Breville Didn't End the Barista Express Espresso Machine Prime Day Deal at Its Lowest Price

The Breville Barista Express isn’t new — it debuted in 2013 — but it’s never been supplanted atop the home espresso market. That’s due in large part to its integrated precision conical burr grinder. Grind freshness matters more to espresso extraction quality than almost any other variable: Pre-ground coffee goes stale fast, and the difference between ground-to-order and yesterday’s grind is audible in the cup. The grinder doses directly into the portafilter on demand, with adjustable grind size and dose amount to account for different roasts and taste preferences. The full cycle from beans to extraction runs under a minute.

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Extraction quality on the BES870XL is shaped by two features. PID digital temperature control maintains water at a precise set point throughout the pull; espresso is unforgiving on temperature, and a few degrees of variance shifts the extraction from balanced to bitter or sour. Low-pressure pre-infusion wets the coffee puck gradually before the machine ramps to full extraction pressure, helping ensure even saturation and reducing channeling, which is the extraction flaw where water finds a path of least resistance through the puck rather than pulling evenly from the full dose.