The Breville Café Roma ESP8XL Espresso Machine
Home espresso enthusiasts will really enjoy the semi-automatic Breville Cafe Roma ESP8XL espresso machine. The impressive stainless steel housing instantly lets you know this machine is built to last and is intended for regular daily use. The machine serves up an excellent shot of espresso every time and does so with simple, no-fuss operation. I’ve owned this machine for about a year and use it 4 or 5 times a week. In a very short time, the Cafe Roma became my “go-to” machine, and so far it hasn’t let me down.
The pump registers 15 bar pressure which renders high quality authentic espresso. According to Breville, flavor extraction and crema production are enhanced by their dual wall portafilter. Breville’s thermo block heating system maintains the water temperature at the correct level. Although there is little information about the technical aspects of these two systems, the positive results suggest that they do their jobs well considering that water temperature and pressure are two of the most important factors in making great espresso.
There are three separate inserts included for the portafilter. These inserts allow you to make either a single shot or double shot or as an alternative to use a coffee pod. I think being able to use your espresso machine with pods when you want to is a really nice feature. I use pods very infrequently, but I appreciate having the ability on certain occasions when I discover a really good pod product or if I am in a hurry. I’ve had excellent results when I have used them in this machine, and it takes standard ESE pods. The markings on the bottom of each insert make them easy to tell apart.
Simple and understated controls make the Cafe Roma a pleasure to operate. Like with all other semi-automatic machines, the extraction time and volume are controlled by the user. There are two simple control points on the front of the machine and it couldn’t be easier. Simply turn on the power button and the red power light and orange heating light both illuminate. When the machine is ready, the heating signal goes out and you simply turn the large knob to either the left for steaming/frothing, or to the right for brewing. It really couldn’t be simpler to operate.
The machine needs about two minutes to go through its preliminary heating cycle after first starting it up. There are machines in the Roma’s class that heat in half that time, but this is not what I would consider a real problem. I just grind, dose and tamp while I’m waiting for the machine to heat up and I don’t even notice it.
The warming tray on top is a good size and will easily hold four or five demitasse espresso cups. It does take longer to warm cups than it does for the machine to achieve brewing temperature. Just remember to pre-warm the cups before brewing. An extra few minutes does the trick nicely depending on room temperature. Again. this shouldn’t be a deal breaker because it just requires three minutes give or take, and only on the first round. If this bothers you you can always give the cups a good blast of steam. This issue is not unique to the Cafe Roma. In fact, I’ve seen this on many home espresso machines I’ve tried. If I have a single annoyance over this espresso maker, it is a minor one. The lid for reaching the removable water tank is incorporated into the top shelf of the machine and it feels a little tricky if you tend to store your cups up there when the machine is not in use. You’ll get accustomed to this after a few days though.
There is no problem with high volume use from the water tank’s perspective. It holds 44 ounces which is more than adequate. The tank and the opening it slides into are both shaped in an asymetrical fashion so there is no chance of inserting it the wrong way. Once it reaches the bottom, a gentle push seats it securely and water5 tight. Monitor the water level via the clear window that runs the length of the water tank. One observation here. In certain low lighting the window can be difficult to see through.
Just in front of the window on the right is the steaming wand. The wand swivels to the right and left but it doesn’t move up and down as on some other machines. The temperature is adjusted by the thermo block system for steaming milk, and it does a very nice job. There is the potential to over do it with the frothing because the wand works almost too well. I prefer this characteristic to an underperforming frothing action like I’ve see on other machines. The tip screws off for cleaning in case the nozzle ever gets clogged.
Inside the box you’ll find some very nice extras including 2 stainless steel espresso cups, a steam pitcher, a combination scoop and tamper, the 3 portafilter insets and a clever little cleaning tool for the inserts and steaming wand.
I recommend that anyone in the market for a dependable and easy to use semi-automatic check out the Breville Cafe Roma ESP8XL espresso machine.
Amazon has a crazy good price on these! I think I paid almost $300 for mine a year ago.