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$849 lowest price I've observed in months.
Possible to get slightly cheaper if you make use of ebayplus discount.
Note that this is for the coffee machine only and not the package with the grinder (BEP920)
Breville BES920BSS The Dual Boiler Espresso Machine $849 + Delivery @ The Good Guys eBay
1380
Lynnoj on 03/06/2021 - 10:09 ebay.com.au (4532 clicks)
Last edited 04/06/2021 - 09:47 by 3 other users
Last edited 04/06/2021 - 09:47 by 3 other users
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but the Pro has a grinder :)
Yes with more steps than the express.
The Dual Boiler uses proper commercial grade temperature control, pre-infusion, has an over pressure valve and has individual boilers for extraction and milk frothing - It's a much better unit than the "Pro" imho.
What’s it like compared to a rancillio or gaggia?
@Wombatstew: Lol so it’s basically a trash machine. Have always seen them on here but never knew what they were like. I could see this machine breaking just outside of its warranty and ending up in landfill. You’d probably go through 5+ of these in a lifetime. Better off spending a little more money, you get what you pay for
@wouldyou: Not sure how you came to that conclusion from the review above? Keep in mind the local prices of the machines in the review are not really comparable - the Dual Boiler (at the price in this deal) is less than a third of the price of the other machines, and is one of the two he recommends.
Having owned one for almost a year, and doing plenty of research before buying, I could not be happier with the dual boiler.@wouldyou: Totally wrong. I have both this machine and a more expensive, made in Italy copper boiler machine (Oscar II) and I enjoy using the Breville more and get better results with it. I'd very happily recommend this machine to anyone wanting to make a great cup of coffee.
@sternocleido: I’m just going off comments throughout this deal. A lot of people who have owned this machine for a while state that the longevity is an issue. No doubts it would make a solid coffee, my issue is that for the price I questions whether it would stand the test of time. A few people here have acknowledged this as a problem, but suppose you could also get one that lasts quite a while also
@wouldyou: I'm with @sternocleido.
I've had a BES920. And it died.
But it made really good coffee for 3 years. Lots of coffee. Machine costs worked out to circa $0.10/cup. I can live with that. More money for nice beans and a GOOD grinder.
In hindsight, maybe I should have gone for a longer warranty and been more meticulous in replacing o-rings and tubing before they failed (and did damage to electronics as a result).
I'm back to using a single boiler Rancilio Silvia that requires much more attention to produce a good coffee. Pity a BES920 is too big to justify a place a on the bench of our now-much-smaller kitchen with just the two of us to serve.
In summary: BES920 - great bang-for-buck. Use a good grinder and don't skimp on the beans (OzBargain helps there). Just don't expect it to last forever!
@wouldyou: I used to work for Harvey Norman - not anymore thankfully. Anyway point is, people who came in with faulty Breville Dual Boiler units almost always were those who didn't properly maintain the machine with descaler, filter replacements or coffee residue tablets. Unfortunately many of those who do buy these machines are first timers as hobbyist baristas who don't understand how important it is, or families who are too busy to do so.
What seemed to seperate these from more "prosumer/professional" brands was that the higher end brands were over engineered to provide a greater degree of protection against mistreatment, wheras the Brevilles were built to a price and whilst generally good, were less forgiving of consistent abuse and neglect.
@wouldyou: I'm up to 4 years now without it missing a beat. I got it for $719 during one of those stacked ebay + paypal sales while the good guys also had a sale on top.
@Name: I hope you get a long time out of yours. I've heard some horror stories with getting these fixed by Breville, post warranty
@wouldyou: Yup same. I had a sunbeam em6910 before this one and it was nothing but a pain. It felt like something needed fixing on it every other week. Worked fine until warranty ran out.
@wouldyou: Not from me. Had a solenoid failure in year 3 of ownership and fixed without issue by Breville under warranty. Have found them to be very helpful on advice over the phone as well.
A terrible grinder, when realistically if you're forking out for a dual boiler you'd want to buy a good standalone grinder as that is ultimately what will be holding the quality of your coffee back.
