And Amazon has cut the price of the Breville Barista Express in half, putting it at $499.95 instead of $699.95 list price. That’s a 29 percent discount on one of the most popular all-in-one espresso machines and matches its lowest price we’ve seen during major deal events.
If you’ve been coveting a coffee shop-grade setup without the juggling of multiple components, this is one of those rare moments when value, capability and reliability all intersect. The Barista Express (model BES870XL) integrates a quality grinder, 54mm portafilter and legitimate steam wand into one machine that’s counter-culturey enough to leave out.
What Makes This Deal Stand Out Right Now
An entry-level espresso setup needs one basic piece of equipment: the grinder, because no espresso machine can come close to extracting rich, complex shots if it doesn’t have an impeccably uniform grind.
Usually $150 to $300 is what I recommend for a first grinder or an upgrade.
Because the Barista Express combines a dose control grinder and conical burr, this $200 discount effectively eliminates that extra expense while still delivering on quality.
There is also a financial payback: with café drinks often at $5 to $7, home espresso can pay back the cost of the machine in just a few months of daily use. According to the National Coffee Association, coffee is still the most consumed beverage in America — all while espresso-based drinks continue their steady climb: exactly what this machine was designed for.
Key Specs That Matter for Espresso Shots at Home
The Barista Express’s 1600W thermocoil heating system with integrated stainless steel water coil accurately controls water temperature after extraction for a coffee that tastes precisely as it should. A low-pressure pre-infusion wets the puck before the pump kicks in, preventing channeling and producing a more even extraction.
Breville’s over-pressure valve and 15-bar Italian pump are designed to limit the pressure through extraction, helping to keep pressure control in what its engineers call “the espresso sweet spot” (around nine bars at the puck), consistent with Specialty Coffee Association guidelines for espresso brewing. In other words: more crema and less bitterness, when you hit the dial-in right.
The 54mm stainless steel portafilter comes with single- and double-wall baskets, so newcomers can nail the technique using a pressurized basket then move up to café-style shots. The manual steam wand produces true microfoam — not foamy bubbles — for latte art, with a little practice.
Other nice touches: a 67-ounce water tank, a hot-water spout (great for Americanos), storage space inside the machine for the included Razor dose-trimming tool and an intuitive grind-size dial that will let you experiment with a variety of grind settings to adjust the brew time and flow rate.
How It Compares in the Breville Espresso Lineup
Breville’s Barista Pro features faster heat-up and a more glanceable display, but also usually comes at a significantly higher price point, offering similarly tuned in-cup quality once you’ve got both up and on your countertop. The Bambino Plus produces excellent steamed milk for its size but requires a separate grinder. Classic designs like the Gaggia Classic Pro can pull beautiful shots, but you’re still budgeting for a separate grinder and sacrificing the convenience of an all-in-one unit.
It’s a perennial best-value gateway to really good espresso for independent testers. Consumer Reports has long praised Breville for owner satisfaction, and equipment reviewers tend to remark that its grinder, temperature stability and wand performance are superior to those of your average “starter” machine.
Real-World Tips Before You Buy With a Built-In Fan
Expect a short learning curve. Expect to waste 2–4 shots dialing in a new bag of beans: adjust grind until a double shot pours at about a 1:2 ratio (e.g., ~18 grams in, ~36 grams out) for around 25–30 seconds from the start of the pump. If it gushes, go finer; if it chokes, go coarser or dose lower.
Use fresh, medium-to-dark roast beans within a couple of weeks from their roast date for the most precise dialing. Filtered water serves to keep flavor true and also prevents scale. Breville recommends its machine be backflushed and descaled on occasion; doing so keeps pressure steady and elongates the life of the machine.
If café-style milk drinks are what you’re after, work on steaming technique: start with cold milk, place the wand tip just beneath the surface to create air for a few seconds and then tilt it to submerge partially and roll the milk into glossy microfoam. Many first-time owners claim to be making latte art on their first weekend.
Bottom Line on This Amazon Price Drop for Breville
Priced at $499.95, the Breville Barista Express is less expensive than popular single-dose setups, yet it brews well-extracted espresso shots that are sure to satisfy amateur baristas and hands-off users alike. For those who want a single, solid machine that they can grow with as their skills increase, this rare 29% discount represents the most compelling on-ramp to café-quality espresso at home right now.
