8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Breville Die Cast Espresso Machine OK but not great
Date of Review: Oct 10, 2007
The Bottom Line: The flaws have given it a certain character. If you aren't too put off by my criticisms then give it a try.
Having owned a Krups espresso machine since 1988 it was beginning to get distinctly tired, so my wife and I recently decided to splurge on a new machine.
The reviews we read about the Breville and its amazingly good looks convinced us to try it.
The coffee tastes pretty good, certainly as good as the Krups ever did, perhaps better. Also it has a good set of utensils and a handy hidden storage tray for storing them.
But there are downsides too.....
For starters it is very noisy. So noisy you can barely have a conversation standing near it.
It is also extremely heavy. It is hard to even move it from the front of the counter to the back.
We had to place it on a tray so we could slide it.
The steamer option is weird. It has an on/off control but as soon as you turn it on it sends forth a stream of hot water until it reaches the steam point. So you have to catch the hot water in something, then switch quickly across to the milk container before the steam gets too powerful (in which case it will blow milk everywhere when you switch to the milk).
When you switch the steamer off, the machine discards the super-heated water (to avoid burning the coffee it assumes you are about to make). I understand the necessity of this but it means if you make milk in the cup then you may have to turn the steam on/off several times and the water purge dumps loads of water into the drip tray each time.
The filters get clogged easily. We have only used the filters about 15 times and already it is clogged.
Breville have told me I need to clean the filter every time we use the machine. My Krups made coffee fine for 20 years but this machine might have me switching to pods to avoid this issue.
Lastly you should consider where you plan to use the machine. The on/off buttons and water holder have a beautiful art-deco blue glow which is fine at night but during the day it is hard to see. We have twice left it on all day by accident and with the built in heating shelf that is probably not helping global warming.
I should add that the power cable has an innovatively designed plug that is really easy to pull out of the wall.
Even if you don't buy one, you need to check out the plug at a store.
This is a quote from the Breville customer service:
"The loud noise you speak of is the sound of the pump during the brew cycle. It does not sound when your filter is clogged / partially clogged. If boiling your filter does not alleviate the problem, we will replace your defective filter. The stream of water is normal before steaming. It should last approximately 8 – 12 seconds. We suggest catching the water with a small cup. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at 1-866-BREVILLE (273-8455), Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST."
UPDATE 10/29/2008
We still have the machine. It is a bit like a misbehaving dog. I am still not 100% happy with it but I am starting to enjoy its company.
It still does all the annoying things like spurting water too long, needing frequent filter cleaning but they are becoming endearing and the coffee is really good. I think we are going to keep this machine for a long time.
