Heck, even Wirecutter, the product review section of the New York Times, said this was the one to get for Judy for Christmas. Well, maybe I am overstating this, the NYT didn't go so far as to say this one was perfect for Judy -- but they came awfully close.
I found one on sale at Canadian Tire. Yes, Canadian Tire. The store famous for oil changes, snow tires and automobile windshield cleaner also sells espresso machines. The nearest store had four. I got up early and got to the store minutes after it opened at 8 a.m.
At the check-out I told the lady at the counter I felt quite the fool. Who spends this much to brew coffee? I love my wife but I had to wonder if I loved her this much. I was conflicted. I mentioned I was surprised that the store only had four of these left. "You're wrong," the counter lady said. Someone beat you, and counting the one you are now buying, the store only has two left. She said some stores were sold out and she expected her store to sell out soon, maybe in minutes. Amazing!
Look right, a latte I brewed with a ratio of 1:3 espresso to frothed milk. Personally, I like a flat white a wee bit more. The tighter ratio, 1:2, keeps coffee flavour upfront. A latte is more milk dominant. The latte is in a Trudeau 11 oz insulated, double-walled, glass cup bought on sale from Homesense.
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Espresso machines like the Breville Touch have a learning curve. The automation of the Touch shortens the learning curve but does not eliminate it. Breville understands and has posted videos and short articles addressing the most common problems encountered by newbie owners.
Let me give you some links.
Find more articles and videos with Google. Judy found the online info helpful.
Why I bought the Breville Baristra Touch Espresso machine.
As I mentioned, Wirecutter in the New York Times, thought very highly of this café-quality espresso machine. Encouraged by the NYT positive review, further search found lots of independent reviews in agreement with Wirecutter. Let's list some of the features that the reviewers appreciated.
1. All-in-One, Built-In Grinder
No need for a separate grinder. The Breville Touch has a high-quality integrated conical burr grinder that grinds beans fresh immediately prior to brewing. The ground coffee drops straight into the portafilter. Thanks to a special collar or funnel used during grinding, there is no mess, no spilled coffee grounds. Burr grinders produce a consistent, even grind resulting in richer flavour and improved extraction.
2. Intuitive Touchscreen Controls
A full-colour touchscreen guides you through grinding, brewing, and milk foaming. Setting the grind size, degree of milk foaming and final temperature can still be daunting for a novice but, after viewing a couple of videos, the ease of the semi-automated machine soon become clear.
3. Automated But Customizable
I like to call the Barista Touch a semi-automatic machine. It is left to the barista to fine-tune settings such as the the size and style of basket, the grind amount and size, the degree of tamping and the milk texture. But, get all the variables right and you can save the "recipe". It is possible to save up to eight personalized coffee brewing profiles.
4. Fast Heat-Up Time
The Breville Barista Touch Espresso machine reaches the optimal brewing temperature in about three seconds thanks to the ThermoJet® heating system. In a hurry? No worry. Still, I like to turn on the machine the moment I start getting ready to brew a latte or flat white.
5. Automatic Milk Frothing
The Breville AutoMilQ hands-free microfoam system steams milk to the texture and temperature you choose for making lattes and cappuccinos. The claim is that it makes excellent foam for every style of drink. I am but a beginner but I agree. the AutoMilQ system works very well. That said, many online self-proclaimed experts prefer to manually foam the milk. Not me!
6. Precision Brewing
Low Pressure, pre-infusion followed by 9-bar extraction pulls balanced, rich espresso shots. Do it right and you are rewarded with good crema, as well.
Like many high-end espresso machines, the Breville Touch has PID temperature control. PID? A Proportional Integral Derivative extraction temperature controller. I cannot say any more. Google it, if you are still curious.
7. Built for Daily Use
Many of the reviews I consulted were impressed with the ease of cleaning and supplied storage for accessories. For instance, when not in use the tamper hangs from a concealed magnet on the front left of the machine. Sadly, the ultimate build quality was questioned by some reviewers but I found a lot of positive comments from satisfied owners. I went with the good opinions. Come back in a few months and see if I made the right decision. If my Breville breaks down, I will blog about it.
8. Café-Quality Drinks at Home
Lastly, the Barista Touch lets you make coffee shop quality coffee drinks at home. This does not sound like a big deal but do the math. You will be amazed. If you get your lattes or flat whites from Starbucks, you may pay for your espresso machine in less than a year. Make a latte or flat white for yourself and your partner every day and the coffee-drink-ritual will pay for the machine in as little as three months.
Warning
Do not drag the stainless steel milk jug over the sensor, simply place the jug on the sensor with care. Do not let water or milk wet the button sensor/switch. If the milk you are frothing threatens to overflow, quickly turn off the machine.
I was lucky. I cleaned the machine. Passed clear water through all the hidden areas that had been flooded with milk. I let it dry for two full days. It still works. What a relief.
2. Another warning: do not change settings by more than two and one is even wiser. I had heard this recommendation on a number of YouTube videos on the Breville Barista Touch. I did not listen. This was a mistake.
I did not get enough gound coffee in my portafilter after grinding. So, what did I do? I increased the grind time by four seconds. During grinding, the portafilter with an installed basket overflowed. I had coffee grounds all over. I had to use the razor to accurately lower the height of ground coffee.
3. When cleaning the milk-frothing wand after use you will probably have the wand extended at an angle away from the espresso machine. Make sure it stays extended. The moment the wand is pushed back into its upright position, the purge cycle will start.
First, wipe the froth from the extended wand with a damp cloth. Next, fold the wand down and the purging cycle will start immediate. I always have a dry cloth covering the milk temperature sensor button. You do not want to get the sensor wet. Letting the wand purge directly into the drip tray allows the wand to purge freely with two short blasts of hot water and a final burst of steam. This will necessitate cleaning the tray. I have caught the purge water in a small glass, it is neater, but I am not sure if the purging is complete. I no longer use the glass.
4. All this sounds like it should be hard to do -- but it isn't. When first learning the ins and outs of using the Breville Barista Touch, it is all too easy to forget to click the filter basket into the porta filter. Without the basket, coffee grinds flow straight through the porta filter and make one heck of a mess. When my wife showed off her new machine to a neighbourhood friend, my wife forgot the filter basket. Her friend laughed at the coffee grounds scattering about the kitchen. My wife didn't laugh.
As I learn more, I will add to this post.
