Breville Barista Touch: more machine than I need?

I got my wife a Breville Barista Touch espresso machine for Christmas. She never uses it. I do. For an "easy" machine, it is somewhat complicated. Along with the espresso machine, I gave my wife a barista -- me!

I made a very common mistake when buying the home espresso machine. I bought a machine that did not match my wife nor my lifestyle. I bought a beautiful, café-styled machine. The danger is that we will enjoy it for a few weeks and, when the novelty wears off, the coffee-making ritual will feel like work. 

I have come to believe the Touch is more machine than I need. First, there is the price. It was a lot of money, even on sale ($1280 Cdn), just to enjoy a latte now and then. A simpler, less expensive machine might have done the job just fine. I turned to ChatGPT.

I learned of the Airmsen 7.9'' Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine With Grinder was on sale at Walmart for $249.99. The reviews were mixed and, although most buyers seemed happy, those who were not happy had some excellent reasons for giving the Airmsen only one star. I found all the low priced units had similarly mixed reviews. I moved on and up. I asked ChatGPT to loosen the purse strings a little. Go upscale a bit.

In the end I decided buying a separate coffee grinder might be the best option. I found myself staying with the Breville brand. I teamed a Breville Smart Grinder Pro at $240 with a Breville Bambino Plus at $500.

All these Breville products are available at Best Buy. There is also a non-plus Bambino at $360 but I decided I would spend the extra $140 for the automatic milk frothing and a better steam wand offered by the Plus. The wand has a four-hole tip rather than a single-hole and it auto-purges and self-cleans.

Also, the Plus has a three-way solenoid that releases the pressure after drawing a shot, making for a drier puck and less dripping after extraction.

When comparing the two Bambino models, the actual espresso brewing systems are the same. Therefore, the shot quality is essentially the same. 

Still, latte and other milk drinks from the Plus might be a notch up in quality compared to its less expensive soulmate. The Plus offers multiple milk temperature options and different foam levels.

Rather than spending $1280 for the all-in-one Breville Barista Touch, I decided it would have been wiser to buy a grinder separate from the brewing machine. Buying both units from Breville made for a nicer aesthetic as they match.

At this point, I would like to say that I found a good review comparing the Breville Barista Touch, my machine, to the Breville Bambino Plus, the unit I have come to believe would have been a better purchase for a novice like myself. Here is the link: Breville Barista Touch vs Breville Bambino Plus reviewed by Eli for Coffee Drinker Net. 

I found one error in the review. The Bambino Plus milk frothing wand has a four hole tip and not a single hole tip.

If you do not value matching looks, there are other options. Here are two: MiiCoffee DF54 and Baratza Encore ESP. Use ChatGPT to compare the grinders. Each has its own pluses and minuses. For casual home use, the Breville Bambino Plus holds its own.

Breville Barista Touch Espresso machine: Should a novice use the dual-wall or the single-wall filter basket?

Let me get right to the point: I find it counter-intuitive that the dual-wall filter basket is the basket for beginners. I expected to see holes, lots of holes, in the filter basket bottom. It just seemed reasonable.

 

The dual-wall filter basket, the one with only one, small, exit hole in the bottom, looks strange. What advantage could there possibly be? Answer: the one hole raises the extraction pressure. Think of it as placing a thumb over the end of a hose. And why is this good?

 

The high pressure created by forcing the espresso through one, final, small hole smooths over flavour imperfections while producing a thick and stable crema. Critics see this as a cheat: ample crema created without perfect extraction.

 

Puck channelling happens less frequently when the dual-wall filter basket is used. Grind size, dose weight and tamping consistency all have less influence on the resulting brew. On the down side, pucks are often somewhat wet when the dual-wall filter basket is used. Many folk just ignore the wet puck if the espresso is good. 

 

On the other hand, the single-walled filter basket, with rows and rows of small perforations in the stainless steel bottom, depends on proper grind size, dose weight and consistent tamping to control extraction pressure. Controlling the variables calls for more skill on the part of the barista.

 

Dual-walled filter baskets are often called "training wheels" for budding baristas. Despite uneven tamping, incorrect grind size or dose weight errors one still pulls consistently acceptable espresso shots with no fuss, no muss. Note the word acceptable. Sadly, the dual-walled filter baskets also mutes the unique flavour notes found in different coffee beans. But, not to worry, most novice espresso makers do not notice. Acceptable is acceptable.

Breville Barista Touch Espresso machine: Extraction

Portafilter and filter basket

Making a flat white for my wife and me, the espresso started flowing in less than seven seconds. The extraction was too fast, the grind was too coarse.

