Breville Barista Express
BES870XL
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- Type
- Semi-automatic espresso with built-in grinder
- Watch out for
- Grinder duds out of the box, pump/pressure wear over years
Why it ranks here. Consistently referred to online as 'Amazon's Best Selling Espresso Machine' and the default recommendation for anyone entering home espresso. It has the largest, most sustained volume of genuine long-term owner testimonials (many citing 5-12+ years of daily use) of any machine in this category, and a huge repair/upgrade community that proves how many people actually own one.
Owners overwhelmingly praise the built-in conical burr grinder, the pressure gauge that teaches you to dial in shots, and the fact that one $500-700 machine replaces a daily café habit within months. Longevity reports are strong (10-12 years of daily use with only a thermostat or pump replacement) and it has a large support community for troubleshooting. Complaints center on the grinder being 'good but not great' compared to a standalone grinder, occasional pressure/pump issues after a few years (pressure valve, solenoid), a hopper tab that can crack, and the learning curve to get a non-sour, non-bitter shot. Several espresso purists argue a separate Bambino Plus + Baratza Encore ESP setup gives better shots for similar money, but most casual owners are extremely satisfied with the all-in-one convenience.
What owners like
- Owners repeatedly report 10-12+ years of daily use with only minor repairs like a thermostat swap
- Built-in conical burr grinder and pressure gauge let you actually learn and dial in real espresso
- Huge owner community means troubleshooting help and upgrade parts are easy to find
What owners complain about
- The grinder is 'good but not great' — some units arrive as duds and several owners eventually add a standalone grinder
- Pressure/pump issues (losing pressure, solenoid problems) and a plastic hopper tab that can crack show up after a few years
- Requires real technique — expect a learning curve before shots stop tasting sour or bitter
“I've own one for 12 years now, make between 1 and 3 coffees everyday of the year. I had to change the thermostat once, many years ago. Apart from that and a few scratches, it works like new !” — YouTube comment · @hadrianopolis1968 · 2023-01-12
6 positive · 3 mixed · 3 negative · 12 voices · ✓ all 12 linked to source
Read all 12 quotes (12 voices)
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I've own one for 12 years now, make between 1 and 3 coffees everyday of the year. I had to change the thermostat once, many years ago. Apart from that and a few scratches, it works like new !
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Had mine for little over 5 yrs. No issues so far. Can't give expert advice on quality of shot compared to other machines but I'm happy with the results I'm able to get.
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I’ve had my BBE for about six months and use it twice a day. As for features, it has everything I need and nothing I don’t. Worth every penny!
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Got the BBE in Black Truffle from Amazon on Black Friday sale. 699 USD minus 200 off for the sale. Applied for prime card and got 250 credit. Final price 249 plus tax. Love your vids. Cant wait to dial her in.
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I just purchased one of these . I am very happy with the coffee. Only gripes are the milk sticks to the wand, but I keep it in a glass of water and also it soon gets through the water in the tank .
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barista express has a huge community behind it. i have had one for over 10 years and that thing fux. I really want to upgrade but the thing just keeps going. If you get it all dialed. get scale, wdt tools, have decent filtered water, and good fresh beans and it will make better espresso than 95% cafes.
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Year 10 of owning my BBE and using twice+ a day. If you make milk drinks (lattes etc) you’ll never feel the need to upgrade. If you’re chasing perfect espresso as a standalone drink, you’ll eventually outgrow it.
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I just bought the breville express and the grinder is a dud. Seems like a videos of people with the same problem, all said that the grinding problem is it just needing to be replaced (literally first time turning it on).
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Breville Barista Express losing pressure after 3 months
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A small plastic tab on mine broke off and part of it fell directly into the grinder. I still have the other half. The machine is a little over 2 years old so it is out of warranty, but I reached out to Breville to see what they say. I do not see this as normal wear or even misuse.
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The timing for dispensing the coffee were fluctuating wildely with each 1 click variance in the grind settings... With a dose of 16.5 Gm of ground coffee in the brewing cup, the changes to the grind size made a more resonnable change in the dispensing time of the coffee.
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For $500, you can get a Breville Bambino and a Baratza Encore ESP instead.
