Breville Dual Boiler 6 Months Update | My Experience

[@FetchitGracie]

Rarely comment on videos, however this was so well organized and concise that I needed to give you koodos for its creation. Very informative! New subscriber.

[@susanconn9962]

Love my Breville Dual Boiler. Going on 3rd year. Between us my husband & I make 3 to 4 espresso drinks daily & we're learning how to make minor repairs as necessary (with the help of the KZbin community). Any machine requires upkeep, and this is no exception. Well worth it, though.

[@wsteele5864]

Excellent point regarding the more forgiving nature of 54mm vs 58mm portafilters. I have been using my BDB for about 2.5yrs. Along the way I picked up some IMS baskets in 20 and 22 g. Recently I went back to the original 18g basket that comes with the BDB and found it much more touchy dialing in dose wise. I suspect the straighter side walls and slightly deeper puck capacity of the larger IMS baskets made them a little more forgiving when dialing in. Overall, great review.

[@Laz_Arus]

Nice rundown of the machine. I bought my BES920 shortly after that upgraded model was released. A couple of things you might wish to try. Raise the rubber finger grip on the steam wand a lot higher than how you had it shown. It will give you more maneuverability when preparing your milk, especially with a taller jug. Secondly, use a suitably wide funnel with a longish spout that fits snugly into the water chute at the front. Far easier and quicker to pour into a wide funnel mouth than trying to aim at the depression leading into the water chute.

[@AprilnKrisAU0715]

Coming from delonghi la specialista, this was a big leap for me. However, what caught me off guard is how noisy the pump noise is. I didnt really notice this on the videos i’ve watched prior to buying. I guess most creators would lower the volume when pulling the shots 🤷🏻‍♀️ but it’s growing on me since my main purpose of getting this is being able to multitask- pulling shot and steaming.

[@Pro-Ton]

One very important thing. Open screw from shower, check skin from brew group. Two times the skin from brew groups get bubbles. I use all like they show in manual. After 2 times same mistake i give the machine back.

[@add2093]

Great Video! I’ve had my BDB (bought 2nd hand) for about 5 months now and I absolutely love it. It is my first espresso machine and I have had a few growing pains with it as well, but ultimately I can’t think of a better machine I could have started out with. One thing I highly recommend is doing the slayer mod. It’s an absolute game changer being able to flow profile. You should get used to opening up the machine anyway since you will eventually have to do some small maintenance on it to keep it running in top shape.

[@XICups]

Yeah that's something that I look forward to do down the line =]

[@zell71]

i notice in the video he has a 18g grind size for the 58mm portafilter. does it make a difference getting the smaller size? the large grind size puts me off due to the cost

[@neutralcorner5950]

Good honest review. Funny how you question yourself in the process, I am the same. There is a lot to the process to make a great cup. I agree that the larger puck is less forgiving!

[@Goffas_and_gumpys]

GREAT video mate. I just picked up one of these after using a Barista Pro and your first point ref grind size to basket size was like a light bulb moment. That's what was happening to me and so I adjust for the difference in basket size on my DF64. Good2go now 🙂

[@Jasongvl]

I am in the same boat as you and totally agree!!

[@sergn717]

Just upgraded to BDB from BBE (your review definitely helped with the decision!). Huge upgrade, and I'm loving it so far. Thankfully, no off-tastes/smells from the steam wand on my unit. I agree with you on the wet pucks surprise (when dosing 18g) - however they still fall out easily and don't leave much residue behind. I tried dosing 20g and had great results, pucks end up dryer - but they are also harder to remove. I don't have a knock box and toss my pucks straight to the trash bin, and larger doses don't just want to fall out of the basket :) probably a non-issue for those using a knock box.

[@zell71]

can you just do a 18g shot in the 58mm portafilter or do you have to buy a special portafilter 58mm for 18g? i saw a few different products online that define the grind size. wondered if it makes a difference using the correct size

[@sergn717]

@@zell71 off by a few grams should be fine - the optimal basket size just helps with dryer puck at the end, but doesn't really impact espresso. I've done 15g in a 18g basket, and I've done 18g in a 15g basket (different coffees have different densities) just fine. I think ultimately your basket size limits your maximum dose, but you can go ±3-4 grams without issues.

