Breville Barista Express BES870XL

Should you buy the Breville Barista Express BES870XL?

The Barista Express is the machine for someone who wants real espresso at home without assembling a separate grinder, scale and machine. It's a complete setup in one box, and the reason it ranks #1 of 12 is that it makes good shots easier to get than any other machine here at a comparable all-in price.

Where it earns its score

• Built-in conical burr grinder. Grind size and dose control on the machine. That removes the single biggest hidden cost of home espresso: a $200-plus grinder.
• PID temperature control. Digital regulation holds brew temperature shot to shot, so the difference between a good and a sour shot is your grind and dose, not the machine drifting.
• Low-pressure pre-infusion and a pressure gauge. Pre-infusion wets the puck gently before full pressure; the gauge on the front tells you at a glance whether you're grinding too fine or too coarse.
• 1600 W thermocoil with auto purge. Fast heat-up and the machine cools the coil after steaming, so you can go straight back to pulling shots.

What to know first

• 54 mm portafilter. Smaller than the 58 mm commercial standard, so third-party baskets and tools are less common. Breville's own accessories are plentiful.
• The grinder is good, not great. It's fine for espresso but a step-up dedicated grinder will eventually outperform it. For most owners that upgrade is years away.
• Manual steam wand. Milk texturing takes practice; the Bambino Plus automates it if that matters more than grinding.
• Warranty is the weak score (66). Breville's standard one-year limited warranty; register it.

Questions buyers ask