Breville BES920 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

[Erimus]

^^^
I did a simulated de-scale 4x, that got rid of the message. Thanks.

[gecko66]

My BES920 is almost 4 years old and pressure gauge gained condensation a month ago and now it won't even power on.
Breville no longer have an authorised dealer in Geelong, VIC and I can't find anyone else in the area to service it.

Can anyone suggest where I can take it to in the Geelong region to get fixed? I'm reluctant to buy another one if I can't even get that maintained locally.

Thanks

[theonetruepath]

My BES920 is almost 4 years old and pressure gauge gained condensation a month ago and now it won't even power on.
Breville no longer have an authorised dealer in Geelong, VIC and I can't find anyone else in the area to service it.

Can anyone suggest where I can take it to in the Geelong region to get fixed? I'm reluctant to buy another one if I can't even get that maintained locally.

Thanks

Probably not what you want to hear, but when I bought my BES920 (for about $680 new) I bought it as a "throwaway" with two years warranty. Expecting in other words that after two years I would be coasting to the discard point, and never expecting to get as long as four years. If yours is four years old you've pretty much got all you can expect from it. Repairing is now a hobby not a paying proposition. In other words repair it if you like tinkering, but it's probably not an economic proposition to have it repaired unless you find someone that likes tinkering so much they will tinker with yours for less than a commercial repairer would want. Expect that whatever you fix now, something else will go soon after.

[Malaysian]

Bought a second hand BES920 few months back but only started playing with it more often. Currently using it with a Smart Grinder Pro

Question 1) I've been rotating beans around a lot and my method has always been asking the recipe/ brew ratio from the roasters & use that as a rough guide. One thing I would like to find out is, is there an optimal input (grams) into the basket? The beans I've been playing around ranges 18g-22g, seems fine to be but there's one particular, even at 22.5g was somewhat light(possibly lighter roast?). Reason I'm asking is because sometimes after doing a shot, I knocked the puck out but some sticked to the basket, doesn't this typically means it's "under"weight?

Question 2) Should the 10 seconds preinfusion time be included in the total extraction time? ( I believe yes, but just wanting to make sure)

Question 3) Is there any recommendation of a 2 shots filter basket? Would it make any taste improvement as compared to the stock 2 shots filterbasket?

Question 4) I've been using tap water (live in Melbourne CBD), is it really worth getting filter cartridge? I've read it doesn't really make a lot of difference in my area.

Question 5) When I left the machine on idle for few minutes, I can hear something inside that's boiling on and off. Is that normal? My assumption is that it's just trying to keep the temperature.

[level3ninja]

The basket can handle 18-20g without issue, you might be able to get away with a little more but I would stick with that. If you want a better basket there are a few options. Espresso Parts HQ baskets are ok, I find them similar to the stock basket. IMS and Pullman baskets are probably pretty similar also, maybe slightly better. If you want higher extraction ratios and greatest clarity of flavours you can't beat a VST basket. Be warned though that you'll need a new tamper to match and if you're using the smart grinder you'll need to do significant distribution work every shot or you'll struggle. VSTs give you a smaller target to hit but when you hit it you'll be rewarded. I use an 18g VST and when I got it I was using a BCG820, took me 6 months to figure it out.

When you say 22.5g was still light do you just mean because it didn't knock out easily? If it tastes good ignore the "rules" but the general rules are that if the puck is sloppy and runny you need to put more in and if it breaks off in chunks you need to put less in.

Yes include the 10s preinfusion, however this probably increases the total shot time compared to the recipes you'll be getting so don't be afraid to add a couple of seconds to the recipe.

If by filter you mean the one in the water tank you absolutely must remove the chlorine from the water if not using that filter, you'll also likely need to descale more often too. If you leave chlorine in the water and it gets grated inside the SS boilers under pressure or will over time create pin holes in the boiler and you'll be up for ~$350+ and labour to replace it/them.