Even that aside, it's always better to have the grinder seperate to A) Remove beans from heat B) not have an extra point of failure on the machine istelf and C) give scope to upgrade to a better grinder and burr set in future
@Anthropomorphised: Yeah agreed 100%. That being said, there's obviously a market for those that aren't deep into the enthusiast space and just want a 'one stop shop' that can make them better coffee than instant, so horses for courses I suppose.
That being said, I personally wouldn't buy anything with an inbuilt grinder.
isnt that just the barista express with unnecessary features
i wish theyd make a dual boiler with built in grinder
That's pretty much what the Oracle is
oracle is overpriced as heck with even more useless features. its basically a manual machine but automating unnnecessary steps
That's a terrible idea. The grinder is a critical path to getting outstanding espresso shots and it's the thing that's most worth upgrading in your typical residential coffee making setup.
whys that a terrible idea
as long as the built in grinder is decent
ive been actively using both the grinder pro and the built in from the barista express. both are fine.
@NedStark102: you understand im talking about a theoretical machine that doesnt exist yet that they could release right
how are you judging something that doesnt exist
@furythree: There's nothing gained by having a grinder and coffee machine mashed together. Many people like to eat popcorn while watching a movie but there's a reason why nobody has thought to invent a combination DVD player and popcorn maker.
@Simon Wright: convenience and space saving
popularity of barista express/pro models proves this
i get having separate grinder gives freedom of choice. but market segment for opposite product preferences exist
Just an FYI for those interested, I contacted Breville and the black version of this will be back in stock mid June.
I prefer the Barista Pro. I think the Dual Boiler is for people specifically wanting a dedicated grinder or need to make multiple milk based drinks back to back.
We have the Touch, primarily went for the automatic milk frothing function, but it doesn’t work well for non dairy milk, so have to manually froth to a get a good texture. If we had know would go for the Pro instead.
Do you use barista formulated non dairy milk?
We sure do, have tried a range of barista non dairy alternatives: soy, oat, almond.
The result is okay but it doesn't produce consistent micro foam for latte art. Full cream milk is forgiving so it's fine most of the time, but non dairy milk requires good techniques the machine cannot mimic.
@browser: Full cream milk is best for latte art. I have found that I can easily make a leaf or rosetta from it but a challenge with bonsoy. The art is there but is more bubbly and looks curdled.
@smarter_fool: I have given up on Bonsoy. It's suitable for cooking but I don't think it's specifically formulated for barista use. A few years ago there wasn't much choice, so Bonsoy was commonly seen at cafes, in recent times I have noticed many cafes (or at least the ones I visit) have switched to other brands, such as Soy Boy and Milk Lab.
@browser: Bon Soy is the premium barista soy. Sure there is more now to choose from, but Bon Soy is the top tier.
@smarter_fool: You can get around the curdling by changing your pouring technique slightly. Try to pour enough in shot to get the soy and espresso mixed together. You’ll end up with a paler looking coffee, but no curdling and less bitterness from the crema.
@dirtydealdog: Bonsoy curdles when the temperature is high enough and the ratio of milk to coffee acids is low enough. You can avoid curdling bonsoy by not heating it up so much. Or by avoiding very strong coffee to milk ratios.
@browser: Yeah non dairy takes a lot of practice to do latte art and non barista type is impossible.
I’ve never used an auto machine but I imagine it would be a lot harder to get the required consistency.@UndeclaredFreak: It's a design limitation, the frother is submerged at the some position the entire time. There's no variation in depth or angle, so it's impossible for it achieve good results.
@browser: I've found Milklab's macadamia milk to be the best non-dairy alternative for taste and consistency
the dual boiler is a higher-end/prosumer machine compared the the barista pro/express (58mm group head vs 54mm etc).
Agree the Dual Boiler is a better machine, and I do prefer a 58mm group head if there's a choice. But it's a larger machine, requires separate grinder, which translate into taking up more counter space and extra power point, possibly power board, more wires and mess on the counter.
