Wife, a Breville espresso maker for my birthday and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s gonna take me a couple of days to get it dialed in, but I’m confident with the help of this sub. I’m gonna be making great espresso before I know it. Currently don’t have any accessories. What are your must have accessories for your espresso station/machine.
by woolax-35
17 Comments
Whenever you think you’re grinding fine enough, grind finer.
Thank you. I have it at a two, but I don’t have fresh coffee so I think that is severely impacting my pull
Watch some Hoon videos. I have a BBE and learned to use it in “manual mode”
I also nerded out and got a magnetic handle for the steam/HW lever and a single dose grinder attachment with bellows
Would suggest a puck screen to keep your group head clean. Then in time you can get a bottomless portafilter, get a different basket (e.g IMS), perhaps a wedge distribution tool.
I see you have the sage funnel – I have one and like using it. You also have some scales so you are onto a good start.
I wish you the very best in your journey!! 🙂 happy birthday btw
Fuck Michigan and congrats!
its a great machine, ill leave this here for you for the inevitable so that you don’t lose your mind troubleshooting when the time comes. We’ve had ours for about 4 years and just had to perform the steps in the video tonight.
https://youtu.be/W1iGAJGVSh4?si=G2uO1kELVR0Qfxcm
I also got one on black friday! Absolutely loving the machine! I still have a lot to learn, but it is going to be an awesome journey
A DF54
Mom says if the house ever catches fire, rescue the machine first.
Cool machine. Go Bucks!
Today I just purchased the Breville Impress Express it’s on sale for $649
You’ll need a proper grinder. Trust me, as a former owner of one of these machines: you will continually set the built-in grinder finer and finer until you hit the lowest setting and can no longer grind any finer. You’ll replace the conical burrs but only get marginal results until the cycle repeats itself one again… but more quickly. Again, a proper (not necessarily expensive) grinder will save you much consternation!
I’ve had this machine for about 3 years, it’s great. My only complaint is the coffee falling out of the basket when you grind a double. I bought this funnel type attachment off etsy that some engineer designed and 3D printed – no more mess. I’m sure you’d be able to find something similar.
for me, it’s a decent tamper and milk pitcher (i’m a latte person).
I have this machine, and if I had to give you one piece of wisdom, it’s that you shouldn’t be afraid to adjust the inner burrs if you’re finding the grind dial on the side of the device isn’t giving you enough range on the finer side. With my inner burrs adjusted, I typically adjust the dial on the outside of the machine between 3 and 7 depending on bean freshness. If I hadn’t made the adjustment, I’d never be able to get it to grind fine enough.
I went with the Casabrew CM5418 paired with a separate Baratza Sette 270 grinder, and honestly, this combo has been a game-changer… I’m absolutely thrilled with it. I don’t see myself upgrading my espresso setup anytime soon unless I suddenly come across some form of inheritance or a mind blowing bonus at work and go straight for something like a Rocket R58 Cinquantotto (which… let’s be real, isn’t going to happen).
As for the essential accessories that actually make a genuine difference, here’s what I strongly recommend:
• Bottomless (naked) portafilter
• IKAPE V6 Impact Tamper (the one with the satisfying “click” sound feedback)
• Magnetic dosing ring
• Good coffee distributor/leveler
• Simple WDT tool
• A couple of puck screens (they’re cheap and noticeably improve consistency)
• A decent 0.1g scale with built-in timer for dialing in shots
One thing I’d skip entirely is the automated WDT spinning tools 👎🏽. They’re overkill and honestly not worth the money. Nothing beats using your hands and developing a feel for properly distributing fresh grounds.
Enjoy your new hobby! 😊
Seattle coffee gear had a video on how to get consistent shots. Man, so many fond memories with this machine. Enjoy the coffee and the journey!