The Breville Dual Boiler aims to combine all that’s best from commercial espresso machines and put it within a domestic setting. But does it live up to its ambitions or does it fall short from coffee making glory?
The short answer: Breville has produced an excellent espresso machine that challenges the coffee making quality of more expensive pro-user coffee makers. Lets dig deeper in this Breville Dual Boiler review. Or click here to check its price on Amazon.
Pros:
Cons:
Traditionally the titans of pro-user espresso machines, La Marzocco and Synesso, have topped the upper echelon of domestic espresso makers. But they came with significant price drawback of costing 3-4 times as much!
The engineers behind Breville have created a coffee enthusiast’s machine for an reasonable price. But they went even further and equipped with features not even seen in the most high end espresso machines such as LCD displays and electronic PID temperature controls.
The machine comes equipped with dual boiler technology. This means you can steam milk and extract espresso simultaneously without loosing temperature or pressure. Commercial espresso machines use this same system which results in super fast brewing and steaming times. As a barista I really appreciate this as a lot of cheaper espresso machines are quite slow when delivering their steam. If you’re an entertainer or a person who’s making several coffees a day simultaneously, you’ll also appreciate the dual boiler.
Specifications | Header |
|---|---|
Machine Type: | Semi-Automatic |
Boiler: | Dual Boiler |
Milk Frother: | Yes - Manual |
Measurements: | 15 x 16.25 x 15 inches |
Coffee Making Ability
But how does it handle everyday use? I had the opportunity to test this machine compliments to a good friend who owns one.
When steaming milk for my latte the steam was as consistent and strong. The coffee shots came out rich and golden thanks to the actively heated group head to maintain brewing temperatures. When the two are combined the end result is a perfectly balanced cafe latte. It just worked.
But my favourite features of this machine is not just its ability to create great espresso, but the little things added to enhance the domestic coffee experience. One such example is a timed auto-start-up function that allows you to set the time for the machine to warm up every morning. This lets you make a coffee as soon as you get out of bed. Another is a handy feature is the ‘shot clock’ that allows you to time the extraction of your espresso. Or for even the more geeky of us, the ability to program the shot duration, boiler temperature and even the group head temperature! That’s a lot of coffee geekery.
Below is a great video from Breville showing off the feature set of the Dual Boiler.
The Minor Con
There is one minor con with this machine, the tamper that comes with it. It’s useless. Even though it has the neat feature of being able to latch itself onto the machine, it is not the proper weight a tamper should be. It honestly feels cheap and not suitable for making espresso. I recommend buying a good heavy tamper and not using the one that comes with the machine.
Should You Buy The Breville Dual Boiler?
The Breville Dual Boiler Espresso Machine is a coffee maker that harnesses the power of a commercial coffee machine and puts it within a domestic setting. I recommend this machine for the coffee aficionado looking to invest a feature rich machine that won’t break the bank when compared to more expensive pro-user machines. The Breville Dual Boiler will serve you for years to come. You can pick one up for yourself by clicking button below. If you're looking for something cheaper but stylish, I recommend checking out our review of it's younger brother the Barista Express here.
