The Breville Barista Express has been the go-to recommendation for getting into home espresso for years, mainly because the grinder is built in. Most espresso machines at this price expect you to buy a separate burr grinder, which runs another $200 minimum and takes up a second slot on the counter. The Barista Express skips that step. It’s still semi-automatic, so you’re pulling shots and steaming milk yourself rather than pressing a button. However, the bean-to-cup workflow is streamlined since it’s all in one machine.
An espresso machine that can create barista-quality coffee
The grinder is what makes the Barista Express worth the extra money over a basic machine, and it’s a conical burr that grinds straight into the portafilter. Cheaper espresso setups usually pair the machine with a blade grinder that chops beans into uneven pieces, which results in inconsistent extraction. Conical burrs crush beans between two rotating cones, which produces grounds at a uniform size every time. A dial on the side gives you 25 settings to fine-tune the grind for different beans. Grinding right before pulling the shot also keeps the beans fresh, since pre-ground coffee starts losing flavor within minutes.
Temperature stability is the other big factor in how an espresso shot tastes, and most cheap machines lose heat between pulls or take forever to come back up. Breville’s PID controller keeps the brew temperature locked within a degree or two, making shots consistent from the first to the tenth. A pressure gauge on the front also gives you live feedback on the extraction. If the needle isn’t in the green zone, you know to adjust the grind or tamp for the next round. The steam wand on the side textures milk for lattes and cappuccinos, with a separate hot water tap for Americanos and tea.
The Barista Express is built around a stainless steel chassis with a 67 oz water tank that slides out from the back. Breville also throws in a tamper, milk frothing pitcher, cleaning disc, and both pressurized and non-pressurized portafilter baskets in the box. The pressurized baskets are forgiving for anyone just learning to pull shots, and you can switch to the non-pressurized ones once you’ve gotten the hang of the grind and tamp.
So, the Barista Express has a single boiler, which means you can’t pull a shot and steam milk at the same time. The boiler switches between modes, so you make the espresso first, then steam the milk, which adds about 30 seconds to each drink. There’s also a learning curve since semi-automatic means you’re still in charge of the grind size, dose, tamp pressure, and steam timing. Breville’s own Barista Touch handles most of the dialing-in automatically if you’d rather skip the practice, though it lists for about twice the price.
Most espresso machines under $700 ship without a grinder, which adds another $200 or more to the setup once you go looking for one separately. Knocking $193 off the $693 list price brings the Barista Express down to $500, which is a great deal for a premium machine.