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I spent a great deal of time researching espresso makers before purchasing my Breville 800ESXL Commercial 15-Bar Triple-Priming Die-Cast Espresso Machine. I wanted to purchase an "affordable" machine (under $600), but one that also produced excellent espresso. I found this machine to be the best compromise between quality and affordability.
I purchased this espresso maker from Sur la Table in December 2009 for $399.00. When my husband opened the box, he realized that there was no instruction manual. I contacted Breville, and the company shipped out a manual the next day. A customer service representative also walked me through the entire process of operating the machine. I was so pleased with the response from the company.
The overall appearance of the espresso maker is beautiful. It is stainless steel, and looks very substantial sitting on the counter. It also comes with a stainless steel milk frothing cup and a plastic measurer that has a tamper on the end. It took me several tries to master the process, but I can now make a cup of espresso and froth milk in about 90 seconds. I wipe down the frothing wand immediately after making the milk, and this prevents the milk from drying on the wand.
The espresso tastes wonderful, as good as what you get at your local coffee shop. Just make sure to clean the machine after every use, or you might run into problems with the filter clogging. This happened to my machine after the first four months of use. I had been only dumping out the coffee grounds after each use instead of rinsing the filter with water. I figured out that coffee particles were getting stuck in the small cavity of the filter. This was a simple fix, as I simply have to hold the filter flush against my kitchen faucet, and then gently turn the water on. The water pressure dislodges any residue so the filter works properly.
This machine has been such a joy to use, and it is one of my most enjoyable purchases.
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