‘I’ve used this Breville machine for more than a year for cafe-like coffee at home to ditch takeaways’
The Breville Barista Max
Having a coffee machine at home is a must-have, not only for me but for thousands of homeowners be it the convenient pod machines or simple filtered brewers there’s plenty to choose from. A few years ago I upgraded my plug-in Nespresso machine for the Breville Barista Max and it’s had an eye-catching price drop overnight.
The bean-to-cup model – the type used in coffee shops across the country – is now discounted on Amazon for a much cheaper price. As the Prime retailer cuts £91 off its usual £461.99 price.
At-home espresso, cappuccino, latte, mocha and flat white fans can now buy it for £370, a cheaper price than usual it’s certainly an investment to consider if you’ve had you eye on the similar Sage Barista Express or the DeLonghi Magnifica. Both of which cost more than £500.
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The cheaper Breville Barista Max model has an integrated bean grinder, a steam wand for making hot frothy milk, and a water tank that holds 2.8 litres of water. Amazon’s description says it makes ‘delicious coffee just like it tastes at your favourite cafe’ and having the machine plugged in at home I agree.
Along with the glowing 676 five-star reviews from Amazon shoppers I’ve also reviewed it previously on The Mirror. Exactly a year later I still use it multiple times per day and I’ve finally ditched weak, too milky takeaways. Here are my favourite things about it, and why I’d say it’s one to consider for yourself or treat for a loved one this Christmas.
As I said: “No matter the coffee bean you choose there are 30 different grind settings and a tap-and-go grinder. Once grinded you then place it under the thermocoil group head, which is where the machine shows off its magic. it’s fairly simple to do once you get your head around the nozzles, steamers and grinders.
“After pressing one of two coffee buttons, a single or double shot, the Barista Max steams the water instantly and filters the grounded coffee into your cup below. I was surprised at how quick this was, a much more efficient way than the old drips-style percolators.
“Then the rest is up to you, you can enjoy a hot shot of espresso or stylise your drink to how it suits by adding milk, whether it’s a creamy latter or frothy cappuccino. This is where the cool touch steam wand comes in handy as a built-in milk foamer, although I have to be honest I find it pretty tricky to use.”
Since my original review, I’ve also perfected an ice latte. This is very simple as all you have to do is pour over the shot of freshly ground and brewed coffee into a glass of ice and top with milk. Although I’ve since experimented with texturising the milk with the nozzle.
According to the experts, this gives it more of a ‘latte texture’ and when you get the time and position right it doesn’t heat up the milk to ruin your ice-cold drink either.
A lot of the time when I test out products I like to be clear of their downfalls, to be completely honest I’ve not had any myself. I’ve been really impressed with the machine, how easy it is to use, the taste and even the cleaning and de-scaling of it.
Away from my own experience there are however a few negatives pointed out by other shoppers. As this person explains giving it a two-star on Amazon: “When it was working it was a lovely coffee machine. But after 2 1/2 years it started leaking from inside where the tubing exchanges.”
If you wanted to shop around then their are others available, as we highlighted the Sage and DeLonghi bean-to-cup machines above which are currently discounted in Lakeland’s sale. Elsewhere, Debenhams has a 70% off sale where you can find the ExpressoWorks model for a discounted £127.20.
