I bought the barista pro about a month after it came out . Decided to return in and invested in the dual boiler along with the Sette 270wi. Best decision ever . You’ll get a MUCH MUCH better shot . I would say it matches 99.99% of those from coffee shops . The fact that it has a 58mm commercial portafilter means that you can find a lot of stuff out there for it compared to the 54mm You can adjust the steaming temperature which would increase the power of it .(recommended once you get the hang of the default temperature) Another thing is You can use precision baskets which make a world of a difference, such as VST or Pullman baskets . Always use a scale . Will help you produce consistent shots .
Thanks for the tips. For me that's a lot to drop on a grinder (I live in Switzerland, the Sette is $670 here, $550 if I order the German version) but the Sage has come a lot down in price so that may make up for it. Also my current grinder is a cheapie burr grinder so this would be a pretty massive upgrade!
The Dual Boiler machine comes with a Breville Smart grinder as a package here in Australia for about $1400. Bought one about 5yrs ago and got it replaced under warranty about 4yrs in. They swapped it out for the improved version and even let me keep the grinder! They work great together and pull consistent shots. Definitely recommend it as a set.
@@wooson on sale its the same price in Canada, just picked on up a month ago... ...btw, with a quality fresh roast (Ambrosia) from my (busy) local cafe (@planetcoffeeottawa) i seem to get the exact same awesome shot taste. its an awesome machine.
I have the Breville infuser which is basically the express minus the grinder. I'd buy it again every time. I really live Breville as a brand, their aesthetic but most of all the clever little things they do, the magnetic tamp, the pull out tray that pulls out all the bits and bobs hidden under the machine. The dual boiler is certainly better but not 3 times more money better. \law of diminishing returns and all that. With the extra money that a backup machine decades from now and my beans for the rest of my life. Sure I cannot pull shots and steam milk at the same time but honestly that just isn't something I've needed more than a handful of times in my life with guests over. Can still do a half dozen drinks for guests just takes a few minutes longer, pretty appreciate the great drinks none the less.
I love my Barista express! It has served me well for well over four years and is still producing excellent drinks. Looking forward to my next model The Dual Boiler.
Awesome review, thanks! Looking at pairing the Dual Boiler with Breville's Smart Grinder Pro, any reason why you didn't recommend that product? Cheers!
I hope Breville is paying you because I just bought the express and have watched a lot of videos on how to operate it but yours by far are the best. Thank you for being so helpful and thorough.
You don't have to wait for the filter/basket to heat up on the barista express. I just run a shot or two of water through it into a cup, this pre-heats the basket and the cup so its ready to rock. I can turn my express on and make a coffee quicker than my wife can boil a kettle (Fact) This also gives the filter and basket a clean too so it's winner winner. I have had my machine for about 4 years and if it broke tomorrow I'd go straight out and buy another.
The convenience and speed is great (even better on the Barista Pro we had) but there was no consistency in the performance from one shot to another no matter how carefully we weighed and tamped our shots :(.
I know this is a silly comment but but am wondering how much of a difference in espresso quality when both are dialed in correctly. Of course, the 58mm porta filter already has the advantage, but am wondering how close (Or how far apart) the two would compare with the same quality grinder, or how the two would compare when using the Express's built in grinder.
My Barista Express is dying after 5 years of heavy use. Looking to upgrade. This may be the ticket. Instant on demand steam would be a game changer for me. My wife and I drink 4 cappuccinos between us, steam milk for oatmeal, and I make 2 double lattes for us to go every morning. It takes 10-12 minutes to do this with the express. I would love to have it turned on and heated up when I get up. This will economize workflow for me.
The 58mm portafilter of the Dual Boiler is a proprietary portafilter with unique to Breville locking lugs. So if you want a bottomless PF you're going to have to buy one from Breville. You can't use any 58mm portafilter, but you can utilise pretty much any 58mm basket. I'd advise not using grooved baskets though, I've found some grooved baskets sit proud in the portafilter, preventing it from locking into the group head. And, the puck thickness is determined by grind quantity and tamping/distribution. If you've got a 'thin puck' you're probably using the wrong basket or not enough coffee. Plenty of things can cause channelling,
You have an AMAZING channel, I subscribed as a result of your Breville Buyers Guide video showcasing all their products. Keep it up, I love everything about your channel! Very informative!
