Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
by Breville
Our Price: $324.97
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $199.00 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: BrevilleBrand: Breville
Model: ESP8XL
Color: Brushed Stainless
Product features:
- Stainless-steel espresso machine with 15-bar Thermoblock pump
- Dual-wall filter system for excellent crema; froth enhancer; cup-warming plate
- Large, easy-fill 1-2/7-quart water tank; external water window indicates when tank is low
- Removable drip tray and grid; stainless-steel espresso cup set and frothing jug included
- Measures 9 by 9 by 12 inches; 1-year limited warranty
- P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
- Breville BCG450XL Conical Burr Grinder
- Breville BCB100 Barista-Style Coffee Knock Box
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
Customer Review: Love It.
Summary: 5 Stars
I received the Cafe Roma as a gift, and I adore it. I had been eyeballing it for a while, but was unsure and unable to spend the money on it. Now that I know how good it is, I would buy it again if I had to. It's definitely worth it.
I use a Cuisinart burr grinder on the finest setting, and it's perfect. Even on the first try, the espresso was perfect, with a rich crema on top. With a little previous experience, I have no idea how anyone could make a bad drink with this, as long as they have good beans, a good grind, and tamp it down pretty hard.
I always fill the machine with filtered water (can't have good coffee without good water!), turn it on, and then start grinding and getting ready, that way it's already heated up by the time I'm ready to use it. If you leave the cute little metal cups on top, they will get a little warm, but not super hot, unless the machine has been on for a while. You want them at least a little warm, lest they make your nice fresh espresso cold. You can rinse them in hot water first, or just do a little burst of steam into them. They never get too hot to handle, but then again, since I don't drink straight espresso, I haven't touched my lips to the hot metal cup.
I've gone through about three (steam) espresso machines over the years, one of which was a Krups, and the other two were cheapies ($40 or less). None of them ever produced much (if any) of a crema. This one does, and it's amazing. When I went to Italy, I wondered how they did it. Now I know! It makes a huge difference. the espresso is smooth and flavorful, not bitter or scorched. Best of all, THE RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT, not hit or miss like the other machines I've used. I used to hate how when I used the same beans, the same grind, the same tamping pressure, the same everything, it would come out with different results. Only on the rare occasion would it come out very good.
I am experimenting with different beans and different roasts. The flavors are much different, more distinct and complex in the Breville than they were with the other crappy machines.
It comes with a double shot filter, a single shot filter, and a pod filter. I have never used a pod, but might experiment with those, too. The single shot filter is useless to me, since I always use at least two shots in my drinks.
My machine is slightly different than the one pictured and described in the owner's manual. Maybe they updated it a bit? First of all, it has a nifty little finger loop on the steam spout, and the steamer moves. It didn't come with the frothing attachment, but I've found that I like the way it steams and froths my milk and cream just fine without it, although it does take an extra minute. If you're a novice, you might need some practice before you get it right. I always steam after I'm done making the espresso, and I have never had the problem with water dripping out of the steam spout.
Second, my little grind holder doesn't have the plastic piece that holds onto your inserted filter when you're trying to dump it, which sucks when you're trying to dump hot grounds because you want to make another one immediately after the first. It isn't toooo bad, since the filters fit in so snugly that they're actually difficult to remove.
I have a few other minor problems with this machine.
The little frothing pitcher it comes with is just about the right size for me, but what bugs me is that the steamer spout is a bit close to the machine, so the frothing mug is a little over the drip tray. When you froth it to the top, the distance between the drip tray and the bottom of the steam spout isn't high enough, so you have to tip the frothing mug to get it out, and some of your milk and foam spills. If it were maybe 1/8" taller, this wouldn't happen. It's not a big deal, I just don't froth it all the way to the top, but I hate having to tilt it to get it out. It might be a problem if you like to have more milk and foam than I do, and want to use a larger frothing mug.
Rather than the grounds coming out in a hard puck, they are muddy, which means you have to rinse them down the drain instead of just knocking them out. This could be due to me not tamping hard enough. I just read today that you should tamp and then twist, to make sure that the water doesn't just drip straight through.
The little drip tray is easy to remove and clean, but is not seated very sturdily, and it vibrates when making your espresso. If you don't keep an eye on the cups, they might vibrate out of the stream of espresso. That's more annoying and ridiculous than anything.
The other thing that kinda bugs me is that with my crappy old steam machines, you had a glass carafe that would fill up with a lot of espresso, so even if you put two shots per cup, you could make at least two cups immediately after it brewed. It was handy when you were making it for a lot of people. With the breville, it only makes two shots. I'm not sure if you are supposed to make 4 shots before changing the grounds or not, but when I do, the second pair seems watery. I only do that if I have people (like my mom) that like their drinks weak. If it's for anyone in my house, I change the grounds after every double shot, or I mix one shot of the first pair with one from the second.
It's a bit more of a pain, and it uses more beans than the steam machines with the big glass carafe, but the quality of the espresso is sooooo much better that it's worth it. It's just a minor annoyance.
It's also difficult to see the water level, but it doesn't matter. I love that you can pull out the water container to fill it up. If you fill it until it's full, you only need to refill after every other pair of shots.
All in all, it's not a perfect machine. It has some minor imperfections that are really inconsequential, if a tad annoying, but the main thing is that it makes GREAT espresso and espresso based drinks for half the price of other high quality machines, which is why I'm still giving it 5 stars, even though it might deserve 4 for the annoyances. I figure that every machine has its own imperfections, and these really aren't that bad.
A true connoiseur might want to go with a machine that's $500 and up. For someone that enjoys a morning coffee, or a good cappuccino on a chilly, overcast winter's day while sitting home reading a book, definitely spend the $250. It may seem like a lot, especially if you're not a really avid espresso drinker, but it's worth it for a good cup. Not only will it save you the money you spend at a coffee shop, you can make it exactly how you like it, and you don't have to leave the house if you don't want to, or waste time waiting in line at a coffee shop. It's built like a rock, and will last you for years. It's worth the investment. I say go for it!
I highly recommend this machine. I think maybe next year for Christmas, we'll get one for my mother-in-law.
Description of Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker
Breville ESP8XL Café Roma Espresso with 15 bar thermoblock pump has stainless steel commercial housing and includes a bonus stainless steel espresso cup set and frothing jug.Espresso Machines
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