Breville Infuser BES840 Questions & Answers (page 3 of 3)

Thanks. Unplugging for 12 hours overnight, and then reprogramming the time for a double shot seems to have worked thanks. Unplugging for a short time did not though.

You have to hold the power and 1 and 2 dose buttons simultaneously for about 4 seconds. Then the clean light goes out and it gradually works away for 15 minutes or so. It sometimes doesn't catch so it might take a few shots to get it to hit. I just use a tsp of citric acid in the water container, then rinse it.

Thanks so much I ended up holding down buttons for 10sec and it worked ! Love my machine was freaking out ! Thanks

At first I was skeptical that using freshly roasted coffee beans would make a lot of difference to getting a good pressure and extraction time but it DOES.
I had been using freshly roasted coffee beans with the grinder set at around 6 (1 being the finest and 20 being the coarsest) and getting good pressure and extraction speed.
I ran out of those beans and in desperation used some old (Vittoria packet opened 4 or 5 weeks earlier) beans and even with the grinder set at 1 (the finest) the pressure is quite low and extraction time too fast.
I have also found that using beans from a supermarket that Lavazza give better results that Vittoria.
If the Bamix results in ground coffee similar consistency as icing sugar and still low pressure it could be solved using freshly roasted beans.
Another grinder may not solve your 'problem'.
Regarding preground coffee from the supermarket remember that it might be ground to a 'general' grind which will be suitable for other (non espresso) machines and therefore not as fine as is best fro espresso.

I use the matching breville grinder with no problems and use the single wall. Tamping down so it is firm might help

I could not get my machine to work properly no matter what i did. I could not get any pressure.
Eventually I dismantled and cleaned my grinder, suddenly I had to back the grind off because the pressure got to high!!
Make sure your grinder is clean, give the burrs a good dry scrub with a stiff brush.
Clean the grinder regularly.
Also but not so important I have found that the fresher the beans the better they grind and of course the taste also is better.

Well firstly I am very new to espresso machines.
Firstly did you change coffee beans?
Did the extracted coffee take about 25 seconds to finish coming out (I have read many places that the extraction process should take 25-30 seconds and that is using a 2 cup filter basket)?
If the extraction process is taking a while it could be a faulty pressure gauge. The speed at which the extracted coffee comes out is a good indicator of the pressure, faster extraction speed will not get a good pressure.
If the extraction speed is fast then the pressure will be low so you could try an finer grind setting. 1 is the finest. Another test I have read is to over dose the filter cup (have the top of the grond coffee after heavy tamping almost to the top of the filter basket instead of about5mm down from the top.
I guess you are using about the same pressure when tamping.

Try descaling the unit.

If you are describing the Steam / Frother Arm, then you need to be aware that it takes about 30 seconds for the steam to build pressure, whilst this is happening there will always be about 20mls of water (1 fluid ounce) which drips out then you will get steam towards the end. I always use a small cup to flush this water into but you can just aim it at the drip tray although this can be a bit messy. Make sure you use the nozzle cleaning tool which came with it. This should clear any milk build up. Hope this helps. We've had our for 4 years and it hasn't missed a beat in that time.

No, I am not describing the steam wand. This issue is with the dedicated water dispenser.

Hot water dispenser is blocked. Question is, where is the blockage? I assume you tried poking the hole in the wand with the Breville cleaning tool. I don't have much confidence in the tablets. I would try a proper, good quality descaler, like Cafiza, PulyCaf, etc.

You could try asking the Breville help line, they did try to help me over the phone and through this forum. My machine was under warranty at the time but the issues with the machine were never fixed or machine replaced. They did try to help out of the warranty period so give it a try. Good luck.
Taff

I know I had trouble when I changed the grind. I changed brands of beans and made the grind finer. I also wasn't compacting the coffee enough. With too loose a grind or the coffee not compacted enough I got nearly a full cup of brewed coffee which tasted terrible. Once I changed the grind and pressed harder when preparing the grounds for brewing, the brewing process returned to normal.

Hi Lilviss, sorry to hear you may have got a brumby too, I hope not. I used the fresh'ish beans specially packaged [????] sent to me by Breville, and even then going through the process over and over again I could not get a result. I truly could not even drink the coffee, so cup after cup went down the sink during my test period, glad I did not pay for the beans. The slow thick pour of golden Crème has never come from my machine.
It seemed to bubble out too quick. Breville said that there is nothing wrong with this machine, so is what we do get the norm and the best we can expect. Or is it that after a year or more and three grinders later I'm still too dumb to be able to pull a good shot. So to answer your question I suggest I'm not the right person to answer you question, sorry. Try downloading the app Instant Barister.
Taff

Thanks very much for the reply breville and taff
The beans were used fresh from the local coffee shop, no roast date but there is a best before date for the end of the year.
I will be buying freshly roasted shortly.
Were you experiencing this issue too taff?
It does seem to be bubbling out at the end of the extraction

