Breville Barista Pro Journey to Faster Home Espresso
OneHundredCoffee is reader-supported, and some products displayed may earn us an affiliate commission. Details
If you caught me a few years ago, my morning routine looked like a juggling act: a separate grinder on one corner of the counter, a semi-auto machine on the other, scales in the middle, and my patience somewhere under the pile of towels I used to wipe up stray grinds. Then I brought home the Breville Barista Pro (BES878BSS) in Brushed Stainless Steel—and the entire dance changed. This machine compresses a lot of café logic into a clean, approachable package: quick warm-up, a built-in grinder, crisp feedback on an LCD, and milk steaming that doesn’t need a barista badge to master.
Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine (Integrated Grinder)
Key Features
- Integrated conical burr grinder with precise grind-time dosing
- ThermoJet™ heating system: ready to brew/steam in seconds
- Low-pressure pre-infusion and consistent ~9-bar extraction
- Intuitive LCD display with grind, shot, and progress feedback
- Powerful manual steam wand for silky microfoam
Why We Like It
A fast, sleek upgrade for home baristas: near-instant heat-up, built-in grinder for compact workflow, and excellent milk texturing—without the complexity of separate machines.
Pros
- Super quick warm-up with ThermoJet™
- All-in-one convenience saves counter space
- Clear LCD makes dialing-in easier
- Steams milk suitable for latte art
Cons
- 54 mm portafilter is less “standard” than 58 mm
- Built-in grinder adds noise during use
Bottom Line
An excellent mid-range pick that balances speed, control, and compactness—perfect for daily lattes and quick morning espresso with minimal fuss.
Price on AmazonOver the last month, I’ve pulled shots before, sunrise, hosted latte afternoons for frielateand stress-tested the Pro during work-from-home sprints when coffee is half ritual, half fuel. What follows is my first-person, real-use breakdown: what’s lovely, what’s fussy, what’s easy to live with daily, and how it stacks up to close competitors. I’ll walk you section by section through each part of the machine (design, colors, UI, water tank, grinder, portafilter, dosing, pre-infusion, cup size, tamping, temperature, and milk frothing), then wrap with a buyer’s guide, a friendly comparison table, and my bottom-line verdict.
Our Best Reviewed Breville Coffee and Espresso Machines
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Mid-Range All-In-One |
| Price on Amazon | |
Best All-in-One Espresso Machine for Serious Home Baristas  |
| Price on Amazon | |
 |
| Price on Amazon | |
Best Touchscreen All-in-One  |
| Price on Amazon | |
Best Assisted Tamping  |
| Price on Amazon | |
Best Hands-Off Café Experience  |
| Price on Amazon | |
Best Dual Boiler Value  | Price on Amazon | ||
Best All-in-One Starter  | Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine (BES876BSS) |
| Price on Amazon |
Size & Design: Compact Muscle with Countertop Manners
The Barista Pro looks like it belongs—no flashy sci-fi silhouette, just purposeful curves and that familiar Breville stance. In my kitchen, it tucks beneath the upper cabinets and leaves space up top for cups. The footprint is confidence-inducing without being bulky; it won’t swallow smaller counters, but it has enough presence to stay put when you lock in the portafilter.
The brushed stainless finish is the personality here: it hides fingerprints better than mirror chrome, pairs with most appliances, and feels “professional but friendly.” The top doubles as a cup-warming deck, and the front panel is neatly organized around the LCD and straightforward buttons. The drip tray pulls out like a smooth drawer, revealing a neat little “tool shed” underneath for cleaning bits and the Razor tool. It’s the kind of design that makes you feel organized—even when you haven’t had your first espresso yet.
Build quality is solid. The toggles click positively; the portafilter seats with a reassuring bite; the steam knob and wand have a get-to-work vibe. Over time, what I really came to appreciate is the balance between form and function: nothing feels ornamental. It’s a machine that respects your space and routine.
