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Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

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lbp775
Senior Member

Joined: 20 Oct 2010
Posts: 6
Location: Fort Worth
Expertise: Just starting

Posted Sat Dec 17, 2011, 11:31am
Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

Zimberto Said:

I'd also add that there's nothing worse than having a thread closed for being full of bitchin', only to have another thread open which is full of people reminding everyone how much bitchin' was going on in the old thread. Drop it. Move on. Let's talk about the new Brevelle like adults and let my post be the last one alluding to said bitchin'.

Posted December 16, 2011 link

I was merely mentioning how disappointed I was about what happened to that thread. If you consider that bitchin than I apologize. Have a nice day!!

To those that have VST baskets. Are y'all using the Strada basket from Chris coffee?

Metatron
Senior Member

Joined: 10 Nov 2011
Posts: 47
Location: Calgary, Canada
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: BDB900
Grinder: Vario

Posted Sat Dec 17, 2011, 2:41pm
Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

espresso_drinker Said:

I had to replace my filter the other day. I normally fill the machine through the opening on the
top towards the front of the machine. Has anyone noticed that the water in the reservoir is really
linty?

I just use tap water so I don't know if it's the result of repeated filling/settling of lint in the tap
water or if it's something coming off of the cloth that encloses the filter/softener packet.

Posted December 15, 2011 link

I have had my machine for 1 1/2 months. I have changed the filter once and have not noticed any lint. I seem to remember a post on another forum mentioning the same thing. Maybe your filters are faulty and are shedding lint. FWIW, I also fill from the top.

nixter
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Posts: 162
Location: Vancouver
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Giotto Evoluzione, Oscar Pro
Grinder: Baratza Vario

Posted Mon Dec 19, 2011, 3:44pm Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

I removed the plastic insert and also removed the spring clip in the pf so that I can fill the basket, tamp, and then drop it in the pf. I did the OPV adjustment myself. I also find the puck is always stuck to the screen, very annoying. I can't wait to try this machine with a proper basket and a naked pf. This is a friend's machine I've been using. I'm totally jealous of it's ability to make microfoam. My worst attempt on the BDB beats my best attempt in 1.5yrs on my Rocket Giotto Evo.

lbp775
Senior Member

Joined: 20 Oct 2010
Posts: 6
Location: Fort Worth
Expertise: Just starting

Posted Thu Dec 22, 2011, 8:25am
Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

SHCoffee Said:

As an update: I received my VST 18g basket yesterday. It definitely fits the BDB portafilter. It is a tight fit with respect to circumference not depth. So it takes some muscle to pop back out.

Here's my take on the new basket. (Please understand that I'm still very much a novice Barista): Based on what I had read, I expected that I would have to make some adjustment to my grind/dose regime with the VST compared to the standard Breville double, single-walled basket. However, I didn't realize just how different it would be. After some experimenting, I'm now dosing 1 g more (19g instead of 18g), grinding at a notably finer setting (one that would have almost choked the machine with the standard basket), and getting a better extraction. My pulls are now starting at about 13" (including pre-infusion) instead of 11". The pressure is at 9 to 9.5 bar instead of 9.5 to 10 bar. I'm getting a nice honey color during the entire extraction - about 37" for a double. I'm using a local espresso blend ("Meritage" from Cuvee Coffee). It's a very tasty blend. I've read that the VST is supposed to help with consistency. As I use it over the course of the next week, I'll report what I find.

On the topic of the naked pf. I read on CS that they are close to having them available (at least in the Antipodes).

Posted December 15, 2011 link

How's the VST basket working for you? Where did you get it from?

GRishi
Senior Member

Joined: 20 Nov 2011
Posts: 9
Location: New Jersey
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler
Grinder: Baratza Vario-W

Posted Fri Dec 23, 2011, 10:20am Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

Hi everyone, This is my first heavy duty espresso machine of any type. I previously used a delonghi with a pressurized basket to make my everyday coffee. I have had the machine for about a month and a half now with the Smart Grinder. At first, my shots were not really that good. Even ones that looked right just tasted like hot water with coffee in it. No body, not much crema, nothing great. Went through many types of coffee from whole foods roasted (roasted between 2 days and 2 weeks) and even 4 bags of Black Cat sent by Breville. Long story short, I am now making some amazing looking and tasting shots after making a few changes on my end. I felt like maybe my experience would help others out there like me. 1) Breville replaced my machine with a OPV calibrated one. Btw, I am super impressed by how Breville's customer service has been treating me. They have spent around 5 hours on the phone assisting me as much as they could. 2) I purchased a Baratza Vario-W grinder. The micro adjustments and built in scale have been a god send for me. With the smart grinder half a click one way or another the shot time would change dramatically (this could also be due to the coffee I was using). I have been able to lock in my shots much much faster with the Vario-W regardless of coffee type. 3) Whole foods coffee, even through fresh and locally roasted, didnt seem to be doing the trick. I decided to go for a 5lb bag of Red Bird Espresso and wowza. 4) I have added a few other things into my arsenal, but I dont feel as they would make that much of a difference, which include 18g and 20g vst baskets and a 30lb calibrated tamper from espro. The VST Basket eliminated the puck sticking problem as well. Also, during this time I have probably done some 200 shots, so I am feeling quite comfortable with the whole process now. Obviously I cant compare this machine with anything else. But my wife who is extremely picky with her espresso is now utterly impressed with the shots we have been making. Lastly, I would like to thank this forum for being such a wonderful resource to me. Thanks!

