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.
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December 29 2008 | coffee | No Comments »
If you are in the market for a coffee maker, there are many styles from which you may choose. The most common is the coffee maker, but there are also cappuccino and espresso machines to consider. With the onslaught of “gourmet” coffee houses in America, many people who have been exposed to more than the regular cup of black coffee are deciding to make their coffee at home in more specialized ways.
Espresso and cappuccino makers are vastly more expensive than their coffee making counterparts, usually at least 10 times higher for a basic home model and 100 times more and up for a serious commercial brand. Popular brands of espresso machines are Saeco, and Brasilia.
Espresso is made by forcing pressurized water through coffee beans that have been ground into a powder. Cappuccino is made by combining the espresso with steamed milk. If you would like to make these at home, an espresso machine is for you. Also, fresh beans and a grinder should be utilized to ensure the utmost in freshness. There are any number of grinders available as well, from motorized electric grinders, to hand held press grinders. Online sites can detail many of the qualities of coffee makers to help you make the best decision for your espresso making needs.
There are more than 14 million coffee makers purchased in the United States every year. Coffee makers, especially when compared to their espresso making partners, are relatively inexpensive. Many popular brands of these machines include Braun, Black and Decker, Mr. Coffee and Krupp. They do basically the same job, but at lesser temperatures and without the pressure. Hot water is simply filtered through ground coffee beans into a carafe. The carafe can be either thermal or glass.
Thermal carafes are nice because they can in some cases keep coffee hot for more than 12 hours, without the use of an external heating element. Glass carafes sit within the coffee maker on top of a hot plate and usually stay hot for a couple of hours, but the amount of coffee in a clear glass carafe is always visible and apparent.
Cost is not always the major consideration when buying a perfect coffee maker for your home. Many independent research companies have pointed out that the most important part of making good coffee comes from buying the right coffee to put into the maker, not purchasing one specific model over another. If you would like to pay more, make sure that you are getting features for your money, like auto shut off and timer capabilities. It is very nice to be able to program your coffee to greet you already made in the morning.
About the Author:
Chester Ebenhart pens largely for http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com , a website with information about cabinet mounted espresso machines and under counter coffee maker. You can come across his abstracts on
under cabinet coffee makers over at http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com.
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December 08 2008 | coffee | No Comments »