Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
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Our Price: $324.97 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $199.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
Customer Review: Beautiful crema and foam
Summary: 4 Stars
I was tossing up between this and the Sunbeam Cafe Crema. After reading all the reviews here and on other sites about the Breville I decided to stick with the product that seemed to get the all round thumbs up. I am impressed by this machine. Sick of dodgy cappaccino's at the cafe's near me I can proudly say I'm making better than most of the shop purchased coffee's I've been getting lately. I have used this machine only to make cappaccino as that is all I drink.
I read good coffee accounts to 50% barista technique so Google how to poor a good espresso - plenty of sites out there. It does take a bit of mucking around trying to get the grind right. If you dont have your own burl grinder, find a store that sells beans and will grind them on the spot. A fine grind will clog the filter and the coffee will not come through. Buy in small quantities to start with, ask for a medium or medium to fine grind and go from there. Tweak with how hard you tamp.
As for foaming! I find I get bubbles of air if I leave the black attachment on. I'm having much better thick glossy results with the attachment OFF. I keep the tip just on the surface of the milk until the milk doubles in size. Should take about 10-15 seconds. Then plunge the wand into the milk and swirl around until the desired temperature is reached. I bought a cheap coffee frothing thermometer which is very handy. Result is nice thick glossy foam. I have only tried with skim milk.
I think given this is a low end machine, the results are impressive. For the average home user that enjoys a nice coffee it's great. I have been so fed up with the watered rubbish I have been getting in cafe's lately and so pleased I can finally make something decent myself! It does take practice though and perserverence.
Easy to keep clean, the brushed stainless is fine with a wipe. My drip tray full indicator doesn't work but I really cant be bothered returning it just for this. It's easy to just pull out and rinse under the sink and pop back in. I think someone mentioned it was a pain to clean up. I find it so easy! For the most part I just rinse and wipe with paper towel then once a day or so when I'm doing the dishes I wash and dry properly.
Customer Review: Very capable machine - and great looks for the price!
Summary: 4 Stars
To be clear, I have the first model with the rubber steam diffuser and rigid steaming wand.
Anxious to try it out, I purchased 1/2 lb of expresso grounds at the local starbucks. Not my first choice, but they were nearbye. Filled the double insert filter, tamped it, and filled my milk pitcher while the unit was pre-heating. It takes a 60-90 seconds at least to heat if it's cold. Reheats after that don't take as long.
When the hating light went out I put the grounds in and turned the button to brew the shot. About 17-20 seconds is all it takes. Some crema, but not a ton. I suspect this has more to do with the starbucks blend than the machine, as I've tried La Prima's roasts and get more crema.
Milk steaming starts out a little slow at first, but speeeds up in about 10-15 seconds. It worked well for me, and now that I've got technique down, I get very good microbubble foam. Don't forget to let it sit and give it a good thump or two.
The machine has quicker rebound if you steam milk first and then pull a shot. This works better for me, as I make lattes and like to let the milk rest for a minute.
I've read that with any espresso machine you need to keep everything very clean, and I do that with the Breville. After each shot I rinse and wipe (you can pick up oils and grounds dust in a town after rinsing.)
As I mentioned before, the grounds you use make a differnce in the quality of the espresso. Starbucks espresso blend tasted just like what you would get in the store - acidic, a little bitter. Not much crema. My favorite local roaster in Pittsburgh, La Prima, has much more even flavor and more crema. I haven't tried others yet.
The water level is easy to read. I don't know what is wrong with the machine that "vibrate" so that the "cups walk of the tray" that some poeple have reported. My Breville does have a slight thumping when it is reheating, but aside from fealing it when I lean against the counter I don't notice any cup walk.
Also -
The cup warmer on top is useless unless it's been running all morning.
The second shot pulled is better than the first - probably because the cup is hot (it gets very hot.)
Customer Review: A few notes in response
Summary: 4 Stars
Hi - just wanted to comment on this machine, and particularly the first review that appears for it. I read this review and came very close to heeding its advice, essentially that it is impossible to keep the filters clear and functional. I went ahead and bought one anyway, and have had zero problems with the filters. I actually have other issues with it, but wanted everyone to know the filters have been fine for me. The machine comes with a little tool to unclog the holes, which I have not had to use. I have to say if I had to use that tool more than once every couple months it would really be annoying. It would take a couple minutes to clear all the filter holes, but is entirely doable if in fact your filters became clogged. I have a hunch the person who wrote that long review does not grind their coffee fine enough. I am also fairly scrupulous in keeping my filters clean, I often wash them before the coffee grounds have had time to dry, which I'm thinking helps keep the holes clear. Although many times I've left coffee grounds to dry in the machine overnight, and still no problems.
