Breville BES870XL Review

Why choose Breville BES870XL over other espresso machines?

As you may discover in this Breville BES870XL review, Breville Barista Express comes with technical advantages other espresso machines simply do not have. Those include, but are not limited to, the digital temperature control function (PID) which controls the temperature of water. PID keeps it at a constant, perfect temperature needed to make creamy, great quality espresso.

In my opinion, Breville BES870XL is light years ahead of its competitors. I tried to compare Breville BES870XL to its older version BES860XL, and found that the  the most recent version has made substantial improvements:

• Robust functionality that allows users to brew phenomenal espresso, cappuccino, lattes, tea and americano
• Excellent feature set that allows users to control more aspects of the brewing process (temperature, strength)
• Integrated burr grinder to ensure freshly ground coffee for much better and richer flavor
• A redesigned, well-performing bean hopper in the grinder

Who is Breville BES870XL perfect for?

In my opinion, this espresso machine will most likely ignite the interest of those who are truly passionate about good coffee. Specifically those who love strong, high-end coffee, and who pride themselves in perfect coffee brewing.

I feel that Breville BES870XL Barista Express is perfect for those who are looking for an espresso machine that has any or all of the following characteristics:

✓ Flexible and multi-functional coffee brewing (espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, lattes and americano)

✓ High-performing coffee machine to brew top quality coffee

✓ Ability to froth milk for cappuccino or latte

✓ Larger coffee maker that should fit well in a mansion, larger home or larger kitchen space

✓ Families and individuals who value a strong brand

✓ Would like to feel like a professional barista

Who is Breville BES870XL NOT perfect for?

I am trying to be impartial and provide an honest assessment in the Breville BES870XL review. Though Breville Barista Express is one of the top espresso machines available in the market, this model may not be perfect for everyone:

✗ Small kitchen spaces or small home

✗ Lightweight or compact appliance

✗ Low budget

✗ Not paying attention to coffee flavor or quality

✗ Small kitchen space

✗ Simple and easy to use

✗ Necessity to learn how to be Barista

Breville BES870XL Review and Evaluation 🕵️

→ Appearance

When I first saw it, I was visually stunned. I love Breville BES870XL Barista’s sleek and elegant design. The model is available in three different colors: Stainless Steel, Cranberry Red and Black Sesame. Personally, I love the simple look of the Stainless Steel model, but it seems that most people prefer to purchase the red and black designs, as these appear to be out of stock most of the time.

The machine has a luxurious look that gives any kitchen an extra touch of professionalism and efficiency. It is made mostly of solid metal and stainless-steel. With its weight of about 23 pounds, it is, by no means, the lightest appliance. I would not want to lift it or move it around more than a couple of times a year. If I gave it as as a gift to my grandmother or aunt, I would not want them to lift it at all.

The size is also not small comparing to other espresso machines: 13.2 x 12.5 x 15.8 inches. My kitchen space is not the largest. I was able to find a nice and permanent counter space for my Breville BES870XL Barista Express. I think this espresso machine would best fit into larger kitchen spaces (in larger apartments, houses and mansions).

Breville BES870XL comes with a massive 67oz removable water reservoir. It is located at the back of the machine, but I found it easily accessible. I was able to remove it by pulling the handle upwards. You will learn more about this later in the Breville BES870XL review.

→ Features and technical specs

In this Breville BES870XL review, I want to emphasize how much I love all the little touches and detailed thinking that went into this espresso machine; from the magnetic tamper and the integrated burr grinder with dose-control grinding, to precision technologies like the PID (digital temperature control) and the auto shut-off function.

After I have bought the Breville Barista Express, all I needed to buy next were coffee beans. The machine came with all other tools and accessories such as the grinder, the tamper head and the milk frothing pitcher.

Voltage: Breville BES870XL Barista Express coffee maker is made for 120V, and can be used in Canada and the US only.

Basket size: The size of the coffee basket is 54 mm, and the machine comes with two pressurized and two unpressurized baskets (single and double dose).

Beverage size: I was really happy with the variety and flexibility Breville BES870XL Barista Express offers. It seems that the machine provides a variety of beverage sizes thanks to its adjustable shot programming feature. The machine has 1 shot and 2 shot buttons that I was able to program to deliver between 1 ounce and 6 ounces of coffee in one pull. The amount of water that can pass through the group head was limited so that the optimum espresso temperature could be sustained.

Weight: Breville BES870XL Barista Express weights about 23 pounds, which makes it heavy to handle. It is not the type of coffee machine I wanted to move around too often. If I were to make any recommendations, it would likely be best to find a permanent spot for this beauty.

Unit size: With a size of 13.2 x 12.5 x 15.8 inches, the Breville BES870XL Barista Express has a nice, average size. There are smaller espresso machines out there, of course, but most of them will not have the qualities and will not come with the feature set this Breville machine has.

Water reservoir: Breville BES870XL Barista Express came with a massive 68oz removable water reservoir. It was located on the back side of the machine. The tank had a handle that made it easy to pull the tank up for cleaning or refilling. The tank came with a replaceable water filter. The water tank would burn if I used the machine without water in the tank. I found it critical to refill regularly.

Additional perks: This espresso machine made me feel like a barista. Before starting, I took the time to learn how to use the machine at its full potential. In the end, my coffee looked great and yielded unbelievable taste. These are some of the features that make this espresso machine attractive:

✓ Breville BES870XL brews coffee at perfect temperatures at all times thanks to the digital temperature control (PID). PID monitors any fluctuations between coffee grounds during extraction, and adjusts to keep temperature at its optimal range, at all times. This in turn ensures that coffee is brewed smoothly and evenly.

