#breville — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #breville, aggregated by home.social.
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PSA: Don't buy a #Breville #BodyZone electric blanket. The screen on mine and at least one other friend's that I know about is unreadable after just a couple of years. They don't do repairs or replace parts, and are currently trying to fob me off with a 40% discount on a new one "as a gesture of our appreciation for your patience and understanding". It's still in warranty.
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Ugh.
Here we go again.
I can't *prove* breville's support of Baratza grinders is sub par, but I have had to replace the same parts multiple times since they took over.
And to be honest, it's really freaking annoying.
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#SmartOven #Breville In August of 2023, we bought a Breville BOV950BSS Smart oven. We loved the way it cooked until earlier this month, a switch on the left side of the oven became disengaged and the oven could no longer tell when it was closed. Sigh of releif, the oven was under warranty and the company paid for it to be shipped to them. It was packaged in packing supplied by the company which included heavily fitted styrofoam for the top and bottom. The oven arrived today. Bad news next!
It was packed in bubble wrap, very little on the top end. The oven door is crooked, the left side has a large dent toward the back and the rod just above the crumb tray was bent and broken on one end. The crumb tray doesn't fit. So it's back in the box and we'll call them Monday.
Sorry, but a company that sells a $500 smart toaster oven should provide better service than this. Assuming we get this straightened out, it'll probably be my last Breville purchase. -
I uploaded my first 3D model! And in true fashion it's coffee related. I needed an adapter for a DF64 grinder to hold an Ikape metal 54mm dosing cup. I had lost the original plastic catch cup and it was going to be used with a Breville Bambino so 3D printing to the rescue! When finishing it I put a bit of vinyl fake walnut veneer in the bottom to ad contrast to the piece and match the wood accents of the grinder.
https://www.printables.com/model/1202591-df64-ikape-54mm-dosing-cup-adapter
#3DPrinting #DF64 #EspressoGear #BrevilleBambino #Breville -
Hey Canadians. The Bambino Plus from Breville just dropped to $500 ($150 off the MSRP) for the next few days, if you're in the market for this machine.
(that's just $350USD!). Fantastic price for an amazing machine.
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Making Espresso at Home
For about a year I have been making espresso based drinks at home. Coffee, and coffee based drinks, is not something I got interested in until after Covid but my appreciation of it has grown over the years to the point where I found it was better financially to make it at home than buy it daily from a local shop. In this post I am going to discuss the equipment and access
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Making Espresso at Home
For about a year I have been making espresso based drinks at home. Coffee, and coffee based drinks, is not something I got interested in until after Covid but my appreciation of it has grown over the years to the point where I found it was better financially to make it at home than buy it daily from a local shop. In this post I am going to discuss the equipment and […]
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There’s an espresso machine that’s a bit of an insider’s secret—one that many people don’t know about. In many ways, it is the secret machine in Breville’s extensive espresso brewing lineup. It’s the Breville Model #BES840XL, also known as the Breville Infuser.
Breville doesn’t market the Infuser much. It’s not pushed on vendors as a SKU to carry. You rarely see it on department store shelves. In fact, this past year, Breville even removed it from their main USA website, and transitioned the machine to an Amazon only SKU.
This borders on being a true espresso tragedy, considering its features, build quality, and price. In my opinion, the Breville Infuser could be the best machine in Breville’s lineup, with everything – including price – taken into account.
That’s a pretty big boast, I know. I hope to explain this fully below. But I also have another reason for this coverage of the Breville Infuser, and it’s time sensitive. You see, the Infuser, for as long as I’ve been aware of the machine, has never really gone on sale. At best, you could snag one for $50 off.
Well, something’s changed. If you are an Amazon Prime member, right now (and right through Amazon’s October Prime Event this 2024), the Infuser is just $350, in both the Brushed Steel version, and the Black Sesame variant. That’s $220 off the normal price, and makes it one of the best deals in espresso machines today.
