Breville - Oracle BES980XL

Nespressos are easy and quick and consistent and require no skills to use. If you like the coffee they make and are looking for something easy and quick and consistent you could get a Nespresso. Plenty of people own them and like the coffee and they have these benefits over an Espresso machine. Espresso machines are more complicated, take longer, require more work, and are less consistent unless you want to put in effort (weighing beans etc). They also require more maintenance than a Nespresso. A setup for good Espresso is likely to cost you more than $500, but you could probably achieve something in that budget. No one here can tell you whether you will like the coffee better than Nespresso or not from that. Thats over to you. Personally I had a nespresso at work and used to like the coffee. It was good value for money and great for just running past and grabbing a quick shot. I wouldnt not discourage anyone who likes the coffee from owning one. These days I like espresso, but its kind of become a hobby, rather than just a means of getting coffee. I think its like that for a lot of people that hang out in this sub. In answer to your question. My workflow: heat up machine (20-30 mins) fill with water remove portafilter remove backflush rubber from portfilter replace portafilter prime portafilter with hot water grind beans weigh ground beans and adjust wdt tool on beans remove portafilter add grind to portafilter tamp insert portafilter run shot remove portafilter empty portafilter replace portafilter rinse portafilter remove portafilter replace backflush rubber replace portafilter backflush machine twice \-- Contrast this with whatever you do with a Nespresso. Thats the difference in workflow.

When I bought the machine there was a Breville rep who took pains to instill in me that this was something I should do. It also says this in the online info for the machine at the official site. I don't really mind doing it and am happy to take their advice as it's their machine. Fyi. https://www.breville.com/inspiration/en-us/tutorials/the-oracle/cleaning-guides/how-to-perform-a-clear-water-backflush

I used to make my daily on a Breville Oracle dual. It grinds tamps and brews the shot. All I did was froth milk. My nu daily is a Bianca which is less than 5min more time if that.oracle was simpler. Turned on at the time I set too which I miss. It also had/ has preinfusion

Only espresso machine I would put in an office is the Breville Oracle jet or the breville oracle dual boiler. It grinds, and tamps for you and its about as automated as a machine can be without being automated

I'd recommend the Breville dual boiler BES980 and Aldi dark roast beans

\> There are a lot of machines that would work for me personally but are simply missing the ability for me to program a shot by time. For all I know at this time then, I would recommend going with a Breville machine. They have fantastic features and are brilliantly clever with \*what you would expect\* and want for your wife to easily control. However... My own experience (with Breville Oracle coffee maker, Tea Maker, Toaster oven 2x, etc.) is that they DO NOT LAST. My guess is that you should buy a Breville and delight your wife. When (not "if") it dies then you tell her you have to buy a GERMAN DESIGNED machine, by ECM, the Synchronika 2 - the \*LAST\* machine you will need to buy because it's built to last. Get it with Flow Control. Yeah, it's all manual but it can do it all. And it will last. End of story.

