Review: Breville Barista Express
By Coffee Expert
Jake Johnson
5 photos
The Curated Take
4.6/5
The Breville Barista Express is an excellent entry-level espresso machine suitable for beginners and enthusiasts alike. It features a powerful steam wand for creating silky milk, making it great for lattes and other milk-based drinks. The machine is quick to set up and easy to use, with a fast heat-up time. However, its 53mm portafilter and 15g basket size may be limiting for some users. Overall, the Barista Express offers good value for its price and is ideal for those looking to start their espresso-making journey.
Ideal for
- Excellent entry-level machine
- Steam wand is powerful and creates silky milk
- Makes lattes and other milk-based drinks
Not ideal for
- 53mm portafilter and 15g basket size can be lacking
Heat Time
When I first got this machine and put it to use, I was a bit skeptical of the quick heat-up time for this machine. However, after the first use, I...Read more
Programmability
Pulling manual shots is easy enough on this machine. Simply press either the single shot or double shot button for as long as one wants pre-infusion, and then press the...Read more
Portafilter Size
The portafilter on the Breville Barista Express is 53mm, meaning it can hold a maximum of 15g of ground coffee. Traditionally, espresso is either 18g ground coffee in and 36g...Read more
Milk Frothing
In my experience with the Breville Barista Express, I can get silky milk for pouring beautiful latte art. It takes some practice and time, though, due to the steam wand's...Read more
Tank Capacity
I like the tank reservoir size of this machine. I've only had to fill it up once every few days, and I make a couple of drinks per day. It...Read more
Steam Wand
I wish Breville had used the steam wand put on the Breville Bambino Plus because that steam wand is better. This wand has one hole in the tip, making steaming...Read more
Grind Size Control
The control in which one can grind coffee in this machine is limited to about 15 settings. While most people will be more than fine with these settings, the more...Read more
Espresso Extraction
Several baskets are included with this machine that allows one to truly dial in an espresso with a great deal of accuracy. This machine has preprogrammed shot profiles with 10...Read more
Versatility
Overall, this is a great little espresso machine for the money. When not using this machine for coffee, one can use the milk steamer to heat milk for hot chocolate,...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Jake Johnson
About the espresso equipment
- Model: Breville Barista Express
Test conditions
- Where I’ve used it: Home
- How many times I've used it: 100
Expert Reviews of the Breville Barista Express
Jake Johnson The Breville Barista Express is an excellent entry-level machine. It is quite easy to use, quick to set up, pulls pretty great shots of espresso, and can steam milk to a silky texture ideal for making latte art. Though, for me, the portafilter is small at 53mm and only fits 15g of coffee into the basket. I’m used to a 58mm size and a 20g basket for work. This machine pulls surprisingly very pleasant shots.
I like how easy and quick this machine is to use. When I first bought this machine, I was skeptical of the quick startup time, but to my joy, I was pulling a shot of espresso 20 seconds after pressing the power button.
The grinder is fine and offers plenty of dial settings for dialing in a medium to dark roast coffee. However, it's not the greatest for a light roast.
And finally, if espresso-making is anything more than a serious, lifelong hobby, I recommend buying something more prosumer and a separate grinder as the avid enthusiast will outgrow this machine within a year. For all others, this is a great machine that will last for years to come.
Product Specs
Review Ratings
Heat Time
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. When I first got this machine and put it to use, I was a bit skeptical of the quick heat-up time for this machine. However, after the first use, I realized that this machine was ready to go by the time I dosed my coffee, tamped, and put the portafilter into the brew group. It's ready to go a bit before then; it takes about 20 seconds to heat up! But, to achieve the absolute best results, let this machine heat up for 10 minutes or so.
Programmability
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. Pulling manual shots is easy enough on this machine. Simply press either the single shot or double shot button for as long as one wants pre-infusion, and then press the button again when the user wants to stop the shot. Additionally, a program button allows a user to save shot recipes (always using a 10-second pre-infusion).
Portafilter Size
4/5
Jake Johnson gave 4 of 5 stars. The portafilter on the Breville Barista Express is 53mm, meaning it can hold a maximum of 15g of ground coffee. Traditionally, espresso is either 18g ground coffee in and 36g brewed espresso out or 20g ground coffee in, 40g brewed espresso out. However, using less coffee makes it much easier to dial in a coffee for espresso brewing. While I wish this had a bigger basket to allow for 20g of ground coffee, I appreciate that this machine is very forgiving when pulling shots because of the 15g basket size.
Milk Frothing
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. In my experience with the Breville Barista Express, I can get silky milk for pouring beautiful latte art. It takes some practice and time, though, due to the steam wand's one-hole design. It is powerful enough to produce great texture in milk, but it does lack that last bit of "oomph" that helps the milk to be steamed quicker and to hotter temperatures.
Tank Capacity
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. I like the tank reservoir size of this machine. I've only had to fill it up once every few days, and I make a couple of drinks per day. It is big, easy to refill, and doesn't leak when detached from the base. I like to refill it using filtered water so that scale doesn't build up on the inside.
Steam Wand
3/5
Jake Johnson gave 3 of 5 stars. I wish Breville had used the steam wand put on the Breville Bambino Plus because that steam wand is better. This wand has one hole in the tip, making steaming milk take longer, and it isn't as forgiving when trying to create silky milk for latte art. It takes a long time to generate swirls in a milk pitcher, but it can be done. I wish Breville would upgrade the steam wand on this machine.
Grind Size Control
4/5
Jake Johnson gave 4 of 5 stars. The control in which one can grind coffee in this machine is limited to about 15 settings. While most people will be more than fine with these settings, the more seasoned espresso drinker would benefit by having more grind settings to dial in a coffee more precisely. It produces some clumps, so having a WDT tool would be nice.
Espresso Extraction
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. Several baskets are included with this machine that allows one to truly dial in an espresso with a great deal of accuracy. This machine has preprogrammed shot profiles with 10 seconds of pre-infusion before ramping up to nine bars of pressure. It produces shots with great crema and tiger striping, both visual indicators of great espresso.
Versatility
5/5
Jake Johnson gave 5 of 5 stars. Overall, this is a great little espresso machine for the money. When not using this machine for coffee, one can use the milk steamer to heat milk for hot chocolate, chai lattes, or other milk-based drinks (like matcha lattes). The opportunities for drink creation are endless with this machine. Make sure to have enough milk or syrups to craft the perfect drink!
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Jake Johnson I love how versatile this machine is. It's (almost) coffee shop quality and a fraction of the price. I love being able to pull a shot of espresso in the mornings and steam milk for a chai latte or hot chocolate in the afternoons. It's an excellent little espresso machine, and the attached grinder does a great job, too.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Jake Johnson My favorite moment with this machine was making a Cuban cafe con leche for my girlfriend. Cafe con leche reminds her of home, and she said the drink I made her tasted exactly the same that she remembers tasting at home—points for me for that one.
Why did you choose this product?
Jake Johnson I chose the Breville Barista Express because my roommate owns it, and he lets me use it whenever I want. However, if given the opportunity, I would purchase one of these machines for myself.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Jake Johnson When compared to other options, this machine is average. In my opinion (keep in mind, I've been a barista for five years), the manual Gaggia Classic Evo Pro is a much better alternative. Still, it doesn't have a built-in grinder and requires much more espresso extraction knowledge than the Barista Express. For hobbyists or convenience seekers, there is no better machine on the market for the money than the Breville.
