The Breville Infuser, model BES840XL, is one of Breville’s best-kept secrets in its machine lineup. While it’s not as aggressively marketed as the Breville Barista Express or Oracle, it offers a balance of quality, functionality, and price that makes it an ideal choice for home espresso enthusiasts.
To achieve the best results with the Breville Infuser, it is crucial to use fresh coffee beans. Grinding coffee beans just before brewing ensures optimal taste and extraction for your espresso shots.
The Infuser is known for its consistent shot quality, precision in brewing, and a host of features that rival more expensive machines.
In this review, we’ll take a deep dive into its features, pros, cons, and performance, while also comparing it to similar models in the market.
What is the Breville Infuser?
The Breville Infuser is an espresso machine tailored for home baristas aiming to create café-quality coffee. It boasts a distinctive pre-infusion feature that slowly increases pressure, ensuring optimal flavor extraction from the coffee grounds. With intuitive controls for adjusting temperature and shot volume, the Infuser allows for a personalized brewing experience. When used correctly, the Breville Infuser is capable of producing great espresso. Its modern design and sturdy build make it an attractive addition to any kitchen countertop.
Let’s dive deeper into its features and benefits!
Design and Build Quality: Stainless Steel
The Breville Infuser boasts a sleek, modern design, available in brushed steel and black sesame finishes. Its compact size (10.5″ x 12.5″ x 13.25″) makes it suitable for smaller kitchens, while still offering ample space for espresso cups. The machine’s exterior is made of high-quality stainless steel, ensuring durability and a polished look that fits seamlessly into any modern kitchen.
Key Features:
PID Temperature Control: Maintains precise water temperature for consistent espresso extraction.
15-Bar Italian Pump: Provides the necessary pressure to extract rich, flavorful espresso shots.
Steam Wand: An articulated steam wand allows for manual frothing, giving you complete control over milk texture for lattes and cappuccinos.
The Breville Infuser also comes with a coffee scoop, an essential accessory for measuring the right amount of coffee grounds.
Key Features and Benefits
The Breville Infuser is a semi-automatic espresso machine that offers a range of key features and benefits for coffee lovers. Some of the standout features include:
15-Bar Triple-Prime Pump: This powerful pump ensures consistent pressure for optimal espresso extraction, delivering rich and flavorful shots every time.
Pressure Gauge: The built-in pressure gauge allows users to monitor the brewing process and make adjustments as needed, ensuring perfect espresso shots.
Digital PID Temperature Control: With precise temperature adjustments in 2-degree increments, the digital PID temperature control ensures consistent water temperature for optimal extraction.
Stainless Steel Housing: The brushed stainless steel finish not only provides durability but also adds a sleek, modern look to your kitchen.
Compact Design: The Infuser’s compact size makes it easy to place on any countertop, taking up minimal space while still offering all the features you need.
User-Friendly Interface: The intuitive interface includes a power button, program button, and single/double shot buttons, making it easy to operate.
Steam Wand: The articulated steam wand allows for easy creation of milk foam and latte art, giving you complete control over milk texture.
Flexible Shot Control: Customize the amount of espresso in each shot to suit your taste preferences with the flexible shot control feature.
Removable Drip Tray: The drip tray can be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance, ensuring your machine stays in top condition.
The benefits of the Breville Infuser include:
Perfect Espresso Shots: Create rich and creamy espresso shots with ease, thanks to the machine’s advanced features.
Customizable Brewing Process: Tailor the brewing process to your individual tastes and preferences, ensuring a personalized coffee experience.
Compact and Easy-to-Use Design: Ideal for home use, the Infuser’s compact design and user-friendly interface make it a convenient choice for any kitchen.
Durability and Reliability: The stainless steel housing and high-quality components ensure long-lasting performance.
Versatility: Create a range of coffee drinks, including lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos, with the Infuser’s versatile features.
Brewing Performance and Pressure Gauge
The Breville Infuser is equipped with advanced technology to enhance the brewing process. One standout feature is its pre-infusion function, which applies low water pressure at the start of extraction, ensuring even saturation of the coffee grounds. This feature helps to eliminate channeling, a common issue in espresso making that can lead to uneven extraction and a poor shot.
Maintaining optimal steam temperature is crucial for consistent frothing and quick recovery times for brewing. The Breville Infuser’s steam wand, along with its auto-purge functionality and thermocoil heating system, ensures that the steam temperature is always at its best.
The machine heats up relatively quickly, with a thermal coil heating system ensuring consistent temperature throughout the brewing process. The inclusion of a pressure gauge on the front panel is a great touch for espresso aficionados who want to monitor their shot quality in real-time.
Comparison to the Breville Barista Express
The Breville Infuser often gets compared to the Barista Express, Breville’s top-selling espresso machine. However, there are key differences:
Built-in Grinder: The Barista Express comes with a built-in grinder, while the Infuser does not, making the Infuser a more flexible option for those who already own a high-quality grinder or prefer a standalone grinder.