Love the BES but the BDB is just on another level. Glad I made the jump. Great video as always but if you are serious with your home barista experience go for the BDB 🙏👌❤️🙏
Hi excuse me! I'm one of your fan, I love your videos, I love your sincerely reviews, I really do. Excuse me sir. Which espresso machin do you prefer : delonghi la specialista or breville barista express? Thanks!
@@LifestyleLab_ thanks a lot, one more time! In Mexico La specialista is cheaper for about $50 usd (the equivalent of Mexican pesos) but I wanted to know which one is better, I will hope anxiously for the video review. And one more thing, the breville the infuser is the same machine than the barista express, except for the grinder? Or the barista express has better results? Thanks one more time!
I Wana buy a nice espresso machine but is there some way to try the espresso before you buy? Paying hundreds or thousands for a machine that might make good espresso is risky
Still love my breviary express machine I make great coffee and if it takes an extra minute to make I’m happy as it’s at home where I can relax Great video Cheers
I have the Barista Express, probably for at least 5-6 years. I've been thinking of going to the Dual Boiler system. I usually make Mochas and I've found it's better to mix the milk with the chocolate and then pour the espresso shot. But if you do it in this order, you have to purge the boiler before you can pour the espresso. But I'm not sure the long wait time works for me. I'll usually get the urge in the early afternoon. It takes me about 15-20 minutes. If I had to wait for everything to heat up, that wouldn't work as well. BTW, I've watched several of your videos and I like what you're doing.
I glad you did this video , I ungraded this from 870 to 920. And I also got breville 820 smart pro grinder to pair with. I can get steam milk used to really quick, but espresso is a little different between both, 920 got higher pressure pumps then 870, grinding size uses on both machine is different from same bean! Use finder grinder on 920 won’t chock like 870 . The taste is so much different, but. 920 it requires really fresh beans , otherwise the pressure will come from 9bar to 7 easily during the shot! ( compared with same bean from fresh roasted day 1- day 35 ,from same 5lb bag bean) but 870 is easier to adjust on own grind setting to have almost same shot every time . So 920 is so much worth to have if you have big family with latte lovers and also practice latte art at home like me ! 870 is good for true home machine for a few good shot at home with less latte lovers! I did use 870xl for practice latte art for 5 months , always afraid of break it by over use it , 920 is really really efficient and stable. It can also able to handle some small business too!
I run a coffee shop we have a workhorse Wega and use a Mezzar grinder dialled in for the machine. I have the Breville dual boiler at home and it has taken some time in experimenting with the bean, the extraction temp and time, and also grind to replicate what we do in-store. I have an automatic Breville grinder also. I was pretty disappointed by the pressure in the wand, takes me 60 seconds to do what I can do in-store in about 10-15, but we are comparing a 3 group commercial with a single group domestic so its really not apples for apples. But it pulls a good ristretto shot once you dial in the blend with the machine and grinder. Just be prepared to play a little to get it right.
I completely agree. The espresso perfomance of these machines is great! But they're somewhat let down by very sub par steam pressure. It's not such a big deal on the Oracle because it's set and forget it, but the Dual Boiler is a real shame for such an otherwise great machine
I have checked my BES870 highest water temperature achieved is 87°C. What about the actualt temperature of the brew water from BES920? How accurate are the PID control? Can you please advise?
I would say yes. I know of several who use that combination successfully. In the long run you'll probably was to upgrade the grinder but if you already have one it will certainly work.
such a good comparison, great job :) I have the barista pro for 2 years now and i am really happy with it. Maybe in some years i will upgrade to the dual boiler For a beginner i would say the barista pro is best espresso machine in case of price, especially to consider the heating speed in comparison to other single boiler systems where you have to wait so much longer to heating the system and switching to froth milk
Both make good coffee with a double lined basket. My daughter has the Express and I have the Dual Boiler. The user experience of the dual boiler is much nicer. This video doesn't mention the annoying pulsing noise of the express vs the soothing steam of the dual boiler. The steam wand on dual boiler is not difficult it is a joy. I have had difficulty getting a good espresso with a single lined basket, despite fresh beans ground at the finest setting by a top quality ceramic grinder and a very tight puck.
