Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine BES878BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel

I have had my Breville for 2.5 years and overall it has been a great experience. The machine is very easy to use - a beginner can make an excellent latte in minutes - but you can also play with various features to suit your particular espresso and latte style. I especially like how this machine heats up immediately - no waiting for coffee! Want it now? You got it! NEW feature - the small funnel that comes with it now keeps all the grounds in when. it comes out of the grinder so no mess - fabulous! How am I able to compare the new machine with the slightly older one? Well . . . I have been very happy with this machine . . until just recently - I cannot tell a lie - we had a rocky spell, Breville and I. But as they came thru for me I the end, I have raised my review back up to a 5. technically, due to the fact that it happened, perhaps I should have put a 4.5, but that isn't possible. What happened was my machine just stopped working. I called support and the representative did a video chat with me to try to fix it on the spot. It was great that they could run me thru the different "fixit things" to try right over the phone, but eventually it became obvious that it needed something more than advanced cleaning. They were very prompt - they sent me a box to ship it in just like a day - super fast. A couple days later they then sent an e-mail with a quote and I decided to spend the money because I really really love this machine. It wasn't cheap - but shipping was included so really not bad over all. And I wanted the professionals fixing it, not me trying this and that off of a DIY YouTube video and getting no where. So they fixed it and sent it back super fast - BUT - sadly, in their haste to get it back quickly to me, the technicians shipped it in a wet condition, and when it arrived it stunk and had rust marks on the face plate! Yikes. I was very very upset as it was not at all in that condition when I sent I to them. I had waited a couple days to send it and let the machine dry out on purpose. I can only think that it was an inexperienced technician who was trying to get it back to me super fast who made this mistake, and hopefully they are taking steps so this never happens to anyone else again! Initially they did not offer me any sort of compensation for this mistake - even tho having these blemishes was really upsetting and really spoiled the art factor of this machine - cause really - it is beautiful looking - it isn't just an old coffee maker - it is a show piece in your home! I have mine proudly on display and serve coffee to all my guests! It looks fantastic on my counter! So when they did nothing for me I wrote my review detailing what had happened and lowered my rating to a 3. And then magically, someone at Breville either listened to what I told the representatives, or saw my review or I don't know - but they suddenly did the right thing and approved a replacement machine! At no cost to me. I was ecstatic. Breville did right by me. It actually brings tears to my eyes cause I bought my original machine with money my Dad left me when he passed away. Otherwise it was really out of my price range. So thank you Breville - you warmed my heart and corrected your mistake and for that I give you 5 stars! You did the right and ethical thing. You can trust this company.

Many hours of research went in to buying this machine. Overall, I'd say it is a great value for the money. Grinder is a Baratza which is high quality. Steam wand works great once technique is figured out. Machine is intuitive to use. Size is great for all the functions it can do. Seems high quality in build size. Water tank is good size. Would recommend! An alternative to buying this is buying the Breville Bambino Plus and a separate grinder. Comes down to personal preference on this.

Our Breville Barista Pro delivers the best shot/s of espresso I've come across, at home or outside the home. I only make double shots using 16gm of ground coffee as more than that doesn't appeal to me. In Italy, an 8gm shot is the norm, never a double. But, there is the single shot basket/s that come with the Pro, but really, they don't work as well as the double shot basket. It all has to do with the shape of the basket to a large degree. We are 9 months into our use of the Pro. So far, everything is working well, though I do not use the steaming wand. Only one of us wants an occasional cappuccino so we let a separate milk foaming gadget do that chore. So, no latte art here, just great espresso! I do follow the regular maintenance as described in the owner's manual. Very important if you want the machine to performs at its best. So easy to clean the drip tray compared to previous machines we've had over the years. And the mirror polished stainless steel is easy to keep that way with regular wipe downs. The internal, Baratza grinder is fantastic and also, keep it cleaned on a monthly to bi-monthly basis using Grindz pellets. I'm not super fast, but I can have a double shot of espresso ready to enjoy in about 4 1/2 minutes from startup to finish. Not bad! As far as the coffee I use, well, I'm also a do-it-yourselfer in that regard. I roast green coffee beans to just about city roast to city roast plus. Usually my espresso beans, when finished roasting, develop just a tiny speck of oil on the surface of the bean. Nothing you would consider oily and shiny though. The resulting pull is nothing but silky, delicious espresso. I don't understand all the horror stories people have been experiencing with their purchased Barista Pro's unless they have been purchasing from shady retailers. I have nothing but praise for the Barista Pro. I will update this review occasionally to keep a running review/useage experience for all to see. Yes, I would say the Breville Batista Pro is a good value and I highly recommend it.

