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Breville 800ESXL Commercial 15-Bar Triple-Priming Die-Cast Espresso Machine | 
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| Brand: Breville
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $499.90
Buy New: $269.99
You Save: $229.91 (46%)
New (21) Used (2) Refurbished (4) from $149.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  86 reviews
Sales Rank: 940
Color: Brushed Stainless
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 24.5
Dimensions (in): 15 x 16 x 13
MPN: 800ESXL
Model: 800ESXL
UPC: 021614037343
EAN: 0021614037343
ASIN: B00092ZVXA
Release Date: June 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Espresso machine with ThermoBlock heating system and 15-bar Triple Prime pump | | • | Durable stainless-steel housing; selector dial for espresso, steam, or hot water | | • | 4-1/2-inch cup clearance; swivel steam wand with frother; 75-ounce removable water tank | | • | Filters, tamping tool, cleaning tool, and stainless-steel frothing pitcher included | | • | Measures 12 by 10 by 12-1/2 inches; 1-year warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This incredibly stylish and modern espresso machine features a thermo-block heating system and 15-bar Italian-made pump that dispenses impeccably tasty brew. Additional hot water function is perfect for tea and other hot beverages. One-year warranty. Model 800ESXL.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 81 more reviews...
 200+ cappuccinos and no clogs November 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Because of the bad reviews about clogging, I passed over this machine and bought a Starbucks Sirena, which got raves (I wish people would hold off on writing reviews until they've used it many times). Anyway, the Sirena was trouble from day one and completely died at 6 months. I then bought the Breville after getting assurance that I could return it if it clogged, but it has been a fantastic machine. I've had a few espresso machines by now, and this is really the best designed one I've had. It works like a charm and has never clogged on me. (I use coffee that is ground for espresso -- even a fine ground Illy works great.) The coffee is delicious, has a nice crema, and the frothing wand works wonderfully. The water tank is easy to access and clean, it comes w/ a cool little tool to unclog the frothing wand if necessary, and a little hidden storage compartment. I love that I don't have to hold the pitcher to froth milk. It's a very attractive and well-designed machine, and most importantly it's easy to use and clean.
At Last!! November 7, 2008
A beautifully made and really looks good machine. Wonderful Crema ( at last ) and a perfect steam wand for cappucino. It works so well and makes my other machine seem like a toy. You have enough space to put a full size mug underneath. No problem with clogging as I use Illy pods but if you cannot clear a clog with the tool provided, you are pretty sad.I have waited and my prayers have been answered! I also have a Breville juicer. Same great design. The Design with the controls have been thought out very well and are very user friendly. And the flavour............
 Fake espresso, real money October 23, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Congratulations, you have found an espresso machine that eats money. Because to figure out how to get this machine to make a decent espresso, it will never make a good one, you have to burn through a lot of cash. Let me give you the reality of this machine. I only rated this machine a 2 because people never take 1 ratings seriously. This machine is a 1, believe me. I have done a ton of research on this machine and found quite a few people who agree. Some people like it, but those people don't like espresso.
I bought this recertified/refurbished at a really good price. I paid less than half what it retails for, even less than on here. It looks great, looks well made, and it's impressive to see in your kitchen. Everything is well placed, the drip tray is large and easy to remove and the steamer want is very articulated. Unfortunately that's where the features stop.
Filters: The filters included with the machine are pressurized. Real espresso machines do not use pressurized filters. The filter is supposed to be forgiving, according to breville, since it's not easy to make a perfect espresso. Of course, this means you don't get a perfect espresso ever. It creates a fake crema and fake output. It pulls the shot way too fast and it comes out much weaker than it should. There is no way to fix this, that's just how the machine works. Breville will make excuses saying it's probably your fault, but after you've tried all I have, there is no excuse.