To adjust the grinder, turn the dial on the side of the machine in the direction indicated. Change the size one unit at a time. Two is the limit. I understand the grinder should be operating while making adjustment.

Our goal here is to increase resistance slowing flow of espresso through filter basket. The result: a drier, more compact puck.

How to Adjust the Grinder for a Slower Flow

1. Adjust Using Side Dial: Turn the grind dial on the side of the machine to set a lower number. This results in a finer grind. Breville does not mention this but most experts agree that the grind size should only be adjusted with the grinder running.

2. Adjust in Increments: Change the grind size by small increments (about 1–2 units at most). 

3. Increase Dose: If the dose is underweight and the razor does not touch the surface of the grounds in the portafilter with filter cup inserted, increase the amount of coffee grounds by increasing the grinding time. Again, do this one second at at time.

4.  Adjust Internal Burrs: This is really a last ditch effort. I have never tried this but I did find this recommendation on the Internet in a couple of places. 

   If the side dial is already at its finest setting and the shot is still too fast, you may need to adjust the inner top burr. Remove the hopper, take out the top burr, and adjust the metal wire handle to a lower number (e.g., from 6 to 4 or 3).

Puck Condition

• Drier Puck: Because a finer grind requires higher pressure to pass through, the machine, the extraction will be more efficient, resulting in a drier, firmer, and more compact puck.

• Faster Flow Equals Damp/Muddy Puck: If the coffee is too coarse (flowing too fast), the puck will often be damp and muddy, as water passes through without being properly trapped.  

The goal is to aim for an extraction that begins in roughly 8–10 seconds and finishes around 25–30 seconds. If all goes as planned, you now have an espresso with nicely balanced flavour.

And, if the puck, while still in the portafilter, looks quite wet with a centre hole running right through the entire puck from top to bottom, you have forgotten the filter basket. Oops! The coffee streams will have started quite early and there will be coffee grounds in your drink. Toss the drink and start over.

Making a Flat White with a Breville Barista Touch

My Flat White has a round glob of thin foam.

I'm not a coffee freak. So, why am I posting instructions for brewing a flat white using a mid-range espresso machine? 

Answer: I bought my wife a Breville Barista Touch for Christmas. She wanted it but I use it. I have become the family barista. I can't let a coffee brewing machine of that calibre sit unused.

As a new-to-the-coffee-scene novice, I settled on the flat white as my coffee of choice. The Barista Touch has a number of automatic brew settings. Among them is flat white, one part espresso and two parts heated and foamed milk.

Before starting

• Fill the water tank almost to the maximum fill line.
• Fill the coffee hopper. Do not overfill. Do not use green beans.
• Gather everything you will need: 
• portafilter 
• dosing funnel 
• double shot filter basket (While learning, I used the dual wall filter basket. I quickly advanced to using the single wall basket.)
• dosing funnel
• Razor tool for levelling ground coffee in portafilter with basket inserted
• an 8.5 ounce, insulated coffee cup 
• stainless steel container for heating and frothing milk
• ample cold, whole milk (not a low fat skim milk type)
• sugar
• teaspoon 
• two small towels or dish clothes–one dry and one damp.

Step 1 – Press the on/off button and select Flat White on the screen

• From the main drinks menu, touch Flat White on the touchscreen.​

• The screen will show three steps: Grind, Brew and Milk. All are preset but feel free to modify. It took me a few cups of  flat white before I got the grind size and the grind time correct.

Step 2 – Grind and dose

• Snap the filter basket, either the single wall or the dual wall, into the portafilter. If you forget, coffee grounds will fly from the machine. To stop the grinding, push the grind icon on the screen.

• With the chosen filter basket snapped into the portafilter, attach the dosing funnel to the top of the portafilter and slide all into the grinder cradle.

• Touch “Grind” or push in the portafilter to start grinding. For this first flat white, accept the default settings.

• After grinding, remove all from the cradle, use tamping tool to compact ground coffee, after the initial tamping, remove dosing funnel and finish tamping down coffee. Carefully level ground coffee using the Razor tool if necessary. After using the Razor, tap and tamp one last time. (I find I rarely use the Razor. The grind and time I have set with trial and error are perfect.)

Step 3 – Attach portafilter and extract espresso

• Lock the portafilter, minus the dosing filter, onto the group head by rotating the handle to the right until it stops.

• Place a dual wall, insulated cup under the spouts. I like to preheat my cup.

• On the flat white screen ensure "Double" is selected and touch “Brew” to start extraction. (In my book, "Double" makes enough espresso for one flat white for one person.)

