As the editor-in-chief of GIZGUIDE, staying alert and focused on the tasks at hand is a must, a reason why I drink coffee at least twice a day.
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A great home coffee maker? |
Aside from that, I love the experience of drinking coffee such as tasting different notes by default and its versatility to adapt to different recipes whether it is hot, iced, with milk, with sweets, or even with fruits.
In short, I love coffee.
It's one of the reasons why I invested in an entry-level espresso machine and grinder last year. The experience was nice, better than your usual Starbucks, but it wasn't as good as specialty shops.
Enter the Breville Barista Pro.
Priced at PHP 79,999 SRP, the machine promises to deliver third-wave specialty coffee in the comfort of their homes.
Here's what we think and what we learned about it.
I used the Breville Barista Pro as a newbie - Here's what I like and discovered
I used the Breville Barista Pro as a newbie - Here's what I like and discovered
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A neat-looking machine |
1. It's an all-in-one espresso maker in a compact form factor - It's an espresso machine with a grinder, hot water dispenser, and a steam wand in one.
One benefit is that I only need to plug in a single device, rather than two. It's also more space-efficient than my old setup.
Oh, and did I mention? This one boasts a sleek, professional look, crafted with brushed stainless steel and featuring a solid overall construction with non-slip feet.
It can also blend easily with any interior design and fit even in smaller kitchens or coffee bars as it measures just 320 x 310 x 195 mm. The weight is just 9.1 kilograms making it relatively easy to move around.
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Plenty of accessories |
In addition, the machine has slots for the plethora of accessories Breville included in the package.
Speaking of the accessories included, it comes with a Single and Dual (1 or 2 Cup) Filter Baskets, an Integrated Tamper, The Razor Precision Dose Trimming Tool, a 480 ml Stainless Steel Milk jug, a Cleaning Tool, a Cleaning Brush, Cleaning Disk, and a High Quality 54mm portafilter (Two Spouts).
With this machine, I can easily grind the beans of my choice (fresh beans are always better than pre-ground), do a decent puck prep with the included accessories, pull a shot with a press of a button, and steam milk to my desired preference.
I also forgot that it has a slot on the left side near the grinder to nearly store the Manual Removable Magnetic Tamper.
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The removable water tray with filter slot |
2. Almost plug-and-play setup - Once you take the product out of the box, start by cleaning the washable parts. After that, simply add the filter to the 1.9L water tank.
Then, plug the machine into a 220 to 240V outlet and review the product manual.
Breville also has tons of tutorials on their YouTube channel that will help you with your espresso-making, milk frothing, and even the cleaning or descaling process—even if you are a beginner.
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Espresso extraction |
3. The technology behind the machine is impressive - Unlike most espresso machines, the Breville Barista Pro has a digital display to show the information you need to create the coffee. It shows the Grind Size, Amount, Time, and Shot information as well as the Flush Descale and Reset Defaults options.
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The digital display |
For those with more coffee knowledge, you can also adjust the shot volume, preinfusion time, and temperature.
All of these could be controlled with its easy-to-use buttons to power the device, check the menu, grind amount, and single or double shots.
On the inside, it has the proprietary ThermoJet heating system designed to achieve an optimum extraction temperature in just 3 seconds.
Moreover, it has low-pressure pre-infusion followed by a 9-bar high-pressure extraction to deliver a 15-bar Italian pump.
From my experience, this is true as the machine is ready to use just a few seconds after tapping the power on button. This means that you can quickly pull an espresso shot, get hot water for your Americano or Long Black, and steam milk.
We don't have the tools to measure it, but according to the company, it uses 32 percent less energy compared to Thermoblock heating.
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The grinder with removable burr |
Moreover, it uses Baratza European Precision Burrs with 30 grind settings. This is an integrated hardened steel precision conical burr that you can use for your preferred grind settings and use of beans.
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It can produce shots with a nice crema consistently |
4. There is a learning curve - By default, the machine is ready to use, but like all espresso machines, there is a learning curve. Initially, you can start with the machine's default settings and gradually adjust the grind settings using the knob on the right side to suit your preferences for making shots.
I usually use 4-8 grind size settings for about 22 seconds per double shot depending on the beans I use for espresso.
In barista terms, you can call this dialing in or the act of calibrating your espresso machine and grinder to follow a particular brew recipe.
After that, make sure that you tamper properly for optimized shots. You may also use the "The Razor Precision Dose Trimming Tool" to distribute and level the grounds evenly for more optimal extractions.
The default settings for single and double shots, along with the default temperature, work fine for me too.
Note: It will be way better if you have a coffee weighing scale to properly measure your dose.
If you have older beans, you can use the included pressurized baskets to provide a consistent espresso extraction with "cream" which contributes to the texture and aroma of the shot. This is hard to achieve if your beans are old on non-pressurized baskets.
Later on, you can invest in other tampering tools like WDT needles, calibrated tamper, distributor, tamping mat, and more to further improve and make consistent shots.
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Steam or hot water? |
After extracting the shot, you can simply add hot water pulling the lever clockwise on the right side for Cafe Americano or Long Black, or pull the lever counterclockwise to release steam to foam your milk.
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Make sure that the group head is clean always |
The machine is also very easy to clean by simply wiping the steam wand with a clean cloth, pressing at least one shot to remove coffee residues on the group head, and removing the drip tray when the red indicator shows up.
Its drip tray is also larger than most home espresso machines so you can make more coffee before removing the water.
The drip tray even has a storage hidden for the cleaning tools.
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I tried to make a cafe latte with "art" |
5. It produces very good-tasting espresso and creamy foamy milk - Thanks to all the technologies that Breville used, I was able to create better coffee at home to keep me going through the rest of the day.
In my experience, it is easy to extract shots that are rich in flavor and proper temperature.
Foaming the milk is manual and could create a silky smooth microfoam with a nice texture. The better microfoam also helps with pouring latte art.
There is no automatic milk frothing here like in the Breville Bambino Plus. But after watching a few tutorials and practicing milk texturing, I was able to achieve nice-looking Cafe Lattes or even Cappucinos if you pump more air while steaming.
Our thoughts
As a newbie, the Breville Barista Pro is expensive but worth it if you have the cash.
I had a great time using and exploring this machine while Breville let us borrow it.
It produces great-tasting coffee even with minimal experience and has capabilities that you can explore as you improve your skills to make your coffee taste like a third-wave coffee shop as you move forward.
With this machine, I don't need or order via GrabFood from specialty coffee shops just to enjoy great coffee at home.
This could be a great gift to yourself or simply anyone who wants to make a good quality cup of coffee in the comfort of their homes.
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