I’m a big coffee lover and I simply cannot live without it. I studied coffee over many years and even got a barista certification because I’m really passionate about coffee. Many people ask me what’s the best home-use coffee maker.
Of course, I need more information to answer this question because there are so many different types of coffee makers on the market.
However, in my experience, many of my coffee-lover friends either have a capsule coffee machine or an espresso machine. I have been using the Breville Barista espresso machine since 2016 and I also used to own a Nespresso machine for a few years.
Therefore, I decided to compare these two products.
As a general rule, the Breville espresso machine is worth the price. The Breville espresso machine makes higher quality coffee and it tastes so much better compared to capsule coffee machines because you can use fresh coffee beans instead of pre-ground coffee capsules.
In addition, the Breville espresso maker can extract stronger concentrated coffee than a Nespresso machine.
Continue reading about my experience of many years and facts & tips about the Breville and Nespresso machines.
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Breville Espresso Machine vs. Nespresso
Comparing the Breville espresso machine and the Nespresso machine is may not very fair because the Breville is a much more expensive and high-end machine in general. However, a lot of my friends have either an espresso machine or a capsule coffee machine, so I think it could be an interesting comparison.
Nespresso Innissia Coffee Machine
A capsule coffee machine is very easy to use in general. I purchased a Nespresso Inissia Original a few years ago and my mother is currently using it. It has a versatile design and I fell in love with the very vivid red color.
Nespresso is very user friendly and easy to take care of. However, I upgraded my coffee maker to the Breville Barista for a few reasons.
Why Did I Upgrade Nespresso Espresso Machine To Breville Espresso Machine?
| Weak Coffee Taste | Nespresso capsule is very small, thus it can make very diluted coffee. Even if you get a dark roasted capsule, it doesn’t make your coffee stronger. I often had to use 2 capsules in order to make strong enough coffee. |
| Capsule Prices | Nespresso capsule prices are vary and in a range of $0.70 ~ $1.50. If you buy compatible non brand capsules, it’s cheaper which is around $0.50. It’s not too bad of a price compared to getting a coffee at Starbucks or local coffee shop. However, if you like stronger coffee like myself, the price will double up and it’s almost same price as Starbucks. |
| Ground Coffee Beans | Unfortunately, coffee beans are oxidized fast, as soon as its ground. This can make your coffee taste bitter and sour. By the time you make your coffee, the coffee grounds in the capsule are already stale. No Matter how expensive or popular brand capsules, it can’t beat fresh coffee beans. Even if your coffee beans are same old, it oxidizes slower than ground coffee. |
| Capsule Material | It’s hard to say coffee pod materials are safe for our health. Even if it is made from plant based degradable bioplastics, it can leave toxin residue in your coffee when hot water goes through the capsules. There is not enough data about coffee pod safety now. |
What Are The Advantages Of Using A Nespresso Espresso Machine?
I upgraded my Nespresso machine to the Breville Barista for many reasons. However, My mother still loves using her Nespresso machine and she refuses to upgrade to another coffee maker. She likes to drink weak coffee and doesn’t want to give extra effort for maintenance.
The Nespresso machine still can be a good choice for someone like her. It definitely makes your coffee faster and easier to clean over other general espresso machines.
Breville BES870XL Barista Exress Espresso Machine
I own a big collection of kitchen gadgets. The Breville Barista Espresso Machine is my all time favorite product in my kitchen.
I bought my Breville espresso machine in 2015 and I have been using it at least once every single day. It still works the same as the first day and I absolutely love it.
There are many different types of espresso machines on the market. Before I chose the Breville, I was debating between an automatic espresso machine and a semi-automatic espresso machine.
A fully automatic machine is the machine that makes coffee with simple buttons (For Example: Philips 3200 Series on Amazon.). Ultimately, I chose a semi-automatic machine: Breville 870XL Barista for a few reasons.
Why Did I Choose The Breville 870XL Barista Over A Fully Automatic Espresso Machine?
| A Beautiful Design | It’s absolutely beautiful! No matter what color of your kitchen cabinets & counter top, it makes your kitchen look fancier. You don’t need extra decorative objects. The Breville coffee maker will shine in your kitchen. |
| A Variety of Coffee Beans Selctions | The best part of having an Espresso machine is that you can try out any kind of coffee beans and figure out what’s your favorite brand & type of beans. In personally, I like medium roasted coffee but I know that the light roasted coffee is healthier. Therefore, I simply blend 70% of the light roasted coffee beans and 30% of the medium roasted coffee beans. I found this ratio after trying out many different versions. |
| All Stainless Steel Material | The stainless steel material makes the espresso machine more durable. I have been using it for more than 6 years but it still looks very new because the material has never worn out. Furthermore, it’s very easy to clean the surface of the machine. |
| High Pressure Gauge | The Breville Barista is able to extract good quality espresso with high pressure. It has as high quality pressure gauge as commercial espresso machines. If you know how to use the Breville espresso machine properly, you can make better tasting coffee than Starbucks for sure! |
| Coffee Grinder | The Breville 870XL Barista comes with a built in grinder. The grinder is not the best but it’s more than enough to make coffee at home on a daily basis. |
| Milk Steamer | The Breville 870XL Barista comes with a built in milk frother and a stainless Steele jug. You can steam or froth with the milk steamer. |
| Self Cleaning | It has a self cleaning function and it takes only about 10 minutes. It alerts you to clean the machine around every 3~4 weeks. The Breville Barista comes with a cleaning kit and cleaning tablets that you can use for the self cleaning function. You can purchase many different types of cleaning tablets online and it’s an affordable price. |
| Water Nozzle | One of the biggest reasons that I hesitated buying a fully-automatic coffee maker is the cleaning issue. The Breville espresso machine sends water from its water tank to outside of the machine and then extracts coffee through the portafilter out of the machine. Therefore, you can keep the inside of the machine cleaner than fully-automatic machines. Most fully-automatic coffee machines grind & extract coffee inside of machine and sends coffee to outside of the machine through its nozzle. Even if you clean the fully-automatic machines throughly with their cleaning function, there is no guarantee that it’s going to be clean and not leave old coffee residue in the machine. |
What Are The Disadvantages Of The Breville 870XL Espresso Machine?
