Today a look at a unique product which won
the 2013 award for best new consumer product
from the SCAA.
It’s the Barista Express from Breville.
This semi-automatic espresso machine combines
grinding and brewing in one unit.
And has some technical features typically
found only on higher end conbsumer ort prosumer
machines.
Hi Morgan and Marc here from Whole Latte Love.
When we think of companies that design espresso
machines the country think of is Italy.
While the Italians have a long tradition of
thoughtful design and craftsmanship, What
we have here is a thoroughly modern (implimentation)
of what it takes to make espresso and milk
based coffee drinks designed by Breville an
Australian company.
So what we’ve got is a grinder and espresso
machine in one unit. It turns out there’s
a lot to like here. Good design should be
pleasing to look at. But beyond aesthetics,
it’s got to work well and and be easy to
use. We think the Barista Express has what
it takes.
First, out of the box it comes with everything
you need except for some good coffee beans
and milk to make espresso and on up to all
your favorite milk based drinks including
lattes and cappuccinos.
Usually when you buy a semi-automatic espresso
machine you either already have, or will be
buying a grinder. With this machine, the grinder
is built in. And, it’s pretty darn good
with stainless steel conical burrs and 16
grind settings.
I like the hopper. it’s not large, but a
hopper isn’t the place to store beans anyway.
What’s nice, is when removed, doors close
so the beans stay put. This makes it easy
to return beans to proper storage or change
them out when switching between different
types of coffee.
Along with the 16 grind settings you have
adjustable automatic dosing for single and
double shots as well as manual dosing. just
select single or double and place the portfilter
in holder and press in once and release. The
grinder starts and then stops automatically.
The amount dosed can be finely adjusted using
the “grind amount” knob
For manual dosing press the portafilter in
and hold...the grinder will continue until
you release.
to brew just lock the portafilter into the
group head and press either the single or
double brew button. These are preset to deliver
about 1 and 2 ounces respectively. These can
be reprogammed by pressing the programing
button pressing a brew button to start and
then pressing the brew button again when desired
volume is reached.
The machine comes with 4 filter baskets: pressurized
single and double shot as well as non-pressurized
single and double shot baskets. with the pressurized
baskets, little or no tamping is needed. With
the non-pressurized baskets the machine comes
with a tamper for compressing the coffee in
the portafilter. A convenient design touch
is storage for the magnetic tamper on the
machine.
The 54mm portafilter is smaller than a standard
58mm commercial size and is made of stainless
steel.
We mentioned this machine has some brewing
features typically found on higher-end consumer
or prosumer machines. First is PID control
of brewing temps. PID results in extremely
accurate brew water temperature control. This
is an important element in producing consistent
shots.
The preset brewing temperature is user adjustable
up or down by 4 degrees Fahrenheit each way
in 2 degree increments.
The second is what Breville calls the “Dry
Puck Feature”. Typically, getting a dry
or dryer coffee puck requires the use of a
3-way solenoid valve. This valve releases
the pressure used during brewing and excess
water. The result is a relatively dry coffee
puck which is easy to knock out of the portafilter
after brewing.
The machine also has a brewing pressure gauge.
Using this you will see the machine go through
a short pre-infusion which wets the coffee
briefly with low pressure water for a fuller
extraction. During pressure brewing, the gauge
lets you know if you’re creating the right
brewing pressure for a proper espresso extraction.
It’s an aid that can help you dial in the
proper combination of grind size, coffee dose
and tamping pressure.
Another aid to brewing is the steam purge
system. After steaming milk, there is excess
steam within the boiler. On most machines,
you manually cool down the boiler after steaming
and before brewing more espresso. With the
purge system, excess steam is automatically
released internally to the drip tray so coffee
is not burnt by residual steam in the boiler
when espresso is brewed the next time.
When your ready to steam milk for a latte
or cappuccino it takes about 30 seconds for
the machine to come up to steam temp. The
steam wand is mounted on a 360 swivel joint
making it easy to position the included milk
frothing pitcher. The steam wand is a pro
style single hole giving the user complete
control of the type of froth created.
The barista express has a 2 liter/67oz water
tank. This can be filled at the machine or
removed for filling at a sink. An in the Breville
tradition of the machine coming with everything
you nedd it comes out of the box with a water
filter.
Next to the bean hopper is a cup warming surface
for pre-heating cups. The drip tray is large
and has an area which separates excess grounds
from liquids. Behind the drip tray is a hidden
tool storage tray to hold the assorted cleaning
tools that come with the machine.
The drip tray has a pop-up “Empty Me!”
tray full indicator. In the same vein is the
Clean Me light which illuminates when a cleaning
cycle is required using the included cleaning
tablets.
The machine is wrapped in a brushed stainless
steel finish and all food contact areas are
BPA free.
For me, the machine has a lot of features
you’d find on typical higher end consumer
machines. I like the built in grinder...it
certainly makes for a grinder and machine
combo that takes up less counter space.
This may sound a bit trivial, but something
that stood out to me beyond the features and
quality of the machine was the quality of
the manual. Like the labels on the machine,
it was clear, concise...easy to understand.
I know what you mean. So many we see from
other companies seem like they’ve been poorly
translated to english from another language.
It’s a little thing, but makes a big difference.
That the Breville Barista Express. I’m ___________
And I’m _______________________ from Whole
Latte Love.
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