Breville Infuser (BES840) Owners thread

[gtstcactus]

I thought we should have a thread for those of us who own the Breville Infuser (BES840)...

So this would be a good place for questions, thoughts, and general chit chat about the Infuser... Do you own one?

I recently got a hardly used 2nd hand Infuser after my BES820 went bang while steaming some milk.... prior to that I'd been using the BES800... My Infuser is paired with a Breville Smart Grinder BCG800 which seems to do a more than adequate job. I prefer the BCG800 / BES840 combo over the BES860 or BES870 as I sometimes drink plunger coffee, auto-drip and sometimes moka pot if I need to keep noise down. I must say the Infuser is noticeably quieter than both the previous models I've owned.

I believe I must have a 1st or A model as there seems to be a 2nd or B revision of the Infuser which allows the brew temperature to be changed -/+ 2 degrees from the factory setting which mine does not do.

So far I'm pretty happy with the Infuser, the pre-infusion I think makes a difference & improvement in the cup over the previous 2 models I've had. Steaming is much better especially when steaming for 2 drinks. The shape of the shower head is also an improvement, I think it ensures more even distribution of the brew water onto the grinds. I am certainly getting tastier coffees which surprised me as I was actually pretty happy with my results with the previous 2 models...

I think I will get an "aftermarket" tamper with a bit more weight too it as I just feel the supplied tamper to be a bit lightweight for my liking but I guess that could just be a personal preference thing...

[xprshnz]

I've got the late model Infuser with the temp adjust function. Picked it up from Bing Lee for $385 - shop around and you could probably get it for a bit cheaper. It''s been a huge improvement over my depressurized Saeco Poemia and I'm having a heap of fun experimenting and learning how to pull better shots. The steam wand is does a fairly decent job as well. Agree with the lightweight tamper but I just lean on it a bit more.

It's almost idiot proof so makes for a fantastic entry level machine that comes with everything you need to get serious with making excellent coffee.

[gtstcactus]

Yeah I have to agree it does make it pretty easy... Do you use the temperature adjust at all? I was disappointed not to have that feature but then I wondered if I'd ever be likely to use it

The steam wand is definitely an improvement over both previous models I've had, I'm getting a much nicer texture in the milk.

Does anyone else find the pressure sort of "surges" or "pulses" when doing an extraction?? As in once it's done pre-infusion and goes full pressure, the gauge hits the top end of optimum zone / start of over extracted, then drops off back to the middle / lower end of optimum, back to the top etc etc until the extraction is done, and of course you can hear the pump or something going up and down with it.....

I noticed my BES820 also did the same thing while extracting... The 2 x BES800 / 800 Series I've used have not done this surging / pulsing thing....

It's sort of like in this video (not my video) but mine isn't pulsating as fast so to speak... from what I can tell the one in the video is only getting half way up the scale... I'll try and video the next extraction I do... There is a solution in the video's description, I'm just not sure if it's meant to be doing this or not (I suspect not)... I'd hate to pull the machine apart and wreck it if there is no need!

I use 18 grams of coffee in the single wall dbl basket (the one with lots of holes) and get 60mls in around 27-33 seconds. The end result is good... just worried it could be a sign it's going to blow like the last machine! I can't recall if my parents BES860, or BES870 do it and I can't check for quite some time..

[lappa]

My 870 does not pulse like that. Small pressure for pre infusion then up to 12 o'clock and rock steady for the rest of the infusion.

[gtstcactus]

My 870 does not pulse like that. Small pressure for pre infusion then up to 12 o'clock and rock steady for the rest of the infusion.

I'm wondering if these machines have an over pressure valve... It only seems to do it when I make coffee, not when my g/f does, and I tamp with a bit more weight...

[lappa]

I'm wondering if these machines have an over pressure valve... It only seems to do it when I make coffee, not when my g/f does, and I tamp with a bit more weight...

When I first poured a shot using bought ground coffee and the dual wall filter, I tamped way too tight after overloading the basket. The gauge maxed out on the scale and the coffee only came out in drips but there was no pulsing.

Spare parts diag. for 860 and others show a "safety valve" - can't find a schematic for the 840.

[Overs]

Hi Guys

I'm new to the machine and something really stupid. When running a bit of water through the group head to clean it it ran dry for a few seconds. Will this have caused damage to the pump and heating system? Or does it have a safety mechanism to prevent damage?

[Barry_Duncan]

Overs, welcome to CoffeeSnobs.

I don’t think you would do any harm.

Your machine has a vibration pump and a thermoblock heater that is a lump of metal that the water passes through that includes a heater element and thermostats for brewing and steaming temperatures. Without water it only goes to the set temperature.

It is different with boiler machines where without water the thermostat cannot control temperature and without protection the element will burn out. With my Breville Dual Boiler if the water runs low the machine won’t run.

Barry

[Erimus]

It'll be OK, I've lost count of the times I've run the 870 dry. I always say I'll never do that again until the next time :-)
It's still going strong though and nearly 2 years old, plus I took out the extended warranty when purchasing.

[Overs]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gtstcactus]

I answered your PM also... but will post here too... You're machine should be fine... I tried to make a coffee the other day and discovered the last person to use it had run the water out... I pushed the double button and got no coffee, realised the tank was empty so filled it and tried again... everything was fine...

Hi Guys

I'm new to the machine and something really stupid. When running a bit of water through the group head to clean it it ran dry for a few seconds. Will this have caused damage to the pump and heating system? Or does it have a safety mechanism to prevent damage?

[gtstcactus]

When I first poured a shot using bought ground coffee and the dual wall filter, I tamped way too tight after overloading the basket. The gauge maxed out on the scale and the coffee only came out in drips but there was no pulsing.

Spare parts diag. for 860 and others show a "safety valve" - can't find a schematic for the 840.

I've been experimenting with a lighter tamp after watching a video and reading some stuff which suggested you can basically tamp with very little / no pressure. With a lighter tamp I'm getting the needle on the gauge sitting in the 1 o'clock position without the pulsing / surging, so my conclusion is that it must be an over pressure / safety valve thing.

[xprshnz]

I don't really use the temp function as I can't really tell if there's any improvement to the shot. What makes the biggest difference is the grind, dosage and tamp. My machine hasn't pulsed like that either so I can't say what may or may not have gone wrong. And stay away from the dual wall filter!

[gtstcactus]

The pulsing on my machine is a little different from the video... It's down to how hard I tamp (which I haven't measured but suspect is more than recommended), so if I back off on the tamp the gauge gets to 1 o'clock and stays there... So I've concluded it's an operator controlled factor, not a problem with the machine.

Yes i agree about the dual wall filters! I've never used them.....

[Overs]

Sorry guys, quick question about the dual wall filters. Why do you recommend not to use them?