Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

[quickling]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

I dont think it all that strange quickling. If you just want to make a comparison between machines in regard to outright quantity when you turn the steam on, then yes, many other machines will produce more.

Is there an adjustable pressurestat, or will changing the steam tips change anything?

[Dennis]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

With a 3 bar pump 900mlx1000w for the steam there is ample pressure, and no, no, no, there are no user adjustments available on the inside of this machine. 

Changing or drilling out the tip may be an option but as I have not tested this I cannot and do not recommend it.  I havent tried fitting other tips to it either.

Perhaps someone out there could screw off the tip, open the valve, and take a pic, and we will have a better idea of what lies beneath the bonnet.

[Portgirl]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

After reading all the reviews - I cant wait to get the BES900 its been god to read the reviews as some people are finding it easy and others are finding it a little more challenging to master. So I know where to come if I have any problems

Love the pics too - ROs love the cups in your Pic, are they ACF?

[dr.a.j.pickering]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Is there an adjustable pressurestat, or will changing the steam tips change anything?

really no need to change anything unless you are drinking very milky drinks and in that case change your drink

the steam does the job well

[Roz]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

After reading all the reviews - I cant wait to get the BES900 its been god to read the reviews as some people are finding it easy and others are finding it a little more challenging to master. So I know where to come if I have any problems

Love the pics too - ROs love the cups in your Pic, are they ACF?

These are Rockingham from Di Bartoli, I chose these because I could not find an online retailer where I could mix and match the ACFs as I only wanted two of each, quality is excellent and I cannot fault Di Bartolis Service as one of the saucers had a chip on arrival, Betty sent a new one overnight.

[>mcknightp]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

With a 3 bar pump 900mlx1000w for the steam there is ample pressure, and no, no, no, there are no user adjustments available on the inside of this machine

Correct, there is no pressurestat. The steam boiler pressure is controlled by a thermistor & the machines software.

Changing or drilling out the tip may be an option but as I have not tested this I cannot and do not recommend it.  I havent tried fitting other tips to it either.

Dont play with the hole configuration of the tip. Most people dont understand the delicate balance that exists between pressure, flow rate & total tip hole area. Many machines on the market have tip hole area that is mismatched to their pressure /flow capabilities & this is why you get less than ideal results no matter what volume jug you use, how far you open the steam valve etc. The Dual Boiler has 3 x 0.7mm holes. During development we tried 1 hole, 2 hole all of varying diameters & the 3 x 0.7mm config was the optimum for our steam system. We even tried increasing 1 hole at a time by 0.1mm & each time there was a step in the reverse direction in terms of quality & ease of use.

FWIW I trained/demod the Dual Boiler to 30+ newbies/semi experienced people yesterday & everyone commented how easy it was to get great results with no previous experience on the machine. Its hard to butcher the milk even if youve never used one before!

Cheers, Phil

[>mcknightp]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Im keen to upgrade my pilot production version to a MP one now...Phil, Ill trade you for a play on our 3 group Strada?

Thought that was an iPod charger............can be arranged! Paddle or Electronic Strada?

[argus]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Check out this pic. Unscrew the spouts, then push the 2 sides together while pressing down to pop out the floor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63126068@N08/6058394300/in/photostream

Has anyone tried unscrewing the spout from the portafilter? Mine is on very tight and will not come apart by hand and Im very reluctant to use a tool on it, any suggestions?

[Pavoniboy]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

If people are worried about the steam because of my review, perhaps you are over-reacting. It was just disappointing for me in power (and Im the kinda guy who buys a 1000cc sports bike and the first thing I do is performance modifications). It still makes incredible microfoam, is easy to use and goes on and on without skipping a beat. It really does have enough power for home use, Im just the kinda guy who wants more when I really dont need it.

[dr.a.j.pickering]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

I know some of you are using VSTs in the BES900

So big advantage?

do all sizes fit?

I think I may need/want a new tamper and the idea of a VST+Pullman seems to be attractive

On the other hand Den showed me the Bogav? one he has and it looks nice and fits on the magnets to replace the breville one.

Any advice etc?

[Banjo]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Check out this pic. Unscrew the spouts, then push the 2 sides together while pressing down to pop out the floor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63126068@N08/6058394300/in/photostream

Has anyone tried unscrewing the spout from the portafilter? Mine is on very tight and will not come apart by hand and Im very reluctant to use a tool on it, any suggestions?

Argus, use a screwdriver shaft with a similar diameter to the inside of the spout, the round shaft shouldnt worry/damage anything but if you are concerned wrap in some insulation tape or similar, i held the handle close to the spout, if your worried about the quality of your screwdriver i.e. handle breaking off in your hand wrap in a cloth or put gloves on.
It is normal thread so anti-clockwise to undo and it is tight so will need some brute force  ;D so hang onto both tight.

errrrr EDIT, anti-clockwise looking at the bottom of the portafilter

Darren

[argus]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Thanks Darren, Ill give it a go.

[dr.a.j.pickering]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

So been playing for a while now, have used about 1 kg of coffee

I think I may have a pressure issue having trouble getting the espresso right. I am trying to guided by taste but have not got it there yet.

If I put in pressurised basket alone (no coffee no rubber thing) I get a pressure of about 8

With a blind filter the gauge just goes off the end almost instantly.

When brewing espresso I can only get the pressure down to any where near 9 if grind is course/v light tamp and the shot gushes and tastes well,... bad

Shots that have been drinkable in milk have shown over 12 bar

is it possible that I just havent got it or that my machine was set up by the same guy as sans_sousci?

[argus]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

I feel your pain Doc, Im also struggling but will pick up some fresh coffee today just to make extra sure as Im new to this so it is most likely something Im doing wrong.

[Roz]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Im using my synesso at the moment, I havent had time to play with my VST as my grind was perfect. I find the 18g VST fits a bit tight and makes a noise when locking in the portafilter, but this should be okay. I dont think the 22g will fit based on height measurements, Either a pullman or a bogav would be a good option.

But back to mine.. I can only assume the guage is not a good indicator of the pour, my pours have been great but the good shots read 11.5bar on the guage and 9bar would be way too fast. I get 12.2 roughly using a blind filter when backflushing.

Taste has been great but its somewat lacking a bit of body in the espresso maybe due to freshness, its hard to explain but when I get a shot from the local cafe, the tiny bit left over in the cup will be sticky and syrup like if I roll it around in the cup, at home the bit left over in the cup is a bit watery and not as syrup like from espressos I have during the working week at my locals, maybe this is due to freshness of the beans or something else I am not too sure but I know the shots could be better than the good ones at the moment. 

Unfortunately Ive run out of freshness with Chriss supplied Shed Shady due to shipping delay from the courier but this gives me the oppurtunity to go buy a fresh bag of house blend from one of my local haunts, I know what I should expect from the blend and Ill see what happens, once I finish that bag it will be all home roasts from that point on

Im still stoked about how easy the shower screen is to clean, without mesh over the screen its a breeze to keep cleaner than my silvia and I would expect any machine with a mesh showever screen!