If you don't read any other post on the Breville Barista Touch, please read this one.
Try to avoid the very common mistake I made. I bought a machine that did not match my wife's lifestyle (nor mine). Many folk who make this mistake enjoy their purchase for a few weeks and, when the novelty wears off, when the coffee-making ritual begins to feel like work, the machine is abandoned. It sits on the counter-top looking imposing and gathering dust.
Do not buy more machine than you need. I did. I bought a very beautiful, café-quality espresso machine at a price that was also a beaut. I should have looked for a simpler, less expensive machine. I had lots of options. I turned to ChatGPT.
Let's cut to the chase. When it comes to brewing espresso, my café-quality espresso machine falls short. If I brew two shots, one right after the other, one may weight 34g and the other 54g. There is no way these two shots can taste the same. As a pure espresso machine, my Barista is a non-starter.
For making two lattes I have taken to brewing two double-shots, one after the other, and capturing the two espresso shots in the same preheated insulated glass or cup. I add the sugar. Luckily my wife and I agree on sweetness. I stir the sugar until it is dissolved and then I spoon half the espresso into the empty cup. In this example, both cups contain 44g of sweeten espresso.
Ideally, a dose of 19g should result in a pull of 38g. In this example, I have about 15% more espresso than I should have. Since we are making lattes and not straight espresso drinks, this does not pose a big problem. There's three times more milk than espresso in a traditional latte. All that milk hides a lot.
I believe my lattes owe more of their good taste to the generous amount of steamed and frothed milk than to the not so perfectly brewed espresso.
Before buying a state-of-the-art espresso machine, complete with coffee grinder and milk steamer/frother, I would look at cheaper alternatives. My wife's cousin makes his espresso in a Bialetti moka pot. He uses a good, medium-fine grind and he heats his whole milk in the microwave, taking care not to make it too hot. 150 degrees Fahrenheit is perfect. He does not heat the milk more. He froths his milk in his French press. I saw a battery operated frothing tool for sale at Canadian Tire for $10. This may be easier to clean than the French Press.
Does the moka pot deliver true espresso. No! It is rich, highly-concentrated coffee but it is far from being espresso. But, if you are happy with your moque latte do the rules really matter? Not to my wife's cousin.
Frothing the whole milk using a French press can be done in such a way that it will please the average latte drinker: Submerge the plunger halfway into the warm milk (140°F–150°F), raise it slightly above the surface of the milk and pump four to five times. Now, push the mesh screen to the bottom and pump rapidly for 20 seconds without breaking the surface. Tap the French press on the counter to pop any large bubbles, swirl the milk, add the frothed milk immediately to the espresso.
Today, I frothed five ounces of milk heated to 155 degree Fahrenheit for 30 seconds using the frothing tool from Canadian Tire. I poured the frothed and heated milk into a Duralex tumbler holding the concentrated coffee. (I used 18 grams of medium ground coffee and filled the moka pot with water to just below the pressure valve. Do not go above the pressure valve.)
My wife tasted the result and declared it "very good". She is withholding excellent for the Breville-made latte. Considering that the Breville machine cost about $1450, GST included, and the moka pot was sitting unused in my basement and the frothing tool cost only $11.30 with the tax, I find it hard to justify my purchase of the Breville Barista Touch. One cost only spare change; the other can require a bank loan.
Enjoy.
p.s. My wife, who enjoys the Barista Touch latte but does not make it, votes for the Breville machine over her cousin's money saving solution.