Update October 8: This is one of those “snooze and you lose” deals, as the $350 unit is sold out, and the only Infusers currently on Amazon are via 3rd party sellers who are selling for between $510 and $575. The Infuser was supposed to be a Prime Days exclusive price, but leaked early. It may come back at this price over the next few days, so keep checking.
The World’s Best-Selling Espresso Machine
For over a decade, the Breville Barista Express has reigned as the most popular espresso machine on the planet. Breville keeps its sales numbers pretty secret, but I can tell you that in some years, they sold 30 Barista Express machines for every single Rancilio Silvia sold.
There are several reasons why the Barista Express is such a hit. The built-in grinder is definitely a big draw for many people, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. It has a sleek, modern design, heats up quickly, and features a PID system that offers six brewing temperatures. It also has a hot water spout, switches to steam fast (especially for a thermoblock machine), and provides strong steam power with a capable wand. Plus, the drip tray is deep, and the cup warmer actually works. There’s so much more to love about this machine, and I go into all the details in our full review.
In short, the Barista Express is the best-selling machine because it offers top-notch features and build quality at an affordable price.
If there’s one area where the Barista Express falls a bit short, it’s the grinder. While it’s not terrible, advancements in espresso grinders over the past five years have left it a bit outdated. The timer system, in particular, feels clunky compared to modern grinders with precise 0.1-second timers or built-in scales. The Barista Express’s “timer” dial jumps by several seconds, making it tough to fine-tune your espresso. Breville suggests using their Razor tool to adjust the coffee dose, but that leads to waste.
So what if you could have the Barista Express, the machine with all that excellent functionality and ability on the espresso brewing side of things, but without the built in grinder? A Barista Express you could pair up with your own, much more capable espresso-primary grinder?
Well, that’s exactly what the Breville Infuser is!
The Breville Infuser, in the (now discontinued) Piano Black finish. The current black version is more matte.Some History on the Infuser
The Infuser has a bit of a backstory: it even has a “father” machine: the “Die Cast Automatic” espresso machine, model BES820XL, released back in 2009. At the time, it was basically a grinder-less version of the first Barista Express, but neither machine was particularly impressive. This was before Breville hired Phil McKnight, who would go on to revamp their entire espresso lineup.
The BES820XL chugged along for about five years. Meanwhile, Breville introduced some game-changing machines: the Dual Boiler in 2011, and in 2013, both the updated (and still current) Barista Express and The Oracle, their fully automated espresso machine. These were all major leaps forward for the company.
Then, in early 2014, Breville quietly introduced the Infuser (model BES840XL) as a replacement for the BES820XL. It didn’t get much attention at first, but it was a solid upgrade. Initially, the Infuser came in Breville’s classic Brushed Steel finish, and later on, they offered a slick Piano Black version, which looked stunning with its shiny black finish, mirror backsplash, and drip tray. We got our hands on the Piano Black model in 2014, and it was a real beauty.
Everything the Infuser comes with, even a steam pitcher.Everything about the Infuser feels polished and well thought out. The water reservoir is easy to access and spacious, and the coated cup warming tray does its job and makes cleaning a sinch. The machine’s front panel is simple, with just four control buttons, two indicator lights, and a pressure gauge. It has an articulating steam wand and even a magnetized tamper built into the machine. Nothing feels unfinished or out of place.
The control panel is simple, easy to understand and the pressure gauge is still the bomb to this day.Under the hood, the Infuser is packed with the same brewing system, volumetric controls, pump, and electronics as the Barista Express. Since it doesn’t have a built-in grinder, it’s more compact, making it a better fit for smaller kitchen counters, The machine is only a bit wider than a Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia, yet feels spacious and can accommodate a much wider range of cup sizes.
What’s great about the Infuser is that nearly every accessory or upgrade designed for the Barista Express works with it. That means you can easily find better dispersion screens, filter baskets, tampers, portafilters, and even lever-style arms for the steam and hot water controls.