Colors: Stainless First, Personality Optional
I bought the Brushed Stainless Steel because it’s timeless and blends in, but the Barista Pro line is known for having multiple finishes in rotation. If you’re styling a kitchen, the stainless is the safe bet—the “goes with everything” jacket. If you want personality (and the availability cooperates), there are often darker, moodier options or lighter, airy tones that play well with Scandinavian kitchens. My two cents after living with stainless: it’s the least finicky in day-to-day use and easiest to keep looking sharp with a quick wipe.
User Interface: Calm, Clear, and Encouraging
The LCD is the difference between guessing and knowing. When I first dialed in beans, the screen walked me through grind time, shot progress, and simple programming without a manual marathon. There’s nothing intimidating or single/double shot, grind activation, and menu navigation that makes sense.
In practicemake means I can nudge grind time by a fraction, set a shot volume I prefer, or adjust the shot temperature by a few notches—all without diving into obscure codes. The shot timer is the unsung hero: it helps me anchor consistency. When I see 27–32 seconds and a honey-like stream, I know I’m close. And when I’m not, I know which variable to tweak next. For new home baristas, this visual feedback is gold; for seasoned folks, it speeds up the path to repeatable results.
Water Tank: Quietly Generous, Easy to Live With
Behind the Pro’s back panel sits a roomy water tank with a handle that makes refills proper. I can go multiple days pulling morning espressos and steaming milk without topping up. The filter slot is straightforward; keep it fresh and you’ll fight scale befo, re it starts.
What I appreciate most is how little the tank asks of me. It doesn’t slosh when I slide it in, it seats cleanly, and the machine communicates when levels dip. That sounds small, but daily friction adds up—this is one of those “it just works” parts of the Barista Pro.
Built-In Grinder: Conical Burrs That Meet You Where You Are
I came from a separate grinder, so I’m picky here. The Barista Pro’s integrated conical burr grinder streams an espresso-focused workflow right into the machine. The big win is timed dosing: I trigger a single or double, the grinder hums to life, and grounds fall straight into the 54 mm portafilter. Less mess, less bench sprawl.
Dial-in is made simpler by clear, stepped settings on the g, grind collar, plus the time control. I set my burr range for a medium roast I love, then change the grind by a few clicks when I switch to a denser light roast. With fresh beans, I get a syrupy pull and defined flavor layers; with older beans, the Pro still coaxes out a pleasant shot without me fighting channeling.
Is it as granular as a high-end, separate espresso grinder? Not quite. But it’s closer than I expected, and in daily use,se the convenience wins. While many “all-in-one” grinders feel like a compromise, the Pro’s feels like an honest invitation to better shots faster. My tip: make small changes (one click, a few tenths of a second) and taste systematically. The built-in shot timer will be your compass.
Portafilter & Baskets: 54 mm Sweet Spot, Beginner to Pro
The 54 mm portafilter is classic Breville: easy to handle, great weight, and compatible with a wide range of aftermarket tools. In the box you’ll find both single,,-wall (non-pressurized) baskets for proper espresso and dual-wall (pressurized) baskets for pre-ground or very fresh beginner’s beans. I recommend jumping to single-wall as soon as you feel ready; that’s where you taste the real espresso magic.
Locking in the portafilter becomes muscle memory after a few sessions. I use a simple WDT tool (a thin-needle stir) to break up clumps and improve distribution, then tamp firmly and evenly. With that routine, the Pro rewards you with a balanced puck and steady extraction. And if you want to upgrade later, 54 mm distribution tools, tampers, and precision baskets are widely available.
Dosing: Automatic vs Manual—Why I Use Both
You can program the Pro’s single and double shot volumes and let it run on autopilot—lovely for mornings when I’m half-asleep. This automation is more than a convenience; it standardizes your routine so you can learn one variable at a time. When I’m testing a new coffee, though, I often switch to manual: start the shot, watch the flow, stop when I hit the weight I want (I keep a scale under the cup), and note the time.