Still happy to watch the headless review person! Thanks. (although, I'm beginning to suspect either the man his one in the middle of his head, no hair and fangs or this is a body double! ) ;)
Your videos are so good now we're looking at the Dual Boiler can I ask you one question what's the difference between when I buy beans from a coffee shop compared to when I get them to grind the beans for me thanks
Always grind your beans right before brewing. If you grind hours, or days ahead of pulling your shot, the grinds are rapidly oxidizing due to their greatly increased surface area from being ground. The best storage of coffee is as a full bean, and in a dark, dry, airtight environment
If you're just getting into espresso, I'd suggest going with the Barista Pro or Barista Express (whichever better suits your budget) and then go from there :)
The Breville DB is clearly the best value available for top quality espresso at a budget. You do a half hour modification to the routing of the hot water tubes and have a flow profiling beast for $2000 less than the cheapest “profiler” out there. Agree totally.
Nilesh Talele www.home-barista.com/forums/ Follow his posts. A guy “Jake_G” gives photo tutorial on the”Slayer mod” for Breville DB. Go thru the HB forum threads for Breville DB, or type Breville DB Slayer Mod in search.
@@naleshdalele check our lance hedric review, he explains it perfectly (you rerouting the tubes inside, what gives your water flow control, not pressure!). But, they planing to release an updated version where you have a pressure control too (aka changing the power output of the pump, upgraded rotary pump by the way, and he have a video about that too).
No need by any means to get the dual boiler. The cost difference and real estate loss for your countertop for the big unit jist isnt worth it for the home user. Shots are all about techniqie!
Great video, when filling water into the machine I noticed a white water container with a filter in in it, which brand do you use? Is it good at lowering TDS in the water (total dissolved solids), what type of quality water do you use and recommend to brew with? Thank you
Hi Orrin, check out this video for the details! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G8_rjBywG8c.html Never use distilled or RO water in your machine. If you have particularly hard tap water, use a Brita or similar water filter to lower (but not eliminate) dissolved mineral content.
Im a tech. The bes 870 in the long run is a better machine. Besides the solenoids going they are more reliable than any of the 900 series to date and will amount in less cost to repair over time. Treat your grinder well and only adjust it if its running!! Goes for all grinders !
Can these be taken to bits and repaired just check before you buy otherwise when you upgrade it's worthless please read the forums on the web if your buying
I have just spent a good few hours watching your videos on the various Breville machines & are still just as much in analysis paralysis. At the moment in Aus the Dual Boiler is on sale for only $50AUD more than the Barista Pro - given that I have been buying my beans pre-ground from a local roaster, would the Dual Boiler be the better option at the current price if not doing my own grind? The front water filling & schedule turn on are plus points for us. My wife prefers the color options of the Barista Pro. We will be stepping up from stovetop moka pot, so regardless the coffee will probably be better
If you’re buying pre-ground you’d be best served by something like the Bambino. You will have to use a pressurized portafilter basket, so no sense splurging on the Dual Boiler.
Have a dual boiler. The value is there but point to note. These machines are not meant to last. Dual boiler especially. Prone to leakage and descaling issue. The internal are prone to rusting and corroding. If Budget allows look some where else. Also the internal circuitry and cabling is a pain to work with.
Marvin, we have had our DBoiler for 5 years so far. Yes, it did go back to the shop after 3 years as some of the seals needed replacing. The coffees I make in it are as superior as ones you would get in a cafe. It is in use at least 3 times a day at home, sometimes multiple if people are over. At 5 years old, it is possibly reaching the end of its life, but until it does - we are happy with it. My husband de-scales and cleans the filters regularly. The de-scaling issue you mention - is that to do with the "machine needs de-scaled" message coming up more often?
Here in Canada the dual boiler is double the price of the express so if you don't drink milk based drinks it's a lot of money for just a bigger portafilter. personally I don't drink any milk based drinks so if I wanted to upgrade to a 58mm portafilter, I would have to go outside the breville brand to find an upgrade in order to not pay for a dual boiler i won't use.
@@LifestyleLab_ Right. that's what I have been thinking I've been hoping there was a significant upgrade to a more professional machine with a 58 mm portafilter somewhere halfway between pricewise but there doesn't seem to be.
I have a question, if i only make a latte 3-4 times a week or so for a single person along with how long can it last? If i take care of it properly... 5 years? Is the barista express alright?
