The Breville 800ESXL espresso maker is a joy to behold. Fortunately, it is not all looks and no brains. The Breville 800ESXL offers a dozen innovative features to make your espresso-making experience a delight, rather than a chore. And the taste results won't disappoint, either.
The unit tips the scales at 31 lbs (19 kg). That weight doesn't guarantee good coffee, of course. But, it does help stabilize the machine and that prevents tipping. No time wasted cleaning up unnecessary spills with this model. The stainless steel exterior continues that theme of durability and easy clean up.
The interior parts are equally high quality. They feature a chrome-plated brass filter, which provides even thermal conductivity, and therefore excellent temperature control. Some reviewers give less than stellar marks due to the thermoblock heating component. But even the most expensive units use it, so it can hardly be considered a cheap substitute. It's doubtful whether anyone could tell the difference in a blind taste test.
There is one minor area where the design could be improved. The Breville 800ESXL has a proprietary dual-wall design. That helps create good pressure and temperature control. But it does tend to produce sludgy grounds. Experienced baristas or those who have tried several machines will be used to a drier, more compact puck. That is a convenience when it comes to clean up. However, in this reviewer's opinion, it's a minor defect.
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 Breville 800ESXL Die Cast espresso maker does a great job of creating uniformly hot water throughout the machine. Poorly designed espresso makers have hot and cold spots along the channel. Those produce inferior results. As the water passes through the grinds, different amounts of the many substances in coffee are released. That affects the final flavor.
You might not expect a thermoblock heating unit to produce quality results. But the nearly $800 DeLonghi EAM 3500 also uses this method, so no one can claim it's nothing but a cheap substitute. Few savvy baristas would want to claim that the DeLonghi can't make the finest possible shot, and those in the know can make the same assertion about the Breville 800ESXL.
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 large capacity, removable water tank is another great convenience feature. If you're making shots for a large party, you won't have to run to get a refill every few minutes.
Convenience, style, and producing consistent excellent cups of espresso. That's more than just nice. That's great!