For the grind dose, I run a timed grind and check the actual grams every few days, since beans age and conditions change. A tiny bump to the grind time keeps me in my target 18–20 g range. The combination—automatic shot volume plus tuned grind time—gives me a rhythm that feels café-like without being rigid.
Pre-Infusion & Heating: Quick Heat, Gentle Starts, Strong Finishes
This is where the Barista Pro shows its personality. It warms up astonishingly fast, and the pre-infusion stage gives the puck a gentle soak before the full pump pressure kicks in. In the cup, that translates to smoother extractions and less bitterness when dialing in tricky light roasts. On a practical level, fast warm-up means I’m not planning my morning around the machine; I decide I want espresso, and I’m pulling within moments.
When I switch between back-to-back shots (say I’m making a pair of cappuccinos), the Pro keeps up. Temperature stability is strong enough that round two still tastes like round one, and the steam system recovers quickly. That balance—speed without feeling like the machine is rushing you—makes it easy to settle into a flow.
Cup Used Size & Workflow: Espresso Cups, Americanos, and Lattes
Under the group head, the clearance is perfect for classic demitasse cups and shot glasses. For Americanos, I pull into a small vessel and then top up hot water into a larger mug (the machine’s hot-water function keeps that quick). For milk drinks, I build in standard cappuccino or latte cups. If you love giant mugs, the classic home-barista move applies: split the shot and build in a bigger cup after, or move the cup once you’ve captured the core espresso.
The top deck warms cups nicely, which helps maintain crema and temperature when I’m moving with purpose. It sounds minor, but pre-warmed cups make a measurable difference in perceived sweetness and mouthfeel.
Tamping: The Ritual That Makes Everything Else Work
Tamping is the hinge between “okay” coffee and “repeatable café-quality” at home. The Pro ships with a solid tamper, and I’ve found my sweet spot at a steady, controlled press rather than brute force. The key is consistency: same pressure, level surface, no wobble. I do a quick distribution (WDT), tap lightly to settle, tamp once, polish the top, then lock in.
Breville includes the Razor precision tool to trim the puck to an ideal level if you want belt-and-suspenders consistency; I use it when switching beans or baskets. If you’re getting spurts or a thin, zippy shot, look to your tamp and distribution first—the Pro will treat you kindly if you treat the puck kindly.
Temperature Control: Small Nudges, Big Flavor Swings
One of the most useful “subtle” features is the ability to bump shot temperature up or down. I leave it at default for most medium roasts, then nudge a step higher for denser light roasts that appreciate extra energy, or a step lower for delicate naturals where I want to preserve fruit and florals. You don’t have to obsess; think of temperature as a gentle steering wheel for flavor balance.
Combined with the shot timer and grind adjustments, temperature tuning closes the loop on the trifecta that makes espresso repeatable: fineness → dose → time—with temperature smoothing out the edges.
Milk Frothing & Foam: From Latte Art Dreams to Tuesday Oat Lattes
If espresso is science, steaming milk is jazz—and the Pro makes me feel musical. The steam wand produces a powerful, controlled stream that can texture milk from silky latte microfoam to cappuccino foam with definition. The trick is positioning: tip just below the surface to introduce air (the gentle “tssk tssk” sound), then bury slightly to roll and integrate. The pitcher starts cool, the whirlpool forms, and within a short while, milk turns glossy like,e wet paint.
My first week, I took longer and introduced too much air; by week two, I was pouring hearts. Oat, milk, almond, and dairy all behave slightly differently, but the wand gives you enough headroom to dial in each. Cleanup is a quick purge and wipe, and the wand stays nimble. I’ve used home machines where steam either trickles or blasts; the Pro’s curve feels considered.
Taste in the Cup: What I Actually Drink and Why
The baseline shot I aim for is a slightly longer, syrupy espresso that runs about the time most cafes target—balanced acidity, sweetness, and clarity. With a chocolate-leaning blend, I get cocoa and brown sugar, perfect for a morning cappuccino. With a brighter single origin, I can coax grapefruit and stone fruit without veering sour. The Pro won’t cover up bad beans, but it will faithfully showcase good ones.
