jwink wrote:From what I can tell the mechanics of the two are the same (pump, thermoblock heater, etc. The 800ESXL hase a larger water tank and the portafilter may be slightly nicer, but the same functionality. I would expect the same espresso pulls from both units, they just look slightly different, and the 800ESXL has more heft look to it.

I agree. I purchased the earlier one and I'm very happy with it, but this one would appear to provide the same functionality at a better price, though with maybe a little less style.

bkOAiuXk wrote:I agree. I purchased the earlier one and I'm very happy with it, but this one would appear to provide the same functionality at a better price, though with maybe a little less style.

One thing is the die cast 800 model unit has the hot water dispenser from the wand. This cafe roma model only looks to do steam from the wand....not a big deal if you don't need the water or a "cafe americano".

jwink wrote:One thing is the die cast 800 model unit has the hot water dispenser from the wand. This cafe roma model only looks to do steam from the wand....not a big deal if you don't need the water or a "cafe americano".

You're right, I overlooked that.

I should also point out that as well as making regular espresso, both models can use regular pre-ground vacuum packed coffee to make a very acceptable mug of 'ordinary' coffee.
What's more (coffee snobs avert your eyes) the steamer will make a great job of heating and frothing the many different flavors of liquid Coffee Mate!

with Christmas coming up soon, I'm in for one - my sis in college is gonna love this thing

I know some coffee makers come with charcoal filters nowadays (I haven't changed mine out in a yr)
I don't need to buy anything else with this do I? like filters or charcoal things?

Ordered the Breville. Now I need a decent burr grinder.

We have this coffee make and LOVE it. I'm only mad that I paid $40 more for it. It's worked flawlessly for us for a year now. We steam milk for the kids and drizzle on chocolate syrup. It froths powdered cocoa great too. The coffees are great, of course,and we love treating fiends to a starbucks on the house.

This is not a paid advertisement. ;)

annebenjon wrote:We have this coffee make and LOVE it. I'm only mad that I paid $40 more for it. It's worked flawlessly for us for a year now. We steam milk for the kids and drizzle on chocolate syrup. It froths powdered cocoa great too. The coffees are great, of course,and we love treating fiends to a starbucks on the house.

This is not a paid advertisement. ;)

So, steam and froth some milk, add some syrup... kinda like a hot chocolate. does it taste good?

xmacro wrote:with Christmas coming up soon, I'm in for one - my sis in college is gonna love this thing

I know some coffee makers come with charcoal filters nowadays (I haven't changed mine out in a yr)
I don't need to buy anything else with this do I? like filters or charcoal things?

No, you'll need a decent burr grinder if you want to grind fresh beans, a decent tamper, and I recommned a probe thermometer (like the chefs use to check for doneness) for steaming the milk to the proper temp.

You can make do with the "tamper" that comes in the box, and preground espresso from your store....although it will lose freshness over time.

The burr grinder I bought is the Capresso Infinity. It's $90, and also worth every penny.

richsohn wrote:I'd just be worried about it being refurbished. What if they used it for...not so healthy reasons?

coffee enemas are perfectly healthy, at least that's what the barista told me...

olego wrote:I don't know anything about coffee... Can this make Cappuccino?

yes

jpruitt10 wrote:So, steam and froth some milk, add some syrup... kinda like a hot chocolate. does it taste good?

I work for Seattle's Best Coffe, and that is exactly how we make out Cocoa Trio, which is hot chocolate. We steam the milk to 150 and pour it over the Cocoa Trio sauce aka milk chocolate sauce in a cup and stir...I prefer to make mine with dark chocolate though ;)

We'll see this somewhere around Yesterday's watch on the next Woot-Off.

Former barista here...

I bought the more expensive machine that Woot! had up a while back. It's gorgeous. I also picked up the Breville blender Woot offered which is hands down the finest piece of kitchen equipment I've owned. It puts my Cuisinart blender to shame.

Sadly, out of the box the Breville 15-Bar Die-Cast Espresso maker wouldn't steam milk. It would only spray hot water. The switch that was supposed to select either hot water or steam was broken. I called Breville, specified that this was a Woot! purchase, gave them the serial number, and they emailed me a FedEx return label - I haven't mailed the machine yet, because it still makes great espresso... but they said turn around time was about 5 to 7 business days.

