COFFEE & COFFEE MACHINES
Breville BES840BSXL Infuser Espresso Machine, 61 oz, Black Sesame
$589.99
- The Breville Infuser delivers optimal flavor in every cup creating third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula, ensuring the right dose of beans, optimal water pressure, precise temperature control and microfoam milk for latte art
- VOLUMETRIC AND SHOT CONTROL: Control the volume of each pour at the touch of a button and choose 1 shot, 2 shot or manually control over how much espresso ends up in your cup for the perfect dose every time
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: Low pressure pre-infusion gradually increases pressure at the start and helps ensure all the flavors are drawn out evenly during the extraction for a balanced tasting cup
- PRECISE ESPRESSO EXTRACTION: Maximize flavor potential with low pressure pre-infusion, digital PID temperature control, adjustable in 4 ?F increments complete with pressure gauge that guides you to the right extraction every time
- MANUAL MICROFOAM MILK TEXTURING: High power 1650W element for high pressure steam wand and faster heat-up to create the microfoam necessary for a third wave specialty taste and essential for creating latte art at home
- AUTO PURGE: The Infuser Espresso Machine automatically purges the heat system after steaming, ensuring your next espresso is extracted at the right temperature
- INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: Single & Dual Wall Filter Baskets, Coffee Scoop, Stainless Steel Jug, Cleaning Disc & Tablets, Cleaning Tool, and Water Filter with Holder
Description
Included dual wall filters provide excellent practice for budding baristas Well-balanced espresso depends on an even extraction from the espresso grounds. Included single wall filters provide a more challenging experience for those who have already mastered the art of espresso
Why the Breville BES840BSXL Infuser Espresso Machine?
For espresso with a well-balanced flavor, flavor needs to be drawn evenly from all the coffee grinds. What is the best way to prepare the grinds for an even extraction?
Rather than starting with bursts of high pressure, the Breville Infuser Espresso Machine in Black Sesame starts with steady, low pressure to gently expand the grinds. This helps fills in any cracks, gaps, or irregularities in the coffee puck before full pressure is applied, so even pressure is applied to all parts of the coffee puck and optimal flavor is extracted.
BES840BSXL Features
The BES840BSXL has both automatic features, like temperature settings, and programmable features like volumetric control. The key features that set it apart from other espresso machines in its price range are the pre-infusion technology, the thermocoil heating system, and PID temperature control technology. See chart below for details.
Other helpful features include a cup warmer on the top of the machine and a feature that removes excess water from the filter basket after coffee extraction, so the used grounds form a dry puck for quicker cleanup. The machine goes into ‘Sleep Mode’ after 1 hour and automatically shuts off after 3 hours. There is extra-tall cup clearance for brewing directly into travel mugs.
Other touches include an ‘Empty Me!’ indicator that lets you know when the removable drip tray is full and a ‘Clean Me’ cleaning alert. The storage tray houses the included accessories. Lastly, all parts that come in contact with water and coffee are BPA free.
Product Features
- The 61 fl. oz. (1.8 L) removable water tank is a top-fill tank with a handle. It has a replaceable water filter to reduce impurities and scale.
- The 1600W thermocoil heating system circulates the water through a heated coil, heating water ‘on demand’ for better temperature consistency. It also uses PID technology to regulate the temperature.
- A 54mm stainless steel portafilter with commercial style spouts and a 54mm tamper are also included for expert tamping control. The tamper is stored magnetically on the machine, but is easily removable for tamping.
- The dry puck feature removes excess water from the ground coffee in the filter basket for easy disposal of the coffee puck.
- The espresso pressure gauge helps you monitor espresso extraction pressure, so you know whether the espresso is being over- or under-extracted.
- The volumetric control functionlets you set shot volumes. Use either the preset volumes or manually over-ride them with your own preferences. Once you figure out what volumes you prefer, you can program it to remain at your customized setting.
- The dedicated outlet for instant hot water (for making Americanos, hot chocolate, and for warming cups).
- The steam wand is used for effortless milk frothing for making lattes and cappuccinos. It is made of stainless steel and swivels 360 degrees to accommodate different size frothing jugs.
- The auto purge function automatically adjusts the temperature of the water used for steaming milk and extracting espresso. The function automatically begins to cool the boiler to the optimal temperature for espresso extraction after using the steam wand.
- The removable drip tray is partitioned for both wet and dry spills, with an ‘Empty me!’ indicator for when it’s full.
