Breville Die-Cast Espresso Machine (Refurbished) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this about 2 years now, and I've used it extensively. For the price its about the best one I've seen. I use this one in my office, and I have an older Rancilio Sivia (similar to Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine - New 2009 Model V3) at home which is WAY better than this, but in a whole different price range.
With the Breville, my complaints are *NOT* regarding the coffee that it makes, which is quite good. My complaints are all about the operation of the machine, which is just OK. The double walled portafilter basket is really a poor design. (That's the one that came with mine and its the only one I've used with this machine). It looks like a regular basket on the inside (with lots of little holes), but the coffee comes through a single pinhole opening on the underside of the basket. The two walls can't be separated, so its impossible to clean the inner part of the basket - I hate to think what that thing looks like on the inside where you can't clean!
Another annoyance is that the portafilter retains lots of liquid. I can pull a decent shot with it, but when I remove the portafilter, about half an oz. of liquid pours out as soon as I break the seal. (This is even true without the basket in place). The grounds are very soupy and don't "pop" cleanly out of the portafilter, which makes clean up messy.
Pros:
-- Well-constructed, still works like new after 2 years of daily use. I think it will last a long time.
-- Nice looking!
-- Excellent value for the money
-- Warms up quickly, I can get a decent shot in minutes.
-- Steam is pretty good, and available quickly
Cons:
-- Poor basket design (I think you can replace the basket; at the time I bought mine that wasn't available)
-- Hard to clean
-- Grounds are wet and messy after pulling your shot
As with any espresso machine, if you aren't using properly ground, good beans, then you will never consistently make good espresso. If this is your first machine, don't expect the coffee to be great until you learn the proper grind and tamping pressure. You might go through a couple of pounds of coffee before you get consistently good results. It think thats true for ANY espresso machine.
All in all, I would buy this again. I doubt you can do better for the price.

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