| Brand: | Breville | ||
| Average Rating |
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The Breville 800ESXL Commercial Die Cast Designed Espresso Machine is incredibly beautiful, as well, as functional! It has a thermo block heating system, 15 bar Italian made pump, dual wall crema system, a pre-brew function and an auto-purge function (anti burn) just to name a few. This espresso machine will look gorgeous on your countertop in your kitchen. It’s a functional show piece. more info
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Used for 18 months
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve used this daily for 18 months and I’ve never had the reservoir slide out onto the tray. In fact its never budged once it was slid in place.
Coffee puck is sometimes wet, sometimes bone dry. I think it has to do with the grind of coffee I use. I don’t think it affects the flavor one way or the other.
Heating element creates hot coffee, and hot steamy milk. Coffee is too hot to drink and I like to let it set for a couple minutes.
It took me a few months to figure out how to use it though, whether its how much pressure to use to tamp the coffee, what grind to use and what brands of coffee. I also was alittle slow on the uptake on frothing the milk to a fine bubbly foam.
This is my daily coffee maker and I use the best beans I can afford and use a hand grinder to grind them. When I’m lazy I’ll pull out the store ground coffee but either way, I get a very good coffee.
DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
We loved our Breville 800ESXL until it broke down only 4 years after purchase. Breville told us there was nothing they could do for us; we could ship it to a service center and pay for repairs ourselves, but that was it. At the price we paid for this machine, it should have lasted 10-15 years at least. Spend your money somewhere else!
functional but flawed
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
If you follow the instructions, this machine will make a good espresso. If you sweat the details of your technique, you can eventually make as good an espresso as you like with it.
The machine has an annoying problem with its water reservoir, which consists of a burnished metal front attached to a cheap plastic box. The plastic box cannot form good traction with its location within the overall machine. When the machine vibrates as it extracts water through the heating element, the box will tend to wander out onto the tray where the espresso drips into the cup. I’ve figured out that if I put the cup on its saucer and push, the reservoir will stay in place long enough to complete the operation. I’m going to experiment with objects placed under the machine to tilt it slightly back, to see if gravity can cancel the tendency of the reservoir to vibrate forward, but this kind of “kluge” is more appropriate to the cheaper machines I could have selected to do the same task. I’m afraid that someone cutting costs on production of this machine cut a bit too deeply, a shame since the rest of the machine is well suited to its task and market.
Terrible product
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I consider myself an experienced espresso maker, having purchased at least 5 machines over the last 15 years and made 100s of expressos.
This machine looked good after doing internet searches but was a huge disappointment and I returned it to Amazon.
The water pressure is way to low for making quality espresso. After spending hours changing the grind and the pack, I could not make a decent espresso. Somehow they do a great job of creating a good looking crema but the taste was not there. I also did not the “wet” and messy look of the grounds at the completion of pumping. It is soupy and easily spilled on its way to the sink.
The steamer was no better. Pressure way way to low. Plus it has a strange way of coming on. Completely unacceptable.
great until pump gave out!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I LOVED this machine until the pump gave out. Hadn’t been used that much, but warranty was up. No authorized service center in my area. MAILED machine to a authorized service center that Breville provided in a list they e-mailed me. Yep, spent the time and money to mail from PA to Illinois. After 3 months of me calling them (they don’t call you) they still didn’t have the part. I contacted Breville. Breville had the part sent to service center (because I intervened). I then sent an e-mail telling them the part would be there 8/17. After 10 days I called. The nasty customer service (hence the reason I started to e-mail) said “the guy asked the guy why he didn’t put it in yet, he doesn’t know” After two more frustrating calls I told them to throw it away I would just buy a new espresso machine. I notified Breville of the service center’s conduct. No reply from Breville.
Not what I was expecting
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
After all the recommendations I read about this espresso machine, I was disappointed. I liked some of basic style of the machine, but it did not make as strong of espresso that I prefer for a latte. It had a manual on/off for pulling a shot and even doubling the volume still left it weak flavor. My old Sienna from Starbucks had an option for a double shot that was just a push of the button and it automatically shut off. Frother did not create a good amount of foam, it was barely frothy. My old Sienna had a manual knob where you could control the amount of steam but the Breville was either on or off for steam.