Important information
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Additional information
| Weight | 17 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 10.25 × 12.5 × 13.25 cm |
| brand | Breville |
| Capacity | 3.8 Pounds |
| color | Black Sesame |
| Product Dimensions | 10.25D x 12.5W x 13.25H |
| Special Feature | Manual |
| Coffee Maker Type | Espresso Machine |
| material | Stainless Steel |
| Filter Type | Foam |
| Style | Semi-Automatic |
| Specific Uses For Product | Espresso |
| Included Components | Stainless Steel Jug Single & Dual Wall Filter Baskets Water Filter with Holder Cleaning Tool Coffee Scoop Cleaning Disc & Tablets |
| Operation Mode | Manual |
| Wattage | 1650 watts |
| Voltage | 120 |
| Model Name | BES840BSXL |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Human Interface Input | Buttons |
| Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Item Weight | 17 Pounds |
| ASIN | B00DS476HU |
| Item model number | BES840BSXL |
| Date First Available | June 6 2013 |
| Manufacturer | Breville, HWIBreville USA |
Amazon Customer –
I want to start by saying this review of mine is a lot more than just a review on how happy I am with my purchase. But is also a review on everything I have learned the past couple months since buying this machine. I can say now that I have it, I will never go back.The Breville Infuser is a great little machine. I have wanted an Espresso machine for over 10 years and put it off because I had a hard time getting past the cost of a good quality machine.Before I committed to getting my first Espresso Machine I knew I had to do the research, to educate myself on a world that I am quickly seeing is as complex and sophisticated as the world of wine.I learned very early on that while all these steps, methods, and suggestions, that at first seemed snobbish and over exaggerated were actually the pieces of a puzzle that slowly I was able to put together and even now am still working on getting to see the whole picture of.Dark roast vs light roastFreshness of the beansQuality and PH of the waterThe right amount of pressure used for extractionHeated cups vs cold cupsThe fat content in milkWhy the Crema on an espresso shot is really the mark of how good your equipment is and how fresh your ingredients are.Type of espresso Machine does matter.Let me start by saying I didn’t even know that there wasn’t a difference between Coffee beans and Espresso beans when I first started out on my adventure. In my head I thought there was some specially made type of bean that was specific for making espresso on its own. I assumed they were grown different or harvested different. Something that made them special; to only learn that every coffee drink from espresso to that fancy order you put in at your favorite coffee place is all coming from the same source, the coffee bean.I went through a whole experience my first week with my first machine I bought, The Bambino Plus and getting sour lemon shots of espresso that were not drinkable. The shots that had just sprinkled bubbles over the surface of the drink, and me not understanding what crème was or why it was important, or how to get it.I knew that before I could start trying different drinks and adding syrups to make my favorite one. I would have to master simply making a drinkable shot of espresso that didn’t leave me cringing.No one ever tells you once you buy your first Espresso Machine how your home will forever smell of coffee, how you enter this whole new world that you don’t even know your part of yet.No one tells you that the smell that previously welcomed you when you walked into your favorite coffee shop, becomes the scent of your home forever. Or how prepackaged coffee is nothing like having a grinder and grinding your Espresso fresh in your home every day.No one ever tells you the research and studying needed to not perfect, but to simply achieve a really good shot of espresso at home.I even called up Local Coffee chains in my area and spoke to Barista’s asking for helpful hints on what I could do to get a better quality drink. To ask what I might be doing wrong with a machine(The Bambino Plus) that was giving me under extracted, watery, sour espresso shots.I saw machines with fancy gauges and didn’t understand why it mattered I have one. But have learned if you don’t see you reached the right pressure any espresso that comes out will be gross.I went onto forums where I learned why it’s smart to buy a grinder separate from your espresso machine. Because when the day comes your grinder breaks, and that day will come; then you only have to return the grinder and not be without your entire espresso machine in the process.I learned why it’s important to heat your portafilter, and any parts being used to make the drink and the cup you drink from. And luckily the Breville Infuser has a heating plate on top that works perfect for this!I learned why Dark roasts taste better and turn out better even though everywhere seems to recommend a medium roast for most Espresso.I learned that Reverse Osmosis water makes a bad cup of coffee, a bad cup of Espresso, and the flavor will be messed up if you use this type of water.Cold tap water will work, but even that will affect the quality and taste of your espresso.I also learned you want to go to the coffee shops that roast their beans ON SITE and buy freshly roasted beans. I was told by the Barista the sweet spot is 3 to 5 days after a roast the beans are the most fresh, and will pull the best shots. Anything after 2 weeks the quality will start to go noticeably down in flavor, texture, and crème. If you get beans that were roasted that same day, they will be okay, but you will see how everything tastes and gets better if you wait for those few days.And