The Breville 800ESXL – More Than Just Nice

The 800ESXL is stunning. Fortunately, it's not just all looks and no brains. This superb espresso maker offers several new features that entirely remove the effort in your espresso-making experience. You'll find the taste results won't disappoint, either.

Weighing in at 31 lbs (19 kg), it's on the heavy side of the scales as home espresso makers go. That weight doesn't guarantee a good shot, naturally. But the extra stability provides a welcome convenience. You'll spend no time cleaning up spills. With its stainless steel exterior, cleanup there is equally easy.

The interior parts offer equally high quality. The porta-filter is chrome-plated brass, providing even thermal conductivity for excellent temperature control. Some users are less than thrilled with the thermoblock heating component, but the complaints are reminiscent of stereo aficionados who say that good sound can only come from a turntable and vinyl records. The difference will be undetectable to all but a few even in a blind taste test.

Users have a more legitimate complaint when it comes to the dual-wall design. While it provides for good pressure and temperature control, it does make the post-brewed grinds a messy sludge. If you've seen a few different espresso makers you're probably familiar with the drier, more compact puck they produce. Even so, clean up is straightforward, so it represents a minor flaw.

The unit more than makes up for any less-than-ideal qualities by added convenience overall. It also, not coincidentally, produces a truly fine cup of espresso.

It offers a well designed steam wand set on a ball. That makes it easy to turn in any direction. That's a big help when you've got different sized cups to fill. The wand also provides straight hot water for making hot cocoa, tea... any hot drink!

The maker does a superb job of keeping water at precisely the right temperature throughout the machine for a stellar shot. Cheaper espresso makers have hot and cold spots, producing inconsistent and inferior results. As the water and/or coffee passes through the machine it is affected slightly by these differences.

It's true that the thermoblock is not quite as consistent in terms of pressure and temperature as a commercial-quality brass boiler. But in actual tests the difference was virtually undetectable and the lower price makes it a toss up.

The large heating tray at the base is another nice feature, too. If, like a good barista, you pre-heat your espresso cup in order to prevent rapid cool down of the liquid, the tray will assist your efforts rather than undo them.

The removable water tank produces up to 50 shots before requiring refilling, so the 800ESXL makes for a great machine for large parties.

The Breville 800ESXL Die Cast espresso maker offers convenience and high-quality in a medium-priced machine. No one could be disappointed about that.

Shopping for an Espresso Machine? Here's a selection at affordable prices:

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Tags: 800ESXL, Breville, coffee, Drinks, espresso, espresso machines, espresso makers, food, home, home appliances

December 29 2008 07:08 am | coffee

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