Pair the Infuser up with any of the grinders from our Best of Budget Grinders Guide, and you will have a winning combination capable of exceptional, hand crafted espresso, and a wide range of milk based espresso drinks.
These are some of the first espresso shots I pulled on the Infuser, back in 2014.The Price
One big knock against the Infuser is that some feel the price is too close to the Barista Express pricing to justify its cost. This may have been more true in the past, when the Infuser was $599, and the Barista Express was $649.
Today, the list price for the Barista Express is $699, and the Infuser is $569, or a difference of $130. For me personally, that’s enough of a discount to definitely buy it over the Express, and use that $130 (plus another $75 or so) to buy a grinder that’s 2x better than the one built into the Barista Express.
But now I come to the other main reason for this blog post. Right now, and through the next Prime Sale this October, Amazon – the only place you can buy the Infuser in the USA right now – has both the brushed steel and black models on sale for $350.
$350!!
At that price, this could very well be the best espresso machine on the planet, when price is factored in. It performs as good if not better than other sub $600 traditional espresso machines like the Gaggia, Rancilio, and Lelit offerings. It’s certainly put together in a much more polished way.
I also like the Infuser slightly better than the Bambino Plus, because unlike that machine, you do not have to run blank shots on the Infuser prior to actually pulling an espresso shot. Just let it heat up for 10 minutes, and Bob’s your uncle. Transition time to steam is around 30 seconds, which is very acceptable. And the entire machine is bigger, and does not have a drip tray so small that you have to empty it every shot pull, like the Bambino demands.
Even at $570, I think this is a machine that should be on everyone’s shortlist, especially if your goal is improving and honing your home barista skills. At $350? A no brainer. The price is so low, I bought one myself just to have as a backup machine.
https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/the-breville-infuser-the-insider-secret-espresso-machine/
#BES840XL #Breville #BrevilleInfuser #deals #espressoMachine #Infuser
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Heads up - Breville's put the Barista Express Impress (the Express model with the assisted dosing and tamper mod) on sale $200 off, at $699 on Amazon. It's actually a few dollars cheaper than the standard Barista Express right now.
Sales' only on for a few days according to the tracking info I get.
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I recently noticed our Senior Editor shared a post on Threads about Breville’s focus on automating their espresso machines over the past five years. He mentioned that the last two traditional models released by the company were the Infuser (2014) and the Barista Express (2013). I also noted the recent coverage and excitement for the new Luxe Cafe machine from Ninja, which has a lot of “barista assist” features. It seems like a super machine, but a few of the details caused a pause in my home barista mind.
As a longtime owner of the Breville Dual Boiler (which was introduced in 2011), both of these caught my attention. I love the hands-on experience my machine offers every time I use it, and I find no appeal in the automated steaming, tamping, and dosing features that Breville’s newer machines now include. So, I proposed writing this article, and Mark was more than happy to let me take it on.
What’s a Traditional Espresso Machine
I do hope this isn’t a controversial take, but here’s what I think of as a traditional, artisan craft espresso machine in 2024:
- A normal portafilter with proper single and double baskets (no crema raiders)
- Manually controlled steam system, with a steam arm that can fully articulate and a steam dial knob
- Volumetric, programmable shot buttons that can be manually controlled (or manual on/off shot buttons)
- Hot water either via a dedicated water tap, or through the steam arm
- PID temperature controls, giving easy access to setting temperatures and offsets
- A cup tray that properly warms up to keep cups warm for your drinks
- A grouphead that properly heats up, eliminating the need to run blank after blank shots to heat all the bits that touch your brewing water (this is a knock against Breville’s thermojet)
- A pressure gauge to show you your active pressures and help diagnose shot problems
- Good reservoir size, and good drip tray size.
Offer that kind of machine, and a manufacturer is in effect offering a capable tool that lets us home baristas build and hone our coffee making skills. The better we are, the better the shots will be. No hand holding from the machine: it provides the rock solid basic toolset, and we supply the rest.
