Breville BES820XL Die-Cast 15-Bar Programmable Espresso Machine

Long lost love, oh where have you been all my life?
LOVE this machine! I do not claim to be an espresso junkie or aficionado, but I am addicted to lattes and my morning habit was getting to be expensive so we bought this machine for Christmas. It's AWESOME! One of my main criteria, besides great espresso, was a frothing wand that would really do the job, and this one does. It texturizes the milk beautifully and creates delicious, creamy froth for my lattes and cappuccinos. We're still working to get the right grind and tamp combination, but I love that you can also use pods in the machine, which is fantastic for decaf! We drink regular espresso in the morning or afternoon, but every once in a while I want a cappuccino at night but it's not worth keeping the decaf beans or emptying my grinder to replace with decaf so we keep decaf pods on hand for those rare evening cravings. Perfectly convenient! You have to be willing to experiment to get the right tamp/grind combination or your espresso won't taste too yummy, but if you have some...

A good espresso on this machine
This is a review about the quality of the espresso the machine makes, and not about
the short or long term reliability of the machine, since I have only had it for about a month.

I bought coffee beans from a starbuck coffee shop and asked the barista to grind the beans for an espresso maker. Decided not to buy a grinder (since reviews on grinders seem to indicate nothing but trouble). The first results I got were disappointing. No matter how well I packed the 2 shot coffee filter, or how much coffee I packed into it, the pressure on the indicator dial never reached even the beginning of the "optimum" range.

Then I decide to ask the barista if they had a finer espresso grind. They said their finest was # "2". With that grind, I filled the 2 shot filter with coffee to the top of the filter, and packed the grinds as hard as I could. Started the machine. The needle started to rise, reached the optimum range, went all the way up the optimum range and beyond it...

Fantastic machine
I have had this machine for about 4 weeks and love it. It's easy to learn, is made of high quality parts, and looks beautiful on the counter. Be careful with grind fineness, as we had some problems when coffee ground at Starbucks with their machine on "espresso" setting. Once you find the right grind consistency, the results are delicious and consistent. The steamer wand works extremely well and is easy to maneuver with the 360 degree swivel arm. This is a great espresso maker for the coffee/espresso lover.

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Breville XXBTA840XL 4 Slice Smart Toaster **REFURBISHED**

The Quest Ends!!!
At long last, I've found a toaster that can make toast, toast bread evenly, let you know how much longer your toast will take, and alert you when it's done without the neignbors thinking that your burglar alarm just went off! It automatically adjusts to thick or thin breads, and can do english muffins without 3 or 4 cycles. Just when I had decided that there was no longer a decent toaster, along comes Breville and saves the day! (purchased new at Wiliams Sonoma)

Great Toaster
We really love this Breville 4 slice toaster. It has more options than a normal toaster--the ability to check on your toast without disrupting the cycle is great. Rather than over toasting, I set it and then can hit "a little bit more" if I want it a bit darker. Our refurbished machine is like brand new. We weren't sure if we needed such a fancy machine, but we are glad we got it.

Toaster is as advertised
The Breville 4 Slice Smart Toaster works well, especially with a food item such as a bagel. The lift and look feature is a clever,useful mechanism. The ability to fine control the degree of toast is also an admirable feature. When I called Breville to ascertain what "refurbished" meant a company representative told me that the guarantee for a refurbished toaster is 90 days. However, the box cover and the manual included stated one year. When I questioned Amazon, I was told by a representative that Amazon would stand by the one year warranty. If you purchase this product get that same protection from Amazon.

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Factory-Reconditioned Breville XXESP8XL Café Roma Espresso Maker

Can't go wrong
I purchased this machine in July of 2008. The reason I decided to write a review at this time is because I am considering purchasing another one for my parent's 60th Anniversary and noticed all of the negative reviews.

I lived in Spain for three years in the late 70s and learned to enjoy espresso drinks while I was there. When I returned to the USA I purchased a very inexpensive machine which I used off and on over the years. I say off and on because it did not produce very good espresso and I would exile to the basement. Every few years however I would haul it back up expecting, I guess, that it had learned it's lesson while it was in 'time out'! I eventually decided to spend a little more money and try a better machine. I found the refurbished Breville Cafe Roma at Amazon for $95 with free shipping (even at $149 it is a steal.) I had a little trouble at first because it operated differently than my old one, but all I had to do was send an email with my question to...

Great machine so far!
I've only had this product for 2 weeks now so can't comment on it's reliability as a refub., but I have used it at least twice a day without issue. Needed a new espresso machine since my old KRUPS pump machine finally gave out after about five years. It's definitely a beautiful looking machine and if you follow the directions about heating and priming, you will make yourself a very good cup of espresso! It is solidly built with some heft to it and the pump system puts out good pressure for pulls and frothing. The heating plate on top does take awhile to heat up and warm cups, but it does finally get very warm. Also on this older model the frothing wand does not swivel front and back like the newer model, but I have no problems with it being stationary as it is. Alas this refurb. does not come with the stainless cup and saucer pair as described (hence 1 less star), but the great price more than makes up for it. I'm totally satisfied with this product so far....

Great tasting espresso. Simple design makes it easy to use.
First of all is the price I paid for a machine of this caliber! Second is its easy to use and clean. I've tried a plastic Hamilton Beach pump style espresso machine for $54 bucks and returned it the next day. I took a chance on this one and I like it too much, can't stop using it. It is much larger than expected but it looks fantastic. No more expensive coffee shops for me.

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