We mostly go with milk based drinks, so any improvement from brewing with a more powerful machine is diluted by the milk. All things considered, we prefer an all in one solution like the Barista series.
@browser: yep the BDB has a large footprint, so if that's a concern the Pro is probably a good fit.
in terms of milk drinks though, i make mostly flat whites on my BDB and the steam want is an absolute godsend - it's so much more powerful than any standard single boiler machine I've used and you get much better frothed milk with it.
We used to have a barista pro at work. I loved it, thought it did a great job. Then upgraded to the dual boiler which I thought was a little silly.
Which was wrong, because it was miles better. Tastier coffee with the same beans, and much nicer to use.
@heineken016,
Also, milk steaming is a lot quicker with the dual boiler than the barista pro/expressI'm confused how a dual boiler can produce tastier coffee?
@C0mbat: Comparing the BDB to the lower end Brevilles, you have a 58mm portafilter - which is less forgiving, but can produce better output.
@C0mbat: Much better temperature control (Digital PID)
Pre infusion
Over pressure valveI know the bargain hunters on ozbargain might be offended, but the Pro is a toy compared to the dual boiler.
Just on pre-infusion, read this little blurb. These all add up to a much better shot pull. (And exist in every commercial coffee machine, or are done manually on old school manual machines)
"Pre-infusion refers to the process of gently soaking the puck of ground coffee in your portafilter before applying the full desired brewing pressure. The goal is to ensure that water evenly penetrates the grounds to ensure that the entire bed has the same amount of water flowing through it once extraction begins."
@sovereign01: Pro does have preinfusion. https://www.breville.com/content/dam/breville/us/en/assets/m…
@sovereign01: Thanks for the info. However, the Bambino Plus does pre infusion and its much cheaper (particularly from good guys commercial). I'm fascinated to know whether anything else really makes a difference. In terms of 58mm vs 54mm baskets, there seems to be conflicting evidence.
I actually went down to the Little Marionette roasters in Sydney and got taking to the owner one day. He said that the Bambino Plus (with the non-pressurised basket rather than pressurised) and the Smart Pro Grinder will get you very close to being toe to toe with his $10k grinder and custom made espresso machine. I have both and now struggle to find a coffee shop that can match my coffee.
@C0mbat: I've used a bambino (Not plus) and found it very lacking - I'd hazard a guess the owner of a roaster will tell you whatever they think you want to hear/can handle hearing - Then sell you some beans.
I'm not a barista but I have spent a lot of time around baristas and barista trainers, pretty unanimous from them that the dual boiler is fantastic and to skip the rest of the range, and not to waste any more money unless you want to spend $5k+
@sovereign01: at home I'm definitely working at the lower end of the $ spectrum for now - I use a Delonghi Dedica.
However, I think the key thing is the pressurised vs non pressurised basket.I did this upgrade (and naked PF, and Rancilio steam wand mod) on my dedica and honestly it's not worth me upgrading for now. Night and day compared to what it was initially. Could be the difference between that roaster's opinion and your experience. FWIW internet reviews of the bambino w/unpressurised basket were quite favourable.
@C0mbat: What do you mean by (particularly from good guys commercial) ? Do you mean when they put it on sale? Thanks.
@sovereign01: I would argue that the PID and OPV are even more beneficial than the pre-infusion, but either way the BDB is leagues better - more than holds its own against a lot of the 'proper' prosumer machines by manufacturers such as rancilio, gaggia, lelit etc.
Honestly, if you don't want the Dual Boiler then check out the Bambino Plus (plus unpressurised baskets). Couple that with a separate grinder and you get a reasonable setup for a good price.
But the DBD is definitely better.
This is what I have and it's amazing. You can get it for about $360 from good guys commercial. I also got the non-pressurised basket later on and that's really improved the coffee after a decent amount of initial tweaking.
Agree - I have BDB/Niche Zero at home, and Bambino (not plus) / unpressurised with Smart Grinder Pro at work. Home coffee is better, but work is still pretty good, and much cheaper setup.
