“Thermoblock heating system extracts espresso at the perfect temperature. A full 15 bars of pressure maximizes crema for a rich, barista-style aroma and taste. Effortless frothing and foaming.” Included Accessories Single, double or pods espresso shots Stainless steel frothing pitcher Tamping tool and measuring spoon Cleaning tool.
Espresso Machine & Coffeemaker Combos
Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker,1.2 liters
$4.40
| Asin | B0002VAFWA |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9"D x 9"W x 12"H |
| Weight | 13 pounds |
| Manufacturer | Breville |
AmazonReviewer0068 –
Day 1:
Overall Feeling with my purchase: 4/5 stars =>espresso quality: 5 stars + machine quality: 3 stars, for a total of 4 stars
The Look: the machine looks good, not fantastic. Ive used a 200 dollar krups machine that looked more solidly built, specially the brew head and filter system. The breville unit has a rather plasticky brew-head handle and a very very simple brew head upon which you must insert the individual filters for either a single or double shot of espresso. This system in the breville looks a little more cumbersome than the krups for 200 dollars which has a one-piece brew head + filters. The water container looks good, but the water-level window will get fogged up upon steaming milk, luckily this will clear up after 20-30 minutes.
Vibration: The unit micro-vibrates, and it does it a lot although it’s barely noticeable to the eye. You will notice this if you have light-weight cups or plastic glasses. You do need to keep the cups/glasses in place with your hands as these will tend to slide from under the espresso dripping tubes.
The Puck: I got my first shot of espresso and I immediately noticed how cumbersome it is to get the puck of espresso out of the brew head. You literally have to push it out of the filter by means of pounding on it with your fist or by aggressively shaking it back and forth over the garbage can, my first attempt resulted in the filter and puck flying out of the brewhead into the garbage bin together. A second attempt, in which I removed the filter with puck from inside the brew-head first, proved successful. I miss a button I can press to force the puck out of the brew head. Again, I have seen this in the Krups for 200 bucks.
The Espresso: my first shot of espresso took a long time to come down, I wondered if this would be the routine moving forward. I think this delay could take some points away from the breville unit. The shot itself was rich with good crema, no complaints here, the machine does a good shot of espresso, BETTER than the krups for 200 bucks.
The steaming: the unit comes with a nice steaming/frothing wand. Much better built quality than other cheaper units. The unit’s frothing jug though is tiny and it will only accommodate enough milk for up to two cappuccinos, or one latte. I think I will need a bigger frothing jug, with a thermostat to go with it (not included in this breville unit).
Day 2:
Overall Feeling with my purchase: 4/5 stars
The look: im growing into it, Im getting used to the whole brewing head process and I kind of don’t mind it anymore, now that’s me, and I like the feeling of “working” for my espresso (that’s why I got a machine in the first place). My filters remain clear and unclogged after using freshly ground coffee at a setting of “very fine” in my grinding machine (my conical burr machine could do 5 finer settings, all the way to Turkish finest) I’ve noticed some roughed up edges on the punch-holed stainless platter upon which you place your cups for brewing. I hope (since this is supposed to be stainless steel) that no rust will show in these areas.
Vibration: I placed a bigger ceramic cup this morning for a latte and the vibration although there didn’t really slide the cup in any direction. Again, I think this problem is only present when you use very small (shot size) glass or small more-plastic cups.
The Puck: I’ve gotten used to removing the filter from inside the brew header and to (still) firmly pound on its back so the puck can be released. I still don’t think this is very smart and I still miss a feature to gently push the puck out of the filter. A flaw in design but not an appliance killer.
The espresso: wonderful flavor, good crema, and much MUCH faster brewing time than the first attempt on day 1. I think the machine needed one or two shots brewed to “break in”.
The steaming: no complaints here, it does what it’s supposed to do. Make sure you let it run a little before steaming the milk, so it can expel excess water and milk that might have accumulated inside from previous steaming sessions.
Brandon Gresham –
I have to say, I absolutely love this machine! This is a preliminary review since I just got it today — I will try to remember to do a follow-up review in about a month concerning the issues that others have brought up that seem to mainly appear only over a few weeks of use (i.e.: clogging filters). For now, these are my first impressions after having pulled 3 shots with frothed milk.
Up-front, this is not my first espresso machine; this one replaced my old, small, a little beat-up (but still functional!) Krups. It made a decent cup — but the Breville puts my Krups to shame! I also tried another couple brands from some big-box outlets and took them all back, unsatisfied. So I am familiar with brewing espresso, even if I’m not a full-fledged barista. 🙂
These comparisons are mainly made as opposed to my Krups.
