Changing the brewing temperature of the Barista Express

This morning I was curious to change the brewing temperature of my Barista Express, and so I consulted the manual. The process for finding out what temperature setting your machine is currently on, and changing the temperature setting, is very quick and straightforward. With the machine off, simply hold down the programme button and then

Review of the Sage / Breville Barista Express

There are quite a few reviews of the Barista Express out there, and the general consensus is that it’s a pretty good machine with some very thoughtful design features. One criticism that is often levelled is that the machine is not exactly a snip to use – the Barista Express is often incorrectly referred to

Using the Barista Express – 54mm Portafilter

The Sage / Breville Barista Express comes with a 54mm portafilter. This is the same portafilter as accompanies all of Sage / Breville’s smaller footprint machines – the Duo-Temp Pro, he Barista Pro, Barista Touch and Bambino Plus. Sage / Breville’s larger, dual-boiler machines all use the more universal 58mm portafilter size. 58mm portafilters are

Using the Barista Express – Grinder steps too far apart

Since I started using the Barista Express, I have found that my shots can choke the machine on one grind setting, and result in an under-extracted shot on the next setting up. Sure, I can’t absolutely guarantee that all other things are equal between the two shots, but more-or-less. The upshot is that I have

Using the Barista Express – Optimal Espresso Pressure Range

The Barista Express, like The Dual Boiler, has a pressure gauge on the front panel. These machines have both now been around for a few years, and are mature product lines that are unlikely to receive further updates or iterations. Sage / Breville’s newer machines, such as the Barista Pro, do not feature the pressure

Using the Barista Express – Non-pressurised and Pressurised filter baskets

The Barista Express is supplied with both pressurised and non-pressurised filter baskets, and a 1-cup and 2-cup basket of each type. So, the machine comes with four baskets in total. I have personally never removed the pressurised baskets from the box, however their function is to take a lot of the heartbreak out of making

Using the Barista Express – the Razor (TM) precision dose trimming tool

The Barista Express, like the rest of Sage / Breville’s manual espresso coffee machines, is supplied with a nifty tool called the Razor precision dose trimming tool. This is designed to enable the user to achieve a consistent dose in the portafilter, shot after shot. The Razor tool also ensures that the dose is optimal

The Beans – North Star Coffee Roasters – El Salvador – Chelazos

What I’m Brewing in July 2020 This is the third coffee from North Star, based in Leeds, that I’ve used at home on the Barista Express. I have been impressed with the interesting flavours I’ve been able to extract from North Star’s roasts, and I also consider that their beans are well-priced, with a good

Sage/ Claro Swiss Water Filter BES008

I bought my Barista Express in January 2019 – it is the BES875 variant, which supersedes the BES870. It came with the Sage / Claro Swiss water filter (BES008), which I understand was introduced some time in 2018. Prior to the introducion of the new filter, the machine was designed to use a smaller charcoal

Sage Masterclass

Sage have recently been running masterclasses at coffee shops around the UK, in order to school Sage machine owners in how to get the most out of the machines. I had booked onto my local Masterclass in Birmingham, which was to be hosted at 200 Degrees Coffee in the city centre at the beginning of