Also, beware of buying from Richmond Sales because if you need to return, in addition to return postage, they charge you the original shipping fee plus a 10% restocking fee. Ordering a refurbished $219 machine ended up costing me over a hundred dollars when I returned it. Being used to Amazon’s return policy and their excellent customer service, I did not read the fine print when buying from a different seller. Needles to say, I was shocked and learned a hard lesson to order only from Amazon.com.
Just Outstanding!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great product for an espresso lover! Easy to use, easy to clean… Excellent pressure, easy milk foaming. LOVE IT!
Breville 15-Bar
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve owned and used this machine daily for almost two years now. It’s a clean well made product that produces an excellent espresso. I drink only espressos and have been pleased with the ease of use and care of this machine. Works well for one or two people with enough hot water on-hand for my wife’s morning tea. Get a good quality burr grinder to dial in your taste.
Reviewing Breville 800ESXL Espresso Maker
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Reviewing Breville 800ESXL Espresso Maker
Points to make
(1) UNPLUG the machine every time, like it says in the manual! Why?
The first day I had the machine I assumed that once you turn the machine off in the front panel, it is really off.
Not so, apparently.
One lonely evening, while making love to my machine (just kidding eh!), anyway, quite near the turned off machine in a quiet evening, I could hear a very low humming sound coming from it.
Power unit or whatever, I realized the machine was not really off, and from then on I decided to follow the recommendation in the manual — which I presumed initially was only for home-safety reasons.
Obviously is not sucking the 1500 watts, but there’s still something going on inside, and it’s not a caffeinated gerbil!
(2) Vibration and Noise
IMO, it’s not noisier than other espresso makers, and it sure is a dead loser against my blender, which my neighbors are probably acquainted with.
As for vibration, I did the same as I did with my Breville coffee grinder: I placed the machine firmly on a towel folded to the appropriate thickness. That not only dampens the vibration but will soak up any water spilled in an accident.
The tank might vibrate off its place and onto the drip area? Yes, it might.
The first time it happened, it was almost funny to watch.
Because I saw many other good points in the machine and this was a minor mechanical problem asking for a mechanical solution I did the obvious: I used the original tape that came with the packaging to hold the tank in place. Using on one side is enough. I use a tank of water every two days, so no big deal. (Yes, the thing uses a lot of water, even more so if you include the after-espresso cleaning procedures)
(3) Grind.
One of the reasons I considered the Breville 800ESXL it’s because I have for some time their coffee grinder, which was an excellent choice for a burr grinder under $100 which looks nice and is a solid workhorse.
Before I bought the grinder I read reviews saying that the finest grind was not fine enough (for the reviewer, for some reason).
But now I see that, at least for me, the mid-notch in the Turkish selection in the Breville grinder has been ideal. Enough pressure, good timing and extraction, good crema, and NO clogging so far.
Rule of thumb, or fingers: if it feels like sand, it’s too thick; if it feels powdery and like flour it’s too fine; if it just stains the fingers without clumping or adhering to them, it’s closer to the ideal.
(4) A routine (mine
becomes effortless and natural for people who like preparing coffee. (If you dislike rituals, trial and errors, and want push-button coffee this machine is not for you)
Before
Give the machine some latitude. If you know that you’ll use it in ten minutes, turn it on right now. If you turn the machine on and start brewing immediately after the red light goes out, you risk not getting your coffee or hot water hot enough.
After the machine is ready (red light out), run a 10-second blank shot (holder and filter in place but no coffee), and collect the water in the coffee cup you will use. This first run warms up the filter assembly and the collected water will warm up the cup while you fill and tamp the filter with the ground coffee. When ready, dump the water and put the empty cup under the filter and start the real thing.
After
After cleaning and washing the filter assembly and filter of all wet coffee grounds, run again a 10 seconds blank shot with clear water to fine-clean the filter and avoid eventual clogging. (Do the same with the steamer in a cup filled with clean water).
It’s a good idea also to lightly clean the underside of the filter holder (the fixed part in the machine from which water drips) with a wet paper towel or cloth before running the final cleaning blank shot.