Even though I love my Breville 870XL so much, there are a few disadvantages that I wish I had better options.
| Ground coffee poorly stays in portafillter. | When you use the built in coffee grinder to grind your coffee beans, almost every time the tray under the grinder gets messy. When you grind your coffee beans, a lot of the portion falls out of the portafilter and is wasted. They fixed this problem with newer models but not this model. However, there is a little gadget to fix this issue. I purchased this portafilter dosing ring and I can keep my tray way cleaner with it. It was a great buy. |
| Descaling | You need to descale your coffee maker at least once in a few months. This extra maintenance step is not only for Breville Barista. No matter which product you would purchase, you need to descale your machine unless you use filtered water. As a general rule, hard water in the USA contains high level of minerals and it can build up in your coffee machine. This can negatively effect your coffee taste and in the worst scenario, your coffee maker can no longer work properly. |
| Single Boiler | The Breville 870XL Barista is a single boiler machine. Therefore, you can’t extract your coffee and get hot water or steam milk at the same time. You can either get your espresso first or steam your milk first. It can be a little annoying if you want to make your cup of latte in busy mornings. |
| Steamer Noise | Because it has a single boiler, steaming milk takes longer than using a dual boiler coffee maker. In addition, the steamer makes a pretty loud noise so you can wake your family up if you use it too early in the morning. |
| Water Tank | The Breville water tank is quite big and holds a lot of water. Therefore, if you don’t make more than 1~2 cups of coffee a day, your water can go bad. I recommend to fill the tank halfway and wash it on a daily basis. If you don’t wash and dry the water tank occasionally, mold can build up under neath of the water tank lid. |
| It’s A Semi-Automatic | Since the Breville Barista 870XL is a semi-automatic coffee maker, its more involved making coffee rather than just pushing a button. You need to grind coffee beans, tamp your ground coffee, extract espresso, get rid of a coffee puck, and clean around your coffee maker. As a home barista, I simply enjoy these extra steps for my cup of coffee. If you would like to make coffee simply, it may not be a good choice for you. However, note that, making coffee with a fully automatic coffee maker may be easier but taking care of it is more difficult. |
Is The Breville Espresso Machine Worth It?
The Breville espresso machine is worth the money for people who love high quality coffee. I guarantee you that you can make better tasting coffee than Starbucks. I have been using the Breville Barista for over 6 years every single day. It still works the same as the first day and it definitely payed for itself because I don’t need to go to the coffee shop anymore.
What Accessories Do I Need For An Espresso Machine?
As a certified home barista, I truly enjoy making a tasty cup of coffee every day. I have a couple of different accessories that I use with the Breville Espresso machine. Here are my favorite coffee gadgets that I use every single day.
If you would like to constantly make good tasting coffee, the coffee scale can help you. I measure 24g of coffee beans to extract double shots. I usually don’t store coffee beans in its coffee grinder because oxygen and the heat from the machine can oxidize the coffee beans faster and alters flavor. The coffee scale helps me to make the same flavored coffee everyday and it also can be used for drip coffee. Check price on Amazon.
2. Dosing Funnel for Breville Barista Portafilters
I purchased this dosing funnel to keep my Breville Barista clean and it really works well. It’s plastic material but pretty sturdy and it does its job. It prevents ground coffee particles from falling around the machine. Therefore, it’s no longer a waste of coffee. It’s very light weight and easy to clean. Check price on Amazon.
3. Dailyart Coffee Distributor with Single-Line
Coffee distributors recently became popular because many famous global baristas started using them. Coffee distributor helps your ground coffee powder spread evenly. The distributor helps the water pass through all the coffee powder at the same speed and pressure. Thus, it helps to extract good tasting coffee.
This product is made with high quality materials and you can easily control the coffee level. I recommend using this tool for people who like to upgrade their coffee taste. Check price on Amazon.
I really love these cute espresso cups. I used to have many different espresso cups, mainly glasses. They never lasted long and they always easily broke. Therefore, I recently purchased these stainless steel mini jugs and I’m very satisfied with this product.
They are super easy to clean and can be used as creamers & saucers as well. I mainly use them for measuring coffee beans and espresso. Furthermore, I use them to serve maple syrup when I make pancakes or waffles. I always get compliments from my guests.
