This Barista Max is a game changer for fancy bean-to-cup coffees
For coffee drinkers out there, making a perfectly roasted cup at home can be a tricky feat, especially if you're used to picking up a barista-made takeaway on your morning stroll each day. Not to mention finding a machine fit for both your office, kitchen and budget.
It's safe to say there are endless options out there to create your favourite espresso shot, ice brew, or creamy latte without spending £4-£5 a go for one in a paper cup. There are the classic heated percolators, pod capsule machines (brands like Nespresso, Lavazza, and Gousto may ring a bell), or the fancy bean-to-cup gadgets.
The latter being where I stumbled across my favourite kitchen gadget to date, the Breville Barista Max. A sleek espresso machine which grinds any type of bean, filters the coffee and steams milk - allowing you to create any caffeinated drink you desire. I just wish I'd waited to jump on the barista bandwagon as my coffee fix cost me an extra £200.
I'll blame Amazon as it's cut the price from a hefty £449.99 to £229.99 in its surprise Prime Day sale, a deal which other kitchen gadget sellers are yet to jump on. Retailers including Currys are far behind with the original price tag. Whilst the huge discount makes the coffee taste a whole lot sweeter (mine a bit burnt as I didn't pick up the deal) I've put it to the test to show why it's a model to add to your list.
Let's get into it. The sleek stainless steel certainly adds an added touch of luxury to my kitchen and it's to see why so many people add bean-to-cup machines to their lists - I also can't help but think it looks remarkably similar to a fancy Sage model I've seen a few celebrities have on their kitchen worktops.
Amazon is selling 32 packs of Walkers ready salted crisps for just £10
The machine comes with a few accessories; a coffee tamper, bean holder, and invisible dusting brush. It's not really invisible (obviously) but the drip tray lifts out to unveil a neat compartment for your tools and it's here where the tiny cleaning brush is stored. Also tucked here is another basket for the coffee filter, this allows you to filter the right amount for one or two cups.
Unboxing done, after an hour of cleaning the accessories and scouring the set-up leaflet, and it's fairly simple to do once you get your head around the nozzles, steamers and grinders. The only thing I can't do well (I'm sure many baristas will agree with the video) is steam silky milk.
Putting the Barista Max to the testYou can choose any type of coffee bean you like, Peruvian roasted, Columbian, or one from your local high street cafe if you want to be fancy. No matter which one you go for there are 30 different grind settings and a tap-and-go grinder. Once grinded you then place it under the thermocoil group head, which is where the machine shows off its magic.
After pressing one of two coffee buttons, a single or double shot, the Barista Max steams the water instantly and filters the grounded coffee into your cup below. I was surprised at how quickthis took, a much more efficient way than the old drips-style perculators.
Then the rest is up to you, you can enjoy a hot shot of espresso or stylise your drink to how it suits by adding milk, whether it's a creamy latter or frothy capuccino. This is where the cool touch steam wand comes in handy as a built in milk foamer, although I have to be honest I find it pretty tricky to use.
The wand jas a hot steam or boiling water setting (which can be used to clean afterwards) and it's designed to create silky smooth milk to pour on top. This is nothing to do with the machine though and just my lack of skill, which I'm sure will come after a few uses.
All in all I think the Breville Barista Max is well worth the price, it's high-end features and sleek look certainly take it above any other machine I've tried out before. It has a good quality feel and pays attention to the finer details I personally believe other brands miss out on.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
