Last updated: October 2, 2026
What the Breville 870 Actually Is
The Breville Espresso Machine 870 is the Breville Barista Express BES870XL, the long-running entry point into real home espresso without buying a separate grinder, tamper, and milk jug. It has been on the market since 2013 and is still Breville’s best seller because it bundles a conical burr grinder, a 54mm single-boiler thermocoil system, and both pressurized and non-pressurized filter baskets into one stainless case. If you want to pull shots from freshly ground beans at home without assembling a separate grinder setup, this is the machine most people mean.
It’s not a prosumer machine and not trying to be. It uses a thermocoil heating system that heats water on demand rather than a large brass boiler, it has a built-in grinder that doses directly into the portafilter, and it automates pre-infusion and shot volume. For most beginners that automation is the point. For experienced users it is also the ceiling.
The Built-In Grinder and How It Brews
See also: Breville Bench Saver • Rocket Espresso Coffee Machine
The grinder on the 870 is a 16-step conical burr grinder with an adjustable grind dial on the side and a dose selector that controls how long the grinder runs. The beans go in the top hopper, you lock the portafilter into the cradle, press the lever, and it grinds directly. From there you tamp, lock in, and brew.
That integration saves counter space and about $200 to $300 compared to buying a comparable standalone grinder, but it is a compromise. The step size between grind settings is large. You will often find one setting chokes the machine and the next setting gushes in 15 seconds. The grinder also retains a gram or two of grounds in the chute, so your first shot of the day will be partly yesterday’s coffee unless you purge. It is perfectly capable of dialing in medium and medium-dark roasts, but light roasts are harder to extract well because you cannot make the micro-adjustments a stepless grinder allows.
Brewing is controlled by a low-pressure pre-infusion phase followed by a 9-bar extraction. The 870 comes with four filter baskets: single and double wall pressurized baskets for pre-ground or stale coffee, and single and double non-pressurized baskets for fresh, properly ground coffee. Use the non-pressurized baskets once you have fresh beans. The pressurized ones hide bad grinds and make fake crema, they do not teach you anything.
You can find the current version and pricing under Breville Barista Express 870, and if you are comparing it to other integrated options, look at other espresso machines with built-in grinders to see how pricing and features stack up.
Day-to-Day Workflow: Where It Shines and Where It Slows You Down
For one or two milk drinks in the morning, the 870 is fast. Fill the 67oz removable water tank, add beans, grind, tamp with the included plastic tamper, brew, then steam. The steam wand is a single-hole manual wand with decent power once the thermocoil switches from brew to steam mode. You can texture milk hot enough for latte art, but you cannot brew and steam at the same time. You brew, then wait 10 to 20 seconds for steam temperature, then steam. If you make four cappuccinos back-to-back for guests, that wait gets old.
Shot control is semi-automatic. Press the single or double button once for volumetric dosing, or hold to go manual and stop when you see the right volume. The pressure gauge on the front is actually useful for diagnosis. If the needle sits in the 12 o’clock espresso range during extraction and your shot runs in 25 to 30 seconds for about 36 to 40g out from 18g in, you are in the right window. If it pins high and barely drips, you are too fine. If it sits low and gushes, you are too coarse or your dose is low.
The drip tray fills quickly, especially if you flush the group head before brewing as Breville recommends. Empty it daily or it will overflow under the machine. The water filter in the tank needs replacing every two months if you use it, and descaling is required every two to three months in hard water areas regardless.
Trade-Offs and Real Failure Modes
No machine in this price range is trouble-free for years without maintenance. On the 870, these are the issues that actually come up:
The grinder impeller and chute clog. Oily, dark roasts are the worst offender. The grinder will sound like it is running but produce almost nothing, or dose inconsistently. You will need to empty the hopper and vacuum out the chute. Some owners remove the burrs for a full clean every few months, which is straightforward but not explained well in the manual.
The solenoid and three-way valve stick if you do not backflush with an unpressurized basket. You should run a cleaning cycle with a tablet when the Clean Me light comes on, about every 200 shots. Skip it and the portafilter will stay pressurized after brewing and sneeze coffee when you remove it.