All in all I'll keep buying Breville products - especially those offered through Woot! I do wish the recertified warranty was longer, maybe 180 days instead of 90, but you're taking a gamble here.

As for this machine, knowing how well my machine does espresso, I'd buy this in a second, in fact I may be in for one or two as a gift.

That said, you'll find tons of negative reviews for these machines online. Some guy stuck up a YouTube video blasting the other Breville machine... but come on, it's a $400 machine discounted to $150. It will never compare to the $1000 and $1500 machines that are out there and it won't give you the same results as you'll find in a fine independent cafe with a master barista at the helm, but come on... with a little practice these machines produce a product that is better than anything you'll get at Starbucks. Heck, most of the taste and performance is related to the quality of the bean you select anyway, so the machine is mostly secondary.

Nothing pleases the espresso snobs, they would find fault with God's own espresso machine, but for the above-average coffee fan, these are a great value. Go for it!

gnomeflower wrote:I find it ironic that the majority of sales are coming from west coast coffee fiends.

Actually, that wouldn't be ironic at all, it would be the exact opposite of ironic.

zikzak wrote:Actually, that wouldn't be ironic at all, it would be the exact opposite of ironic.

Like expected or predictable...

itch808 wrote:Are you sure? All the coffeegeek guys seems to think at a minimum the only budget burr grinder worth buying is the Capresso 560 or the Breville model @ the same price. Most even went as bar as saying it's better to buy a blade over a cheap burr, not sure of its truth.

I've read tons of articles and thoughts about how burrs are more consistent. But I've yet to hear exactly how different or worse the espresso will be from the grind of a blade compared to a burr and why. So what if the grind is inconsistent, how will it affect flavor???

Coffeegeek guys are interested in only the best quality products that will last. The reason why I like the Cuisinart one is because it is cheaper than the Capresso or Breville ones yet, produce the same results (and has the same features).

I know that Capresso and Breville make top notch products compared to Cuisinart, but for someone new to espresso makers, the Cuisinart is a good initial buy.

A inconsistent grind will affect the overal flavor of the esspresso and coffee (depending on what you are making). Just think. The smaller the girnd, the more quickly it will brew. The larger chunks will act as a filter preventing the hot water from reaching the rest of the grinds.

You can test this out with food. Cut two different slices of meat/veggies/whatnot and cook them evenly for the same amount of time. With meats, you will be able to tell that the smaller one will be well done, the other one may be medium to rare. With veggies, some will cook right, others will be either too hard, or soggy. Having varying textures and flavors will affect the overall meal.

The same with espresso/coffee.

Consistency is where it's at son.

This is my first espresso machine, and every day feels like a month . I can't wait to stop shelling money out to Starbucks, and make a better cup in my own kitchen! I really hope these ship soon.

When are these shipping out?!?!?

Just looking for some help and sorry if this is too finicky but I am working my way up to coffee snob....Once I get this I'd like to use it right away but I do not have a burr grinder. I do have a 20$ blade grinder but I worry about poor quality pulls or worse, damaging the machine. Until I get my burr(looking for the breville, or any other suggestions) should I: just buy beans and have them ground at the store, use my blade for better freshness, use pods...thanks

Wow, mine just arrived! It got here before an earlier woot buy even (of course, that's a smartpost that won't be here till friday).

Quick note. It doesn't include the stainless cups. I failed to notice that originally, but just checked the description and sure enough, no mention of them.

So you'll need cups or shot glass(es), an instant thermometer for the milk frothing, and ideally some type of (burr) grinder.

garretthevans wrote:Just looking for some help and sorry if this is too finicky but I am working my way up to coffee snob....Once I get this I'd like to use it right away but I do not have a burr grinder. I do have a 20$ blade grinder but I worry about poor quality pulls or worse, damaging the machine. Until I get my burr(looking for the breville, or any other suggestions) should I: just buy beans and have them ground at the store, use my blade for better freshness, use pods...thanks

You won't damage the machine, but you will probably have a very difficult time achieving "reproducible" results with the blade grinder...and that will be frustrating. From everything I have read while awaiting delivery, the issue is going to be finding an inexpensive burr (flat or conical) grinder that can produce an appropriately fine espresso grind.

