Breville ESP8XL Review – Getting to Know the Cafe Roma Espresso Maker

A good coffee maker is something that is almost an essential item in every kitchen all over the world. Our Breville ESP8XL review will tell you everything that you, as a true coffee lover, might need to know about making espresso drinks at your home.

There are so many companies manufacturing good quality coffee machines that make café style coffee. After all, nobody wants to go to those expensive coffee shops every day for a cup of coffee, and specially during the pandemic and worldwide lockdowns, it is a lot better to stay at home.

With a number of positive features, the Breville ESP8XL espresso maker is one of the coffee makers that you should be considering – if you are looking for a nice addition to your kitchen to meet your coffee-related needs.

The Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Maker

Breville ESP8XL Espresso Maker

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If you are looking forward to enjoy your espresso drink at home, the Breville ESP8XL espresso maker might do the job well for you. This elegantly-designed stainless steel espresso machine will give you just the right amount of pressure, texture and taste that your espresso drink needs.

Now let us talk about some prominent features of this espresso maker.

The Perfect 15-Bar Pressure

Every espresso machine must have a good pressure pump. This coffee maker comes with a 15-bar pump that is essential for making great espresso-based drinks.

It also has a Thermo-block feature that is great for the perfect temperature control for making espressos.

Works with Ground Coffee and Capsules

The Breville espresso machine is usable with both ground coffee and coffee capsules. You have the option for making espressos with ground coffee as there are many high-quality grounds available that are different when it comes to drinking experience.

If you prefer making espresso shots with capsules, this machine will allow you to do that, too. This is especially better when there is less time to make an espresso while you are on the go or in a rush.

Makes More than Just Espressos

Although the Breville esp8xl café roma is an espresso machine, it also has the capability of making other non-espresso coffee drinks. Be it your regular black coffee, the creamy and foamy latte or a cappuccino – this coffee maker will take care of your coffee cravings in an affordable way.

Best Froth with Breville

The Breville espresso machine has one of the best froth makers in this price range. Froth is one of the main features of a great espresso-based drink. This machine has the ability to make thick, foamy crema to give the perfect texture and mouthfeel that you are looking forward to.

Sufficient Accessories Included

This coffee maker comes with some accessories that are very essential for great coffee making. There is a steel pitcher that is used for frothing or texturing some milk for your coffee. It has a handle for ease of use.

The tamping tool is a dual functional device. One side is used for tamping the coffee – it is the flat side. The other side is a spoon and used to measure ground coffee that you pour into the machine.

There is a cleaner included that is used when cleaning the espresso machine. This makes great tasting coffee with clean equipment and accessories. A very nice way of coffee making that everyone will love to have everyday!

The Sleek, Stainless Steel Design

This coffee machine has a very chic stainless-steel designed body that looks impeccable in most urban kitchens. With its 12 x 12 x 15” dimensions, it fits most kitchens well enough. It looks equally nice over the counter and is a nice addition to your kitchen.

Built-in Cup Warmer

The machine boasts a 6-cup warming plate that makes it ideal for a person to make coffee and have it in a nice warm cup, regardless of how quick or late you want to have your drink.

Large Enough Water Reservoir

The water tank is of 40.6 ounce capacity which is big enough for those back to back servings with friends or family over. It comes with a measuring spoon for easy coffee ground measurements before filling the machine with your favorite coffee.

The heating is done inside the aluminium block. This does not contact water at all so a great tasting coffee drink all the time. This coffee maker has a standardized water amount that goes through the grind or capsule.

Breville ESP8XL Espresso Maker

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How to Use the Breville Espresso Machine

This machine is simple to use and has nice functions for your coffee experience to be perfect!

  • Start with the water filling into the transparent tank that is big. You can see how much water is inside, thanks to the transparent scale. Use regular water only and do not overflow.
  • Switch the coffee maker on and wait for the orange light to turn on. Since it is automatic, once light is on, it is ready to brew a cup of coffee.
  • Tamping is essential for great coffee. Do this for better aroma – as all grinds are gathered together and makes a tight water barrier. This barrier causes the water to be absorbed by grind, giving it full flavor and taste of the coffee beans.
  • Now you extract the full flavored water through the holes in portafilter. As there are two holes, you can place two cups for making two drinks simultaneously. Your two single shot espressos are ready to be served.
  • For those that love froth in their coffees, simply use the steam wand that is included. Make froth in a milk container by placing the wand and steaming the milk. Once made, top it off on your hot coffee and your drink is ready.

Cleaning & Maintenance

No coffee making machine can be fully evaluated without assessing the amount of time and effort required for cleaning and maintenance.

In this Breville esp8xl café roma stainless espresso maker review, we have closely monitored the cleaning process of this machine and mentioned in easy steps.

Cleaning the coffee maker

This is one area where a lot of high-end coffee makers do not perform well. In this it is important to mention the ease of cleaning this device.

The removable drip tray is easy to remove and then wash in the sink. The grid is removable as well and can be washed. To clean, simply remove the water tank and the drip tray. Then wash separately and clean the machine. The machine can be cleaned super-fast and easily.

Servicing on regular basis

It features its own cleaning tool as well. Simply use this to clean your coffee maker for great results. The portafilters also come out for easy cleaning and washing. In case water comes out from wand badly, you need to service this.

Simply switch on the steam wand – if nothing happens, turn it off. Now clean the wand with the cleaner that is included with the device. This should clear the clogging and the wand should work fine.

If it still does not – then unscrew it and place it under hot water for 20 minutes. Then place it back and use it. It should work fine after this procedure.

Decalcification every 3 months

After using your coffee maker for some time, it will require the proper cleaning maintenance. This means you need to decalcify the machine so that all clogging of residue is cleaned. This procedure take some time to do.

Start with the filling of water into tank and white vinegar with a 50-50 ratio. Now use the filter and put it into the portafilter without the grind. After placing this into group head, run brew mode once.

Use the steam wand as well during this procedure. Afterwards, clean the residue on parts under water and your device is ready for use.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Very high quality stainless-steel product
  • Comes with a 6-cup warming tray
  • Makes 2 espresso shots at once
  • Works with coffee ground and capsules too
  • Comes with 3 filters and a large water tank
  • Comes with froth maker and tamping tool
  • Easy to clean with removable parts
  • Makes very good espresso drinks like café
  • Comes with dual wall filter for great cream
  • Can be placed anywhere with its great design and lightweight at only 7.5 kg

Cons

  • Has a limited cup height, so tall cups will not work without removing drip tray
  • Steam will get hot slowly
  • No drip tray full indicator
  • A little noisy coffee maker
Breville ESP8XL Espresso Maker

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Wrapping Up our Breville ESP8XL Espresso Maker Review

The Breville espresso machine is a decent espresso maker that comes with some nice benefits. It is great for people that love espressos with a touch of froth. It also makes decent lattes and cappuccinos, so will be a good coffee maker for the household.

The design of this machine is very chic and it will fit into most kitchens with ease. This coffee maker has very good tools for tamping, cleaning and froth. With easily removable parts, the cleaning process is relatively convenient and has an overall low maintenance.

We hope our Breville ESP8XL review was helpful in giving you the insights that you needed to know about a decently priced home espresso maker. Because these days all we want for you is to….

Stay home! Stay caffeinated!