I've only used the factory settings and have not had a chance to read the manual for making the cool adjustments I've read about in other reviews, and I'm so over the top delighted with this machine! If I had unlimited funds, I'd be sending this to friends and family too. I love not having a coffee ground mess on the counter. The coffee is hot - and make it hotter with the milk under the hot steam for longer. Easy to clean. Solid build. Not complicated. Great coffee every time. I am looking forward to doing more, soon!
I am in love with this machine. I have been buying lattes from a coffee shop for MANY years and was resistant to making them myself at home. I liked my morning routine of going to the coffee shop. But with the recent price hikes and cost of gas, plus the time it takes to drive to and from town every day (I now work from home), I decided to invest. I wanted a machine that could make coffee shop quality drinks. This did not let me down. It's easy to use, has everything you need and makes AMAZING coffee. Of course you have to use quality beans and milk. Some French roast and fresh goat milk from my neighbor's and I have a drink far better than I can get at the coffee shop!
I love my new espresso machine! I had a simpler, older Breville that was wearing out and not producing consistent quality espresso anymore. Plus, I had to grind the beans myself and that always left the quality up to chance. That's a big reason I chose the Barista Pro. It grinds the coffee perfectly every time and once I dialed in the amount I needed, a perfect measure, too! Now that I have this machine, I see how lacking my old machine was! My husband was not convinced I needed a new one, and tried to make the old one good again. But, once he had a cup of this espresso, he had to admit it was a good purchase. Another plus, it is fast. The old machine took forever, especially if I ground the beans too fine.
One thing to note, it does take several tries at the many adjustments to get the brew you want. But, once it's dialed in, you don't have to fuss with it. It's the same great cup every time! Oh, and I love the blue color!
For years I have been using a Nespresso espresso maker. While the Nespresso does make a good latte, it uses espresso pods and the freshness of the bean is unknown. The Breville Barista Pro grinds the beans so that your espresso is made with fresh beans. I was stunned at the difference. I think the Brista Pro makes a fantastic latte ... even better than Starbucks because you use freshly ground beans and a milk product of your choice. Although there are many settings so that you can customize the espresso shot to your taste, I use the defaults. This was such a good choice.