working at home, this has been a real saviour.  Show details

Love this machine – The best home coffee machine ever. Once you find the right bean for the flavour you like this machine makes the best cappuccino at hone . I am by no means a coffee expert but I haven’t had a bad coffee from this machine. Brilliant  Show details

Good and easy to operate – We had this coffee machine for about 1.5 years , it is very easy to operate and makes good coffee with very nice and thick crema. However, it has started leaking water.  Show details

In love – Been using this coffee machine for about 2 years and I can't live without it. I've used it everyday and has never played up on me, always high quality coffees made at home Show details