Subrutum wrote:The Barista Express was my first machine... I liked it at first, but the ease of use rapidly goes down after guests arrive. Its limit was around 3 cups/15 mins sustained I believe as the vibe pump & grouphead needs time to chill.

I recommend buying a spare for the grouphead gasket as mine broke in 6 months... It's a good machine for home use but dont expect it to come close to proper cafe quality without a separate grinder. (The B DualBoiler can match cafe quality with a standalone grinder. The reliability is not as good however)

For secret tips :
The breville's temps are low so flush the group for around half a second to warm up & even out the exposed metal's temps.
Program it to go as hot as possible, it likes to chill.
Grind it slightly finer than usual, then hold the shot button...this will use the pre-infusion setting for a longer time. Play around with it to find the sweet spot.
Try not to stop by time. Stop by volume instead regardless of time (in preinfusion)
Try to Single Dose. Dont leave beans in the hopper as the hopper itself gets quite warm when the machine is on.
Try to hit 9 bars (around 12:00-1:00 in the dial) with the pre-infusion setting and pull a 1:1 ristretto (hahahaha )

I just want something drinkable that is better than my capresso infinity 565.05 french press coffee (usually not very good, maybe I suck at adjusting grinder settings). Is that realistic or possible with this machine?

I would 2nd what Subrutum posted in regards to the secret tips. FWIW, my most frequent grinder settings are anywhere from 10 to 14, which I attribute to the grinder burrs being well broken in; used to have to grind around 5 or 6.

I'll typically grind fine enough so that when I hit and hold the double shot button, the pressure gauge shoots up to about 10 o'clock. I usually see the first drips after 10 or 15 seconds. When a stream starts to become regular, I release the button to go to full pressure and finish the shot manually when it starts to blond.

This is the only machine I've ever owned so no comparison to other home machines, but I'm pretty happy with the results by using these techniques.

Portafilter should be hot enough to be fairly uncomfortable to the touch prior to brewing...hope that helps!

humblepie9674 wrote:I would 2nd what Subrutum posted in regards to the secret tips. FWIW, my most frequent grinder settings are anywhere from 10 to 14, which I attribute to the grinder burrs being well broken in; used to have to grind around 5 or 6.'

Wouldn't the grinder settings need to be finer after it's broke in? Seems break in would only loosen the grind gears not tighten them?

OP, I have the same machine (3 weeks now) Try a coffee that has different flavor profiles too, it may just be the beans in that machine. Also, I use the highest setting heat, flush the grouphead with PF attached, run steam for 5-10sec full power right before shot.

Also, the grind setting of 10 or 12 might be due to super fresh fluffy beans. You will need to grind finer with drier beans.

I am new to "real" espresso brewing too. Here is what I've learned after 3 weeks of Research on brewing and using the Breville Barista Express:

1) *grind size + coffee quantity = extraction time
2) different beans require different grinds
3) grind size can change as beans become less fresh (dry beans require finer grind)
4) brew ratio is the goal (you must weigh your dry coffee in PF then weigh the brewed coffee in shot glass) I shoot for 1:2 (17g in, 32-36g out) for my current beans.
5) pick an amount and stick to it! Only changing grind. I stuck with 17g (previous beans wouldn't fit 17g in PF, too fluffy so I went with 15g for those beans)
6) *Time your shot AFTER preinfusion
7) to make the shot take longer, grind finer. To make it dispense quicker, grind coarser
DO EVERYTHING EXACTLY THE SAME FOR EVERY SHOT...changing 1 variable at a time to get a different result.
9) Don't brew your shot into a cold cup...preheat that sucker with the hot water from flushing group head.
10) After preheating PF, dry it out before filling with coffee grounds
11) Don't worry about temperature yet. Not until you get everything else down. Then you can tweak temp.
12) Don't give up! The machine may not be the best of the best but it is definitely capable (unless temperature issues as stated before do exist, I keep mine on hottest setting and preheat the crap out of everything....THE SAME EXACT WAY EACH TIME!)


* so grind size and coffee quantity are the only 2 factors when it comes to changing your shot time from..say 20sec to 25sec. If you kept your quantity the same, tamp pressure etc. then move grinder 1 click finer. A finer grind will prevent the water from moving through the coffee as quick. See how it tastes at 25sec, then 1 click finer, see how it tastes at 30sec. Let both shots cool to room temp and see what the taste difference is. The only way to know how long your shot takes is to measure the brew ratio, weight of dry coffee going in, weight of espresso drink coming out. See below

*Timing shot after preinfusion. I started using the MANUAL CONTROLS! All you do is this...hold the double shot button in and it will release water without pressure. When you release it, the pressure kicks in. To stop the shot, press the button again.
I hold the button in for approx 7 seconds, release, then press it again to stop the shot when I've reached around 1:2 brew ratio. If this times out to be 40sec, I click 1 grind finer and try again until I'm 25-30. Timing starts as soon as I release the button from preinfusion.