Size and Space: The Infuser is more compact, ideal for smaller kitchens. It also has a larger water tank capacity (61 oz compared to the Barista Express’s 67 oz).
Price: Typically, the Infuser is priced lower than the Barista Express, making it a great choice for those looking for a high-quality espresso machine without the added cost of an integrated grinder.
Additionally, the Breville Infuser, being a thermoblock machine, offers quick heating capabilities and efficient switching between brewing and steaming.
Milk Steaming and Frothing with Steam Wand
For those interested in milk-based drinks, the Infuser offers excellent steaming power for its class. The steam wand is fully articulating, allowing you to create microfoam for lattes and cappuccinos. While not as fast as some high-end machines, the steam wand gets the job done, offering a good balance of power and control.
Accessories and Upgradability
The Breville Infuser comes with several accessories to enhance your espresso-making experience:
Single and double-wall filter baskets
Stainless steel frothing pitcher
Tamper (integrated into the machine with magnetic storage)
Cleaning tools
Some users have reported issues with a faulty pressure gauge, which can affect the machine’s performance.
The Infuser is also compatible with a range of third-party accessories like precision baskets and tamper upgrades, making it an excellent choice for users who like to customize their espresso setup.
Filter Baskets and Tamping
The Breville Infuser comes equipped with four filter baskets: two single and two double. These filter baskets are crafted from high-quality stainless steel, offering both pressurized and non-pressurized options to suit your brewing needs. The pressurized baskets are perfect for beginners, as they help ensure consistent extraction, while the non-pressurized baskets provide more control for experienced baristas.
Included with the machine is a plastic tamper, which allows for easy tamping of the coffee grounds. However, for those looking to enhance their espresso-making experience, upgrading to a stainless steel tamper is highly recommended. A stainless steel tamper provides better weight and balance, ensuring a more even and consistent tamp, which is crucial for achieving the perfect espresso shot.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Affordable: Often priced lower than the Barista Express, especially when on sale.
Compact Design: Fits comfortably on most countertops.
Pre-Infusion Technology: Ensures even extraction and rich flavor.
Manual Control: Allows more hands-on involvement in espresso-making.
Cons:
No Built-in Grinder: While some users prefer this flexibility, it does require purchasing a separate grinder.
Steam Power: Slightly less powerful than high-end machines, making it slower for steaming large quantities of milk.
Price and Value
The Breville Infuser typically retails for around $569, but savvy shoppers can find it on sale for as low as $350 during promotional events like Amazon Prime Day. At this price point, the Infuser is one of the best espresso machines in its class, competing with machines like the Gaggia Classic Pro and the Rancilio Silvia. When paired with a high-quality grinder, the Infuser offers a near-professional espresso experience at a fraction of the cost of high-end prosumer machines.
Easy Step-by-Step 3D Interactive Setup
The Breville Infuser takes user convenience to the next level with its free app, offering an easy step-by-step 3D interactive setup. This innovative feature allows users to visualize the machine in their own kitchen, providing a more immersive and engaging experience.
The app offers detailed, step-by-step instructions for setting up the machine, making it easy for even the most novice baristas to get started. With the 3D interactive setup, users can:
Visualize the Machine: See how the Infuser will look on your countertop, helping you find the perfect spot for it in your kitchen.
Explore Features and Components: Get a closer look at the machine’s various features and components, understanding how each part works.
Learn How to Use the Machine: Follow clear, easy-to-understand instructions to set up and operate the Infuser, ensuring you get the most out of your new espresso machine.
Brew Perfect Espresso Shots: With the app’s guidance, you’ll be able to brew perfect espresso shots every time, making it an invaluable tool for coffee lovers.
This feature is perfect for coffee lovers who want to get the most out of their machine and create perfect espresso shots every time.
Conclusion: Is the Breville Infuser Worth It?
If you’re in the market for a mid-range espresso machine that offers excellent value, the Breville Infuser is a fantastic choice. It provides the key features needed for making high-quality espresso and milk-based drinks without the extra cost of a built-in grinder. Its compact design, durable build, and precise brewing technology make it a reliable option for home baristas who want to elevate their espresso game without breaking the bank.
FAQs
1. How does the Breville Infuser compare to other espresso machines in its price range?
The Infuser offers features like PID temperature control and pre-infusion technology that are typically found in higher-end models, making it a standout choice in the $500–$600 range.
2. Is the Breville Infuser good for beginners?
Yes, its simple controls and reliable performance make it a great option for both beginners and experienced baristas.
3. Can I use the Infuser without a grinder?
Yes, but you’ll need to purchase pre-ground coffee or invest in a separate grinder for the best results.
4. How long does the Breville Infuser take to heat up?
Yes, but you’ll need to purchase pre-ground coffee or invest in a separate grinder for the best results.
5. Can I steam milk with the Breville Infuser?
Yes, the machine comes with a powerful steam wand that allows you to froth milk for lattes and cappuccinos.
6. What maintenance does the Breville Infuser require?
Regular cleaning of the group head, steam wand, and drip tray is recommended, along with descaling every few months depending on water hardness.
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