@NedStark102: IMHO, yes. Much better than SGP. Can definitely taste the difference and much more consistent. But I also have a Eureka Mignon XL, which is similar quality burrs to Niche but in a flat burr vs conical. That's where things get interesting, and I'm not yet ready to compare them because I don't yet have 10kg thru my Niche (fully "seasoned" burrs, they say). Sorry tl/dr! :-)
@myKidsPwnedU: I love talking coffee, so not too long at all! the Niche Zero is such a stylish little grinder too, definitely tempted to go straight for something like that if (and likely when) I end up getting an espresso machine.
@NedStark102: I can second the Niche. I went from an SCP to the Niche in January and that first double shot - massive difference in flavour :)
I really enjoy the workflow with the Niche. Much more consistent grind size, stepless helps to dial in, and also better than the SCP if you also enjoy pourovers / filter. The SCP was never very good at larger grind consistency.
I'm owning a dual boiler for more than 2 years and it's still going strong.
One Smart Grinder Pro was gone and the second one has stopped producing the right amount, so I'm on the 3rd one. If this one breaks, I should go for different brand of grinder.
My issue is I can't get the brew coming out of the portafilter looks as smooth, thick and slow as seen in many videos. My coffee coming out as a thin line at the beginning, with the right colour and thickness, then become quicker and a lot thinner. And that's for a double shot in 30 secs.
Any idea how to tweak it to work better?
I only use sungold jersey milk for my coffee.
Problem is probably the beans that you're using. Try different beans
@djevoultion: I've used quite a lot of different beans. Most of them are fresh.
A friend of mine who owns a coffee shop ordered an extra bag for me from his supplier.
I can rule out beans issue.
Probably grinding too coarse or tamping incorrectly/not enough power
Patience and adjusting one variable at a time will get you there. Try and have the exact (and correct form your basket) amount of grinds each time - 18g - 21g for example.. then go so fine the machine chokes and can't push through. Bin that, and then back off the coarseness each time until the flow is syrupy and you get a shot in about 30ish seconds and most importantly it tastes good.
If you get the syrupy flow but don't like the taste (sour? Flowing too fast. Bitter? Too slow, burning the beans), then start to adjust the dose.
Remember the grinder always has a little bit left in the chute, so bin the first few seconds of grind for consistency, to help only freshest grinds hit the basket.
And sudden humidity changes and leaving the beans exposed to air all change the flow through the grind too.
At the end of the day you'll find a ratio you like and a taste you love. Or you end up back at the cafe. Depends how obsessive you are.
See coffeesnobs forums for more..
@seajay: The biggest improvement for me was doing this:
1) I have a 23gram VST basket so making sure my grinder only has 23gram (weigh them out) of beans in the hopper. If you're using the stock Breville basket, I think its 20gr ..so weigh 20gm of beans out.
2) I'll grind all the beans (20gm worth) into the portafilter. This means you don't need to worry about time in the grinder and just worry about coarseness. Set time until the beans are def all grinded.
3) tamp, but ease off as I think most people tamp too hard.
4) put a scale under your cups, do the two shot basket and watch how much liquid comes out in weight. Aim for 27-31 secs but taste test too. Depending on your beans some may call for 1.5x or some maybe 2x of 20gm. So get 30 or 40ml espresso)Not a barista but this is how I make it and so far it's been pretty good. If anyone sees anything wrong, please correct it haha
@EnergicAU: Sounds good I've done similar too … In reality what we see and think of great shots of espresso these days are really closer to a double ristretto..
At the end of the day there's lots of right ways to pull a good shot.. as long as it tastes good!
If everything else is straight, it must be tamping.
try getting one of those distributor/tamping puck things, spend a little time setting the tamp height so that there is a small gap between the grinds and the group head screen (I used a 5c piece, adjusted height so that screen didn't push it into the grinds when PF installed). Then adjust distributor height so that it's a bit below top of filter basket. I also like to jiggle the PF when grinding to help settle the grinds, and do a couple bench taps before distributing.