Tips:
make sure your espresso is coming out of both spouts evenly. Otherwise the tamp was off, needs to be perfectly level.
Use the single wall double shot basket, not the double wall basket.
Make sure the PF is fully locked into position (it stops and won't crank any further)
BUY 2 SCALES...one to weigh the PF and a small one to weigh the shot AS IT IS BREWING.
Try another coffee if it just tastes bad no matter what.


I am learning right here with ya. Keep me updated on how it's going and maybe we can share tips, tricks, coffee suggestions etc.

Rock...and Roll!

wowzors wrote:I just want something drinkable that is better than my capresso infinity 565.05 french press coffee (usually not very good, maybe I suck at adjusting grinder settings). Is that realistic or possible with this machine?

Any Luck? Tomorrow's Friday so I bet you'll be pulling a few shots...keep us updated.

BillBurrGrinder wrote:Any Luck? Tomorrow's Friday so I bet you'll be pulling a few shots...keep us updated.

Plan is to pull a couple tonight and tomorrow. Maybe ill upload a video of it so you all can make fun of me for screwing something simple up. Pulled one today and it was pretty sourish didn't care for it to be honest.

Pulled a lavazza double shot in the double wall basket and it tasted good, not great but good.

I just got back from helping a friend setup his Breville Barista Express and I was pretty impressed by how easy it was to pull a good shot with the coffees I had on hand (Malabar Gold and an SO from Paradise)

As others have said,
- toss that double walled basket and use the standard single-walled double basket with freshly roasted coffee
- use a scale and adjust grind amount dial to yield 17g (will need to re-adjust based on coffee)
- pull shot and measure output to 31-34 g in 25-35 seconds (adjust grind finer if it takes longer, course if shorter)

I was luckily able to dial in on the first attempt and all shots were good to great with little fuss. Assuming nothing is wrong with your particular machine, its a great machine from my short experience with it, just need good coffee then focus on your process.

desmodici wrote:I just got back from helping a friend setup his Breville Barista Express and I was pretty impressed by how easy it was to pull a good shot with the coffees I had on hand (Malabar Gold and an SO from Paradise)

As others have said,
- toss that double walled basket and use the standard single-walled double basket with freshly roasted coffee
- use a scale and adjust grind amount dial to yield 17g (will need to re-adjust based on coffee)
- pull shot and measure output to 31-34 g in 25-35 seconds (adjust grind finer if it takes longer, course if shorter)

I was luckily able to dial in on the first attempt and all shots were good to great with little fuss. Assuming nothing is wrong with your particular machine, its a great machine from my short experience with it, just need good coffee then focus on your process.

Got it on outer burr 2, side adjustment 11, coffee I have been using was roasted 2/6, and I have been measuring on the scale to 18g (456g for whole portafilter unit + 18g of coffee to equal out to 474g). Putting that in and hitting double shot getting about 40g out (a little high) that is quite sour and unpleasant. This was allowing the double shot to run for the full duration, I didnt time it (my bad).

Tonight I am going to try Outer Burr 2, side adjustment 10, coffee dose 18g and do a pull and measure grams out (aiming for 36-40) and time it took (aiming for 25-35 for my out). I am strongly considering taking a video as I must be doing something wrong.

Using Metropolis Redline Espresso, honestly have no idea what it is supposed to taste like, cant imagine its this though.

The last time I ordered Redline about 6 month ago it was extremely light roasted and very sour (I struggled to get a good shot from it)
I used to frequently use it 7-8 years ago and don't remember it being that lightly roasted.

I would try a different coffee.

wowzors wrote:I have been measuring on the scale to 18g (456g for whole portafilter unit + 18g of coffee to equal out to 474g). Putting that in and hitting double shot getting about 40g out (a little high) that is quite sour and unpleasant. This was allowing the double shot to run for the full duration, I didnt time it (my bad).

If I may make a suggestion - _control_ the weight in/out, and _measure_ the time. Don't use a button with a specific pour time - use the manual buttons. Don't stop the shot after a certain time - stop the shot when you hit your weight. So, some steps to follow:

1. Measure your 18g dose

2. Start your shot with the Manual button (not the 1- or 2-shot buttons)

3. When you hit say 34g, push the button to stop the shot (you'll likely end up with around 36g).

4. Look at your timer, and see how long it took. If it was faster than say 22 seconds, change your grinder to a bit finer, and try again. If it was longer than say 45 seconds, change your grinder to a bit coarser and try again.

If you're between say 23-45 seconds or so, then taste it! For most coffees, the 23s shot might taste a little on the sour side, and the 45s shot might taste a little on the bitter side. So, change your grind (only) to get it closer to say 30-35s, and try again.

My struggle with manual is how long do I preinfuse? Do I hold the button down until it starts to come out or do I do a set amount of time, or a set palce on the pressure gauge?