While I track down a grinder myself, I will probably experiment with some pods just because they should provide consistent results. I don't think I will have someone grind my beans because I expect to have to experiment with the grind settings.

EDIT: I just picked up a respiffied Baratza Maestro grinder off ebay (from the manufacturer with a 6-month warranty). They are going to pre-calibrate it specifically for *fine* espresso grinding (although they publish the instructions online). Fortunately, it was less than the breville itself, so I feel like I have a workable setup coming together.

FYI, I also ordered the Krups 2-cup filter from nelson appliance to replace the "crema enhancer" filter that is included with the breville; it's on the way too!)
http://www.nelsonappliance.com/Krups+%230907163+Espresso+Maker+Filter+Cups+%282+Cup%29.html

Info here: http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/251241?Page=2

If you have any mechanical inclination, pick up one of these: Cuisinart Burr Mill Grinder and modify it per this: Cuisinart Mod for a cheap grinder solution. I can get close to Turkish grind with mine now.

Received mine, and it's DOA. Heater works, however pump doesn't, no pressure trying to get this worked out with Breville now.

Mine is DOA also. Nothing. What a disappointment.

Mine arrived today, and worked great! Only complaint was that it was missing the froth enhancer, but seemed to steam milk just fine.

Bravo on the speedy shipping, Woot!

Received mine, heater seems like to work, but pump doesn't. Soooo noisy but nothing comes out from it. Can I get a replaced one?

Received mine last night no cafe set (the machine's lable said it should come with it) but I too was missing the frothing boot.

Details of my first cup!
http://clarkcreations.net/blog/

On drink 5 the machine started leaking water out the bottom all over the place. Upon inspection it was coming out from where the water tank fits into the machine. The clear washer was visibly offset not making a good seal. Out came the power tools and i managed to get the thing disassembled and i straightend out the washer and now no problems. I hope i dont have to do this often...

Doing research on this machine prior to purchasing, I noted a wide range of user responses, from "hated it" to "loved it" and everything in between. The positive reviews outweighed the negative, so I went for it. After all $90 for a $250 machine seemed like a great deal. I have to say that I now believe those negative reviews are from truly defective machines or truly inept people. This thing works great! It's very hard to find a truly European tasting cappuccino in the US. We've only had it at fine dining restaraunts and we can't go there every morning. This machine delivers. Great esspresso and good crema. You will need to experiment with the brand of esspresso you use as they all taste different. I'd also reccomend cleaning the machine immediately after each use to maintain good flow. It's so easy, I clean it before enjoying my coffee. My last reccomendation would be to let the machine warm up at least 30 minutes prior to making your coffee and allowing the steam wand to pour into an empty cup before steaming your milk. It takes a short while to get to full steam.

airbornegeek wrote:Received mine last night no cafe set (the machine's lable said it should come with it) but I too was missing the frothing boot.

Details of my first cup!
http://clarkcreations.net/blog/

Received mine as well yesterday and everything works great!

The frothing boot no longer comes with this model, read this from Breville's website
http://www.brevilleusa.com/support/faq.jsp#q26

amillen wrote:Received mine as well yesterday and everything works great!

The frothing boot no longer comes with this model, read this from Breville's website
http://www.brevilleusa.com/support/faq.jsp#q26

Mine arrived with the boot, but minus the cups and the measuring spoon/tamper.

Mine arrived yesterday. Unfortunately the unit was dented (shipping damage) so will have to be returned. Called Brevelle - and was informed by robot of long wait times (Woot customers!), so used the callback feature which worked perfectly - rec'd call back in about 20 minutes (while I was enjoying a delicious cappucino from my dented machine) and they will send a return-shipping label and send me a new (refurbed) one. I asked why my unit didn't include the cups and the espresso filter pod holder and the rep said that those were "accessories" and could be purchased separately. Gee thanks. Oh well, the machine is really beautiful/solid, and a great deal even without the cups (although a wee bit less of a great deal than I was expecting).

I'll Martyr myself up here after my first post about it being DOA.