Of course, there is the argument that some companies are doing this. Lelit (which is now owned by Breville), produces traditional machines, but all their machines under $1,000 range have been on the market for years, and are based on 10-15 year old technology and designs. They don’t have the polish and finnese of a Breville machine. Same goes for a lot of the other traditional Italian made machines. New “traditional” machines with more modern features and interfaces are being introduced, but they often have a high premium price point.
What I want is a new traditional machine, with 2024 technology, from a big modern manufacturer like Breville. And highkey here: priced around the same price as the Infuser or Express.
If I could go on with a bit of a wish list, my dream traditional home espresso machine would have the following:
- Entire machine is engineered to provide good recovery times between shots, relatively quick warm up times (10 minutes or less), and steady temperatures during the shot
- Ability to control and set the machine’s overpressure valve, to set your own max brewing pressure (this is a new demand, but something I think all new machines should offer)
- Relatively quick transition between steaming and brewing temperatures (this is where thermoblocks excel; perhaps a machine with a brew boiler and steam thermoblock?)
- Has a shot timer built in
- Has programmable, controllable preinfusion modes.
- Has a built in clock, and the ability to program in turn-on times in the morning (so the machine is fired up when I wake up).
It’s worth noting that none of the items above include wishes like “help me automate steaming” or “dose and tamp the coffee for me.”
Don’t get me wrong—those features are fantastic and ideal for many people who want cafe-quality drinks without having to think too much about the process. For peeps who prefer simply moving a portafilter from the grinder to the group head and letting the machine handle the rest, these automations are perfect.
But they aren’t for me.
The Hand Crafted Art of Espresso
The Breville Dual Boiler sitting on my kitchen counter is my ideal machine, and it’s been a trusty companion for years. The shot counter shows I’ve pulled 5,700 shots so far. I’ve done most of the maintenance myself — replacing o-rings, fixing leaks (thank you, YouTube!), descaling it three times, replacing the grouphead ring, cycling through baskets, and even upgrading to a naked portafilter.
The Dual Boiler checks almost all the boxes on my wish list: pressure gauge, shot timer, programmable shot buttons, solid steam pressure with a bit of control, a large reservoir, and the ability to steam and brew simultaneously. The cup tray gets toasty, and the grouphead heats up fully, thanks to its own heated PID controller.
In Breville’s lineup, there are really only two machines that match the Dual Boiler as traditional options: the Infuser and the Barista Express. And when you think about it, those two are basically the same, with the Express just having a built-in grinder. Both have been around for over a decade.
Recently, Breville introduced the Bambino, Bambino Plus, Barista Pro, and the Barista Express Impress. Some might call these traditional machines, but I don’t see them that way because they have the thermojet system (and the Express Impress and Bambino Plus automate certain barista skill things).
I appreciate a lot about Breville’s thermojet system, but the lack of grouphead heating would drive me crazy. Having to run 2 or 3 blank shots just to get the machine warmed up seems to defeat the purpose of “instant on.” It complicates the process instead of simplifying it. Although, I’ll admit, the quick switch to steaming is a nice perk.
Then there’s the new Luxe Cafe from Ninja. I was very surprised to find out you couldn’t manually control the shots of espresso on that machine: it is a fully automated process, and the only thing you can change, before pulling the shot, is the ratio (2:1, 2.5:1, or 3:1). You can’t change the dose volume either: the machine has that preset, and you just have to trust them. That puts the machine’s espresso production into a very tight, very predetermined box. No developing barista skills there.
A traditional espresso machine that handles the basics — good temperature control, strong steam power, stable temperatures, a properly heated brew group, regulated pressure, and quick recovery times — gives you a solid foundation to build your skills on. Grinding, dosing, distributing, and tamping are skills. Steaming milk to create perfect microfoam is a skill. Analyzing a shot pull, watching the timer, pressure gauge, and shot development, and making adjustments to improve it — those are all skills.
