Breville Compact Café BES250 Questions & Answers (page 2 of 3)

Breville should know!

If shaking John then may be uneven on bench but yes it does make a rather loud pumping noise.

I would try descaling your machine if you haven't done this for a while. You could also try making sure the head is not blocked. Check that the two holes on the bottom of the handle are not blocked. If all else fails, contact Breville directly

If coffee is only coming out of one side of the filter holder spouts, I can only think of two causes. Either there is a blockage in the channels at the bottom of the filter holder or there is a partial blockage of the hole on the bottom of the filter, causing the coffee to spray to one side. So poke the cleaning tool needle into this hole and also have a close look at the plastic bits inside the filter holder. Or your house might be tipping into a sinkhole so your bench is now sloping to one side!

Hi,
Maybe check the empty tray capturing the water ?
There could be a crack in the tray. If so you can use putty sealers to fix it

Under Australian Consumer Law you are entitled to a repair or refund if the product was not of reasonable quality (not because of misuse) and it fails before you would reasonably expect it to. That overrides the typical 12 month warranty many shops claim. Even a cheap coffee machine would be expected to last more than 12 months if you looked after it so you are within your rights to take it back to the shop you bought it from to get it fixed. They should deal with Breville on your behalf and not palm you off to Breville. Go to the consumer affairs authority in your state if the shop will not help you as the law is black and white on this but many shop managers plead ignorance. I find once you mention the legislation most shop owners realise you know what you are talking about and cooperate but will often try to avoid helping if the customer doesn’t know any better. I believe you also don’t need the original receipt- just proof of purchase, eg credit card statement.

Try refilling the tank with water.

Hi I have found that if you fill it up, the noise dissapears then it should work again, by the way how old is it?

I tried emptying the water tank and refilling it, not entirely and didn't do much, the machine is old, more than 3 years old but it makes better lattes then Starbucks.

This could be a number of things, but generally, a blockage of some sort. As to the sort.... the shower screen (under the group head) could be blocked. Is the steam wand involved too? That could be blocked. If water doesn't come out of either, then its probably not coming out of the pump. So either you have it serviced in such a case, or if you have experience with this, you might want to remove the back cover and look at what's happening... is water coursing through the clear tubes into and out of the pump? If not, the pump needs work, if not replacing. Also, is the water tank firmly seated?

I believe the heating light only turns on when the temperature is ready for brewing (some machines it's the opposite).

Hello, I don't have the machine anymore. But, I've also noticed the huge amount of water being wasted. I assume it's just the unused water in the coils.

The BES250 has an overflow system, like most espresso machines. When the pressure goes beyond a certain point, excess water will drip out into the tray below. I don't know if its more or less with the BES250 than other machines. Even if it is, the machine does have a generous drip tray, and a little device that pops up when its full, to warn you to empty it. As for the coffee flavor, just pack the basket with more coffee, or change your brand of coffee for a stronger bean. This is not a limitation of the machine, I can assure you. (Also, don't allow water to get into the milk when frothing, and you can also reduce the amount of water going into the cup when brewing). - Courtesy of, The Cappuccino Kid.

The BES250 has a system where they run extra water through to cool the system. It works well but yes it uses more water. The fine the grind the stronger the coffee. I use expresso Lavazza and it's strong. The coffee filter basket that you get with the machine is double walled this creates creme with cheap coffee. If you buy single walled filter baskets you will get much better coffee like the more expensive machines.

Have you tried cleaning through it with one part vinegar and 3 parts water, let that run through just catching the water in a bowl or something, let it do a full tank with that, then run through a tank of just water.
Might help

Good question Julie, unfortunately I can't remember as I only kept it a short time for the reasons I mentioned in my review. I still think you would be better to buy either a different brand, Sunbeam have a very similar one at a similar price, or if you can afford a bit more go with a better quality machine. Maybe best to check out other brands on a few product review websites, but definately stay away from the Cafe Venezia as it can spray very hot water at you, and is not well made. Good luck!

Hi Julie
There is a small spike attachment that lives under the the left hand side of the machine head. The idea is you can poke the perforation holes in the cup filter clear if they block. It is more effective to use it on the single hole on the underside of the filter cup in order to allow the water to get through if it is blocking but it also works on the upper perforations (or not). After removing the coffee arm holder from the machine (the one you fill with coffee) and for safety switch the power off at the wall socket, press the eject button underneath the arm to release the cup filter from the holder arm. The underside of the filter shows you either one or two spoons to indicate its volume for a one or two cup option. This has a double skin making it difficult to clean hence the prodding device as it can block and be difficult to clear. My prodding tool didn't last that long and if you are experiencing difficulties you might try running a cup of water only first before operating it with a full charge of coffee. That helped with mine but if you have continued problems I would ask for a replacement as it is difficult to rectify.