yes I even found myself looking for the best water recommendations from experts and others online. Because my research found the PH of your water can also make an impact. So I went out and bought bottled Fiji water because I read in several places it gives one of the best tastes you can get from water used in your machine for a drink.I eventually quickly exchanged my Bambino Plus that I believe was just a faulty individual machine, and got the Breville Infuser in its place. A step up and it has a gauge which is a must.I will admit I am still using Fiji water for the moment, but I don’t intend to do that forever, but if you are first starting out and looking for the perfect cup and flavor give the fancy water a try.I have a few different flavored syrups I have tried, and I purchased some of the Breville accessories that aren’t included: A better Tamper, the portafilter basket remover tool(which is a must) A knock box, dosing funnel, and even a tamper mat. All of which I had no idea what they were for at the time, but that my friend told me I will for sure need. They have been incredibly helpful and make the process 100% easier.I am so happy with the Breville INFUSER! I am getting quality crema on my shots; they are rich in flavor, no more sour shots with this machine! Like any new thing it takes a while to get the swing of it. And the only negative I can think of to mention, is that when you fill the water tank, after you make your drink and the machine goes into rest mode/powder down mode; The machine purges itself of any water that is still inside the machine. You have to empty the drip tray after each drink made and our drip tray will be almost full each time. That is quite a bit of water it dumps after a drink cycle. But the only reason I think my husband and I care is we have been buying the bottled Fiji water to use. So we notice little stuff like that because it seems wasteful. But if you plan on using tap water that won’t impact you at all!If you are looking for a starter machine I really think this is the right one to begin with, and I can say that having tried the one under it. I am also happy I got my Breville grinder separate as well.Now that I have mastered the Breville Infuser machine, I can start enjoying trying different drinks, different flavors, my husband makes himself homemade hot chocolate using the steam wand to heat and froth the milk. I have bought different flavored syrups. The whole process and experience of learning all this, and getting that perfectly made drink has been so much fun.I would say 2% Milk is the perfect flavor and texture to make those yummy delicious drinks you would get at coffee shops; but if you don’t want the extra fat or calories, skim milk and even oat milk make decent alternatives.When I first wake up in the morning I turn my machine on and allow it to heat up for at least 10 minutes. I have found if you make a drink under that time, the water won’t be quite hot enough. If you heat it up over 10 minutes, you will have to let your hot drinks sit for a minute or two until they aren’t too hot to drink. But as long as you plan for allowing the heat up time and include it as part of your routine, I really think you can’t go wrong with this model of the Breville Infuser.I have had my machine a month now, and I will never go back to buying store bought or coffee chain drinks again!
Sneaky Potato –
Going into this, I had zero idea how to make espresso. I’ve been using a french press for years, and decided that I wanted to step up my coffee game a bit. This review is for those people that are considering this machine and have no idea what they’re doing. Keep in mind that I paired this machine with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, which is important in this review. I highly recommend the grinder as a companion to this espresso machine.**Why You Should Buy This Machine Over Cheaper Ones**Simply put, this machine offers professional-quality features packed into an entry-level machine, and will produce a far better quality espresso than cheaper machines like the Mr Coffee. If you are considering getting into espresso, don’t waste your time with cheaper stuff or else you will likely be disappointed with the results or just find yourself upgrading everything in a couple of months. A POOR ESPRESSO DUE TO “CHEAP” EQUIPMENT IS WORSE THAN A CHEAP CUP OF COFFEE. Understand that “cheap” is relative here. This is an expensive drink to make, but it’s worth the money to be able to make a great drink.1. My perfect pulls taste EXACTLY like coffee-shop quality (at least to me). I can make a Caramel Macciato and it tastes and looks better than Starbucks. ISN’T THAT WHY YOU’RE WANTING AN ESPRESSO MACHINE? Let’s face it, most of you are wanting lattes and cappuccinos that taste good so you don’t need to spend five bucks a day at the coffee shop. You aren’t just slugging back straight shots of black espresso and writing down the subtle flavor notes to share with your friends. YOU WILL NOT GET THIS KIND OF QUALITY WITH CHEAP MACHINES. It will taste watery, sometimes a bit bitter, and just not really worth the money. You’ll spend a couple hundred bucks and be totally disappointed. This machine is expensive, but at least I feel like I’m actually getting good espresso out of it. and I have zero desire to return to another coffee shop when I can make it just as good at home.2. This is the only unit for under $500 that will let you make decent latte art with the milk steaming wand. Other cheaper units simply do not have enough power to make your milk the right consistency. Again, it goes back to the quality of the drink. Do you want to pay $300 for a really mediocre espresso every day, or pay a little more money and have a really good espresso