Breville BES880BSS Espresso coffee machine: Full Review

The Breville BES880BSS Barista Express is a semi-automatic espresso machine designed for home use. This all-in-one espresso machine comes with an integrated conical burr grinder, allowing you to go from whole coffee beans to espresso in under one minute.

With its stainless steel exterior and 15 bar Italian pump, the Barista Express combines an industrial style with professional performance. It aims to give coffee lovers cafe-quality espresso without the need for separate grinding and brewing systems.

The Barista Express features precise temperature control for optimal espresso extraction, as well as a steam wand for frothing milk to make cappuccinos and lattes. It has extensive programming options to customize shot volumes, grind size, and temperature.

Overall, the Breville BES880BSS provides an end-to-end espresso, latte, and cappuccino solution for the home, allowing you to prepare barista-style coffee with commercial style and quality.

Design & Build Quality

The Breville BES880BSS Barista Express features an attractive stainless steel exterior housing and a range of high-quality components.

• The 54mm stainless steel portafilter feels sturdy and substantial in the hand. The handle has an ergonomic design for comfort during use.

• The steam wand is made from stainless steel and swivels 360 degrees for maximum flexibility. It produces excellent microfoam for latte art.

• The group head is made from commercial-grade brass for excellent temperature stability and extraction control.

• The 1600W thermocoil heating system helps the machine achieve superfast heat up times of under 30 seconds.

• The machine has an integrated conical burr grinder with dose adjustment and grind size settings. The upper burr is removable for easy cleaning.

• The materials used, component quality and overall fit and finish is comparable to much more expensive prosumer and commercial espresso machines. The Breville offers excellent value for money given its semi-professional quality construction.

The De'Longhi ENV150BM is another impressive espresso machine that boasts a sleek design and high-quality construction. This model features a compact footprint, making it perfect for smaller kitchens or limited counter space. It also includes an integrated milk frother for creating creamy, rich froth for your cappuccinos and lattes. With a user-friendly interface and programmable settings, the De'Longhi ENV150BM offers convenience and customization to suit your coffee preferences. For more information, visit the De'Longhi ENV150BM page.

Features & Controls

The Breville BES880BSS comes equipped with an impressive array of features and controls that allow you to customize your espresso and milk drinks. Here's an overview of the main features and control panel:

Dose Control Grinding

The built-in grinder uses Dose Control technology to deliver the right amount of coffee for single and double shot espresso drinks. You can adjust the grind amount from 7.5g to 11.5g for single shots, and 14g to 18g for double shots.

Heat Control

The ThermoJet heating system uses an internal heating coil and PID temperature control to heat the water to the optimal temperature (200–208°F) for espresso extraction. You can customize the temperature setting using the control panel.

Programmable Functions

The LCD display and control dials allow you to program dose amount, shot temperature, shot volume, milk temperature and texture. You can store up to 8 customizable beverage settings.

Over Pressure Valve

The OPV controls water pressure during extraction. It limits pressure to 9 bars to prevent bitter or burnt tasting espresso shots.

Instant Steam with Auto Purge

The instant steam wand makes milk texturing quick and easy. It automatically purges after steaming to keep the thermocoil clean for precise temperature control.

Additional Features

• 360 degree swivel-action steam wand
• Removable drip tray and storage tray
• Dry puck feature removes excess water from the filter basket after extraction
• Cleaning functions (backflush, descale, filter clean, purge)
• Water tank capacity: 84oz
• Accessory storage area in the flip-up drip tray

With its wide range of programmable features and intuitive controls, the Breville BES880BSS allows you to pull consistent, café-quality shots and perfectly textured milk for your favorite espresso drinks.

For those who are looking for an alternative option, consider the MR MIRYE RZ2-EM01-US. This model also features advanced controls like temperature customization and programmable shot volumes. It boasts a robust build and a user-friendly interface, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced baristas. Discover more about how this machine can elevate your home espresso experience.

Espresso Performance

The Breville Barista Express pulls consistently rich, flavorful espresso shots with excellent crema. The 15 bar Italian pump delivers the ideal pressure for extracting espresso. The advanced thermocoil heating system regulates water temperature, ensuring each shot is extracted at the optimal 195-205°F temperature for fullest flavor.

The portafilter's precise grind size and tamping force allows optimum water flow rate, balancing flavor and body in the espresso. Users rave about the machine producing café-quality espresso with thick, hazelnut colored crema every time.

The steam wand makes microfoam easy, with precise steam valve control to texture milk to any consistency you prefer, from silky smooth lattes to creamy cappuccinos. The steam wand tip incorporates a hole in the center to smooth out the turbulence, resulting in premium microfoam that enhances the flavor in milk drinks.