That’s what I want in a home espresso machine: something reliable that lets me hone my barista skills. The automated “barista assist” machines Breville has been focusing on for the past seven years don’t offer that environment for skill-building.
I don’t fault Breville or any other manufacturer for making espresso machines that simplify the process for coffee lovers. I think Ninja entering the premium market with a machine that can brew a good “textbook” shot of espresso right out of the gate without any real input from the home user will introduce great coffee to a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t put in the effort.
But, talking about Breville specifically, I wish they’d pay a bit more attention to the traditional espresso machine market. Their only “traditional” models are over a decade old, and one of them (the Infuser) isn’t even on their website anymore. (ed.note: We asked Breville about this, and they said the Infuser isn’t discontinued, but is now an “Amazon-only SKU” and has been removed from their website.)
As we approach 2025, it’s time for Breville to consider updating the Barista Express, preferably without moving it to their thermojet system—or at least solve the cold grouphead and cup tray issue if they do. And maybe it’s time to introduce a new, state-of-the-art traditional espresso machine designed for hands-on home baristas who want a reliable tool to perfect their espresso skills.
What do you think? Are you happy companies like Breville are putting all their focus on barista assist technologies and automating things like grinding, dosing, tamping, and milk steaming? Or do you want them to also introduce new traditional machines that let you practice the art of the home barista? I’d love to hear from you: leave a comment below!
https://coffeegeek.com/blog/technology/a-renewed-focus-on-traditional-espresso-machines/
#baristaAssist #Breville #dualBoiler #espressoMachine #luxeCafe #traditional
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Well, look at what arrived today! Breville wanted us to get a review unit so quickly, they actually raided the Mexico inventory for the new Oracle Jet to send one up to me here in Victoria, BC.
I love love LOVE that they have moved to environmentally friendly packaging. Kudos!
Going to have a lot of fun with this machine. I am borrowing an Oracle Touch to also compare it to.
cc @espresso
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Last night, was setting up the bar area for both a photoshoot later today, and also a small focus group coming over to test these budget espresso machines. Missing from the pic: a Flair Neo Flex $100 manual, portable espresso maker.
Should be... fun? :)
cc @espresso
#espresso #espressomachine #gaggia #breville #budgetespresso
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Today is the last day for the huge Breville sale in the USA on all their Barista Line machines, and the Bambino Plus. All are 20% off, until Midnight EDT time tonight. So if you've been on the fence, time to make the click or pass the deal.
We've detailed each machine up on offer, showing the benefits and detriments.
cc @espresso
#espresso #breville #espressomachine
https://coffeegeek.com/blog/deals/brevilles-biggest-sale-on-espresso-machines/
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Yesterday I wrote that the Bambino Plus still doesn't come with a water filter, even in its latest iteration.
Turns out that is true (along with the Bambino) for the North American variants of the machine. The Sage Bambino and Bambino Plus, along with some select Asian market Breville Bambino and Bambino Plus machines, do come with a water filter included.
I'd like to see Breville add this to the N. American variants.
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After my post about the #Breville Dual Boiler not being on sale in the US... I got a private message pointing out it IS ON SALE in Canada, for $1899 CAD, which is actually cheaper than the current US price ($1599USD, which is $2,185 CAD).
So if you are looking for the Dual Boiler, and happen to be in #Canada, the deal is on at one of the lowest prices in some time. the Dual Boiler almost never goes on sale.
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A reminder - just over a week left on the big sale Breville currently has on all their Barista line of espresso machines, and the Bambino Plus, with all at 20% off. It ends May 13.
I wrote up the sale, and which machines have the best features for the kind of espresso (and milk based drinks) you want in the home.
cc @espresso
#espresso #breville #espressomachines
https://coffeegeek.com/blog/deals/brevilles-biggest-sale-on-espresso-machines/
