Whilst not the cheapest this has ever been, decent price given the current environment for a well reviewed coffee machine. Has been hovering around the $710-$750 mark. Finally bit the bullet at $605.
Combine with discounted ebay gift cards to bring the price down further.
The pro is just a better version of the express. It's a 15 bar pressure pump vs the express's 9. What does that mean? I have no clue, but more is better, it'll probably steam the milk faster. I don't like the screen though, just another part to fail.
ah poop, I got them mixed around. The Good Guys is actually listing the Pro as Pump Pressure: 9 Bar.
Ok, I have no idea then. Trust the site the above guy linked. I'm wrong.
Thanks for the link !
'15 bar' pump is marketing wank. Espresso shots are pulled at 9 bar, that's the gold standard. This also doesn't have anything to do with the steaming.
Not a “gold standard” but pretty much a general start point for dialling-in.
Yeah, any machine up to scratch probably has a 9 bar OPV to keep it at 9 bars. Doing more than 9 bars leads to bitterness resulting from overextraction.
I wish pressure profiling machines cost less than 1k :(
I am very certain your local cafe is highly likely to be brewing at 9 bars (or less) - feel free to ask so you don’t end up wasting your money on a 15 bar machine.
15 bars is more likely to cause channeling (not what you want). Like others have said, it’s a marketing ploy to get people thinking more is better.
I bought the Pro over the Express last year - from what I can recall, main differences are stronger steam pressure and 4 hole steam wand as opposed to just 1 on the express, 30 step grinder, LED display (makes everything infinitely easier, especially cleaning/descaling etc), and extremely quick warmup time i.e. 10 seconds. Downside is that you lose the pressure gauge on the Pro
This just sounds like an integrated grinder version of the bambino plus, as what you've described are most of the features of it. The only thing missing would be the automatic milk steaming, as the bambino plus has those and no display or gauge.
I didn't really look into the Bambino Plus when I was purchasing so can't really say either way, but from what you describe yep that sounds about right… Makes me wonder if I should have gone Bambino + Baratza grinder or something similar!
The automatic milk wand on the Bambino Plus is awesome. I can't imagine being without it as it steams milk perfectly.
@C0mbat: How are you finding the Bambino otherwise? I've read some reviews about the group head binding to the basket.
I'm considering a Bambino + Smart Grinder setup.
@staz: I have the Smart Grinder Pro to. It's an amazing combo. I've had it 18 months now and only wish I'd bought it earlier. The basket does stick to the group head but it took me 24 hours of fingernail pain to realise a teaspoon sorts that problem out. So I used a teaspoon every time now. Apart from that I invested in the MATOW tamper and a funnel. I would like the single walled basket to experiment with though.
Really, they change to a 4-hole wand?
That is the one thing I hate about using The Oracle at work - less control over the steam direction - I prefer my BES870 for making 1-2 cups at a time despite being slightly slower.
Yep! Just counted to make sure I hadn't got it wrong. I spoke to someone that has an Oracle at home and he had the same complaint that he found it so difficult to control the steaming, could barely get the milk to swirl.
@bolt: The way the bambino plus works is you need to set the jug down on the drip tray, it does not swirl at all but it has two definitive 'modes' I guess you could say. It changes the way the thermoblock works mid way through to get the different styles of foam
Not sure if the Oracle has similar, probably not. The Bambino does a very good job of making perfectly textured milk though
While I don't own the machines I did a little bit of research and this is spot on. The Pro has a different design (subjective but I think it looks nicer) and has the screen and more steps on the grinder so you can dial it in with a little more control. It also steams the milk a bit more efficiently, is quicker to heat up from cold, and switches to steaming mode a bit faster.
From the what I read the additional features of the Pro may not be enough to justify the cost unless you really love the look compared with the Express and/or regularly make coffees for a lot of people at once. In terms of 1-2 cup performance the Express is similar enough to give basically the same results in terms of coffee quality. With that being said, I think in this case it works out to only around $80 more for the Pro (in Stainless) which imo is a sufficiently low price gap to justify the Pro.
I went for the Express in Black only because it matches the rest of our appliances. The Pro in Black works out to be over $150 more than the Express in Black (although I was so close to settling on the Pro in Stainless Steel!)
I think the pro is the one I have. Biggest upgrade is the LCD display. It just makes everything easier. It also has a shot timer which helps with knowing if it's pouring far or slow.
When they say espresso machine? Does it only give a shot of coffee or can you make a full cup of coffee like for a latte or cappachino?