Milk Frothing Ability

The Breville BES880BSS comes with a 360° swivel-mounted stainless steel milk jug and steam wand for frothing milk. The steam wand produces hot, dry steam providing the barista-quality microfoam required for making lattes and cappuccinos with latte art.

The steam wand is easy to position for left or right handed use. It produces smooth, silky microfoam with very little effort. You can easily adjust the milk texture based on your preference from wet paint-like foam for cappuccinos to thick, velvety microfoam for latte art.

The milk frothing performance allows you to create stunning rosetta and heart designs on your lattes. The jug's spout pours cleanly without splattering to maintain the integrity of the latte art designs. Many users mention the milk frothing ability being on par with much more expensive commercial machines.

Overall, the steam wand and milk jug deliver exceptional milk steaming and frothing capabilities for crafting cafe-quality lattes, cappuccinos and other milk-based espresso drinks.

Ease of Use & Programming

The Breville Barista Express features a relatively intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for both beginners and experienced baristas to operate. The start-up and warm-up is quick and simple with just the press of the power button.

The machine comes with preset single and double shot controls that allow for one-touch automatic dosing. Users can easily override the presets and customize both the amount of coffee and brew time to dial in their preferred shot. The LCD display clearly shows all the key parameters like grind size, shot time, and filter size.

One of the highlights of the Barista Express is the programmable settings that users can save for adjusting the grind amount, brew temperature, milk temperature, and shot volume. This allows you to calibrate the machine to your specific taste and bean type. Up to 8 user profiles can be saved which is great for households with multiple coffee drinkers.

The learning curve on the Barista Express is moderate and less experienced users may require some initial practice to master the manual micro-foam milk texturing wand. However, the overall workflow is straightforward and the machine allows for a good degree of customization once you get the hang of it. The included manual and guide are quite helpful for learning to operate the Barista Express to its full potential.

Maintenance & Cleaning

The Breville BES880BSS requires regular maintenance and cleaning to keep it operating at peak performance.

Descaling

• The machine will alert you when it's time to descale based on water hardness and brewing usage.
• Descaling helps remove mineral deposits that can build up in the boiler and degrade performance.
• Breville includes descaling powder to use for this cleaning process. Follow the instructions in the manual to run the solution through the machine.
• Descale every 1-2 months depending on your water and usage.

Cleaning

• The group head should be flushed regularly to remove coffee oils and particles that can accumulate.
• Wipe down the steam wand after each use.
• Empty the drip tray frequently.
• Backflush the group head weekly using the provided cleaning disc and tablet to clean the screen and dispersion block.
• Deep clean all detachable parts and the drip tray monthly using hot soapy water.
• Follow all cleaning procedures in the instruction manual. Regular cleaning keeps the machine in excellent working order.

Noise Level

The Breville BES880BSS is relatively quiet for a domestic machine. During brewing, it produces a gentle hum that is comparable to other home espresso machines. The noise level ramps up slightly when steam is engaged for milk frothing, but is not overly intrusive.

Some user reviews mention the machine being a bit loud. However, in testing the BES880BSS produces less noise than lower-end machines with pressurized portafilters. The pump and heating element produce some noise, while the steam wand hisses when frothing milk. But the machine is not significantly noisy and won't disrupt normal conversation.

Overall, the Breville is quiet enough for home kitchen use. It's not completely silent, but doesn't produce an excessive amount of noise during brewing or steaming. The pump and heating noises are reasonable for an espresso machine in this class. Most users should find the noise level acceptable for morning espresso preparation.

Warranty

The Breville BES880BSS comes with a 1 year limited product warranty. Breville offers excellent customer service and support for their products.

Many reviewers mention that Breville has great customer service and will work to resolve any issues with the machine even outside of the 1 year warranty period. They have phone, email, and chat options for contacting their support team.

The warranty covers manufacturer defects and flaws. It does not cover normal wear and tear, misuse or accidental damage. Users recommend registering your product with Breville right away to ensure you get the full warranty coverage.

Overall, the 1 year warranty is pretty standard for espresso machines in this price range. While a longer 2-3 year warranty would be nicer, Breville's reputation for good customer service helps provide peace of mind should any issues arise after the 1 year mark.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Commercial-grade extraction with 19 bars of pressure for rich, thick crema
• Dual stainless steel boilers for simultaneous espresso and steam
• Digital temperature control for precise water temperature
• Intuitive pressure gauge for monitoring extraction pressure
• 67 fl oz water reservoir for easy refilling
• Convenient pause and reheat functions
• Hands-free grinding cradle and dosing for consistent results
• Extensive programming capabilities for shot volume, temperature, pre-infusion

Cons

• Expensive for a home espresso machine
• Large footprint requires substantial counter space
• Complex programming can be daunting for beginners
• Not as fast at milk steaming as some dedicated steam wands
• Fairly loud when grinding beans and pulling shots