Breville 800ESXL Espresso Machine

I'm not sure when I had my first demitasse of espresso but it was probably back in the 1960s at a wonderful coffee house on Chicago's Rush Street, Cafe Bellini.

Think not of Starbucks! Cafe Bellini was a lush, colorful, small cafe with rich red-flocked wallpaper, beautiful chandeliers, potted tropical plants, small intimate tables  and gigantic espresso machines topped with large golden eagles with their wings spread wide. The cafe was lost in a fire that burned down the entire city block in February 1966.

That may account for the best espresso I've ever experienced in this country… at least it was the most memorable as was the lovely Norwegian blonde who accompanied me, there, several times.

Since those days,  I've traveled a lot as a photographer, certainly throughout Europe but, more importantly, throughout Italy. (Espresso is a word that comes from the Italian referring to the process of extracting flavor from coffee beans by forcing hot water, under pressure through a fine grind of coffee beans.)

I recall mornings of sitting outdoors at a cafe in Milan enjoying espresso with a croissant and fruit jelly while reading the Herald Tribune and waiting for the models to be readied for a photo shoot. To be sure, I've never had espresso better than that which I enjoyed in Italy. (Perhaps, the espresso at Cafe Bellini but I was young, inexperienced and I just don't recall.)

My first espresso machine was a Baby Gaggia which I bought in the late seventies. At the time, it was rather difficult to find espresso machines in the USA. This past year I saw the Breville 800ESXL in pictures, read some positive reviews and thought it would be a nice machine to have because of the design aesthetics. But, I had a Briel machine and could not justify buying another machine. Then, one morning, as I was about to pull a shot of espresso from my Briel machine, the pump died. Ah! Now, I could go ahead and purchase the Breville!

The thing I noticed when it arrived was how solid and heavy it felt. The portafilter itself (the assembly into which one places the ground coffee) felt as heavy (to my mind) as my entire Briel machine. Solid! I mean, it was SOLID! For the price, I thought it to be a beautiful machine. (But, no flying eagles decorating it!)

To review the machine is no simple matter! For one thing, pulling a good espresso is dependent on much more than the machine. One must have fresh, aromatic coffee beans, ground to an appropriate consistency (using a burr grinder and not a blade grinder). Then, it is important to use a proper measure of ground coffee (7 - 9 grams for a single shot of 1.5 ounces) and to tamp it firmly using approximately 30 pounds of pressure. The espresso shot should take between 22 and 27 seconds. Less time and the coffee will be under-extracted and will lack flavor. As the time for extraction exceeds, perhaps, 30 seconds, over-extraction will produce a bitter taste. The time it takes to extract a shot of espresso will be governed by the fineness of the grind and the pressure of the tamp.

The sign of an excellent espresso - the crema! 

(Shall we say, welcome to chemistry 101?) The crema, the foamy froth that tops a great espresso, was, once, the sign that all was good. But, modern technology has developed portafilters which create a beautiful crema, topping an espresso shot that might be undeserving.

In preparation for this review, I paid more attention than I normally do to the espresso that I make with the Breville 800ESXL and I drank LOADS of espresso and ristretto (none of which seems to have affected my sleep).

Departing from my usual order in my reviews, I will first offer my conclusion and then address the specifics of the Breville 800ESXL.

The Breville 800ESXL offers a perhaps, pseudo espresso which is the equal of most machines in the under $500 (and, perhaps, a bit more expensive) price range. However, it will produce a beverage which is preferable to the espresso that has been served to me in many restaurants (often scalding and bitter).

The espresso that I produce with my Breville 800ESXL could, perhaps, be best described as benign. No matter how I've tried, the extraction takes place in under six seconds (not the 22 seconds considered appropriate to extract the full flavor). But is it the fault of the machine or is it the grind that I use is not fine enough? I use a burr grinder set to its finest (espresso) grind. I've been tamping it as hard as I could (remember, a tamp should be about 30 pounds of pressure).

Okay. I decided to try something different for this review. I went and bought a bag of Starbucks Espresso Roast ground coffee. Opening the bag it smelled wonderful. But, the grind actually seemed to be more coarse than that from my burr grinder. Nonetheless, I tried it in my Breville but the extraction took no more than five seconds. (Again, the flavor was watered down.)

The problem that I've not encountered that several others have referred to is that my portafilter never gets clogged. Perhaps, even with my best efforts, I just haven't had the proper fineness of grind of my coffee beans.

I decided, merely as a subjective comparison, to purchase a shot of Starbucks Espresso. That was yesterday. For just about two bucks I got a cup fitted with a lid. I quickly removed the lid. The crema was disappearing. The espresso tasted a bit sour to me; not what I remember of my days in Italy. And, frankly, not quite as satisfying as that, watered-down (under-extracted), espresso which I produce with my Breville.

As I seek a finer grind hopeful of obtaining a full extraction of coffee flavor, I will enumerate several other points and idiosyncratic aspects of the machine.

The steam wand and hot water each dispense as they should. The portafilter is mounted rather high which allows one to put a full-sized mug beneath it and not be limited to using demitasse cups. The water chamber removes from the front (easy access). Mine, however, will inch forward from the vibration of the machine when extracting the espresso. Turning off the espresso extraction does not immediately stop the process (the liquid keeps streaming out of the portafilter). Finally, the machine is easy to clean albeit, the drip tray seems to fill up pretty fast.

My conclusion is that the machine has a very nice aesthetic and pulls an average espresso (no better and no worse than the espresso from machines that I've experienced). The espresso, though not full-flavored, is not particularly objectionable especially as compared to the burned and bitter tasting espresso that I've been served in restaurants.

I feel that I need to explore finer grinds of coffee with this machine.

With that as a consideration, I offer a qualified recommendation.