Breville BES860XL Barista Express Espresso Machine with Grinder

The difference is clear: espresso made from beans ground one minute ago (left) produces crema that is noticeably more rich and thick than espresso made from beans ground ten days ago (right). The verdict? Fresh beans are always preferable. Convenient hidden storage compartment for the filters and included cleaning kit. Fresh is Best In the

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(as of April 19, 2020 8:20 pm PDT - Details)
BES860XL features
Good crema from fresh beans

The difference is clear: espresso made from beans ground one minute ago (left) produces crema that is noticeably more rich and thick than espresso made from beans ground ten days ago (right). The verdict? Fresh beans are always preferable.
Good crema from fresh beans

Convenient hidden storage compartment for the filters and included cleaning kit.

Fresh is Best

In the world of coffee, freshness can be measured in seconds. By the time even five minutes has passed, ground beans have started to lose their flavor. Grinding beans every time you want fresh espresso takes time, though, and oftentimes it becomes a tradeoff between taste and convenience. The Breville Barista Express solves this problem, delivering fresh, quality espresso at remarkable speed, thanks to its integrated burr grinder. Go from beans to espresso in under a minute—all in the comfort of your own home.

Café quality espresso in your home

Espresso making is notorious for being both an art and a science, requiring you to carefully adjust each of the inputs (grind size, grind amount, etc.). But even complete beginners and aspiring baristas can pull a perfect shot from the Breville Barista Express. For beginners, it comes with two dual-wall, pressurized filters that regulate pressure and help optimize the extraction. For more experienced baristas, the Barista Express includes two single-wall, non-pressurized filters that give you more room to experiment with different grind sizes, grind amounts, and tamping pressure. As either a crash-course or a continuation study, the Barista Express gives you free rein to explore the art of espresso.

In addition to its integrated burr grinder, the Breville Barista Express has an Italian-manufactured 15 bar pump and thermocoil heating system that ensures accurate regulation of water temperature for a full-flavored espresso. A pre-brew function and flat shower head make sure that the water is optimally distributed through the coffee puck. The Barista Express also has several helpful features, such as a cup warmer on the top of the machine and a feature that removes excess water from the filter basket after coffee extraction, so the used grounds form a dry puck for quicker cleanup. Lastly, it has a stainless steel 360 degree swivel-action steam wand for lattes and cappuccinos.

For beginners and aspiring baristas alike, the Barista Express makes good espresso accessible and easy to make.

Designed with the consumer in mind

The Breville Barista Express is built from high-quality materials so the resulting machine is as sturdy as possible. No-slip feet keep the machine from sliding across the counter when the burr grinder is activated. The Barista Express is housed in a sleek stainless steel casing, making it an attractive and timeless addition to any kitchen. The entire unit is easy to clean and comes with a hideaway storage compartment for the included cleaning tools, in addition to an easily removable drip tray.

Barista Express portafilter with commercial style spouts

Hands-free filling for the portafilter directly from the integrated burr grinder
Dual wall filters, 54mm

Included dual wall filters provide excellent practice for budding baristas

Product Features

  1. Integrated conical burr grinder and half-pound bean hopper: stainless steel conical burrs optimize extraction of flavor from the bean by maximizing the surface area of the grinds. Use freshly ground beans for every shot for more full espresso flavor. Hopper has locking system for easy removal, storage and transfer of coffee beans.
  2. Grind size and grind amount selector dials: choose among grind settings from fine to coarse and adjust the amount of freshly ground espresso dosed into the filter basket.
  3. Filter size button: indicate whether you are using a single- or double-wall filter basket and the grinder will dispense the required amount of ground coffee for the appropriate filter type.
  4. 54mm tamper: for expert tamping control. With magnetized storage, but removable for easy tamping.
  5. Hands-free grinding cradle: push portafilter into cradle and freshly ground espresso will be dispensed directly into the filter. Grinder automatically stops when the indicated amount has been dispensed.
  6. 54mm stainless steel portafilter: with commercial style spouts.
  7. 67 fl. oz. removable water tank: top-fill tank with replaceable water filter to reduce impurities and scale.
  8. Volumetric control: preset 1 and 2 cup volumes, manual over-ride, or reprogrammable shot volumes.
  9. Espresso pressure gauge: monitors espresso extraction pressure.
  10. Thermocoil heating system: integrated stainless steel water coil accurately controls water temperature.
  11. Clean me light: indicates when a cleaning cycle is required. Cleaning kit included.
  12. 360-degree swivel action steam wand: for effortless milk texturing.
  13. Auto purge function: automatically adjusts water temperature after steam for optimal espresso extraction temperature.
  14. Removable drip tray: partitioned for both wet and dry spills, with ‘Empty me!’ indicator for when it’s full.
Breville

