** Please note. I am in no way affiliated with or receiving anything from Breville for this. This is just from my personal experience. **
In December 2024, I used a Breville Barista Express at the ball my friend was hosting to make over 50 lattes for the guests. The machine was not designed for that kind of volume, but it handled it like a champ. I was still able to make great drinks, though it was a little slow.
After the ball, I was gifted the Breville. I’ve never been a big fan of lattes, so when I took it home, I primarily used it to make americanos every morning. Previously I’d been using my AeroPress (which I love). The Breville made my morning coffee so simple. It takes mere moments to get my first cup of coffee in the morning, and it makes me very happy.
I understand that dialing in your personal preferences can be difficult, if you aren’t experienced with making espresso drinks, but I’ve been working as a barista, in addition to roasting for my customers, for over two years. The minimum dose setting for a double espresso is 18g, which is what I’ve been using in my coffee shop.
The grinder setting was easy to adjust, when I needed to, but since my friend is an avid coffee drinker, she had already dialed it in close to what I like. We tend to drink similar roasts, which means the grind will be similar. I only had an issue when I brewed some decaf in it that was a little older.
I just got the cleaning indicator light, and I have yet to get the descaling light. I do use water filtered with my ZeroWater filter system, which is probably why it hasn’t had to be descaled. The cleaning process is pretty easy, and only takes about 5 minutes to accomplish.
It is a little bulky for a coffee machine, but considering it has the grinder built in, and while I haven’t weighed the grounds to check the accuracy, the coffee that is brewed does taste good. I am in need of performing a side-by-side comparison between my AeroPress and the Breville to see if the quality is close, though I know there will be slight differences due to the difference in processes.
My only real complaint is that steaming milk takes too long. I’m not much of a latte drinker, and I’m a little spoiled by using a commercial espresso machine for almost three years in the shop. The Breville does a fine job steaming the milk, it just takes a few minutes to accomplish that, and you can’t steam milk while the machine is brewing the espresso.
Overall, I’ve been highly impressed with this machine. It makes a quick, easy, and delicious cup of coffee at home for a reasonable price. A lot of the technology is similar to what is in higher end machines, that are at a much higher price point, which makes the Breville Barista Express a great entry level home use espresso machine, that also has a built in grinder.