1) The warming plate gets noticeably hotter
2) The crema extracted is noticeably thicker and richer looking
2a) In order to achieve this result, I don’t have to grind as finely nor tamp nearly as hard — indeed, I haven’t had to tamp with much pressure at all
3) The crema extracted stays a LOT warmer for longer
4) The shot is noticeably less bitter (ie: not bitter at all)
5) The frothed milk is absolutely better. My Krups required 2-3 frothing cycles per batch in order to get anything close to acceptable. This machine accomplishes MUCH BETTER… and in only 1 frothing cycle
6) The drip tray is WONDERFUL… 2 holes for the grouphead to drip it’s excess into without dirtying the tray-top and an overflow indicator to warn you before you create a mess
7) With the exception of the measuring spoon/tamper, all of the other accessories were AWESOME. I love the double-walled espresso cups (2 included), and though I probably won’t use the matching saucers, they are nice too. The included cleaning tool is SUPERB as it contains (all in one piece) the right sized tool to clean the froth-hole, a smaller tool to clean the pores of the filter-baskets should they become clogged, and a wrench to remove the frother-tip for periodic cleaning. The included spoon/tamper is “OK” — it’s certainly more durable than my Krups one, but it’s still just plastic… I would have liked a nice stainless one to match the machine.
8) The water reservoir is a bit larger… and easier to read the fill-level (still not ideal, though, it really should have had a small LED light shining out from inside… but it can be read with a little care… my Krups one pretty much I couldn’t ever see the water-level.
This machine is easy to use, easy to clean, and consists overall of less work than my Krups. It’s obvious from just a few uses that when it comes time to give it a thorough cleaning (I usually do that about once/month) this one will be MUCH EASIER and the results will be superior.
But in the end what matters most are the results: the product I produced from this machine tastes JUST AS GOOD (if not better) AS MY LOCAL BARISTA. I am *VERY* satisfied! 🙂
All of that being said, let me emphasize that I am not comparing this to my old Krups as a way of suggesting that NEWER Krups’s wouldn’t also fare better; I’m sure they would. But my old Krups is what I have to compare this new machine to.
Also, I am sure many of the complaints of other reviewers are probably somewhat valid; however, it should be remembered that this is NOT a $1000 machine… it’s not going to do everything for you. You are still going to have to do much of the work, especially clean-up & maintenance. But you are going to get a FANTASTIC product if you are just willing to put forth a little effort… and all for a reasonable price!
I am absolutely satisfied. I’ll post my thoughts again in about a month.
Juan Rivera –
I have been using this espresso maker for about a week and so far I am very pleased with its performance. I have been visiting the local espresso shops for the past couple years without a espresso budget in mind, i was just buying when I felt the urge. I didn’t realize how much I was spending on espressos weekly. The machine has a beautiful stainless steel design looks much better in person. It pours out the espresso perfectly based on reviews and videos I have used to compare with other high end machines. The taste is consistent not watery or strong. I matched it up with the Breville smart grinder and that too does excellent work. The milk steamer is powerful and heats up the milk quickly. I usually put my milk in the metal milk container and stick it in the freezer for about 5-10 min prior to making the espresso this helps with the frothing. Very easy to clean. I will get back in time with an update after a few months of use. So far I saved $40 on espresso this includes making a few cups for co-workers. So far 5 stars and I recommend.
10/16/13 update
OK I had an issue with espresso machine the other day. Here is what happened; I thought I blew a gasket or something. I was so irritated. I switch to a new bean Ethiopia from Starbucks and used the same grind as the previous bean. I ran the espresso machine and the coffee was coming in slow drips. I thought for a moment and decided to clean the portafilter. I ground some the same coffee and ran the espresso again. I hear a pop and water and coffee was squirting around the area. I stopped the machine and thought about the reviews I read about leaky espresso machines and blown gaskets and I thougt…That was mine and I will need to send this back or get a new gasket. I also read reviews about coffee being too fine and clogging the portafilter. So I tried it again. I gave the smart grinder a couple of clicks to the left and ran the espresso again and man the coffee came out fine. I was so relieved and glad that I took the time to read and learn about espresso makers before I purchased one.
That experience has taught me a lot about espressos makers, grinders and beans. It has become apparent to me that some beans can grind finer than other brands of beans and some espresso machines cannot handle too fine of a grind. The bean well I think its because how they are grown, the locations and elevations.
I see why some may have issues with espresso machines. I would say take the time to read or view some youtube videos on espresso machines. They are very insightful.
UPDATE 2/08/14
my espresso machine is doing great and it’s been five months.It still puts out great creama and has been doing great on a variety of beans as if it has gotten better every time i use it. No clogging and it is still performing well. At this price, which is cheaper than what i bought st, I highly recommend this product. you will not be disappointed.
The machine is doing great and my coffee still taste great. Still a five star.
UPDATE 10/2/15
It’s been a 3.5 years since I purchased the Breville espresso maker. I stopped using the steam wand over a year ago because it added water to the milk, but this was a blessing because I purchased the Breville milk cafe frother and I am so glad I did. The frother does an excellent job frothing. No more holding the container under the steam wand waiting for the steam to do it’s job. I now just have to press a button on the frother and it’s in it’s own but not only that, I can add ingredients to the frother while it’s frothing and also add the espresso shot for a perfect stir. So now I can froth and pull my espresso shots without having to wait for one to be done before the other. No matter what espresso machine you have of this type you may want to look into an external frother so it’ll save you time. The Breville milk cafe is highly rated.
