Breville 800esxl

OldPilot

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Oct 10, 2014
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A few weeks ago I purchase, at a garage sale, a Breville 800esxl for a very low price. The whole experience of making espresso is new. I have a couple of moka pots that I have used for Cuban coffee, but that's a whole different story. I thought I would tell my story and elicit comments to improve what I get out of the Breville.


I have always been bothered by the wet, soupy puck. The owner manual says this is normal when using a pressurized filter, but it means knocking the puck into a trash bin can create quite a mess. I notice that backing off the portafilter slightly after pulling a shot somehow releases pressure that allows some of retained water to drain out. I place a cup under the portafilter and let it drip there. I even drink this half of shot of extra coffee.


Some folks have recommended using an unpressurized filter. Does this result in a better shot with less mess? These 50mm filters from Breville are $30+shipping. Is there another source for the single-wall filter that is more economical?


I struggled at first trying to decide how my grind was doing. I have a cuisinart burr grinder and recently discovered from reading here that that grinder, while good for regular coffee, is not good for espresso. I have several blade grinders. I pulled a GE version out my cabinet that has a setting on the front for espresso -- basically, it just runs for a long time before turning off. It worked great compared to what came out of the Cuisinart. Using the Cuisinart my shot time was barely 15 seconds. Now I can get about 20 second shots. Seems like that is what is recommended on this forum.


I must say that I am enjoying drinking the espresso out of the Breville. I have read here and elsewhere that this is really an "entry-level" model, but maybe that's all I need. I just need to learn how to make the most of what can come out of this machine. Any suggestions?
 
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