Yes the boiler will be heating to your set temperature, then cooling off a bit and once it gets too far off the set temp it heats again. That cycle is what you're hearing.

[Cinta_Kopi]

Hi Folks,
we bought a Gaggia Classic some years ago which is still working fine.

We also bought the original Smart Grinder which now needs a new impellar and whilst pulling it apart I dropped one of the shims into the burrs which is now jammed between the upper and lower burrs ...duh!

So I'm wondering if the Breville dynamic duo would be a worthwhile upgrade, I can get it for $1125.
Would there be enough of an improvement in the quality of coffee's made with this machine warrant the upgrade and additional expense or is the difference between the two setups not that great in which case I could either repair the older grinder or buy the newer smart grinder pro to work with the Gaggia?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Cinta_Kopi]

Apologies for not reading the entire thread, {serious neck problems} how steep is the learning curve with the 920? My ADD isn't helpful with concentration/reading manuals etc ...

[FilthySudo]

Hi Folks,
we bought a Gaggia Classic some years ago which is still working fine.

We also bought the original Smart Grinder which now needs a new impellar and whilst pulling it apart I dropped one of the shims into the burrs which is now jammed between the upper and lower burrs ...duh!

So I'm wondering if the Breville dynamic duo would be a worthwhile upgrade, I can get it for $1125.
Would there be enough of an improvement in the quality of coffee's made with this machine warrant the upgrade and additional expense or is the difference between the two setups not that great in which case I could either repair the older grinder or buy the newer smart grinder pro to work with the Gaggia?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I would not buy the smart grinder! Buy a proper flat or conical burr that is more sturdier. I currently own the Baratza sette 270W and bought this as an upgrade to the Rancilio Rocky. I found huge improvements on the fluffyness of the grinds and also grind time is vastly improved! As for improvements over your gaggia I cannot answer as I came from a Sunbeam 6910, which couldn't steam milk and pull the shot great at the same time
I love my dual boiler don't grt me wrong! But I'm currently saving for a proper dual boiler like the Profitec Pro 600 or 700 or machine equivalence!

Goodluck and just do heaps of reseerch and sesfching through the forum to find out reviews on machines and grinders

[FilthySudo]

Apologies for not reading the entire thread, {serious neck problems} how steep is the learning curve with the 920? My ADD isn't helpful with concentration/reading manuals etc ...

What machine are you transitioning from? If you're coming from a machine that used pressurised baskets or a pressurised portafilter then gritting your grind and tamp correct will be alot harder to learn but it's all practice. If you already do this then you're half way there. It just produced a much nicer shot all round
I upgraded the stock shower screen to an ims screen, went from stock baskets to pullman baskets and also have a pullman tamper.the baskets and the tamper I found helped my consistencies alot and also learning to texture your milk correctly if you have milk based espressos. The steaming is rather slow in comparison to other dual boilers but most cost a fair bit more!

[Cinta_Kopi]

What machine are you transitioning from? If you're coming from a machine that used pressurised baskets or a pressurised portafilter then gritting your grind and tamp correct will be alot harder to learn but it's all practice. If you already do this then you're half way there. It just produced a much nicer shot all round
I upgraded the stock shower screen to an ims screen, went from stock baskets to pullman baskets and also have a pullman tamper.the baskets and the tamper I found helped my consistencies alot and also learning to texture your milk correctly if you have milk based espressos. The steaming is rather slow in comparison to other dual boilers but most cost a fair bit more!

Gaggia Classic ...

... and still learning, actually just got it out of storage last week because of frustration with inconsistent results and also not being able to make more that two Cappuccino's {for my partner and her friends} at the same time hence the desire to upgrade to a dual boiler.

[level3ninja]

I came from a Sunbeam 6910, which couldn't steam milk and pull the shot great at the same time

That's funny, I've only used a handful of them but they could all do both at the same time. It's ability to do so was one of the selling points of the twin thermoblock. If you couldn't it suggests issues, possibly with the pump, or internal plumbing.

