Breville Infuser (BES840) Owners thread

[W80]

Hahaha... I've been waiting for a thread just like this
I bought one of these machines from JB Hi Fi in their Boxing Day sales for $349, and its teamed up with my shimmed Sunbeam EMO480, and producing excellent coffee when I get it right
The hardest thing so far has been to get a consistent dose and tamp, and every time I change the bean it takes 1 or 2 goes before dialling it in correctly.

For the people that have the option, what temperature are you setting the machine to? I've got it at -1 and I let it sit for about 30 seconds before drinking
Also, are people extracting the shot manually by holding the button in, or just press and release?

[Overs]

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

[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.....

[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]

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.

[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?

[Overs]

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

[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.

[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

[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?

[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.

[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]

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]

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..

[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.