✓ Brevile BES870XL Barista Express is not just a regular espresso machine. It makes some of the most delicious lattes, cappuccinos, americano and even tea. The stainless steel in a milk frother is a nice accent.

✓ Breville BES870XL yielded some of the freshest coffee I have had in years due to an on-demand canonical burr grinder. Unlike DGB-900BC, Breville’s integrated conical burr grinder worked seamlessly for me. It delivered the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the portafilter for my preferred taste with any roast of bean.

✓ The grinder came with a simple and intuitive dose-control functioning. It gave me control over the grind size, for more delicious coffee.

As noted before in the Breville Barista Express Review, the machine comes with one of the largest removable water reservoirs that I have ever seen: 68oz. There are many other functions, tools, features and accessories. They are endless, but some of the most important ones include the following: auto shut-off, clean me light, automated cleaning cycle, cleaning tools, razor dose trimming tool, stainless steel port filter, 1- and 2-cup single and dual wall filter baskets, coffee scoop, , magnetic tamper, stainless steel milk jug, cleaning disc and tablets, cleaning brush,water filter holder and water filter.

There is a LOT. I spent hours going through the user guide.

→ Performance

Brewing time: Of course, the brewing time depended on the cup size I selected. In my experience, the machine took longer to deliver 6 ounces of coffee than it took to deliver 1 ounce. However, I was really impressed with the machine’s efficiency. It delivered coffee in no more than 1 minute.

Flavor: When I had my first sip from Breville BES870XL, I was in heaven. My coffee was light years ahead of what I had had before. No matter the cup size, I expected rich, flavorful coffee. The Breville BES870XL Barista Express went beyond my expectations. It offered high quality espresso thanks to the PID technology (digital temperature control), one of the main features of this machine.

Temperature: In my tests, Breville BES870XL delivered water at precisely the right temperature (around 192 F degrees), ensuring optimal espresso extraction. The temperature is right in between what the temperature should be (190 – 196 F degrees). I think that the digital temperature control (PID) technology detected and minimized any fluctuation during extraction, ensuring the temperature was kept at its optimum range, every time.

Milk frother: I was quite impressed with the milk frother that came with Breville Barista Express. The 360 degrees swivel action steam wand delivered beautiful, rich milk micro-foam that adds an extra layer of delicious taste to the coffee. As I said before, I felt like a real barista and try your hand at creating some latte art!

Pressure / pressure gauge: The Breville BES870XL Barista Express works on a low pressure pre-infusion and on a 9 bar extraction pressure, which delivers rich and creamy coffee in every cup. The pre-infusion soaks the ground coffee and helps it expand for amazing espresso results.

Noise levels: I found the noise levels of this machine to be little high. I noticed loud buzzing sounds coming from this machine.

Cleaning: If I were to make any recommendations, I would advise to clean the machine properly at regular intervals. BES870XL comes with a “clean me” light that turns on whenever it is time to clean. There’s an automated cleaning cycle, but there’s some manual work involved, too. Overall, the process was fairly easy and simple, albeit time-consuming. I was okay with this, though. I paid more than $500 for this Breville Barista Express, and want to keep it highly functional and well performing at all times.

Customer-reported technical issues

Breville BES870XL Barista Express comes with a one year warranty.

While independently researching this product, I noticed that there were some users complaining about bad customer service from Breville. However, I also noticed that there were very, very, very few users complaining about issues with the product itself. In fact, a vast majority of users seemed to have praised the machine both for its durability and quality.

There was a handful of users who complained that the machine had died on them after a few months, but we cannot be sure about why exactly that happened, and we need to take into account the possibility that bad maintenance might have been the cause. Perhaps, they did not read cleaning recommendations from our Breville BES870XL review? 😉

→ Health and safety

The Breville BES870XL Barista Express has a solid stainless steel body with a few plastic parts (like the burr of the grinder, the top and the bottom of the machine). The manufacturer claims that the machine is BPA free and that all the parts that come into contact with coffee and water are BPA free.

The BPA-free status is helpful to know, but it typically does not guarantee that there are no other potentially dangerous substitutes used in the production process.

Reports show that many manufacturers replace BPA with other types of plastic. These types include but are not limited to  BHPF (fluorene-9-bisphenol), TPP (triphenyl phosphate), and bisphenol S (BPS). The exact health effects of the BPA substitutes, such as BHPF, TPP and BPS, are unknown at this point.

I was not able to find much detailed information on what kind of materials or chemicals are used, so I am not able to verify. I will be reaching out to Breville so I can include it in the Breville BES870XL review.

→ Price to value: is Breville BES870XL worth the money?

As you might already know by know, Breville BES870XL Barista Express typically sells at a $$$$ price tag (typically north of $500). By no means is this cheap. However, in my opinion, BES870XL is a highly performing, visually stunning and multi-functional espresso machine. Its feature set is unparalleled in the industry, yielding coffee that I love day after day, year after year. As a coffee connoisseur, I will pay this price to brew coffee of high end quality. By the way, I have saved so much on Starbucks since getting this coffee machine. After trying coffee from BES870XL, I also have no desire of returning to any coffee shop. 😉

Should I buy Breville BES870XL Barista Express? Owly’s verdict! 🔨

This espresso machine has a lot of attractive features and I place it at the top of the list when it comes to functionality. It also makes excellent espresso, cappuccinos, lattes and americanos, so it is a wonderful choice for all coffee lovers. If you are ready to pay the price, you might discover that it was worth it.

Do you like your Breville BES870XL Baritsa Express? Did you enjoy our Breville BES870XL review? Let us know in the comments!