Brewing: So this machine brews by pre-soaking the grind. Yes that's a great idea since it gets more flavor out of it. However in this machine, when you do that you expose the grind to hot water, then it starts to cool, then you expose it to hot water again and extract. This extracts a very sour part of the coffee and makes your shot taste a little off. The extraction uses too much pressure and no matter your grind you will get the same 10.5 second pull. Too fast, too thin, too weak. You can fix this problem by getting a non-pressurized basket, but then you have whole new problems.
Brewing non-pressurized: So using one of these baskets will get you a strong shot. Unfortunately the same problems still apply. The shot will be sour and also too bitter. The reason for this is simple. The temperature will never be consistent. This machine uses a thermal block heater which heats up the water just before it goes into your grounds. This is fine for steaming but for espresso, it makes for an inconsistent temperature and bad flavor extraction. So you can fix that, sort of, you can amp up the temperature by using the steamer and priming the machine before you pull. Then you only put the cup under your drip just as the drip turns creamy dark brown. Then you stop the machine just after it turns light and has a bit of a crema built up. It won't be a great shot but it will probably taste better.
This machine takes a lot of work to get a decent shot. A lot more work than you should have to put into a machine like this that boasts itself as an easy brewer. If you're used to putting having your shots added to a ton of milk, sugar, and flavoring then you won't care. However, if you actually like the taste of espresso, you won't like this machine. Let me put it this way. If you go to starbucks and order your caramel mocha latte with whip and 5 sugars, you will find this machine perfectly capable of making your drinks. If you like a ristretto or real cappuccino, then you won't.
To show you how realistic this review is, here is how much pain I went through. I tried 3 different beans. I tried my own grinder. I tried a professional grind in 5 different grind settings. I weighed the amount of grinds going in the filter. I weighed my tamping pressure. I did 30lbs, 40lbs, 50lbs and even just barely pressing it down. I purchased a non-pressurized filter and a good tamper. I probably tried to get a shot out of this thing 100 times, I know it was at least 50. I have only produced one shot that was drinkable, but it still was not as good as a shot from starbucks. Which is disturbing. I know people say "well you need the right grind". I say to that, I tried 5 different grinds. 5. All espresso grind or finer down to turkish. So if you go look on coffeegeek.com you'll see that there are bad reviews and good reviews.
The majority of reviews say this is a good machine. The majority of American espresso drinkers also enjoy their espresso with 2 cups of milk 2.5 sugars and 5 pumps of flavor with whip on top and flakes of magic flavor that makes espresso flavor just disappear. It leads me to wonder how many people actually know what espresso tastes like.
Awesome espresso machine October 4, 2008
I recently got one of these off of [...] for 150 bucks, and I tell you what, this machine is amazing. What a steal! I also bought one of the lower end Brevilles for the office, and it worked good considering it was 200 normally, but this machine is way better, and I would definitely say it's worth the price. It makes a consistently great espresso, the build quality is good and sturdy, and if you grind the coffee properly you won't clog the filter. Too many reviewers blame the machines design, when in fact it's their user error that's causing the problems. This machine has a nice sleek design to it, and the light up buttons for the power and steam and hot water make the design that much more classy. Overall it's a great machine IMO. I highly recommend it, and I'm very glad I bought one.
Love It! The Awesome Breville 800ESXL October 4, 2008
I've been using my Breville 800ESXL for months now -- and I LOVE IT! I drive past Starbucks, BD Beans, and Dunkin Donuts, sippping my cappuccino, mocha, or latte -- with my $$ still in my pocket. It's paid for itself and then some! I use Splenda and nonfat milk and it tastes great with less calories... I can have what I want when I want.
I saw that some folks didn't like it that the filter has wet coffee in it instead of the hard dry puck they expected. I researched this a bit and found that since the Breville has the double walled filter, not all of the water is pushed through. No big deal. I use a spoon to scoop the wet grounds into the trash, then rinse the rest down the sink. Easy Peasey! I love the water reservoir and the cup warmer is a great feature. The instruction book is clearly written and easy to understand.
If you're a coffee lover, spending $ everyday at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or a similar place -- BUY ONE. It will save you some money and it's fun and easy to use.
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