Our Breville BES870XL Review – Whip Up Classy Coffees And Frivolous Froth

Most times, when you buy a new coffee machine, you’re looking for a way to brew authentic-tasting barista-style coffee quickly, efficiently, and in the comfort of your own home.

Buying a new coffee machine isn’t something to be taken lightly, especially if you’re looking to spend a couple of hundred dollars or more but you’re a little limited on space.

Our Breville BES870XL  review outlines how this coffee maker is pretty much a perfect solution. It allows you to brew espressos, Americanos, lattes and more with ease.

Breville BES870XL Review

The Breville BES870XL  is packed with features that take a lot of the guesswork out of making a great cup of coffee. If you’ve always wanted to play barista in your own home, but you’re a little short on space, this machine is an ideal option. Since the machine has an integrated conical burr grinder, you don’t need to worry about buying a separate device.

While this isn’t the cheapest coffee machine in its class, the BES870XL espresso machine comes with quite a selection of accessories. You get both a single cup and a two-cup single and dual wall filter basket; a 54mm stainless steel port filter and a stainless steel milk jug a coffee scoop; an integrated tamper; a water filter and holder; and cleaning kit.

 

Breville BES870XL Barista Express 

 

Meet The Breville Barista Express In Detail

You know what a difference having your beans ground perfectly can make to that end cup of coffee, right?

The Breville BES870XL  incorporates a conical burr grinder, so you can grind just the amount of coffee you need on demand.

You simply dial in the grind size you want on the easy to use, intuitive button and the coffee is then delivered right into the portafilter. There’s even a manual override. Your coffee will always taste super fresh, and the extraction of flavor and aroma is always consistent.

 

The Daily Grind

While some of us prefer coffee blistering hot, and others like it rather cooler, you don’t need to worry about working out the optimum temperature either with this machine. Your drink will be just perfect thanks to the digital temperature control (PID).

And then there’s the milk. Foam adds a touch of fun and an extra little luxury to your coffee, and the steam wand means you get the chance to get the texture of the microfoam just right. If you’ve ever fancied trying your hand at latte art, now’s your chance.

You can set this coffee maker for either single or double shots, and the hot water dispenser is also perfect if you feel like a cup of hot tea instead of coffee. Or use it to make a cup of hot chocolate or even a noodle or oatmeal snack. We also found this machine was great at making iced drinks and sweet Frappuccino beverages.

 

Keeping It Clean

Okay, we admit it, we were taken by the “Clean me” message on this machine. It can be kind of tricky to try to keep on top of coffee machine cleaning schedules along with everything else. Official guidance is that this light comes on after about 300 shots on the Breville BES870XL Barista Express. 

To make sure the equipment stays as clean as possible, we also found it was a good idea to use a little tap water to rinse the portafilter and the filter insert separately after each use, as well as the steaming cup. We also love the fact that the bottom tray splits into three pieces to make it super easy to clean. The tray needs to be emptied every 2 or 3 days of regular use.

 

Technical Aspects And Aesthetics Of The Breville Barista Express

If you need to check how much power you’ll likely use with this coffee maker, it’s helpful to know it’s a 1600 watts machine. It weighs a substantial 23 pounds after shipping. It stands 13.25 inches high by 12.5 inches wide by 15.75 inches deep.

The Breville BES870 XL Barista Express Espresso Machine is a truly lovely looking piece of kit. It has an easy-to-clean stainless steel exterior, and half the fun is in watching the beans as the grinding process moves them from the hopper to the portafilter.

 

Tips And Tricks For The Breville Espresso Machine

We all know that fresh coffee beans are essential for the best coffee, and we’d recommend filtered, fresh water too. The harder the water you’re using, the more important it is to clean the machine regularly to avoid the components getting clogged up with limescale.

While you pretty much get everything you need to get started right out of the box with this machine – apart from the coffee itself – there are a few accessories that will help you get the best out of this coffee maker. We’d suggest investing in a set of double-walled glasses designed specifically for espresso shots.

If you enjoy a touch of additional luxury, then you really should check out the great range of sauces of syrups you can buy to make your coffee even more delicious. Our current favorites are vanilla and caramel, but there are dozens out there on the market now.

Make sure you vent the steam wand to keep it operating at tip-top capacity and efficiency. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find you can produce tiny bubbles to silky, generous, frothy foam with ease. It also produces great crema.