The grinder is the first part to limit your coffee quality. After a year, many owners keep the 870 as a brewer and add a separate stepless grinder like a Eureka or Baratza. That completely changes what you can get from the machine, especially for lighter roasts. Before that point, the cheaper option is absolutely fine. If you mainly drink milk drinks with chocolatey, medium roasts from the grocery store or local roaster, the built-in grinder is sufficient and buying a $400 standalone grinder will not be a noticeable upgrade for you.
Pressure and temperature consistency are good for thermocoil but not PID-stable like the next step up. The newer Barista Express Impress and Barista Pro have faster heat-up and more precise control. Breville support is generally good within warranty, but out-of-warranty repair is often a flat-rate exchange rather than a part replacement.
Who the 870 Is For, and Who Should Skip It
Buy the 870 if you want to learn real espresso on one machine, you drink one to three drinks a day, and you value convenience over absolute shot quality. It is ideal for someone moving up from a Nespresso, drip, or French press who wants to use fresh beans and steam milk, but does not want to research grinders, dose funnels, and WDT tools on day one.
Skip it if you already own a good burr grinder, if you primarily make light-roast single origins, or if you regularly make more than four drinks in a row. In that case a separate grinder paired with a dedicated brewer like the Breville Bambino Plus will give you faster back-to-back steaming and a smaller footprint, with better extraction control if you pair it with a quality grinder. It will also be cheaper to replace if one component fails.
If counter space is tight and you will only make one latte before work, the Bambino Plus plus a good hand grinder can actually outperform the 870 for a similar price. If you want everything in one box and do not want to match components, the 870 remains the simpler choice.
How the 870 Compares in the Breville Line
Breville keeps four machines close in price. The differences are not just cosmetic, they change how you make coffee.
| Machine | Grinder | Heat System | Best For | Major Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barista Express 870 | 16-step conical, built-in | Single thermocoil, brew then steam | Beginners who want all-in-one | Coarse grinder steps, slow back-to-back milk drinks |
| Bambino Plus | None (requires separate grinder) | ThermoJet, 3 sec heat-up | Small kitchens, fast milk drinks | Must buy grinder, 54mm portafilter only |
| Barista Pro 878 | 30-step built-in, faster grind | ThermoJet, faster transition | 870 buyers who want speed and finer control | Still stepped grinder, costs more |
| Infuser 840 | None | Thermocoil with PID | Tinkerers with a separate grinder | No grinder, discontinued but still sold |
If you see the Barista Express Impress 876 listed near the 870, that model adds assisted tamping and dose correction. It fixes the most common beginner mistake, inconsistent tamping, but it does not fix the underlying grind step limitation. Pay the extra $50 to $100 only if you struggle with tamping or want the auto-dose feature.
FAQ
Is the Breville 870 good for beginners?
Yes, that is what it was designed for. The pressurized baskets let you get drinkable results on day one with store-bought ground coffee, and the non-pressurized baskets let you learn proper dialing-in with fresh beans when you are ready. The pressure gauge and manual override give you feedback without requiring you to understand everything at once.
Do I need to buy a separate grinder with the 870?
Not at first. The built-in grinder is adequate for medium and dark roasts for milk drinks. If you move to light roasts, want more consistent shots, or find yourself between grind settings with no good option, a separate stepless grinder is the most meaningful upgrade. Many owners keep the 870 for brewing and bypass the built-in grinder later.
How long does the Breville 870 last?
With regular cleaning, backflushing, and descaling, three to seven years is typical for home use. The most common end-of-life issues are grinder wear and solenoid valve failure. Both are serviceable, but Breville’s out-of-warranty policy is often a replacement unit at a reduced price rather than a component repair.
Can the 870 make good espresso without fresh beans?
It can make something that looks like espresso using the pressurized baskets and pre-ground coffee, but it will lack aroma and sweetness. For real espresso with crema that comes from CO2 in fresh coffee rather than a pressurized disc, you need beans roasted within the last two to four weeks and ground right before brewing. The machine does not compensate for stale coffee.