From then on, your tamp and distribution will be exactly the same so the only variables become how much coffee and how fine. I personally struggled to get a good consistent tamp before this.
Their ebay store has it for $849 (using PPS100) but showing $35 shipping for me. Maybe even better if you have ebay plus?
I have ebay plus and still has to pay the $35 shipping
To clarify I used PLUSF5 and also paid $35 for shipping.
I'm seeing postage as $50…
These prices really soared with covid, they were sub $700 prior.
I reckon these are as good as it gets before you get into prosumer.
Great machine, good pairing with baratza sette 270Been using BES920 for 3 years with the Smart Grinder Pro, has been a great combo. Sette 270 arriving today, will be interesting to see the difference if any.
Probably not for a casual drinker but I like knowing I have top quality gear.
I like the 270wi, knowing the exact mass of shots.
how much you paid for Settle 270 and where? my smart grinder about to go may as well get a good grinder
$470 delivered. K Bean.
@dealspider: Grind time is significantly faster. Doesn't matter much to me but overall that's a positive.
The "fluffiness" of the grinds is insanely good.
Its fairly easy to dial in, I had it pretty close after 4 shots.
Stepless micro adjustment will be the biggest advantage I think. There were times I was in-between on the SGP which became frustrating as I got better at pulling shots.
Only downside so far is more mess. Because the grinds are so fluffy and not clumped at all, they tend to fly everywhere (static) and the base is quite small so you end up with a bit on the counter. Not the end of the world but a bit annoying.I looked at the Zero as well but couldn't justify the jump up, so I think the 270 is a great middle ground, I suspect I wont need anything better.
@ddr0001: Hey thanks a lot for the quick reply. Really appreciate your feedback on the grinder. I didn't think you would reply that soon so I bit the bullet and bought the Sette 270. Hope it is not going to disappoint me.
Currently I am using a Breville Barista Express. I had it for just over 4 years now. I think my grinder thingie needs a replacement now (which is normal wear). Except that the machine is going really good. I always wanted to get the Dual Boiler. I almost bought the Smart Grinder Pro to go with this but then saw people were talking about other pro-sumerble level grinders such Sette and other brands. After doing some quick research, decided to get the Sette.
Can I ask how long did it take to deliver the grinder from kbean?
@dealspider: Delivery was next day.
I had a play with a Barista Express a few months ago, from what I could tell the grinder was terrible so you should notice a decent difference.
RE the 270, after a few more shots the static has calmed down a bit. Im really liking it so far.
@ddr0001: Thanks Kbean dont have them in stock so I get them from AB in Melbourne it will get dispatched today
I went from a Breville Smart grinder pro to a Niche Zero. Can highly recommend the Niche, but they appear to be near impossible to source at present. I received mine in January.
They're are a very different price point to the Sette, though.
Buying direct from Niche overseas is a considerably cheaper than purchasing from Aussie retailers, though they rarely have stock either.
Espressotenango in ballina has them for $440 (not sure about delivery). I got mine from alternativebrewing. Main difference for me from the smartgrinder is its 7 seconds to grind 20gms instead of 20 seconds.
Nice.
After using Sette, do you notice any difference for the flow, pre infusion, etc, compared to grinder pro?
Great pairing with an 1Zpresso JX Pro as well!
ha, that's my combo too. They work great together.
Price in title
And shipping cost.
Love mine to bits, but yeah the prices for these kinda suck nowadays. If you don't mind going second-hand, it's a fairly normal thing to inspect the machine and check someones shot count when you buy it, so you can get an idea of the life its had.
How do you check the shot count?
Definitely the best price since COVID. Good work, OP
Just saw the latest review from James Hoffmann and it's still very positive with a $1200 GBP price tag!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0kQ5WqjcU8&t=2044sIt seems that we are really lucky even it's at $899 AUD
Considering COVID price increases, this is a great price for it.
Kicking myself because I just got the Barista Pro few weeks ago.