You can use the steam wand on the right of the machine to heat and/or froth the milk, hence make that cappuccino or latte
I'm pretty sure you can 'program' the time for the brew, to give you the amount of coffee that you want. Two options; one for 'one cup' and one for 'two cup', but both durations are able to be set.
A latte and cappucino are an espresso plus a varying amount of milk/foam, not a "full cup of coffee" - whatever that means.
As opposed to an 'espresso' (30ml) I imagine
it just gives you an espresso, and you'll have to heat/steam up milk and combine to make latte and cappuccino etc.
Or just add hot water for a long black
Or just run it for longer
yeah, that's my favourite
Thanks I always thought let it runs longer to get a long black. 🤦🏻
This machine has long-term been the best value/performance balance option for those just getting into home espresso, even with the price increase since everyone started working from home.
$588.66 / $574.81 if stacked with the Choice Gift Cards promo
I have this machine, it’s brilliant but has a bit of a learning curve especially when ‘dialling’ in your espresso shots. It’s also pretty slow compared to the dual boiler model, but if you have 5-10 minutes in the morning it’s enough.
As this model is a few years old there are tons of fantastic videos on YouTube showing you how to consistently make fantastic coffee with this machine. Just found out recently you can remove the burr grinder from the top and adjust the grind size in addition to using the grinder knob on the side.
I've also got this machine - I bought it once my old Sunbeam machine died (the old EM6910). I am very happy with it. The grinder works quite well and extraction and speed is similar to the old Sunbeam. I don't use the steamwand myself but my son does. It is however quite a messy machine compared to the old Sunbeam - it fills the drip try by stealth every few days. I got it for a similar price on special.
It flushes every time you use hot water, steam or espresso so the drip tray fills super quick
The overflow system in the Breville would do that, I don't think the EM6910 has that
thanks op amazing price!!
If you are looking at the level machine then I would strongly suggest looking at the Sunbeam EM5300 and save yourself $200.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Sunbeam-EM5300K-Barista-Max-…
The lower end Sunbeams cheap out on the group handle, it's aluminium. It is bad for thermal stability
Just need pull 2 blank double shots and it heats up nicely. The only downside I see with the sunbeam is the group handle had a plastic insert. Some people may not like the idea of that.
I have the ME5300, got it at the start of Covid for around $340 from Stan Cash (yep they still exist).
Pretty good machine in my opinion although I never had a proper machine and moved over from a nespresso.
It seems to heat up quick and I haven't had an issue so far.
I'm not a coffee expert but I got the hang of making a good cappuccino after watching a bunch of youtube clips, now I criticise take away coffee when I grab one time to time.
Plastic insert? Says who. I have one and it's no different (except size) to Breville.
@swimmingtoad: Remove the filter and the group handle inside is plastic. I am looking at mine this second. The Breville, you can actually remove the plastic bit.
Edit. The portafilter!
@YELNATS: I duly stand corrected. I misunderstood which part you meant, there is black plastic that sits underneath to basket on the Sunbeam.
388 via appliance online and amazon
Bought this machine >5 years ago, and still going strong.
Never used the dual boiler, but I do honestly wonder how much of a difference that would make.
The steam function in this machine heats up in 15-30s, so I wonder how much time it would truly save you.
On top of that, there is the extra foot print as well as you have to buy a grinder separately.
If/when my machine dies, I would definitely be replacing it with the same.
This has an inbuilt grinder, doesn't it?
Yes this one does. That comment was referring to the breville dual boiler
Yes sorry. This one has the built-in grinder.
I was referring to the dual boiler one :)
The heat up steaming function takes about 20 seconds on the express vs 1 second on the dual boiler. The other difference is that the dual boiler has 3 holes on the steam wand vs 1 on the barista express meaning additional steaming pressure. This will cut the steaming process down from about 75 seconds on the express to 42 seconds on the dual boiler. So all up yeah you'll save about a 50 seconds to a minute for each milk based drink you do.
Additonally the dual boiler is much larger and you need an additonal grinder so i'm with you there, the express is a better option at least for me.
Isn't it usually going from steaming to extraction that's the time consuming issue (cooling vs heating)? That's the case for my delonghi at least.
So long as you pull all the shots first it's okay, but you have to wait a while for it to cool after steaming to pull another shot.
In the past I've just run water through the group head to cool it down quickly and to flush off all the used grounds stuck to it, but now I just pour all the shots, then do the milk to avoid going back and forth.
Bought this machine for Christmas, very happy with it works exactly as it should.
Obviously not a dual boiler machine but i have no problems with that.
i had it for a couple of years, and machine is great value (esp. on discount).