(5) Steamer. Not the greatest feature in the machine, but works just fine when you practice enough. Don’t worry, the loud high-pitched sound is NOT a feature of this or any machine
: move the pitcher, depth and angle until it stops, and the right soft sound will guide you. And go for the micro foam, not the macro foam bubbles. You will see the difference right away and it’s easy to learn to get it right. And follow the usual advice: low-fat or free-fat refrigerator-cold milk preferred.
(6) Cleaning the steamer.
As always, the drier the milk, the more difficult to clean. (So, don’t take a couple of hours enjoying your coffee, and only then come back for the cleaning!)
Soon after use, “steam” for some seconds a container with clean water. Remove the sleeve and drop it in any container with clean (or soapy) water. Wet-wipe the full extension of the nozzle clean, making sure there’s no milk crusting or remains. By following these procedures, it’s very unlikely that you are going to have any problem with the steamer or hot water.
(7) Pods.
I didn’t care much about pods, had never used them, and it was and remained completely out of my purchasing decision. Like most real coffee lovers I don’t consider pods seriously in the tradition of coffee-brewing.
But, as I’m curious about everything, and finding that my local Starbucks had a nice-looking box of 12 dark espresso pods for $4.95, why not, let’s see how this thing works.
And it did, beautifully.
My surprise is that, right in my first try, the machine performed beautifully. Quick and with no mess (and ground coffee is always messy as we all know), it came out with perfect color, crema, temperature. And it tasted at least better than the espresso you get at the Starbucks counter!
And the great thing is that Starbucks has the decaf version of the same pods. Great if I feel like having an espresso after dinner!
That does not mean of course that I will start using pods regularly. But, besides having the convenience of the decaf option for a (rare) quick late night fix, I can see the use of a pod as convenient when you wake up in a foul mood not prone to any coffee-loving rituals or patience, or you just don’t have time.
The fact is that it’s there, it’s an option, and it works.
(8) One last note about cleaning.
If you like drinking and preparing coffee, but don’t like or don’t have time to clean things and keep them clean, you have a problem.
The importance of cleaning in a machine like this cannot be overstressed. Coffee and milk are both troublemakers. Milk dries fast and adheres in layers to surfaces, corners and clogs orifices very quickly. And coffee has oils that stain and adhere to surfaces. It’s not that it looks ugly after a while, but it starts to interfere with the flavor of the coffee.
So, the attitude to follow is to make the cleaning, maintenance and keeping the hardware in prime condition, part of the process and ritual of making and enjoying coffee.
* * *
Excellent!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product is all that it’s cracked up to be. Some of the concerns expressed by others about problems with the filter and the lack of a so called “dry puck”are easily avoided with proper handling. Make sure you use the right grind, and fill the filter up to the rim and press hard. With that your puck will be dry, and your filter won’t clog. Also, the enhanced frothing attachment is unnecessary for the most part. I’m enjoying it everyday.
4 years and still going strong. Used daily!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this espresso machine for 4 years. I have made at least one cup every day and this machine is reliable and has done a wonderful job.
It does not matter weather there is a thermoblock or a brass components. My thermometer heats up past the required espresso mark. My espresso has a lot of crema. My latte’s are great, cappuccinos are foamy and the cleanup is easy. I love this machine.
More is Less! In Breville’s case, it’s way less
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
A beautifully designed machine that produces quite bad results because Breville didn’t keep it simple. Here are my 2-cents:
1. Dual wall filters are a terrible idea and does not produce silky crema. Dual walls is a cheap trick that a cheaper machine with weaker pump should have used but not this one. It does produce more foamy espresso but it is the silky crema that any powerful pump machine can produce. i hear the fix is simple. Throw away the breville filter and use single wall filters from krups. I am yet to find krups filters but i am certain it will fix.
2. Before extracting espresso, Breville produces 3-4 steam bursts before the pump takes over. This creates a watery mess inside the filter pod. It loosens the compacted coffee resulting espresso is weak, watery product. The final puck is “never” dry like it should be. This is simply over-engineering. One reviewer that you could aviod the watery mess by waiting until the 2nd or 3rd steam burst to load the filter pod — something called “cold pulling” or tech stuff like that. This is not easy and go ahead and try if you don’t mind scalding yourself perfecting this technique. This cannot be fixed and the engineer responsible for this over-engineering should be fired.
