Life is too short to drink bad coffee. After three years of daily use, I still recommend this machine above anything else.
As a former professional barista and proud coffee snob, when people ask me what coffee machine they should buy there really is one answer: the Breville Barista Express.
Are there fancier machines out there? Sure.
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Are there machines that do more out there? Definitely.
Are there more ‘viral’ machines that will get you more cred on Instagram? Probably.
Are there machines that are better value for money? No.
I bought my Barista Express three years ago and I’m still in love Credit: Sonny Loudon
I bought one of these machines over three years ago and have been working it hard that whole time.
I firmly believe that when it comes to dollars spent versus quality of coffee, the Breville Barista Express is one of the best buys you could make. And right now it’s on sale.
What do you get?
The Breville Barista Express has a built in grinder and manual tamper.
The Barista Express Impress has a built-in tamper if you’re into to that sort of thing but I dont personally think it’s worth the extra $200.
The water tank tank on the back has an easy to change water filter. There’s a steam wand, drip tray… Everything you need and not much else.
This coffee machine punches well above it’s weight for the price Credit: Sonny Loudon/Breville
The machine gives you control over the grind size, grind amount and water temperature.
You can also program the 1-cup and 2-cup buttons to whatever duration you want.
I have the 1-cup set for a three second purge and the 2-cup dialled for a 45-47mL double espresso at around 26-29 seconds.
The Value Valley
Loosely speaking, the mantra of ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true for coffee machines.
As you fork out more cash, generally speaking you get better espresso.
This trend falls off at this price point for me, more money stops getting you better coffee and just gets you more accesories and quality of life improvements that dont affect the taste and consistency of your espresso.
I believe the Breville Barista Express sits right on the edge of this drop off and consumers don’t really get cash for quality with their coffee until you’re looking at thousands of dollars, stand alone grinders and a whole lot of fussing about.
This is one of the main reasons I hold this machine in such high regard.
It holds its own well about its weight class for way longer than it deserves.
What about the DeLonghi La Specialista?
Also often on sale and with similar features, the La Specialista is often posed as the alternate option at this price point.
My honest opinion? It’s just not as good.
It looks fancier than the Barista Express for sure but the cheap portafilter handle and overall lack of quality of construction are enough to evoke buyers remorse. And most importantly the coffee isn’t as consistent.
Final thoughts
If you are wanting to go on the journey of having the best coffee on your street and you arent scared to learn a couple of things about the craft along the way then the Breville Barista Express is a no brainer.
Equally if you’ve worked in cafes and become acustom to a high standard of coffee but you dont have thousands of dollars to blow on a machine, this is the one you should get.
Happy caffeinating! Snap up the machine right now for $690 on Amazon Australia.
Prices are correct at the time of publication.