The Barista Express is a great machine for lower volumes like that! No real need to upgrade to the Dual Boiler in your case. I've taken good care of mine and its still running fine after 5 years
@@LifestyleLab_ Wow that’s great tho! Cuz i heard many people have issue with the grinder and maintenance issue.. is it true? Like their after sales service suck
In my experience with the BES920XL dual boiler, most of the problems come from hard water, despite of using the softening filters. Normal descaling process sometimes is not enough and in that case it helps to manually clean the boiler probes and additionally descale the boilers. Other common problems come from the degradation of O rings (at the probes and tubes on the boilers, resulting in steam and water leaks), which are easy and cheap to replace. I heard that the newer machines don't use O rings anymore but some better system, though not sure which machines.
After using my Barista Express everyday for 6 months, I can confidently say that I'll be getting a dual boiler when this thing runs the course of its life.
@@elchappo1320 "worth" is relative to the person buying. I use my espresso machine almost everyday still (the only times I don't is when I'm time crunched or I sleep in). So even though I'll get barely any quality difference (if at all) in the final result, and save only a minute or 2 every morning... to me the dual boiler would be worth it because the simple fact that I would get joy from it.
Excellent reviews of the Breville machines. Thank you! Our Barista Express has lost pressure and we are looking to repair or replace it. The Pro is out after your review, but now I’m curious about the Breville Barista Touch and Oracle Touch units. Are their grinders better? Are they more worth paying extra?
My personal opinion on the Touch and Oracle variants is that they are very overpriced. One reason being that no, the grinders do not improve as you spend more money. The Barista Touch is just a Barista Express with a touch screen, and the Oracle is just a Dual Boiler with automated tamping, steaming, and a return of the built in grinder. The Dual Boiler is able to make drinks that are just as good as anything that would come out of an Oracle, and I'd argue even better because you can pair it with a higher quality grinder. Think of it this way. The Barista Express and Dual Boiler are the base models, and the Barista Touch and Oracles are the same machines with added convenience features such as a screen, auto tamping, auto steaming... etc. Whether those convenience features are worth it is totally up to you!
How easy or difficult is the maintenance for the dual boiler? I've heard descaling a dual boiler can be difficult or needed to be done by a professional.
There are more steps than some of the smaller machines (video to come), but it certainly doesnt need to be done by a professional. Like anything from Breville, there are clear instructions to follow
Each step takes a little while but it's quite simple. You can set it off and do something else for ten minutes, return and repeat etc. Absolutely no need for a professional to be called in.
so it takes around 30 minutes to heat up the dual boiler, 1 sec to build steam pressure and 40 odd seconds to steam milk. the barista express takes a minute or two plus a couple of flushes to warm up and flush the group head, and Portafilter, 30 seconds to pull a shot and around 2 minutes to steam milk. even factoring in prep time and cleanup it's still less than 30 minutes. so the barista express is cheaper, takes up less space, has a built in grinder, and can produce a latte in less time. hmmmm... which one should you choose.... hahaha nevermind I'm just playing...
30 minutes is to get the portafilter up to temperature just from the group head, which is the same on both machines. In terms of time to get JUST the water up to temp, the dual boiler is around 6 minutes, barista express is around 45 seconds. At this point you could run some blank shots to heat the ports filters faster :)
In my opinion, no. You'd be getting similar quality to the grinds from the built-in grinders. I'd upgrade to Baratza Sette lineup at the very least to get the best out of the machine you're paying for!
@@LifestyleLab_ im going to get the regular 58 bc if i decide not to use the electrical can easily just unplug it...everything else is the same i think so why not go for the electric one? Also i think if i dose 20g in and pull about the full 70ml of water out should make an amazing americano
Because of how big of an impact grinders have on overall shot quality, I simply find it a bit of a waste to double or triple the cost of your system while retaining the same grinder out of the Barista lineup. The Baratza Sette isn't much more expensive than the SGP, but provides a much better bang for your buck
Based on the links provided the dual boiler is nice but the fact that for the same price i can buy 2 barista express use one to brew and one to steam and still have some extra money once you factor in the price of a decent grinder. Is it really worth it?