1atom12
Senior Member

Joined: 13 Nov 2008
Posts: 133
Location: Atlanta Area
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler
Grinder: Breville Smart Grinder
Roaster: Zach and Dani's

Posted Fri Dec 23, 2011, 10:53am Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

Who is selling the VST baskets? I need to try these things out...

JasonBrandtLewis
Senior Member

Joined: 9 Dec 2005
Posts: 6,100
Location: Berkeley, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -...
Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -...
Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup
Drip: CCD, Chemex
Roaster: No, no, not another...

Posted Fri Dec 23, 2011, 11:02am Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

Google is your friend! VST Baskets

A morning without coffee is sleep . . .

SHCoffee
Senior Member

Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Posts: 19
Location: Texas
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Breville BES900XL
Grinder: Wega/Compak K3 Elite

Posted Sat Dec 24, 2011, 8:09pm
Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

]

lbp775 Said:

How's the VST basket working for you? Where did you get it from?

Posted December 22, 2011 link

Sorry for late response. I've been busy with end of year fun. The VST is great. It definitely required me to change the dose and grind compare to the stock double basket. I didn't really use the stock enough (or, at least, well enough) to be able to say that the VST is more consitent. But I'm using the VST exclusively and once I've got a dose and grind dialed in for a particular bean, it's very reproducible, very consistent. In fact, it's really shown me just how different various beans and roasts can be.

I bought it from Counter Culture Coffee. Click Here (my.counterculturecoffee.com). As Jason pointed out, you can also get them from VST. In fact, I was thinking of ordering the new 20g basket VST is launching directly from VST because they're the only ones who list it.

Overall, I'm still very, very happy with my set up. My wife and I are enjoying some very good coffee.

danielcroft
Senior Member

Joined: 26 Dec 2011
Posts: 11
Location: White Plains
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Mon Dec 26, 2011, 3:39pm Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

I had a Silvia and just got my BDB the last week. My 22g VST triple won't fit. My triple and doubles for the silvia also won't fit. My bottomless portafilter for the Silvia won't fit either. I'm using the BDB double basket until I can get a bottomless PF for the BDB at which point I hope to use the 22g VST again. I was almost done with some Flying Monkey when the BDB arrive and I'd matched the dialed-in-ness of the Silvia in 3 shots on the BDB with better body. Having trouble with the PT's Brazil that I got after that. The OPV needs adjusting, deciding whether to adjust myself or send into the factory. It's up at around 13 during a shot. To get the black plastic bit out, take the spout off your portafilter and then you should be able to see two opposing clips in the bottom of the PF. Pull them in (I did it one at a time with a screwdriver) and then push out from the bottom.

mcknightp
Senior Member

Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 68
Location: Sydney, Aus
Expertise: Pro Barista

Espresso: LM 3 Grp
Grinder: Robur, Swift

Posted Mon Dec 26, 2011, 8:06pm
Subject: Re: Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL Owners Thread

danielcroft Said:

I had a Silvia and just got my BDB the last week.

My 22g VST triple won't fit. My triple and doubles for the silvia also won't fit. My bottomless portafilter for the Silvia won't fit either. I'm using the BDB double basket until I can get a bottomless PF for the BDB at which point I hope to use the 22g VST again.

The OPV needs adjusting, deciding whether to adjust myself or send into the factory. It's up at around 13 during a shot.

To get the black plastic bit out, take the spout off your portafilter and then you should be able to see two opposing clips in the bottom of the PF. Pull them in (I did it one at a time with a screwdriver) and then push out from the bottom.

Posted December 26, 2011 link

If you have the black plastic insert removed from the bottom of the PF, the VST 22g baskets DO fit. I was a little sceptical about how they would perform as they are pretty snug against the floor of the PF & MP told me he had some reservations about performance with a small gap. I did however do some side by side comparisons yesterday & the 22g won hands down. Whether this holds true for all origins, roasts & age is a whole other story.........

As a Breville rep, I can't say out loud, adjust the OPV yourself, but it's not difficult to do if you have a blind filter & some simple tools. There appears to be a growing number of online sources on how it's done. We do offer a prefered express exchange, as officially we don't want you to do it yourself....

Cheers, Phil

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