 

Pros & Cons Of The Breville Barista Express BES870XL

 

There are thousands of reviews from happy customers out there on the Internet. Almost nine out of ten users are completely delighted with their purchase.

They speak of great crema, consistently good coffee, and beverages at just the right temperature. Once users get the grind consistency just to their liking, this also scores highly.

 

What Other Options Are There?

We love the Breville 870XL  but we also thought we’d check out a couple of alternatives. One of the best ways to make sure we’re being fair and accurate is to try out at least another two or three coffee makers.

 

Nespresso Creatista 

The Nespresso Creatista  also allows you to make and dispense authentic espresso shots.

The TFT LCD display shows you at a glance how you can easily adjust the milk temperature, the volume of coffee and mix of ingredients. This machine takes just 3 seconds to heat up and if it hasn’t been used for more than 9 minutes, then there is an energy-saving automatic off mode.

It’s also great for latte macchiatos, flat whites, and cappuccinos. Or if you’d rather whip up an iced coffee beverage, you can pour the brewed coffee over ice.

You get several different coffee options, including Ristretto, 0.5 fluid ounces; Espresso, 1.35 ounces, and Lungo, 5 ounces. The water reservoir has a capacity of 50.72 fluid ounces, and the machine measures 15.47 by 12.13 by 6.73 inches so it will fit into tight corners.

The machine has an attached milk frother, so you can practice your latte art. There are 8 texture levels and 11 different settings for milk temperature, from 133 to 169 degrees Fahrenheit (55-76 degrees Celsius). The machine heats up to the ideal brewing temperature in just 10 seconds. The steam wand has an auto-purge feature making it easy to keep clean.

This model typically ships with a Nespresso Original capsule welcome kit, a stainless steel milk jug with a specially designed pour spout and a 2-year warranty. The machine has 19 bars of pressure, meaning you get maximum flavor and aroma extraction from your coffee. It’s typically a little lower in price than the 870XL and it’s also super easy to clean.

 

Gaggia Brera 

Staying with the froth, the Gaggia Brera  is another great coffee machine to consider. Both the push-button controls and the illuminated icons on the LED display of the Gaggia Brera make brewing up a fresh-tasting coffee clear and simple.

This machine is also super easy to clean. The water tank, drip tray and dregs drawer are all easy to access from the front. The water tank has a capacity of just over 40 fluid ounces and the coffee hopper itself has a capacity of 8.8 ounces.

This machine is best for servings on the smaller side; the maximum cup size you will be able to use, in terms of height, is 4.5 inches, and the smallest is 3.25 inches. This is a super-compact machine, measuring just 12.4 inches high by 10 inches wide by 17.5 inches deep. It’s an attractive-looking coffee maker, with an easy to care for stainless steel front panel.

The Pannarello wand makes frothing cappuccinos and lattes a breeze, and you can also use the wand to dispense hot water for tea and Americanos. The Gaggia Brera is usually very slightly more expensive than the Breville 870XL, and it also ships with a one year warranty.

 

Technivorm Moccamaster 59163 KBG 

And then there’s No products found. This machine is also super easy to use: just one touch of a button allows you to brew and dispense great coffee. The hot plate has two temperatures

One of the intriguing features of this coffee maker is that there are no pumps: the machine uses a copper element. You can brew around 40 ounces of coffee, or about 10 small cups, in about 4 to 6 minutes. There is an auto shut off after 100 minutes.

Metal is a feature of this coffee maker, with its attractive brass finish. Not that brass is the only option: no matter what your décor, you’ll find a color in the extensive range to suit you.

It’s a delightfully bijou coffee maker made by Technivorm, measuring just 4 inches high by 12.75 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep, and weighs just 6 pounds after shipping. This coffee maker has a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer. It usually retails for a very little less than the Breville 870XL Espresso Machine.

 

How Do We Rate The Breville 870XL?

So, do we think buying the Breville 870 XL coffee maker  is a sensible investment? Even if you’re not the betting kind, you can just bet your bottom dollar that we do.

It looks great, it’s easy to clean and it combines a practical and effective burr grinder with an efficient brewing mechanism and great frothing options. Most of all, it makes excellent coffee. So for all those reasons, we’re giving it a hearty five stars.

 

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine 

  Last update on 2023-02-01 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.