Milk drinks are where many home machines struggle; the Pro does not. A flat white comes out plush with a long, sweet finish. An iced latte keeps its backbone instead of thinning to coffee-ish milk. On groggy mornings, the automation gets me there with minimal thinking; on relaxed weekends, manual mode scratches the barista itch.
Cleaning & Maintenance: Small Habits, Big Payoffs
Here’s my real-life routine:
- Purge and wipe the steam wand immediately after steaming.
- Backflush with water every session or two; use a cleaning tablet on schedule.
- Brush the group head and keep the gasket happy.
- Brush/vacuum burrs occasionally and empty the grinder chute—freshness matters.
- Descale according to your water hardness; filtered water saves you headaches.
These take minutes, and they protect consistency. The drip tray’s “empty me” pop-up keeps me honest and the under-tray storage,,e keeps small tools where they won’t wander.
Who It’s For (and Who Might Want Something Else)
Choose the Barista Pro if you want:
- Speed + control in one box.
- A forgiving learning curve with room to grow.
- A built-in grinder that’s actually good enough for daily espresso.
- Milk steaming that can produce latte-art-capable microfoam.
Consider separate components (a stand-alone grinder + machine) if you want ultimate upgrade freedom or you’re chasing ultra-light-roast extractions that demand ultra-fine grind granularity. Consider a fully automatic if you want push-button coffee with minimal tinkering, and you’re happy to trade away hands-on craft.
Comparison Table: Close Competitors at a Glance
| Machine | What It Feels Like | Grinder | UI & Speed | Milk Steaming | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Barista Pro (BES878BSS) | Balanced, modern, quick | Built-in conical burr | Fast warm-up, LCD with timer | Strong, controllable wand | Home baristas who value speed + control |
| Breville Barista Express | Classic, capable | Built-in conical burr | Slower warm-up, analog feel | Solid for cappuccinos/lattes | Budget-friendlier Breville path |
| Breville Barista Touch | Pro + touchscreen ease | Built-in conical burr | Guided recipes, quick | Excellent, semi-automated | Convenience-seekers who still want craft |
| Gaggia Classic Pro (+ separate grinder) | Purist, tank-like | None (needs grinder) | Manual switches; heat-up routine | Strong with technique | Tinkerers who enjoy old-school control |
| De’Longhi Dedica Arte (+ separate grinder) | Slim, minimalist | None (needs grinder) | Quick, compact | Capable with practice | Space-constrained newcomers |
I chose the Pro over the Express for the speed and cleaner UI feedback; I chose it over the Touch because I prefer tactile control to a touchscreen. Against Gaggia + separate grinder, the Pro wins on simplicity and total cost-of-ownership for most beginners; purists may still love the Gaggia’s upgrade ladder.
Customer Guide: How to Get the Most From the Barista Pro
1) Start with fresh beans
Buy whole beans roasted within a few weeks. Medium roasts are forgiving; light roasts reward patience.
2) Dial in methodically
Pick a starting grind, dose consistently, and use the shot timer to anchor your adjustments. If the shot is fast and thin, grind finer; if it’s slow and harsh, grind coarser or reduce the dose slightly.
3) Use the single-wall basket
Once you’re comfortable, switch to non-pressurized. That’s where clarity and crema harmony live.
4) Temperature tweaks
Default is great for most blends. Bump up a notch for dense light roasts; down a notch for delicate naturals.
5) Milk technique
Introduce air early (tiny chirps), then bury the tip to roll. Aim for glossy, paint-like microfoam. Purge and wipe the wand immediately.
6) Water matters
Filtered water preserves flavor and the machine. Stick to a reasonable mineral profile; ultra-pure water can taste flat.
7) Clean like a pro
Backflush, descale on schedule, and keep burrs and the group tidy. Small habits = consistent shots.