Dual boilers aren't needed for the home setting i reckon, unless you absolutely need to pull that coffee super quickly in the morning. The barista express makes for great value for the amateur home coffee drinker.
Just my experience with this machine:
Perhaps I got a lemon but I had no end of issues with it. However I will say, when it was working - it was great.
It broke down 4 times over 2 year period. Once the water pump and the other few times one of the solenoids inside (generally happened soon after a big clean so I suspect steam was getting in somewhere it shouldn't).
I ended up demanding a refund under the Good Guys "no lemon" guarantee.
Not trying to scare anyone off but I personally wouldn't buy this particular model.
the exact reason I'd never buy one of these. Would be landfill in 2-3 years max. Would rather buy something I'd have forever
Only get this machine if you are willing to really tinker and learn about what you are doing. It takes quite a bit of time commitment to dial it in, and frankly, I didn't have the patience. Plus every time you change beans it needs tweaking. If you want consistent coffee without the steep learning curve, plus a pretty good automatic milk frother, the bambino plus has been good to me.
Thanks, my first run with a coffee machine after microwaving instant coffee for years.
Buy fresh locally roasted beans, the supermarket beans are generally dry and not great
I’ve used popular beans (Vittoria, Lavazza) in supermarket & the freshly roasted ones that has so much hype on OB (twice the price) and honestly, can’t tell much of a difference.
Its like chalk and cheese, your loss.
vittoeia and lavazza beans are trash.
Wow, I bought this for $462.0 from Amazon in June 2019 and got some cash back as well.
I’m looking at getting a coffee machine and not sure what is the difference between this one and the oracle. Obviously there is a huge price difference but I wonder whether it’s worth getting the oracle if all I want to make are lattes. Any advice?
Oracle is much more expensive I think. For lattes this would be more than sufficient
Times have changed :(
The main benefits of the Oracle will be the dual boiler, the auto tamping and the nicer steam wand.
If you are only making a latte or two a day, get the Bambino Plus (with the nicer steam wand) and a separate grinder instead.
Bugger… The day after I got one…lol
I got the one without the grinder (the infuser) for 490 though. Added the smart grinder and cost me 740. Would have worked out similar if I had of brought a basic grinder, at least that's how I'm justifying it. :(
Last year the smart grinder pro could be had for under $200, seems the sales are very seldom now
250 from GG commercial is as good as I found around…
Thanks for the post OP. Got the Barista Pro tonight instead. $780 for the black sesame which is usually more expensive. Not the best price but best current price on the covid era.
Did anyone else get the code not working?
I rate this machine. Well worth the $600.
Being a heavy coffee drinker, switching from nespresso capsules, just remember the opportunity cost for holding out for a slightly better deal. I save a packet each day having my 5 cup a day habit from this machine instead of 85 cent capsules.
Work out if it makes sense for you to hold out a couple of months waiting for a slightly better price or pulling the trigger now for better cheaper coffee! :-)
Got this as our wedding gift 8 years ago. Still going strong - only ever needs a cleaning cycle (we just use eBay bicarb tablets) when the Clean LED lights up every now and then. Like many others have said here, it’s not a dual boiler and the wand only has one nozzle - but not an issue if you’re not in a rush or needing to extract many espressos and froth milk in a session - if you’re regularly entertaining and serving many coffees I’d suggest the dual boiler and separate grinder setup, but otherwise this is a far more cost effective setup if most of what you do is the one or two coffees every session. The grinder adjuster pretty much covers all manner of beans (whether bought or home roasted) and the single nozzle wand is fine so long as you angle the wand well for proper swirl when frothing. A well built timeless classic machine, this.
Can anyone please tell me what cleaning product you need for this machine and where to buy it and how much. Just to get an idea how much the maintenance would cost. Thanks
It's just a regular descaler that will be required plus the brevile also have filters that need to be replaced
Cleaning and descaling are different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8_rjBywG8c&ab_channel=Lifes… may be worth watching. https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/breville-eco-coffee-residue-c… is easy to buy at GG if you want the official cleaning tablets (again, descaling and cleaning aren't the same thing - you need both). Scroll down a bit on the page to see the "official" descaler and filters as well.
There are definitely cheaper options available for descaler, filter and cleaning (vs the official products).
I am mystified why both my comments were downvoted.
Anyway, I hope they were helpful geemike.
thanks so much mjwills, I will check out the youtube link you sent
much appreciated for your help
Does anyone know how the newer model https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/breville-the-barista-pro-espr… compares to this one ? As it's also 15% off the good guys eBay