UPDATE 06/12/16
Ok I am blessed and happy to say that the expresso machine has been doing great in my opinion. It still perfoms and pulls shots like new. Has had no issues what so ever. This machine is great for the money. Breville makes some great products. I still make espressos for co-workers and they love it always ask when I will bring in espressos. I maintain it like recommended.
Last comment 11/2021
This cafe roma is about 8 years old and still running like a champ. I may purchase another for my cabin up north.
Melissa Page-Fockler –
I had on old Krups espresso maker for years. It was cheap AND it performed beautifully for many years. When it finally died I started to shop for a new one. I landed on Breville because of the company reputation of making high quality products. This machine DESERVES less than one star. Now, it COULD be the operator since it has a learning curve to learn the tricks to the espresso maker. BUT I don’t like the fact that it produces espresso until YOU shut it off and not an auto shut off at one or two servings. So far it has made a weak espresso even though I am using a high grade bean and a grind as the instructions show. Like I said, it could be operator error so I will keep working with it to see if I can get a decent cup of espresso out of it. I find that after I manually shut it off to have it stop making the espresso, it leaves a bunch of water on the top of the used grounds and that spills all over when you wrench the thing out of the maker. In my old Krups, I never had an issue like this and the ground coffee was almost dry after making a serving. For the money that I spent on this machine to the tune of almost $200, it should really make a better espresso and have a few more features! I will update my review after a couple weeks of trying to get the hang of it and trying different types of espresso beans and grinds and changing the pressure that I tamp the grounds down with but so far, I AM NOT IMPRESSED, BREVILLE!!!!
Farm Baker –
I bought the Breville ESP8XL in early 2012 after much review reading and procrastination. I’ve only used large professional/commercial style 2-4 group machines in my bakery and struggled with the thought of not quite as much steam head and big boiler mechanics in a small espresso maker.
One particular review captured my attention because it outlined the parameters of using the Breville and I expect many others in this price class. I was so thankful for the review and thought I could expand on it a bit more and add my process for making espresso in the Breville.
I’m extremely happy with the machine and almost a year later still am. In that time every couple of days I make two cups one right after the other. Cleaning it immediately after use, especially the steam wand & wand cover have kept me from any deep cleaning since I’ve owned it.
Steps to a great espresso brew:
1. Check water amount in water well- fill as needed
2. Turn ON Breville
3. Grind your coffee, I use a little blade coffee grinder and drip sized grind espresso coffee which I spin around until it has some fines and a little bit coarser coffee. (mix the fines that fall under the blade with the above blade part.) Experiment until you can execute this every time to the right consistency.
Note: too finely ground coffee will not allow the water through the group head (where you put the coffee) So if you ground the coffee to a powder by mistake – toss it out and try again.
4. Heat a some water in your electric kettle, microwave or stove/pot and pour into your espresso cups to pre-heat them.
5. Put your group head WITH OUT any coffee in it on the machine and run a little water through it. Keep it on the machine while you go to the next step. (this preheats it so the steam pressure and heat doesn’t dissipate when you brew your espresso)
6. Steaming your milk or soy. I fill the pitcher that came with the machine about 1/3 full of milk. (leaving room for foam when it forms) Blow any water out of the steam wand into a clean towel-Watch out it’s hot coming out. When it’s sputtering without water squirting out put steam wand into your pitcher. Keep it well into the milk and keep a hand on the bottom of the pitcher to track temperature. When it begins to get warm you can move the steam wand near the surface and it will generate more foam.
–My past experience was to foam cold milk first then heat lower in the pitcher, but this reverse system works better in a small pitcher.
When milk is hot to touch and foamy turn steamer off, remove pitcher. Now blow the milk residue out of the wand with a towel over the end of it. Watch out it’s hot coming out. If this is the last coffee your making pull the outer metal cylinder off, toss in sink and clean the wand thoroughly with a wet hot towel. Getting the cooked milk of now will save time later I guaranty.
7. Take your heated group handle off the machine and measure out your coffee from the grinder into it. Using a metal (my preference) or plastic tamper, press down firmly and twist. You might want to do this twice.
8. Stick into the machine, pour the hot water out of your cup and stick it under the group head, turn on the brewing switch. Rule of thumb on a professional machine is a 20 second pour. The pour should be slow to start and build more volume as it continues. Color should be dark and rich. On the Breville with it’s special group cup I find a 30 second pour is good. When the stream of espresso turns a lighter color turn it off. Lighter color tends to be bitter (a over extracted coffee)
If all you are getting is a faint drip… drip…drip out of the group your coffee is to fine. Try grinding again.
You may have to work a little bit to find the perfect grind to pour time when you first get started with this machine. Moisture in the air, in your coffee etc. play into the grind size as well. Patience is good and a better Burr style grinder if you can afford it!
9.Mix up your steamed milk and foam, gentle pour it in your cup and sit down and enjoy!
10. Remember to Turn Off your machine and clean all the parts, group, up inside where the group sits, bottom tray, wand & cover thoroughly after using.
Please note that with any espresso machine if your cup & group is hot before you brew you’ll have a far better espresso making experience!
This is not a heavy duty machine but very adequate for your daily cups. Making two cups in succession does not over tax the boiler.
Hope this helps in your research of counter top espresso makers. Cheers!