Now a few comments about what I don't love. There is a heated water indicator, and when it goes off, your water is hot enough to make coffee. My experience has been, that hot water indicator often comes back on before I've been able to fill an expresso cup (which is not much liquid!) Seems like it ought to heat more water before priming. Also, the steaming takes a little longer than I would expect for a good machine. My cheapo old steam driven espresso machines made steam faster than this thing does. It also seems to squirt water for 10-20 seconds before it begins to blow steam. The pump also functions weirdly as it makes steam, coming on in short steady bursts. It always made me wonder if it is working properly.
At any rate, very nice machine, lots of nice touches, heavy duty construction, and looks beautiful, but seems like the steaming should work a little better for the price. Wouldn't pay full retail for it, but would definitely grab one on sale.
Customer Review: Wonderful mid-price machine
Summary: 5 Stars
Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
It is a great machine to learn the finicky art of making espresso at a very reasonable price. As in all products there is a learning curve. My wife and I are not coffee experts or snobs, nor trained baristas. The difference between a brewed cup of coffee and what comes out of this machine is a delight to the palate.
The freshness of the coffee and the fineness of the grind are important. I bought a Rancillo Rocky grinder after previously grinding coffee at the store and it is important not to grind too finely as it may clog the small filter holes. The "Rocky" provides a very consistent grind which sometimes is very hard to get with a store grinder - but store ground coffee still works fine in the machine.
Tamp the coffee lightly and evenly the Breville gets its "pressure" from the two part filter, not the tamped coffee as in the more expensive machines.
I pre-heat coffee cups half-full of water in the microwave, pre-heat the espresso receptacles and the machine itself by running the empty coffee filter and holder through a short cycle. Cooling the milk in the steel mug in the freezer while everything else is getting prepared gives a great start to the frothing process.
Running the steaming wand until just steam is present before you steam the milk will provide a nice frothed milk and keep your latte or cappucino as hot as possible. Seems like a lot of work, but I see it as the prelim to a great tasting latte or espresso.
There are excellent videos on YouTube for both extracting the espresso and frothing the milk.
This is not a professional machine, but for a previous "regular" coffee drinker the lattes and cappucinos my wife and I make are quite excellent in our opinion. Some day a Rancillo machine may be in our kitchen, but until then we are having a great time with these simple to use Aussie-designed espresso makers and home ground coffee.
Customer Review: Good machine, great service, good price
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this machine in (March 06) and have been overall very pleased with my purchase. Both the espresso comes out hot, creamy, and delicious. The brushed metal design makes it an elegant addition to my kitchen and I love the durable feel. The machine warms up quickly, usually it is ready to go before I am done with prep. If I fill the filter completely with grinds, then the depleted grinds fall into the trash like brick. This is nice because I want to perserve my plumbing by not washing grinds down the sink.
As I was learning how to use my grinder (separate machine) I used a grind of coffee that was too fine (a floury consistency) and clogged my double-shot filter. At first I sent an email to their service center (askus at brevilleUSA) and never received a reply. A couple days later I called Breville (866 BREVILLE) and was surprised when a technician immediately answered the phone. If you need service I recommend calling them and make sure you have your questions and complaints prepared because you may not have time to mull them over as you wait on hold. He instructed me to soak the filter in a water/vinegar solution overnight, which fixed the problem, but then a few days later a new double-shot filter arrived in the mail. I presume the new part was in response to my email. It would have been nice if they communicated better through email but my problem was resolved twice over, with no cost to me, even though it was my fault.
I have two complaints about the machine. The most disappointing aspect is the steamer. It isn't hot enough and doesn't have the power to make a perfect latte. It also isn't pointed into the drip tray, but rather extends out the side. My second complaint is about the dossier, the thing that holds the coffee grinds. It has a sliding piece of plastic which holds the filter in place when throwing out the grinds, but the plastic is inadequate and often falls off.
Summary: Good machine that makes good coffee at a good price.