Called Breville, and while I was waiting on hold, it started working. I don't know if it had to build pressure up to start working, or just get all the water moving through it, but it indeed works now. I let it sit with the power on for an hour, then ran the espresso pump for a minute straight out of frustration, and it began working. I don't know if this is how it's supposed to work or not (espresso machine newbie) but it works now, and boy does it make a nice cup.

Also as said, the frother does not have the boot attachment anymore due to a "new steaming head".

MIne arrived yesterday also and I was shocked over the poor outward appearance of my machine - many deep scratches and dings. I certainly was not expecting a brand new machine but I was not expecting this much wear and tear. This may be the first time I have ever purchased a reconditioned item and I guess I assumed the reconditioned only referred to the inside components. Additionally, my filter holder did not have the release clip as described in the user manual. I called Breville and was told this filter holder was an upgrade (similar to upgraded steam wand, which mine also has). I have not yet decided if I am going to keep mine. Btw, Amazon has these reconditioned machines for $125.00 and Linens And Things is clearing out brand new machines on line for around $165.00.

Mine was waiting at my door when I came back form work today.
It is dead on arrival. Does not pump or steam and got really hot on the top and chunk-chunk sound coming from inside. I now have to call Breville..hate when it happens.

Mine arrived Thursday and I've run about 6 or 8 shots so far. The last ones were much better than the first owing to improved technique. All in all I'm very happy with this machine. I don't care much for the sloppy grounds after brewing but the drinks are very good. At least as good or better than I can buy at the local Bux.

Mine has the upgraded steam wand and did not include any cups, saucers or a pod basket.

Technique lessons learned:
--Run plain water through the head prior to brewing to get it hot. It helps the shot to be hot.
--Follow the booklet directions for steaming milk and it goes much faster with good results
--Tamp hard
--Heat cups and glasses
--I'm grinding my coffee fresh but I don't have a burr grinder. No clogging problems so far.

aperotti wrote:...Mine has the upgraded steam wand and did not include any cups, saucers or a pod basket...

Just to be clear, the "upgraded steam wand *swivels* while the original model doesn't. Mine is an original non-swiveling wand and it arrived *with* the foam enhancer...and there is no dedicated pod filter, I think. They just want you to use the 1-cup filter.

To those of you with a DOA machine that makes noise and gets hot but produces no water:

I'm the kind of guy who takes things apart even when they're working, so the idea of sending this back to Breville untouched never even crossed my mind. I tried letting it run for a few minutes as recommended in another comment here, but that seemed to have no effect, although I'm fairly sure it's the same problem.

I took the bottom of the unit off, which requires taking off all the screws around the edge except those for the back "feet". I then removed the water feed tube from the water input. After verifying that, when placing the reservoir in the machine, water flowed freely from the little nozzle, that eliminated the reservoir and flow valve as a source of trouble.

When I turned on the machine (yes; water, power, bare wires, etc., I know), there was a clear feeling of negative pressure on my finger when placed on the end of the tube. I poured some water into the tube, placed the end in a glass of water and turned on the machine. It began to pull in water and eventually water came out of the steam/brew openings, after working the air bubbles through the system. Once the rubber tube was full of water, I carefully reattached it to the water source without letting it drain. Everything seems to work perfectly now.

My theory is that the machine is somehow not able, or only sometimes able, to clear the tube of air when it is first operated. Most likely, this is because the pump is designed for water rather than air. It may be that tipping the machine during operation could help this process along without the need to open it, and it may be that having the reservoir as full as possible will make it more likely to work due to the slightly increased pressure.

So, if you have a little mechanical inclination, and are the kind of person who makes insurance companies nervous, you can probably fix this problem in about 15 minutes.

Enjoy your coffee.

I've ran about 8 shots through mine, works great so far. The pressurized basket is horrible though. I just purchased a new 2-cup basket for mine that's meant to fit a different brand of espresso machine (recommended by someone on coffeegeeks as a superior option to the Krups basket).

For frothing milk someone else on coffeegeeks found an awesome trick to steam better milk with this. Basically just turn the knob slightly left until the heat light comes on, leave for 20s (dont leave it too long because this bypasses the thermostat), and finally dunk your milk with the knob turned fully. Worked great for me!

I can also see now why a conical burr grinder is highly recommended, I had a blade that I now see as a waste of money. Live and learn I guess...