I have never used the frother so I'm not sure. I'll try it and get back to you...

Not sure of the answer to this one, possibly there is too great a water supply to the element. Mine is a bit hit and miss too, I would suggest being patient and frothing the milk a bit longer. It may also be the use of low fat milk that makes its job a bit harder.

Hi Ling
I should imagine your problem may be 1 of 3 things.
1. Possibly your coffee is ground 2 coarsely. Try a finer grind.
2. Try tamping the coffee more firmly.
3. Try another brand of coffee.
Hope one of these suggestions may be of help to you.

This is getting a bit daft, first the coffee is too fine, then its too course some say don't tamp it down others say tamp it down hard. The truth is it's a problem design. I would guess the drain hole in the bottom of the filter in this case is too large so of course it will help if you use coarser coffee, the fact is it is a concept that doesn't work. I would return it and get another one. I drilled the hole in mine as it was continually blocking and it too now looks a bit flat. Breville, please recall them or allow and exchange with a better model, your name is on the line here.

Ling: Water comes out with no crema is a grind problem, in most cases. Old or bad beans could also be contributing. It is definitely NOT the machine, and I can show you pictures of glorious crema from my BES250, and similar Breville models I own.

Mammachou: The only "daft" thing here is your response. Coffee -can- be "too fine", or it -can- be "too coarse", and you -can- tamp it "too hard" and you can also not tamp it "hard enough". Welcome to the world of espresso. I see you're new here. Learn a little more about it, before even trying to presume you know it all. The fact that you drilled a hole in your basket because you couldn't bother to learn how to unblock it, or avoid blocking it, says it all. Now you complain it "looks a bit flat" and you're threatening Breville that they'll lose business if they don't, because you can't be chuffed to read the instruction manual the machine comes with. Good grief. You guessed, and you guessed wrong. The problem is not a "design problem" with the machine, it's a problem of you not learning how it works.

Mine has never done this and neither should yours. Take it back to where you got it. And insist it is repaired or replaced, while it is still under guarantee.

Hi Beau,
I will try. Problem is it was a Christmas present and was not given a receipt and my kids (who bought it for me) live in other countries and are unlikely to still have it, plus I don't really like asking them, think I will trash it first. I have read a few reports on this thread and tried a few of the possible fixes but they are not successful. As it is now I will use up the coffee (which probably won't take long as it sometimes takes me 3 cups to make one) and if it still malfunctions I will see if they will take it back in exchange for another make.

Did you work it out? I would try a coarser grind :) the slightest amount of alteration on the grind can make a huge difference.

I'm sorry, as I no longer have that coffee maker I can't help you. I suggest that you go to your appliance store & ask them if they can help you. CHEERS Dave ((-:

Quite small, aprx 23cm wide and 28cm deep

Thanks Crispin :)

Never had a problem but then again didn't use it much cause the coffee came out tasting crap so replaced it with a sunbeam. Sorry I can't help.

Hi there, i found that this was because the group holder where the coffee goes has a double wall which little coffee grounds get caught in and block the coffee coming out. I had old ones from my previous sunbeam machine that i use now. I threw the Breville ones out. even after soaking them in descaler it was still blocked.

It seems to be a common problem with this machine. No amount of cleaning will fix it. What I found is that by using a finely ground coffee and not tamping (just level it of at the top of the basket, making sure there isn't any grounds on the rim), the water and grounds coming out will be less. I noticed my machine actually stopped leaking after a few months and now it can be used normally. I guess the rubber/plastic seal expands after a while which stops the leak.

Can't give you an answer unfortunately Emily as I only used mine for a couple of weeks & the frother worked OK during that time. It made dreadful coffee so got rid of it & bought a sunbeam which I LOVE.
Cheers
Louise

Hi Emily, yes this did happen to me at the beginning. It was because its not up to temperature. But mine came good after I had used it for a bit.

Two things I can think of here: 1) The machine needs to heat up a little longer. 2) There's a blockage somewhere in the steam transfer chain that's weakening the steam power. Does it seem weaker than normal when it comes out? Try cleaning the wand with the cleaning tool included with the machine.