Breville Infuser (BES840) Owners thread

[willhall]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, having had it recommended by a friend.

I love coffee and after recently doing plenty of research decided to take the plunge on a Breville Infuser and Smart Grinder Pro as a way of really enjoying/learning more about coffee.

I understand the basics of grind/dose/tamp and have done plenty of perusing through the forum/YouTube, though am looking for some guidance on how to get the best results from these two machines, generally speaking. I say generally because I appreciate that everyone's tastes and therefore methodologies will be different.

I literally bought the machines yesterday and have been having fun experimenting with my favourite freshly roasted beans using the pressurised/non-pressurised single shot baskets, though seem to be getting 1) very short but consistent extractions at around 15/16 seconds including infusion, albeit almost bang in the middle of the pressure dial (I'm assuming somewhere in the middle of the 'espresso range' is where you want to be, having picked that up reading/watching videos) or 2) longer extractions at around 30/35 seconds at a much higher pressure, almost towards the top end sometimes with very little coming out. All in the grind size range from around 5 to 20. I've also observed that scales are an 'essential', though would assume that relying on what the grinder delivers in its 1/2 shot configurations would be sufficient?

Grateful for any guidance as it's certainly something I'd love to become more passionate about, though it can sometimes be a little daunting with so many variables at play!

Cheers guys

[Rorschach]

Hi CoffeeSnobs
I'm Andy from Perth
Been browsing the forum for a while and thought I'd chip in. Had an Infuser and matching Smart Grinder in Sesame Black for a couple of years (old pic below) and started to get serious in the last few months, and have taken a couple of courses through Five Senses here.
Really like my machine, and getting better at texturing milk. Only issue I've had with my machine is that the shot clock seems to go haywire once a week or so, but that's easily reset!
Thinking about maybe upgrading the unit soon, but for now I'm happy!

[Arsenal]

Did anyone ever find out what the deal is with this model being phased out? There doesn't seem to have been a replacement model, leaving Breville with a frustrating hole in their lineup between the 810 and 870, and the 840 seemed like the perfect little machine for me to step up to from the $250ish Sunbeam we've had the last 5 years.

[TC]

I have a Breville Infuser BES840 & wondering if someone is able to point me in the right direction for spare parts.

Via a Breville service centre and they're supplied inclusive of their labour charges.

[Achat]

Hi fellow caffeine addicts! I have a Breville Infuser BES840 & wondering if someone is able to point me in the right direction for spare parts. Steam is leaking from around the wand where it comes out of the body of the machine & I'm hoping I can buy a replacement seal kit which includes 2 nylon cup bushes & 2 O rings, I've searched online without much success.

[tezza98]

Perhaps your putting too much coffee in, you need somewhere between 3-5 mm clearance after you tamp your shot. try setting the grind to under fill the shot and then manually add a little more until you get the correct extraction. if the needle is maxed out and nothing is coming out, then its overfilled or the grind it too fine.

[JonnyJonJon]

I extracted a shoot for each increment from 7 to 15. From 10 to 13 I would get a couple of drops.
The frustrating part is that when I got to 15, I did manage to get a decent ich coffee, so I made a second one to be sure with the exact same settings and not a drop...

I really don't know what to do anymore.

EDIT : I did get a pretty useful answer from an other forum mentioning that it is possible that the grinder went out of wack and my original settings at simply different now.
I'll do a few tests and let you guys know in case it happens to someone else.

[Barry_Duncan]

There is a big diffwerence between 15 and 7. Could there be somewhere inbetween where you get a good flow?

Barry

[JonnyJonJon]

Hi Again,

Update on the situation : I got a new Infuser, the first shot came out beautifully. Since then ... not a drop with the same grinding settings. I did set the grind to much coarser ( 15 instead of 7 on the smart grinder pro ) and the first shot was great, then ... not a drop being extracted.

Could it come from the grinder ?

I haven't had my morning coffee for 2weeks now it's ... hard

[JonnyJonJon]

Hi Barry thanks for the quick reply,

I have been using the same 3 types of beans since I got the machine and currently using the first of the 3 that I have been getting ( same grinding settings for all of them )

[Barry_Duncan]

Hello Jonny,

Welxcome to Coffeesnobs.

Have you changed the coffee beans you are using? Freshly roasted beans have to be ground coarser, with the need to grind finer as the beans age.


Barry.

[JonnyJonJon]

Hi There, It seem like this thread has been inactive for quite a while so I will bring it back up !

I recently purchased The Infuser with the Smart Grinder Pro which has been incredible without a bump for approximately 6 weeks.

Suddenly one day I could not extract a drop of coffee with the exact same setting on the grinder. Pressure gauge would go crazy straight away to max and nothing has been able to be extracted since.

I sent it to be fixed they could not find anything wrong with it and they said the coffee comes out perfectly. Still can't pull any shot unless I grind incredibly coarse.

Any thoughts on what might have changed ?

ps : i do take really good care of the machines and clean them regularly.

thx a lot in advance !

PS : setting on the grinder has been 7 for approximately 18.6sec ( now I have to set it at 20 if I want to extract anything ... )

[Melbroaster]

Weird. Cant imagine why?

[Torino]

1. Put the portafilter on the grouphead ready to go with coffee in it.
2. Hold the single shot button down until the first drops of coffee appear in the cup, then release the button
3. When you have enough coffee in the cup, press the single shot button again

Hi, just wondering when you pull a manual shot to make a long espresso, does your pressure gauge read the same as when doing auto shots. Mine works how it should when pulling the auto double shot. But when I try to pull a manual one to make a long espresso instead of an Americano, the pressure gauge barely reads any pressure at all. I hold the button till the first sign of espresso starts coming out, than I release it..thanks..

[eeney]

I'm looking at a BES840 as part of our kitchen reno... refreshing a few appliances. Looking for comments or feedback on:

- How much of an upgrade would it be from an old BES400 Ikon coffee machine?
- Would the dedicated hot water spout be sufficient for a few cups of tea per day, ie. hide the kettle?