Long time breville owner
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Okay, I finally had to say my peace on this espresso maker. IT MAKES GOOD STUFF! There I said it. I have had mine for 3 years. I don’t use it daily, but when I do decide to make an Americano or a Latte it turns on and makes a great shot everytime!
I have ordered a Lapavoni MP68 double shot basket that is not a double wall like the Breville. I get great crema with the pressurized portafilter basket, but I have read several reviews of the coffeegeeks who insist that having a different basket makes this machine as good as anything out there. We’ll see.
If you want a sexy machine that makes great espresso without a huge learning curve….this is it!
Every thing made can fail, and I suspect the negative reviewers have had issues that formed thier opinion. It can happen to a $2000 machine as well. But out of the box and working as designed this thing ROCKS.
The rest is up to you and the coffee gods.
Buy it, try it….return it if it you don’t like it.
Great Machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have owned a couple machines and just love this one. I dont care what some of the other posters say it makes a great cup of espresso.
I love how the tank pulls out without having to move any tubes or other fixtures.
The only downside is that the pod basket does not seem to work very well with starbuckes pods. (Too slow) I dont use pods normaly so it was not a big deal for me.
Here is a very low carb drink that I came up with the tastes better than what you get at starbucks.
Start with 3 Oz of espresso. Use the double basket but pour out 3 Oz of espresso.
Next in a sperate container add the following
1 Oz whipping cream
1 Oz cold water
1 Tbsp of SugarFree French Vinela Coffee Mate
2 Packets of Splenda
Steam and Froth then pour into espresso. Tastes great and only has 4Carbs. Its great for a Diebetic.
The Best Customer Service
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I own the Breville 800ESXL. I have to say that Breville has the best retail customer service that I have every come across. For customer service and a manufacture that stands behind their product, I highly recommend the Breville. As far as coffee, I really enjoy the espresso made from it. It’s as good or better than Starbuck, Coffee Bean, Pete’s or any other corner retail coffee establishment.
Ignore the bad reviews; better tasting espresso than competitors
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I first bought the Breville 800ESXL over a month ago. The espresso was fantastic on my first pull because I took the time to read the directions which clearly the bad reviewers neglected to do.
I must have tried every espresso machine in town for under 4 bills. I’m a retired auto worker and I cannot afford to spend the big bucks on my coffee habit although I wouldn’t mind a superautomatic. They’re so clean and non fussy.
I returned all the trial units because their expressos were burnt tasting, watery, muddy, underextracted, over-extracted, no crema–you name it. My old $80 Mr. Coffee thermoblock pump made better tasting brews and steamed micro foam like a champ (no machine I tested could match Mr. C’s dry steam capabilities). So, the cheap Mr. C. was my benchmark. In it’s price range it is unbeatable as a started espresso machine or a step up from those nasty steamers. I know, My first espresso machine was a $20 Mr. Coffee steamer.
I loved the taste of the Breville 800 but for the price I was dissapointed by the wet steam it produced. It still foamed very well, indeed, but I returned the 800 and started my journey of buying and returning lesser models that Amazon reviewers had so kindly rated highly. For various reasons none of the models I tried could produce a decent espresso. In 4 weeks I went through 5 different whole bean varieties (Starbucks medium roast, Seattle’s Best Sumatra blend, 8 o’clock, a kona blend, and a decaf) My Cuisinart burr grinder was working overtime. They all tasted either burnt, bitter or sour no matter the grind, dose, tamp, or extraction time. Every one of them had terrible steam wands. They either smelled bad, gave too wet watery sputter rather than steam or took too long to heat the milk. The crema enhancing wands came in all shapes and sizes, all ranged from rubber, plastic to a combo of rubber and metal parts that tended to shoot off like bullets shot from a gun into the milk pitcher creating a mess. Krups, Delonghi, 2 different Hamilton Beach models ( one had a non-pressurized pf basket which I had high hopes for but not only was small but produced swill), etc. and my old Mr. C beat them all in side-by-side tests–except for the Breville 800ESXL and the Cafe Roma which I really liked but the steam wand was awkward.