Your machine should have a black flexible disk. You need cleaning tablets (doesn't matter which brand, buy at a coffee supplier or ebay). I use a half tablet as that is enough.
1. Turn the machine OFF. MUST BE OFF (see steps 7 and 8)
2. Fill the water reservoir and empty the trays (otherwise it will overflow during the cleaning cycle)
3. Put any sieve (coffee basket) in the handle
4. Put the black disk on top of the sieve (hollow side up)
5. Put the cleaning tablet in the centre of the black disk and attach the handle to the machine
6. Put a jug under the coffee outlet
7. Hold down BOTH right hand side buttons (the one and two cup),
8. While holding these two buttons, press and HOLD the start button for about three seconds
9. The machine will turn on and the cleaning cycle will start.
The cycle takes about 5-7 mins and is a series of flushes that use about half the reservoir. After the cycle is finished, the machine will beep and turn itself on for normal use.
I often find the tablet isn't fully used.
Recommendations: flush the handles assembly and empty the tray. Refill the reservoir and run a second cleaning cycle without a tablet. Run some steam and water before use.
To unblock the steam outlet, there should be a little pin. I believe the steam nozzle tip can be removed and soaked, if badly blocked. I haven't needed to unblock the nozzle as I thoroughly wipe the nozzle and flush with steam IMMEDIATELY after use.
I usually need to run the cleaning cycle every two or three weeks. You also need to change the filters in the water reservoir every two or three months (depends on tour water quality). They can be bought from Breville. Probably also available online and from coffee suppliers.

Thankyou so much for information.
Have cleaned my beautiful coffee machine as directed.
Now have beautiful fresh coffee again.
Great investment.
Thankyou again from a coffee lover.

In the instruction book, there is a phone number for Breville. Nominally for filter supplies, service etc. They should be able to assist.

Contact the store. Looks like you have a lemon. They are obliged to replace it under law.

Unfortunately I bought it online through JB-HIFI and it was the last one they had in stock, so I don't know how replacements would go?

Hi, join the club, Iv'e put up with this for 2 years now. You say coffee ok, do you get a long black with correct crema?

Its ok yes, all seems normal in that respect.

Contact Breville. Even if it is out of warranty they can be expected to repair it under consumer law. Based on what is a reasonable life expectancy for the price/quality. Eg, a $500 coffee maker should last far longer than a $150 el cheapo coffee maker. Statutory consumer rights. ASK NICELY in writing, clearly stating the problem and the purchase date and refer to the Statutory right quoted below. If that doesn't work, tell them you will forward the matter to the ACCC. Most reputable companies will address the matter fairly. It is also worth doing a "google" search to see if other consumers have encountered similar problem with the machine.From accc.gov.au:
"1) Goods must be of merchantable quality – they
must meet a level of quality and performance
that would be reasonable to expect, given their
price and description. They should also be free
from defects that were not obvious at the time
of purchase."

Wow DJ you got 12 months, mine was faulty out of the box. bat, thanks for that info, Breville got back to me recently so I live in hope.

Yes this is completely norrmal. It's the way it works I, assume to build up the pressure with pre ground coffee that is not fine enough to give a good extraction. If you have beans and a decent grinder put them away and use the single wall filters.

I suspect the machine/gauge is faulty, my gauge will move no matter what and is helpful in letting me know the result I will get. It goes up a little at the start for the pre-infusion then will rise to a level which varies depending on my grind and tamp etc..
If it's just the gauge I assume you are having some luck with the coffee it is making ?

I agree with TBZ. The gauge should move up a little during the infusion stage, then, as you hear the increase in pressure from the machine as it goes into extraction, the gauge should show the same increase. I would suspect a fault in the machine. Is the machine doing infusion and extraction? Listen for the change in pump noise. It is still under warranty. Take it back! The machine, when it works properly, is a very good coffee machine.

Thanks for the advice. Yes coffee is great will have to try again to listen for change in pump noise (not sure). Only bought the machine two days ago was fresh out of the box and have never seen the needle move. Guess I will have to return- ho hum!

No, Only the BES 900/920 have dual boilers. I don't find it much of a hassle as the extraction only take upto 30 seconds during which I orgainse the milk in the jug and drop in thermometer.

I grind the beans, pack and load the filter then froth the milk then hit the double espresso button. Extraction only takes about 20sec so there's no need to froth at the same time as extraction.

I will guess that the grind is not fine enough. If your grinder costs less than US$200 it is likely the cause of your distress. I use a Mazzer Mini with the 840, and even though it's not necessary to go fancy, an excellent grinder is the most important piece of making delicious coffee. The "single wall" baskets are for use with an excellent espresso grinder, to make espresso the traditional way. The "dual wall" baskets are a recent invention to make it easier for consumers to make pump coffee at home when they do not have what the Italians would consider a "proper" espresso grinder. In your case the dual wall baskets may be best, and you can increase dose. Tamping harder is not going to make much difference. (To make an espresso machine last longer I would say that there are TWO different cleaning procedures for this machine, and they are both absolutely required.)

I think you're referring to the portafilter, the handle that carries the filter basket. Yes, it detaches from the group head in a style very close to commercial espresso machines. The basket is held in place by a spring clip, again in the style of commercial machines of many decades. The portafilter is made of stainless steel and weighs approximately half a kilogram. The spout is removable.