Lo pensé mucho para animarme a comprar una máquina como esta. Considerando que la máquina tiene 2 años de garantía (es decir, al menos debería durar eso funcionando bien), el costo por taza es menor que en un local especializado o de marca reconocida (y no necesariamente bueno) y tengo oportunidad de disfrutar de una buena taza de café todos los días. En su rango de precios, es difícil conseguir algo mejor. La Breville Barista Pro cuenta con una bomba italiana de 15 bares, un aceptable sistema de calentamiento (ThermoJet) con el cual no hay que esperar demasiado para poder preparar la primer taza de café, y un molino aceptable, considerando que viene integrado en la máquina. Es lo suficientemente automatizada para controlar las principales variables en el proceso de extracción, a la vez que lo suficientemente manual para permitir mejorar la técnica personal de preparación; antes de brincar a una máquina más profesional (y mucho más cara), si es lo que se desea. Esta máquina es un poco inconsistente durante su proceso, lo que dificulta obtener siempre los mejore resultados, pero, en este precio, creo que no se puede encontrar algo que brinde mejores resultados. Así que, para empezar, es una buena alternativa. Otra buena opción, posiblemente mejor en cuanto a la extracción, podría ser una Gaggia Classic Pro emparejada con un buen molino. Pero no me animé a tomar este camino porque, al menos en México, no vi que sea muy factible el poder hacer válida su garantía. Por lo mismo, con las máquinas Breville, hay que tener cuidado de comprarla solo si es vendida directamente por Amazon México, no Amazon EEUU por un tercero desconocido, y que no vaya a ser una máquina reacondicionada. Al recibirla, hay que registrarla en la página de Breville México; con eso te aseguras de que la garantía de tu máquina esté vigente. Para poderle sacarle el mayor provecho, esta máquina requiere un cierto nivel entendimiento de lo que se está haciendo; pero el poder disfrutar una buena taza de café cuando lo desees - y no solo una regular, por tomar café - para mi lo vale. Si ajustar varias cosas para buscar preparar el mejor café posible no es lo tuyo, te pueden venir mejor las versiones "touch" de estas máquinas, pero, si solo tomas café americano, igual te puedes quedar con una máquina de goteo y sería mucho más barato. Para poder preparar una buena taza de café se requieren 3 cosas: Un buen café en grano, un buen molino de café y una buena máquina para realizar la extracción. El molino y la máquina de extracción son suficientemente buenos para empezar a profundizar en el mundo del café, pero, si no utilizas un buen café, no tendrás buenos resultados. Para tener el mejor precio, hay que estar cazando las ofertas en Amazon. La puedes conseguir hasta en un 25% menos que su precio de lista en la página de Breville México, vendida directamente por Amazon y sin ser reacondicionada. Eso si, hay que comprar varios accesorios para tener mejores resultados.

The machine I bought was used from the Amazon warehouse. It was really scratched up, and whoever used it last did not take care of it... I suspect milk was siphoned into the boiler, because of a weird smell when making espresso. The machine itself works great! Heats up in 3 seconds, and is ready to pull a shot. Lots of adjustments can be made in the menu. I can adjust the preinfusion time, temperature and length of dose. Really great machine. The grinder is not the best. It's loud, slow and the coffee comes out lumpy. For serious coffee nerds, you will need a scale, since the grinder only grinds by time it's never consistently giving the same amount of coffee. I found dialing in the espresso kind of difficult, and sometimes the results are different even though I'm using the same beans and grind settings.

Was intimidated at first with all the pieces and learning curve to get the right grind, dose, pulling a perfect shot, and steaming the milk. After two weeks and watching some YouTube videos, it’s second nature. Pros: intuitive to use, fast heat up, makes delicious coffee! Cons: pricey, but worth it for our family of 4 coffee drinkers. So far it’s been great once we got our adjustments made with some trial and error. Highly recommend! Update: it’s been nearly 4 months since owning this machine and my barista skills have improved! Able to pull good single and double shots, everything works great, and my latte art has improved too. Orange cup is 4 months later! Note: I have since purchased leveler/tamper, new pitcher and barista cloths from Amazon.

We had a BES870XL Barista Express, purchased in 2015, replaced once under warranty, that finally gave up (due to a leaking solenoid valve that corroded the motherboard). The Barista Pro is a worthy upgrade! 1. It heats up much faster. Takes less than 5 seconds before you are ready to go. 2. The grinder is better. The grounds are much more uniform and the grinder can be adjusted more precisely. 3. It is easier to maintain. The digital screen and service reminders make it much easier to flush and descale. 4. The steam wand is so much better. The four ports and higher pressure make milk texturing way faster. What used to take closer to a minute now takes 20 seconds. The only drawback is that the ports tend to get clogged, even if you purge each time. It is easy to fix with the cleaning tool but needs to be done often. 5. I don’t really miss the analogue gauge. Between the shot timer and inspecting the espresso, it is not hard to dial up your settings. I would definitely recommend the upgrade for anyone who is considering it.

I've had an older version for the last 7 years, and it still works great, I needed one for my office so I decided to purchase a new Breville. I have no regrets it does everything my old one did except better. I look forward to my Americano's every day and my clients loves the Espressos and Cappuccinos. I even figured out how to make cool designs with the milk foam.