The Dual Boiler also includes other features like dual PID temperature control, programmable pre-infusion pressure / duration etc... but your observation is a very fair one! The law of diminishing returns starts to heavily kick in at around the $1000 mark, making the Barista Express a very tough system to beat for the price it's offered at
Don’t waste your money on the Express!! BDB is the way to go!! I’ve had both! And when I upgraded I felt like I wasted all those years with the express!! 🙌🏻
It depends on how heavy usage you are expecting, but in general, no, I would not recommend using any Breville equipment for commercial use. They are appliance grade products
Only if you drink milk based drink as that is the only reason for a second boiler. Not sure the 58mm porta is with the extra for only shots or Americanos.
@@alexcrews2426 Thank you for your comment. I had read about the solenoid valve needing replacement. I think the issue was with the 920 series. I had also heard about some plastic parts in the portafilter.
@@goutvols103 I’m pretty sure that valve is to stop the steam wand from leaking. Apparently it’s really cheap to replace and only needs to be done once every couple of years
Because the standalone Breville grinder is exactly the same as the integrated grinder on the Barista Express, there would be very minimal advantage to going with a Dual Boiler + Smart Grinder Pro setup over the Barista Express. I would suggest waiting until your budget can accommodate at least a Sette 270 to go with the Dual Boiler
@@LifestyleLab_ Rubbish. This idea that you need a $1000 grinder to avoid channeling in a 52mm basket is pure malarkey. I've been using the Smart Grinder Pro with my Breville Dual Boiler for 16 months now and couldn't be happier. Proof is in the pour, and there is no way spending an additional $800 (AUD) on a grinder is going to improve what I enjoy several times per day.
@@LifestyleLab_ agreed. If you want to try out lighter roasted coffee like single origin espresso, the smart grinder is rubbish. The motor is too weak that the harder coffee beans would jam the burrs and cause the gears to slip and break the machine. Not happy with that!
So I take it that the Breville electric grinder is probably not a good enough grinder for the dual boiler. It definitely doesn’t compare to the other three in price.
In my opinion, the problem with using the Smart Grinder Pro with the Dual Boiler, is that you are basically just making the same coffee as the Barista Express is capable of, only in a much larger footprint (exact same grinder, just a standalone unit). If you are going to spend the extra money on the Dual Boiler platform, you need to also spend the money on a better grinder in order to actually yield a better cup of coffee. Otherwise, save your money and be very happy with the much less expensive Barista Express
2M views I already have the DB. When I bought it, I bought it with the Breville grinder. I thought they looked nice next to each other as they share the same profile. What I find with Breville’s grinder is that it expels a lot of chunks of grind coffee which is not good.
@@antonioavila3638 other than upgrading to a better grinder, something you can do to get a fluffier more even grind is to grind into a dosing cup first, so that you can shake and break up any clumps before evenly flipping the cup into the portafilter. Makes a big difference.
2M views Yeap, that exactly what I’ve been doing. I even try to break them apart by hand but it takes too much time and effort to do it on every little chunk. When I pull my espresso, I can still see there are pockets inside the portafilter because it squirts out in some areas of the portafilter. I may need to upgrade or do the Hario manual grinder.
I don't know what you guys are doing, but my Smart Grinder Pro is very consistent. I don't get chunks and I don't get channeling. Dosing is super consistent (to the gram). Pucks eject dry and complete. We have a Barista Express at work and I have the Dual Boiler at home and they do NOT make the same coffee in my opinion.
Only hesitation on the DB for me are the reviews that they stop working in just a couple years. Has anyone here had a db machine for longer than 5 years, just curious?
Some would argue it doubles the performance! If you're serving large groups, the ability to steam and brew simultaneously is a necessity. For home use with 1 or 2 drinks at a time? The price gets harder to justify
Compared to prosumer or industrial heat exchanger machines yes. I find Breville machines generally lack in streaming power, even their higher end models.
Plenty of other differences that reflect in the espresso quality, but absolutely a Dual Boiler is something most home users can live without. Especially with Breville's new thermojet models!
I have a Dual Boiler since just over 3 years. I loved it until about 4 months ago, after the “de-scale!” Message appeared. After following the instructions to the letter, I was never able to complete this successfully. Since about 2 months, both the hot water spout and the wand have been leaking slightly. I am very disappointed with maintenance, durability of this machine and the lack of service provided by Breville.