So, last week, I went back to BB&B with my trusty 20% off coupon and bought the Breville 800 once more. I now know that their steam wand wasn’t half as bad as I had previously thought. The steam wasn’t as wet as the others although sometimes in a minutes time I can get about a 1/4 ounce of water vapor in a cup, far less than competitors. The 800 produces the most beautiful, long lasting reddish crema too with a deep dark, full bodied and flavorful liquor. Always sweet, never bitter dispite how I dose and tamp (lighter is better btw.
I might experiment with a non-pressurized single wall filter sold by Krups just to discover if I can improve the quality of the extraction even more. Maybe I’ll try a naked portafilter too, just for kicks. I’m about ready to start roasting my own beans too but my research has only just started.
My friend who owns the Rancilio Silvia and Rocky combo complains so much about his machine that I’ll avoid such a fussy machine until I’m ready to battle frustration again. (even the slightest humidity on the bean, temperature change, burr grinder setting, poor tamp pressure, any hiccup or angel breathing on the machine during extraction will result in a nasty extraction that he says is undrinkable) And really, after about 25 shots from the Miss Siliva I still can’t taste much of a difference between it and the delicious flavor I get from my Breville.
Only the coffee snobs claim to know the difference in subtle flavors and they invest thousands of dollars just to claim their aficionado rights. Never mind that pressurized pf’s produce fake crema, the snobs would rather drink swill from a $1000 machine than admit that the Breville espresso tastes better–every time–NOT just once in every 10 pulls… As far as I’m concerned the Breville 800ESXL gives me a God Shot nearly every time!
I’ve read over 200 reviews and watched several videos on youtube and from numerous web sites of the Breville 800ESXL before I bought it and 2/3’s of them were positive, many from long time owners that swear by their choice and say how much they love their machine as if it was a family member. Whether or not the bad reviews were about lemons or misused machines by person unfamiliar with the techology of making espresso, I don’t know for sure. But if this machine is given half a chance it will do the job as well and better than many competitors costing twice as much.
Although it’s not a super automatic it’s a very good semi-automatic choice if you don’t mind the mess from ground beans and a little water here and there. But it cleans up beautifully. I keep my machine on a shallow stainless steel baking sheet as seen used by many chefs on the Food Network (matches the machine beautifully) and it’s easy to keep the counter area clean and water/milk free. Pick one up at your local restaurant/institutional supply store or big box store. They come in various sizes to fit your needs.
Not only is the Breville nice to look at but it’s heavy and built like a tank. Although I do not know how well the enterior components are made or how long the Breville will last under daily use, I feel confident that I’ve made the correct choice right now for my budget and needs. My taste buds thank me everyday when I have a few espressos, lattes, cappuccinos or whatever dessert drink I can create!
I’m just sorry I wasted my time experimenting with the other brands.
Good Coffee… Bad Machine
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The machine makes great coffee unfortunately, it breaks quickly and fixing it is VERY EXPENSIVE.
Breville would not even talk to me, since the machine was out of warranty! Worst costumer service ever.
an espresso that does not produce espresso
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
this coffee machine more suited for making ice tea than espresso. the muddy water it produced was alot colder than it should
Breville 800ESXL Espresso machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this wonderful machine couple of weeks ago. It makes a great espresso. Some reviewers have stressed that the coffee is not hot enough, and it did happen to me also, but if you pre-warm your machine until the upper plate is hot, you will get a hot coffee, no doubt. The manual recommends to discharge one shot without coffee to warm up the inner parts of the machine. I did that too. Result: a lovely creamy hot shot. The residual water container is half so small as the fresh water container, so you need to pay attention not to let it overflow. I feel that the money was well spend.
Ricardo Sinclair, Panama
Poor Got to starbucks…it’s less expensive and thier coffee may last longer than this machine!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Poor quality. Steamer sprays streams of hot water, and after just 3 1/2 months, the machines pump went out! DO NOT BUY this machine…You WILL be sorry! There are lots of good machines out there…don’t waist your money on this one unless you want frustraction, and a big hole in your pocket! I was thinnking of using it as a paper weight…