I purchased a PP500 in 2021 (anyone remember covid?) on a big sale from Wholelattelove.ca. I tried to buy the most machine for my budget (doesn't everyone?) and really wanted a prosumer \*repairable\* long term machine. The next model up (PP600 Dual Boiler) was $1000 more (not on sale?) and so my choice was set. We mostly drank milk drinks and so the HX was perfect. Luckily the sale model was offered with Flow Control (at that time, an add-on). (I love to tinker so getting Flow Control, typically only ever available on an E61 machine, was a must. When I upgraded my grinder, I had to get one with Variable RPM control. I like flexible systems) It's been a terrific machine and a vast improvement over the previous Dual Boiler Breville Oracle. No doubt a lot of this is due to getting a better grinder. As others will tell you, for the equipment-factor, it's the \*grinder\* that determines the quality in your cup, not the espresso maker. However, I have \*never\* suffered because my HX doesn't have the temperature regulation of the Dual Boiler. That's not a thing except for Light Roast coffees. Now, as advice goes, I recommend a Dual Boiler to someone else because ... why not? It simplifies things, and temperature management is increasingly important the lighter the roast you use. That is, if you stick to dark and medium roast coffee (most preferred in milk drinks) IMO you don't need a Dual Boiler. In fact, the milk-frothing / steam production of a machine is greatly impacted by the boiler size. My boiler is 2.0 liters. The PP600 Dual Boiler has a (slightly less than) 1.0 liter steam boiler. How is this better? Now, let me stipulate, if I were ever to buy another machine OF COURSE I'd buy a Dual Boiler (nhaaa... I want a Decent Bengle) because I now know that I love this hobby and why would i get rid of my perfectly-working machine for another HX? My point is: if money is no object, get a big Dual Boiler like a Lelit Bianca or ECM Synchronica II. If you need to make an "economic" decision, then you must shop for **BENEFITS** and not **FEATURES** (benefits are features that you **USE**). Similar to the "dual boiler only" advice you'll read, is the advice to avoid a Single Boiler UNLESS you only do non-milk drinks. This advice highlights the aspect that not only is the taste of your drink important but also the "workflow". If it's a pain to use your machine, it will detract from your enjoyment. You brew espresso in the 93c degree temperature range. You steam milk from a boiler set to +30c higher. Thus to do a milk drink with a Single Boiler means you have to switch your boiler between these two temperature ranges. Personally, I would avoid this hassle. If this doesn't scare you away then you must check out the [Quick Mill Pop Up With Flow Control](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yXpC7Frhc). A very innovative machine. If you want to not bother with Flow Control, then definitely check out the Lelit Elizabeth (dual boiler). If you do consider HX machines, then Profitec and Lelit (Mara X) are popular choices. However, here is the necessary (but not very much fun) PSA: choose your grinder \*first\*. As soon as you go down this rabbit hole and you discover just HOW MUCH of your budget this will eat, it will greatly change your notion of what espresso-maker machine you can afford. And lastly, I'd say, as any will here who love this ~~sport~~ hobby, try to determine the minimum quality level in all of your equipment that you want - for the next 5 to 10 years. It's pretty typical for people to buy an inexpensive machine and 1 or 2 years later regret it and then step up and have to buy a second time (thus is the "buy once, cry once" meme). TL;DR I love my PP500 and it makes great coffee and is a pleasure to own and use (but there are many more choices out there today). Start by choosing your grinder, though.

Ok nice, I ask because we have a Breville and i walked into a Miele store the other day and they offered me a cup from one of the more expensive super automatic machines and i was really impressed with the quality and taste of the espresso. But maybe im just an uncultured swine. 🤣 But seriously it was good, we had a Jura E6 before the Breville and i hated it

A little background, I got an Oracle Dual Boiler and after 2 months the boiler was shot, so they are sending me a brand new one. I loved the machine and the convenience but now I am worried about longevity and I have a second chance right now to go the separate machines route. I did love the Breville and the convenience, and fantastic espresso shots. For reference my dream would be an Victoria Arduino E1 Prima but that is clearly out of budget. What would you put together?

It appears you are really hung up on a dual boiler. It gives you the ability to brew espresso and froth milk simultaneously. If you really want a dual boiler, then get yourself a decent one and stop worrying about it. I used to own a Breville Barista Express and made lattes for myself and occasionally for friends. I eventually upgraded to a Breville Oracle which improved my workflow, but it really only saved me a few seconds per drink. Was it worth it? Yes, but there was a $2,000 cost difference. In retrospect I should and could have used that money on a good grinder…

The dual boiler is superior to the oracle, IMO. Biaised 'cause I also got one.

have to say mine broke after 3 years of use, I was gutted (must be said, i don't know anyone else with same experience with Gaggia Classic) ...but in same water environment / cleaning discipline, Sage Barista Express (with built in grinder) lasted much longer -> cca 8 years. \- ok, we had to change the solenoid valve to that one, but was cheap to do, as my SO fixed it following YT instructions so now I have a Sage Oracle ... failed in my second year after a full descale, due to some firmware issue. tbh, i regret spending that much money on this last Oracle, as I could have got a second Sage Barista Express, thats enough for our needs. \- other brand I would suggest you look at is Lelit.