I drink aloooot of coffee during the working day and am meticulous about how I prepare my coffees. So much so that I undertook a barista course. Working in the offices of a small business we have around 10 staff, of which 7 are regular coffee drinkers. I have even taken on the unofficial title of ‘Office Barrista’.
I prepare most of the office coffees each day and am even called upon to prepare coffees when VIP clients visit our offices. Our company’s office coffee Machine is the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS. Or ‘Reliable Ronald’ as I’ve come to call him.
As a conservative estimate I would have made over 1000 coffees using the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS. I wanted to share some of my thoughts about the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS. Hopefully this will give you the ability to decide if this is the coffee machine for you.
Pros of the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS
My favourite things about the Breville BES810BSS are:
1. Large Water Tank (61oz / 1.8 Litres)
The water tank of the Breville BES810BSS is the perfect size. At 1.8L it ensures you never have to refill the tank more than once when preparing multiple cups of Coffee in one go. In my experience I’ve managed to make up to 8 coffess for the office crew without having to refill the tank. If I have this at home it would last me at least 4 days without needing to refill.
The large water tank feature is particularly great in a home environment. Especially for those amongst you who entertain regularly and enjoy topping off the night by making a round of coffees. You know our friends and family love it! It means you can pump out those coffees without too much fuss and get back to the party!
2. Reliable Solid Build Quality
This machine feels like it was built to last with a solid feel to the machine’s brush stainless steel construction body. The quality of the build also extends to the accompanying parts such as the group handle and removable tank. This makes preparing coffees a pleasure as you can rely on the build quality.
The reliable build also ensures the machine is capable of handling heavy loads . I have personally used the machine extensively over the last 2 years with minimal maintenance and issues… hence the moniker ‘Reliable Ronald’
3. Comes with Full Complement of Accessories
I am a huge fan of companies that give thought to what you would need to have a complete experience with their devices. Breville have hit the mark here as the machine comes with various filter sizes for the breville portafilter. Also included as standard are an integrated tamper, allen key tool for machine maintenance and even a stainless steel milk jug!
When you buy the Breville BES810BSS you are fully equipped with everyting you need to make a great cup of coffee from day one. This is great for anyone starting out in their home coffee journey who is not 100% sure about what extra kit they will need. In this machine you have a one stop shop.
4. Full Manual Control of Espresso Shot Volume and Milk Texturing
I am someone who is very particular about being in control of the coffee extraction and milk texturing process. This machine allows me to produce beverages of a consistent quality. With only the coffee grinds and milk quality to contend with, this provides for a great coffee making experience.
Those of us who still like to drive a manual car for the level of control and driving pleasure will relate. This machine suits those who require control over the coffee making process. It also suits those who like to experiment and are curious about how seemingly minor changes affect the final cup of coffee. Effectively it’s the machine for those who like to choose their own (Coffee) adventure.
So these are the features I love and an official list of features can be reviewed here
Cons of the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS
So what dont I like? Well for the office environment and homes with kitchen space to spare, not a lot to be honest.
1. No Double Boiler
The only feature I feel that is missing for a machine that is used to make multiple coffees at a time is a double boiler to improve the transitioning time between coffee extraction and milk texturing. But given this is rather minimal, it’s more a nice to have.
2. Space Requirements
The dimension of the machine are 25.7 x 31.2 x 33.4 cm. Weighs 7.03kg. While this is considerably smaller than a professional machine, it is slightly larger and takes up slightly more room than other home coffee machines on the market of the same class.
Standout features of the Breville vs Delonghi that I have at home?
In my review of my DeLonghi Coffee Machine Dedica Black EC685BK I made a promise. I said I would provide an answer to the following question, why didn’t I just purchase the coffee machine (Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS) I had become familiar with making coffee at work?
In my opinion, both are great manual machines however the DeLonghi Coffee Machine Dedica Black EC685BK just happened to tick a few more boxes that the Breville BES810BSS did at the time was in the market to purchase. These were predominantly:
- The De’Longhi Coffee Machine Dedica Blank EC685BK has a much more compact form factor than the Breville BES810BSS. This means I get to save about half the bench space on my already cramped kitchen bench
- The De’Longhi was slightly cheaper than the Breville at the time, though they are both very competitive in their prices
Having said that the Breville BES810BSS has a much larger water storage tank and the build quality felt more solid and sturdy to me. Honestly, if I had more space I would have probably opted for the Breville, so I rate it highly
Verdict
I would recommend the Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine BES810BSS to people who have room in their kitchens and are after a reliable, well built coffee machine that is capable of pumping out a multiple cups of coffee in quick succession. But when Breville vs Delonghi, at least for the two that I’ve used, the Breville would win out.