every day? You can get better units for milk steaming, but if you’re looking for a standalone unit that also does great milk, this is it. If you aren’t drinking lattes, then it won’t matter much to you. But trust me when I say that well-steamed milk makes or breaks your latte/cappuccino. Perfectly steamed milk is sweet, frothy, and creamy. Poorly steamed milk tastes like it was microwaved, or just plain warm milk. Yuck.3. The pressure gauge and pre-infusion (pushing a little water into the espresso before the real pull starts happening) make this a great tool to learn how to make proper espresso. The gauge is immensely helpful and helps you understand what you are doing wrong, and when you’re doing things really right. Few things are as satisfying as making a perfect espresso and seeing the gauge sit in the perfect spot.4. Built-in temperature control, which means more consistent espresso results. Cheaper units that don’t have one are not really worth the money in my opinion. A poorly-made espresso is terrible, and you can honestly make a better drink with a $10 french press and a $50 grinder.Finally, you need to understand that espresso is actually kind of difficult to make if you’ve never done it before. This isn’t a Keurig, this isn’t the same machine that Starbucks uses (theirs cost almost as much as your house does). You aren’t going to make a perfect pull of espresso your first time. It took me TEN shots before I made anything even remotely drinkable, and then I went through half a pound of coffee beans before I pulled my first GOOD shot. This machine makes it easier to make really good espresso, but it requires a good amount of work and calibration from you in order to do it correctly. However, once you figure it out, it’s really easy to do it right every time.In my opinion, this is the “sweet spot” of espresso making. You can make a really great cup of espresso with this machine at an affordable cost. Any more money and you are paying MUCH more to slightly increase the quality of the drink, but it’s not the night and day comparison between this machine and a $200 Costco or Mr Coffee espresso maker. Highly recommend!**If you’re an owner of this machine, the following might be helpful**The biggest difficulties that I ran into while trying to figure out how to make espresso were:1. Grinding the coffee to the perfect size2. Realizing that the Single Shot cups are terrible, save yourself heartache and use the Double Shot (not double walled)3. Getting my shot to pull for the correct time (25-30 seconds)**Grind Size**This was the most confusing part to me, because I had it in my head that I SHOULD be able to grind all of my beans on the absolute finest setting on the Smart Grinder Pro, which was why I spent all the money on the nice grinder, right? I had seen a couple of videos where people were using my same setup and grinding down to a 1 or 2 setting on the grinder and pulling perfect shots in the Infuser.THIS IS WRONG.Clear your mind completely about grind, and realize that it has more to do with the perfect grind for your particular coffee rather than the grind number itself. Using Lavazza Super Crema, I could not go finer than a 17 on the grinder or else the machine would max out the pressure and I would get just a few drips of disgusting sour water. Using fresh coffee beans from a local roaster, I was able to go much finer on the grind, and actually a 17 was too coarse for that coffee and ended up ruining the shots. It’s okay if you have to use a 17 or 18 with some coffees. You’re buying a nice grinder because those 17 and 18 grinds are perfectly consistent, which means the pressurized hot water will evenly distribute rather than find a weak spot to channel and ruin your shot of espresso.See what I’m talking about? This is not a Keurig. You will need to calibrate your grind for each new coffee you try, which can either be a huge pain or a lot of fun, depending on why you’re buying this machine. I found it fun, but I’m also glad that I took an entire day to play around with this machine. Once I figured it out, I was blown away with the quality of the espresso that came out.**Single Shot and Double Shot cups + Shot Pull Time**This is where I found success after a lot of failure. See, I don’t drink a ton of espresso in one sitting. I’m perfectly content with a small latte consisting of a single shot of espresso. I actually put the double shot cups in a drawer, because I didn’t think I would be using them. I was pulling drinkable espresso after a few hours of trial, but my shots were coming out way too fast (15-20 seconds), when I knew perfect shots should be around 30 seconds from the time you push the button. A helpful user online told me to ditch the single shot cups and switch to double shot, because of how finicky the former cups seemed to be. So I switched over to the single-walled double shot cup, and my first pull was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. It poured like golden honey, ran a perfect 30 seconds, and had amazing crema. It was beautiful and I wanted to cry.Apparently, shots pull more consistently in double shot cups than they do in single shot cups. Note that I’m talking about the size of the cup (single vs double shot) and not the double-WALLED cups, which are garbage and meant to be used with pre-ground espresso.Anyway, do yourself a favor and just use the double shot, single-walled cup. If you only want a single shot of espresso, move the cup over so you only catch liquid from one of the cups. You will waste coffee, but it will be so much, much more consistent and better-tasting than if you use the single-shot cup. I now pull nearly-perfect shots every time, where before I was doing 2/5 if I was lucky. Best piece of advice anybody gave me.