[FilthySudo]

That's funny, I've only used a handful of them but they could all do both at the same time. It's ability to do so was one of the selling points of the twin thermoblock. If you couldn't it suggests issues, possibly with the pump, or internal plumbing.

Let me correct myself. I was a noob at the time of using this machine and couldn't do both at the same time. But yeah that'd be why alot of these are sold as they're an easy machine to use to transition in steaming and pulling a shot. Was definitely slower but that's a given

[level3ninja]

Hi Folks,
we bought a Gaggia Classic some years ago which is still working fine.

We also bought the original Smart Grinder which now needs a new impellar and whilst pulling it apart I dropped one of the shims into the burrs which is now jammed between the upper and lower burrs ...duh!

So I'm wondering if the Breville dynamic duo would be a worthwhile upgrade, I can get it for $1125.
Would there be enough of an improvement in the quality of coffee's made with this machine warrant the upgrade and additional expense or is the difference between the two setups not that great in which case I could either repair the older grinder or buy the newer smart grinder pro to work with the Gaggia?

I would not recommend buying the Dynamic Duo. The Smart Grinder (Pro) is by far the weakest link in that chain. When it's on sale (sometimes at random, usually at EOFY and just before and after Christmas) you can get just the machine for under $800. I would suggest you buy a new better grinder now and keep using your Classic. If you still want to upgrade the machine later you can wait for the right sale. Also wouldn't hurt to buy a good quality basket (Pullman, Espresso Parts HQ, etc) and a Barista Hustle tamper. These will then transfer to any 58mm group machine you buy.

In terms of ease of use if you use the Dual Boiler on manual mode it'll be the same as the Classic, except you'll be able to steam at the same time. Once the machine is warm you're good to go, no temperature surfing, no cooling flush, just walk up and pull shots.

[Cinta_Kopi]

I would not recommend buying the Dynamic Duo. The Smart Grinder (Pro) is by far the weakest link in that chain. When it's on sale (sometimes at random, usually at EOFY and just before and after Christmas) you can get just the machine for under $800. I would suggest you buy a new better grinder now and keep using your Classic. If you still want to upgrade the machine later you can wait for the right sale. Also wouldn't hurt to buy a good quality basket (Pullman, Espresso Parts HQ, etc) and a Barista Hustle tamper. These will then transfer to any 58mm group machine you buy.

In terms of ease of use if you use the Dual Boiler on manual mode it'll be the same as the Classic, except you'll be able to steam at the same time. Once the machine is warm you're good to go, no temperature surfing, no cooling flush, just walk up and pull shots.

I could get the 920 for $899 at the moment which I did consider however my main concern with having to repair the old grinder is the damn washer that's stuck between the burrs, hopefully If I follow the disassembly guidelines I'll be able to separate the burrs and remove the shim ...

Steaming at the same time as pouring a couple of more shots is why I'm wanting the dual boiler then more than two cappuccino's/lattes can be prepared at the same time without waiting for the Gaggia to reheat ... Have I got it right, that the Breville 920 will allow that?

[Cinta_Kopi]

I would not recommend buying the Dynamic Duo. The Smart Grinder (Pro) is by far the weakest link in that chain. When it's on sale (sometimes at random, usually at EOFY and just before and after Christmas) you can get just the machine for under $800. I would suggest you buy a new better grinder now and keep using your Classic. If you still want to upgrade the machine later you can wait for the right sale. Also wouldn't hurt to buy a good quality basket (Pullman, Espresso Parts HQ, etc) and a Barista Hustle tamper. These will then transfer to any 58mm group machine you buy.

In terms of ease of use if you use the Dual Boiler on manual mode it'll be the same as the Classic, except you'll be able to steam at the same time. Once the machine is warm you're good to go, no temperature surfing, no cooling flush, just walk up and pull shots.

What do you think of the baratza sette 270? ...$439 is the cheapest I can find at the moment.