Breville BES840XL Infuser Espresso Machine Review

Are you looking to take the plunge and buy a barista style espresso machine? Are you a total beginner and nervous that you won’t be able to really get the best out of your machine?

You can put those worries aside with the Breville BES840XL. It’s so easy to use, and is perfect for beginners. We didn’t name it our top pick for the best espresso machine for beginners for nothing!

Read on to find out more about:

The Top Features of the BES840XL

Breville espresso machines come with a wide range of features, and if you’ve used them before, you will likely recognise some of these features that you have come to expect from this brand.

These features include:

· Pre-infusion function: Unique to this model, the pre-infusion function applies low pressure when the brewing process first starts. The helps to gently expand the grinds, filling in any uneven parts and ensuring the main extraction will be even for maximum flavour.

· Thermocoil technology: The 1600W stainless steel coil ensures the water is heated quickly and evenly.

· Auto purge: The auto purge function ensures the temperature is adjusted quickly when switching between coffee brewing and milk frothing so your coffee is never over heated, and your milk is never under heated.

· Fifteen bar pressure pump: The high pressure pump ensures the full flavour is released from the coffee for a depth of flavour you can really taste.

· Choice of functions: Choose from pre-set or manual. The pre-set functions allow a complete beginner to make a perfect cup of coffee by using the factory installed optimal settings. The manual over ride allows you to experiment and find your perfect taste.

· Programmable settings: In manual mode, once you have found your perfect flavour, you can then save those settings to your default settings. No more do you have to struggle to recreate your master piece. Simply save and select.

· Removable, filtered water tank: The water tank is removable for easy cleaning and filling. It also includes a filter which naturally filters your water. Not only does this give your coffee a cleaner taste, but it also reduces the need for descaling, making maintaining this machine even easier.

· Dry puck feature: This feature removes any excess water from your used coffee grounds making disposing of them much less messy.

· Hot water outlet: Unlike a lot of machines, The Infuser has a dedicated hot water spout which you can use to turn your espressos into Americanos, warm cups or even make hot chocolate.

· Steam wand: The steam wand is used for frothing your milk. Not only does the wand mean there’s no milk tank to mess about filling and cleaning, The Infuser’s wand is able to swivel a full 360 degrees meaning you aren’t limited to the size of the milk jug you can use.

· Removable drip tray: The removable drip tray makes cleaning and emptying it easy. It is split into two compartments so wet and dry spills are kept separate reducing the mess. It also has an “empty me” feature which will light up when your drip tray needs emptying so you don’t have to constantly check it.

· Cup warmer: As well as being able to use the hot water spout to warm your cups, there is also an inbuilt cup warmer on the top of the machine. Never serve your coffee in a cold cup again.

· Energy saving mode: The machine will go into sleep mode if left switched on and unused for one hour. After three hours, it will switch itself off. This is a great power saving initiate if you forget to turn the machine off.

· Clean me indicator: When the machine needs cleaning, an indicator light will come on to let you know.

· Storage draw: All of the included accessories (see the list below) fit neatly into the drawer for convenient, out of sight storage.

Video Review: Breville BES840XL Infuser Espresso Maker

Check out the video below to see how exactly the BES840XL works.​

What’s Included with the BES840XL?

Of course you will get the machine itself and an instruction manual with this product, but it also comes with some cool accessories and extras:

• Single filter basket
• Dual filter basket
• Coffee scoop
• Stainless steel milk jug
• Cleaning disc
• Cleaning tablets
• Cleaning tools
• Water filter holder
• Water filter
• 54mm tamper

The Infuser comes with a standard twelve month warranty and has options to extend the warranty to:

• A three year warranty for only $39.45
• A four year warranty for only $60.98

Ways the BES840XL Can Be Used

The Infuser can be used in two modes:

The automatic mode, which is perfect for beginners, will dispense your coffee in the exact right amounts of water and beans for a full flavoured, balanced cup.

The manual over ride mode, for more experienced baristas, allows you to choose the pressure, temperature and water volume so you can customise the taste to your own preferences.

The Advantages of the Breville BES840XL

The BES840XL is a really good choice, especially for beginners. Here are some of the things that set it apart from its competitors:

The Disadvantages of the Breville BES840XL

Even the best products have a downside! Here a few complaints we found with this machine:

Top Tips to Get the Most Out of This Machine

Here are some tips on really getting to grips with The Infuser and getting a perfect drink every time

• Use only as directed
• Clean the machine regularly and thoroughly
• Descale the machine when prompted
• Use a good quality coffee
• Use freshly ground coffee for the best flavour
• Learn to use the machine correctly in automatic mode
• Once you are confident you understand the intricacies of barista style coffee, experiment and find your flavour!