8) Accessorize smartly
A simple WDT tool, a good tamper, a small scale, and a proper steaming pitcher elevate results fast.
Living with It: The Little Things I Didn’t Expect to Love
- Shot timer visibility: It’s right where I need it. I no longer guess whether that shot was “probably 30 seconds.”
- Grind-to-portafilter workflow: Less mess, less countertop sprawl.
- Cup-warming deck: Warmer cups = sweeter espresso.
- Recovery time: Back-to-back cappuccinos feel effortless.
- Noise profile: It’s present but proper; early mornings don’t startle the household.
Common Troubleshooting (From My Notebook)
- Bitter, thick shots: Coarsen grind a notch, drop shot temp a step, or lighten your dose by a gram.
- Sour, thin shots: Finer grind, extend the shot slightly, or raise the temperature a step.
- Channeling/sputters: Improve distribution (WDT), tamp level, and ensure a dry, clean basket.
- Weak microfoam: You’re introducing too much air for too long; shorten the “air” phase and roll more.
- Inconsistent volumes: Re-program your single/double volumes and verify actual yield on a scale.
Sustainability & Long-Term Ownership
A machine you maintain is a machine that lasts. The Pro encourages this with accessible parts, sensible cleaning prompts, and a community of owners who share tips and parts sources. Filters and cleaning tablets are inexpensive; the grinder burrs last a long time if you keep beans free of pebbles and avoid flavored coffees (which can gum things up). I budget a few minutes weekly for care, and the machine pays me back in stability.
My Personal Opinion & Final Verdict
I bought the Breville Barista Pro (BES878BSS) to streamline my mornings without surrendering the craft that makes espresso fun—and it absolutely delivered. The fast warm-up means espresso is an impulse, not a chore. The built-in grinder is genuinely capable for everyday espresso, the LCD gives me the right data at the right time, and the steam wand textures milk I’m proud to pour. Most importantly, it invites learning rather than punishing it.
If you want a single box that can take you from “I’m new, help me” to “I can dial this in blindfolded,” the Barista Pro is that bridge. It’s quick for weekdays, expressive for weekends, and honest in the cup. Could a separate, premium grinder and a prosumer machine beat it on ultimate nuance? Sure. But for the vast majority of home baristas—especially those who value speed, cleanliness, and consistent café-style drinks—the Pro hits the espresso sweet spot.
Bottom line: I’d buy it again.
Quick Start Recipe (What I Use Most Mornings)
- Dose: ~18–20 g in the 54 mm basket
- Yield: ~36–40 g out in ~27–32 s (watch the timer)
- Milk: 150–180 ml for a flat white/cappuccino; stretch briefly, then roll to glossy
- Temp: Default; nudge up one step for dense light roasts
- Cleanup: Purge/wipe wand, quick backflush, empty tray if needed
(Adjust to taste and your beans—this is a friendly starting line, not a finish line.)
FAQs (From My DMs and Kitchen Table Conversations)
Is the built-in grinder “good enough”?
Yes, for daily espresso, it’s more than good enough. Dedicated grinders can edge it out in micro-adjustability, but the Pro’s integrated workflow is a huge real-world win.
Can I make latte art?
Absolutely. Practice your milk texture and pitcher control; the wand can produce cafe-grade microfoam.
Is it noisy?
It hums, but it’s not a klaxon. Early mornings remain peaceful in my house.
Will it handle light roasts?
Yes—plan on finer grinds and maybe a small temperature nudge upward. The pre-infusion helps.
How steep is the learning curve?
Gentle. The UI and shot timer shorten the path from “first shot” to “first great shot.”
The Takeaway
The Breville Barista Pro (BES878BSS) is a machine that rewards curiosity and respects your time. It turns the daily ritual into a rhythm: grind, tamp, watch the timer, steam, pour, smile. If you’ve been waiting for a sign that home espresso can be both fast and real, this is it.