Jorge Camacho –
Preciosa.Es un producto bellísimo. Funciona bien y cumple básicamente las exigencias de las bebidas. Buenos materiales. Muy elegante.
Matt nason –
Makes an excellent espressoAfter 16 years our beloved original Breville Espresso machine finally called it quits. It owed us nothing. After multiple coffees a day, it was worth every penny. We knew we were going to order another Breville, and we looked at various models. This one stood out because of the ability to program coffee pours. It was similar to our first, with a milk frothier and fits easily under standard counter cabinets. Comes with a few more bells and whistles, 4 coffee strainer inserts, magnetic tamper, etc. I did prefer how our old machine pulled the water fill bucket from the front, as this one is at the back. But I do believe this water tank is larger than our older one. It took us a minute to set up and understand all the button options, but the instructions are clear and helpful. We’re hoping this one lasts us another 10-15 years!
Sharon –
Noisy machineThis coffee machine makes lovely coffee and is good quality as well as cosmetically pleasing on my kitchen counter.However, it is quite noisy, so if anyone in the house wants to continue sleeping while you make your morning coffee – this is not the right choice of coffee maker. My husband making his coffee in the morning is now my wake up alarm!
Jean-Guy Plante –
La 2e est une super machine espressoBonne pression, chauffe rapidement, je recommande.
James Broen –
The Breville BES840XL is an awesome machine.I’m replacing a La Marzocco GS3 which is a smaller one group dual tank commercial espresso maker. I used to entertain a fair bit for which the larger machine is wonderful but for me to make coffee for myself on the weekend it leaves much to be desired. It broke and the repair cost more than covers the cost of purchasing the Breville so I did some research and decided to get the Breville.The manual says the Breville is ready to make shots after a minute or two. I find that’s not the case. Although the water gets to temperature quickly, the head and portafilter do not. There are two ways I use to bring the head and portafilter to temperature. One is to run a bunch of empty shots through to warm things up. The other is to wait a half an hour for the machine to heat the head and portafilter. Waiting does a better job so if I have the time that’s what I do.I usually make Caffe Americano so I need hot water. The water spout on the machine is rather pathetic and it empties the tank quickly so I don’t use it. I use a kettle on the stove for the water to steep the mug and complete the Americano. For me this is a much better solution than buying the dual tank Breville which is more than twice the price and takes up more counter space. Dairy is my mortal enemy so I have yet to use the steam wand.The machine has one gauge that appears to measure the pressure between the pump and the head. It displays a range which indicates under extraction on the low side and over extraction on the high side. I adjust the dose and grind to target the middle of the range. My pallet cannot detect a difference in the quality of the coffee between my old, very expensive commercial espresso maker and the Breville.The Breville includes a couple of baskets to be used with normal ground coffee. My take on this is that if you can’t be bothered to get a decent grinder and learn how to use it, you are probably better off getting a French press or a filter setup. They make excellent coffee and are considerably easier on the pocketbook.There is a float in the drip tray that pops up when the tray needs to be emptied. I find that if I wait until the float pops up that it’s harder to get the tray to the sink without spilling. I tend to empty the tray more often to avoid spills.I found that the manual is very readable and does a good job of emphasizing the factors important to getting good results. I’m not going to comment on the process of cleaning the machine because I haven’t owned it long enough to make any sort of judgment on the matter.Provided with the machine is a tamper which can be stored in a receptacle on the machine. The tamp should be consistent and between 30 and 40 pounds. I find that the handle on the provided tamper is too small for this purpose. There are plenty of better tampers available on Amazon and elsewhere starting under ten dollars. I have one on the way. The tamper for my old machine has a diameter too large for use with the Breville. If you purchase a tamper be sure to check that it’s the correct diameter for your machine.I can’t believe how good this machine is for it’s very modest cost. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for an espresso maker for low volume use.