Breville BES840XL the Infuser Espresso Machine

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Price: $489.80 $467.99   

Product Feature

• Pre-infusion function applies low water pressure at the start of the extraction to gently expand grinds for an even extraction
• 1600w thermocoil heating system with integrated stainless steel water coil accurately controls water temperature
• Auto purge function automatically adjusts water temperature after steam for optimal espresso extraction temperature
• 15 bar Italian pump provides complete volumetric control - preset, manual over-ride or re-programmable volumes
• Accessories: single & dual wall filter baskets, coffee scoop, stainless steel jug, cleaning disc & tablets, cleaning tool, water filter with holder.

Product Description

Included dual wall filters provide excellent practice for budding baristas

The dedicated hot water outlet makes brewing Americanos and hot chocolate easy.

Included single wall filters provide a more challenging experience for those who have already mastered the art of espresso

Why the Breville BES840XL 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 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.

BES840XL Features

The BES840XL 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.

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Product Features

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. The dry puck feature removes excess water from the ground coffee in the filter basket for easy disposal of the coffee puck.
5. The espresso pressure gauge helps you monitor espresso extraction pressure, so you know whether the espresso is being over- or under-extracted.
6. 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.
7. The dedicated outlet for instant hot water (for making Americanos, hot chocolate, and for warming cups).
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. The removable drip tray is partitioned for both wet and dry spills, with an 'Empty me!' indicator for when it s full.

Breville BES840XL the Infuser Espresso Machine Review

Bottom line: I was expecting the Double Boiler to blow the BES840XL out of the water when it came to shot quality. That was not the case at all. While the milk texturing capability of the 840 is a pale shadow of the DB, and it lacks the multitude of convenience features of the DB, the 840 absolutely holds its own with regards to shot quality.

Full review:
I've been using the Breville Double Boiler espresso machine for nearly a year and have been very pleased with it. I was hesitant at first, but great shots and the many, many convenience features won me over. So, when the opportunity came up to compare their top of the line Double Boiler (DB) with their new machine (I'll call it the 840) I thought it wouldn't be a fair fight. Well, I was wrong.

I've never been a fan of thermoblock machines since the temperature stability is just not there. Breville seems to have solved that using two methods. First, the thermoblock is really a thermocoil -- it's a solid block of metal that has two channels machined through it: one for water, the other for the heating element. Cold water enters at one end and emerges heated at the other. They also added a PID for temperature control. Collectively, these techniques produce excellent temperature stability for shots, and very fast recovery time.

The machine itself is classic Breville design -- lots of stainless and high quality plastic. It has a small footprint, and looks much like the baby brother of the DB.

But it's the shots that count. I started with an easy test: Lavazza Super Crema. It's not a high-end bean, but tasty, and one that I've found is very forgiving of less than perfect prep. After a few test shots to get the new machine dialed in, I pulled a double shot from both machines. I could not taste the difference. Did it again and had others taste it, and they agreed with me -- no appreciable difference in taste, mouth feel, crema, you name it.

The next test was a little more challenging -- Lavazza Dek decaf. Decafs in general are (to my palette) more sensitive to temperature variations, and the Dek is especially sensitive. Again, both machines produced the same quality shot. The 840 seemed a just a bit less consistent when I did back-to-back shots quickly, but the difference was very minimal.

My final test was with one of my favorite beans - Red Bird. This is where I did taste a difference between the 840 and the DB, but it was subtle. The shot from the DB was more creamy and full-bodied. But the 840 shot was quite good as well. The small differences became almost nil when I made Americanos from Red Bird.

For my tests I used my Baratza Vario grinder for both machines. While I have a Breville Smart Grinder it does not pair well with the DB (although it is excellent for any non-espresso use). I tried it with the 840 and got better results, but still much prefer the Vario to the Smart Grinder for espresso. Still, the 840 appears more tolerant of lower-level grinders. I also found I needed to go slighly coarser with the grind for the 840 than the DB.

The DB does pull ahead strongly in two areas -- milk foaming and convenience. The thermocoil just can't match the steam production of a dedicated boiler. It did a decent job with milk (albeit with the annoying thump-thump-thump sound that every thermoblock design makes), but it was much slower than the DB and the steam was a lot wetter. Functional, but not at all impressive.

As expected given the price, many of the DB's convenience features are not found on the 840. However, the 840 does have a few of the DB features such as a dedicated hot water dispenser. This is operated with a knob (turn one way for steam, the other for hot water). It splatters more than the DB when dispensing, but the temperature is spot on: I got 197 with the 840 and 197.5 with the DB (same thermometer held in the water stream for 10 seconds).

The 840 also appears to have the same excellent quality head gasket as the DB. The portafilter is well made, although I was really disappointed to see that it was 54mm, which means I can't use my 58mm VST baskets, tamper or the bottomless portafilter I have for the DB. The included tamper is decent quality, and stores easily in the machine. The shot volume is programmable and can be overridden in manual mode. It has a three-way valve so you can backflush (plus it keeps the puck dry). It has an automated cleaning cycle and a "clean me" light, which is handy.

Misses are often related to convenience issues. I wish it was a bit heavier or had better gripping feet, since it's relatively easy to jar when you're putting on the portafilter. A bigger water tank would also be nice. The thing I missed the most was a water level indicator. I didn't expect it to have all the bells and whistles of the DB, but no water level indicator? That seems to be a basic feature that should have been included.

My concerns are two-fold. Breville does not seem to have mastered the reliability issue with their espresso machines. I'm on my second DB, and it is again starting to act up. The Breville customer service has been great in replacing machines, but I'd rather not have to deal with that at all. Plus, with only a one year warranty and no local service centers, I don't have the warm fuzzies about getting years of service out of either of these machines.

My second concern is about scale build-up. It's harmful in any machine, but truly deadly in a thermoblock/coil design. Breville includes their water filters (the same as with the DB) and recommends a descaling every month and a filter change every 2 months. The fact that they are taking such precautions tells me that they are concerned as well. If you get this, don't skimp on descaling!

But those concerns aside, I'm really impressed with the performance of this machine given the price. While it is not perfect, it holds its own where it counts: what's in the cup. This is definitely a machine that should be on your short list in the under $600 category - don't let the thermocoil design scare you off in favor of a SBDU design. At this price point it's a 5-star machine. I'll update this should reliability issues warrant a revision in the score.

Sorry for such a long review, but feel free to post a question if there's something I didn't cover.

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