• Watch the flow: two thin streams should start at the seven second mark or a second or two later. The brewing will finish at the preset time. (At this point, I like to add the sugar, if any, to the hot espresso.)

Step 4 – Heat and froth  milk

• Fill the stainless steel milk jug with whole milk to just above the fill line on the steam wand. The stainless steel jug has minimum and maximum levels marked on the side but I have a difficult time seeing the marks. I prefer using the fill line on the steam wand when making flat whites. This results in enough milk and froth for two flat whites. (I use the maximum fill line when making two lattes.)

• The tip of the steam wand should be sitting in the milk just below the surface. The jug must be sitting on the temperature sensor.​ Do not let the sensor get wet. The sensor must be kept dry.

• On the Flat White screen, check the Milk settings: 

 Temperature: medium to medium‑high (around 150 °F is typical).

 Froth level: medium low (4). This results in less foam than called for by latte or cappuccino).

• Touch “Milk” to start auto heating and foaming.​

• Make sure the stainless steel jug is sitting on the sensor at all times. This is important.   

Step 5 – Flush and wipe the steam wand when finished

• As soon as the Breville Barista Touch is finished heating and texturing the milk, remove the jug. With the steam wand extended at 45 degrees, wipe the wand and tip with a damp cloth. Keep the wand extended at the 45 degree position. 

• Place the corner of a dry towel or small dish cloth over the milk heating/frothing sensor. It must not get wet. Now, lower the wand to the down position. It will automatically purge itself shooting two short bursts of hot water and a burst of steam into the drip tray. This clears milk from inside the wand.​

Step 6 – Pour milk and add foam

• Begin pouring from a few centimetres above the milk surface so the milk integrates with the espresso and pushes crema to the top.​

• The cup should contain about two ounces espresso and you are adding four ounces of milk. When the milk is poured, bring the jug closer to the drink surface and pour a white circle of silky, small-bubbled froth into the centre of the flat white. I like to stir the drink gently until I get a coffee-brown circular pattern in the milk froth.

A flat white should be about a six ounce drink with a strong espresso flavour tamed by the heated milk. The ratio is 1:2, espresso to heated milk. The foam layer is visible but thin.

After enjoying your flat white

Every time you finish enjoying a milk‑based drink, do these quick tasks to keep the machine performing well.

1. Knock out puck and rinse portafilter

• Remove the portafilter and knock out and discard the coffee puck.

• Remove the filter basket and rinse both the basket and portafilter under hot water to remove coffee oils and grounds.​ Cleaning both with a little soapy water is a good idea. Rinse well.

2. Quick group head flush

• With clean portafilter with filter basket snapped into place, attach the empty portafilter to the group head just as you would to brew coffee. Place an empty cup below as if you were brewing an espresso. Push “Brew” to run hot water briefly through the group head. I believe five or six seconds is enough. This rinses away any residue of coffee grounds. The rinse water is captured in the empty cup. You should see coffee grounds in the water. Some users do this step without the portafilter and filter basket in place. They use a very large cup to catch the rinse water. While doing this, I keep a dry cloth over the milk/foam sensor. Remember the warning, "Keep dry".

• Remove portafilter with filter basket inserted, if you used the portafilter in the purging operation. Separate, wash and leave to dry.

3. Drip tray and work area

• Check the drip tray. It will have collected some water contaminated with a little milk. Clean and rinse all the drip tray parts.

Wipe any spilled coffee or milk from the surrounding surfaces. Again, take care not to let the milk temp sensor get wet.

Of course, Breville has posted some instructions. Here is a link to: 


How to make a flat white at home

 

Make your Flat White for Two

I never, absolutely never, make just one Flat White. I always make two. One for me and one for my wife. The espresso machine was a Christmas gift from me to her. A gift should not be a lot of work to use. It should be fun and with me doing the brewing and clean-up, it is fun -- for her.

To modify the above instructions so that you pull two double-shots of espresso to make two flat whites, do the following:

• Pull your first espresso shot as above but after grinding and brewing stop. Do not heat and froth the milk. Set aside the cup with the espresso.
• Knock out the puck, wipe and dry the filter basket and repeat Step 2 - Grind and Dose followed by Step 3 - Attach portafilter and extract espresso. The second espresso shot will be collected in a second dual walled, insulated cup.
• Set the second espresso aside with the first. We are now ready to heat and froth the milk for both drinks. Go to Step 4 - Heat and froth milk.
• Steam and froth the milk as instructed. As I mentioned earlier, I always make enough frothed milk to make two flat whites.
• Pour the heated/frothed milk into the insulated, glass cups. Voila! Two flat whites. Clean the machine and work area as instructed.