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Model Dual Boiler Barista Express Infuser
Dimensions 16.25″x15″x15″ 13.25″x12.5″x14.5″ 10.25″x12.5″x13.25″
Weight 30 lbs 23 lbs 17 lbs
Heating system Dual boilers, stainless steel Thermocoil, stainless steel Thermocoil, stainless steel
Temperature control Electronic PID (for better temperature stability) Electronic PID (for better temperature stability) Electronic PID (for better temperature stability)
Pump Dual Italian pumps 15 bar Italian pump 15 bar Italian pump
Wattage 1700W 1450W 1600W
Water tank 84 fl. oz. top-fill and rear-fill 67 fl. oz. top-fill with handle 61 fl. oz. top-fill with handle
Water filtration Yes, 1 year supply Yes, 1 filter Yes, 1 filter
Pressure gauge Yes Yes Yes
Accessories 2 x 58mm dual wall filter baskets, 2 x 58mm single wall filter baskets, 58mm integrated tamper, stainless steel milk jug, cleaning tool, cleaning disc and tables, allen key, water filter holder and filters, coffee scoop 2 x 54mm dual wall filter baskets, 2 x 54mm single wall filter baskets, 54mm integrated tamper, stainless steel milk jug, cleaning tool, cleaning disc and tables, allen key, water filter holder and filter, coffee scoop 2 x 54mm dual wall filter baskets, 2 x 54mm single wall filter baskets, 54mm integrated tamper, stainless steel milk jug, cleaning tool, cleaning disc and tables, allen key, water filter holder and filter, coffee scoop
Pre-infusion True low pressure (gradual ramp up) Triple prime (3 burst full power) True low pressure (gradual ramp up)
Volumetric control Preset, manual over-ride or reprogrammable Preset, manual over-ride or reprogrammable Preset, manual over-ride or reprogrammable
Dry puck feature? Yes Yes Yes
Auto purge? Not required Yes Yes
Steam wand 360 degree swivel, 3 hole tip 360 degree swivel, 1 hole tip 360 degree swivel, 1 hole tip
Hot water Yes, dedicated outlet No Yes, dedicated outlet
Cleaning alert Yes Yes Yes
Concealed storage tray Yes Yes Yes
Breville assist plug Yes Yes Yes
Other Over-pressure valve (OPV), actively heated group head, heat exchanger (HX), programmable extraction temps, programmable pre-infusion, backlit LCD, espresso shot clock, auto start, audio alerts (high, low, mute), drop down swivel foot .5 lb bean hopper, conical burr grinder, grind size dial, grind amount dial, hands-free grinding cradle
Housing Stainless steel; parts that come in contact with water, coffee, and milk are BPA free Stainless steel; parts that come in contact with water, coffee, and milk are BPA free Stainless steel; parts that come in contact with water, coffee, and milk are BPA free
Compare the Barista Express (BES860XL) with other Breville espresso machines

Product Features

  • Stainless steel conical burr grinder with ½lb bean hopper
  • 15 bar Italian pump
  • 1450W stainless steel thermocoil heating system
  • Adjustable grind size and grind amount settings
  • Preset, manual over-ride or re-programmable shot volumes

Comments

Wolfenhawke says:

Exceptional! I spent my Christmas 2009 reviewing expresso machines. I had just returned from a trip to Europe and finally was going to fold and get an expresso machine. I missed the expresso from Italy and France. 1oz of crema delight.So, I liked the Breville from all the reviews but was worried about some of the negativity on the “wet puck” I had read. All the reviews mentioned excellent coffee though, so it was on my short list.Then I saw the Breville BES860XL, also known as the Barista Express Programmable Expresso. From the looks you can tell this unit has exchanged the hot water dispenser for a bean grinder. This unit is a fully automatic expresso machine with the super automatic feature of grinding a pre-measure of beans for your brew. Note, it is not a super automatic machine as you still need to manually mount the portafilter into the group head, and clean the filter afterwards. This is as automatic as you will want to go if you want to really control your…

Avid Reviewer "A Music Fan" says:

An Espresso Machine For The “Beginner” or The “Aspiring Barista” The Barista Express is Breville’s newest (and most expensive) offering in its line of espresso machines (which includes the and the ). It is a semi-professional machine designated for the “aspiring barista” and the “beginner.”The major selling points of the Barista Express are:(1) patented dual-wall filters to help novices make a respectable cup of espresso without a lot of fuss. Breville has also included regular (single-walled) filters to allow a user the freedom to craft a cup of espresso like a professional barista would.(2) the integrated burr grinderA burr grinder (as opposed to a blade grinder) is ideally suited for grinding coffee beans because they generate less frictional heat than a conventional blade…

W. Straus says:

Takes some practice… I agree with most of the reviews below – but wanted to add a few words about my experience with this machine:I made a cursory read-through of the manual and having never owned a machine like this, but certainly having purchased a lot of coffee shop espressos across the globe, I thought I could jump right in and make some great drinks. Well, in part true, but I hit a point where I almost returned it. I started off with the double-wall filter and it made a very decent shot. Then I figured I try out the single wall filter. 2 weeks later and after joining the ranks of Corn-holio, I hit the jackpot.During the first 2 weeks, I went from a moderate grind and a middle grind amount to the finest setting and about 2/3 away around the grind amount dial. I even far exceeded the recommended tamping pressure. The result was always an under extracted and bitter shot. Most of the time the puck was wet on top and a bit messy to clean up. Each time I pressed the…

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