Breville 800ESXL Espresso Machine

As I said in the title, my goal was to come as close to a Starbuck's coffee as possible, and I think this is the best home machine to do the job under $400. I wanted to use the machine for 1 month before writing this review; to give it a fair shake and to consider all the points other reviewers have noted. Here we are, celebrating its 1 month anniversary in my home.

Background: My previous use of a home espresso machine was a $60 coffee brand machine presented to me as a gift. I still frequented national branded coffee houses and local hole-in-the-wall establishments several times a week, and figured out my ideal espresso and mocha cappuccino, which ended up being Starbuck's. Given that, the challenge was evident -- find a machine with great espresso, fair ease of use, decent styling, and realistic price.

Justification: Breville was mentioned in several on-line reviews, and based my purchase on what was said about the quality of espresso and ease of use (compared to similarly designed machine). Styling and price was secondary, but still very important, and again Breville came to the top of the list. My budget was established on how many espressos I would have to make to break even on the cost of a single machine. This figure came to 114 beverages based on the initial price point found at the local retailer. Great news, one of the local retailers was Bed Bath Beyond and its infamous 20% off any single item coupon. Price point was now lower and came to 91 beverages to justify the purchase.

The Product: Given the machine was a $399 retail, I took my time to read the manual and make sure I understood the procedures for this specific machine (brewing AND cleaning). I truly was not looking for something that would be a "push of a button" espresso, because I believe that good things require effort. In my research it was mentioned several times that the tan foam that is signature to a good espresso is called crema. This is the first thing I noticed when making my first beverage with this machine. I also VERY much appreciated the water purge feature which prevents cooler temp water from entering your beverage, thus giving you a nice, hot espresso. Clean the machine as indicated in the manual and your next cup will be as perfect as the last. There is hot water and a steam feature. The hot water is VERY hot and does not take very long for it to come to temp. Sometimes I make quick cups of tea from it (loving the semi-dual purpose of this machine). Then for fun I used the steam froth feature for warming up hot chocolate and making it foamy for presentation. It has a special filter if you want to use pods instead of grinds (pods are much easier to cleanup), and separate filters for 1 and 2 shot measures. Special cleaning tool is easy to use and has a friendly reminder on what to clean. The hidden storage compartment got several gold stars in my grade book since I hate searching for tools or be faced with misplacing a tool, and it keeps the machine from looking cluttered. The steam/froth stem is not as loud as some machines and makes excellent froth fast.

Summary: It is an excellent machine, looks GREAT in my kitchen, I didn't go broke, and most important, I have not had any urge to purchase my usual hot beverage when out and about. For the past month, it has made quite an impression on me and my family and friends. Current tally, only 40 beverages left to make.