[@ezralimm]

GET BEANS ROASTED LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AGO AND YOUR PROBLEM WILL DISAPPEAR.

[@yams900]

Just like me ! Upgraded from Barista Express just 2 weeks ago, getting used to Dual Boiler but haven't dialed in the espresso shot quite yet. It's getting better and I'm getting the right pressure, ratio is work in progress. Once I get my bottomless portafilter and coffee scale, I'll get better shots.

[@user-gk1nt6sm2z]

I have 1. I limit channeling by declumping with wire rake in basket. Use the flat tamper to polish. Use the razor get exact volume. Polish again. Finally I use a curved tamper which pushes grinds at angle. Shots very consistent. Then worry about dialing in grind. Also just saw lance Henrick modify his for variable flow rate. Worth watching.

[@desmondlewissmith]

Great video. I've been eyeing the Dual Boiler, and this video has me ready to move forward. I've had a Breville for a few years, the latest being the Infuser. I'm now ready to get into the next level of espresso.

[@frankbaron1608]

i think the top is a cup warmer which is why it gets got.

[@brendonamos1669]

Thanks for your video. Good to hear your experiences. Very clear and professional video. Just one thing I noticed regarding your coffee station setup. If possible it would be better for workflow to have you grinder on the other side of your machine. And work from dry on the left to wet on the right since the steam wand is on the right of the machine.

[@JimSlaughterOC]

Thanks, very nice video with lots of interesting points. I have a Bambino and I really love it.

[@Weeem]

1) I had the same experience. It was a me problem, not the machine :) I ended up having to reset the calibration on my Vario grinder to get the consistent finer grind the 58mm basket needed. 2) If you use a s/steel puck screen then you'll find the puck comes out consistently dry(er), the brew screen stays clean and the coffee is consistently better (subjective). To clean after use, assemble the drink first otherwise the screen will be too hot to handle. Rinse it under a tap then use the steam want to "jetwash" the wet screen forcing any residual grinds out. Dab dry with a towel, put to the side and it'll evaporate any residual dampness after a minute or 2. 4) That's weird. I didn't get any off taste with mine. @06:35 You only need 1-2 minutes after brew boiler reaches temp if you're after a quick espresso. If milk drinks are your thing then 10 minutes after power on is plenty to get the steam boiler hot and stable. The only thing I wish it had was a rotary pump, but you're looking at 2x the cost of this, so it isn't really worth it.

[@Youtuber-ku4nk]

Even if the portafilter is 58mm it is still different than "standard" portafilters. The screw-on mechanism is a little different so you could have problems getting a tight fit

[@LewPaooo]

How to turn off sleep mode? Something like that? My machine is turning off every time its in idle for 30mins and it's turning off on its own. And everytime the machine turns off, my settings for my calibration is resetting. And my machine is 2days old.

[@Gamblor24]

Nice video, I had my BDB for just over 2 years and sold it recently. One trick in regards to steaming milk, I used to be able to go hands free by putting the steam wand in the milk pitcher and resting the bottom of the pitcher on the front right side of the machine, where it sort of angles down. I would get perfect swirling and nice milk for latte art. Give it a try!

[@XICups]

Thanks for the tip! I will give it a shot, if it works then that would totally explain why it seems closer to the tray. Although I suppose you would loose some control that you get from free hand.

[@Gamblor24]

@@XICups ya, forgot to mention, I let air in for a few seconds and once I submerge the tip into the milk, then I can go hands free. Hope that helps, and let me know if you got it figured out!

[@mohammedalebrahim3322]

@@Gamblor24 can you make a video about it?

[@vk6fwcbpt]

@@XICups works great that's exactly what I do been doing it for a long time now.

[@DelilahHD]

Since you sold your BDB, what are you using now?

[@mitchhoneysett7674]

Great video. Started to setup but having problems: dark roast Grind size 1 -> 2 cup -> dose 18g -> yield 110g -> wet puck (went from 10 to 1) allow ways got large yield size. Newbie upgraded from capsule machine

[@dancatinella2723]

Sounds like your grind size isn’t fine enough or your not tamping properly.

[@michaelmalvin8990]

Thank you for this. Great review.

[@meredith18352]

Good review. I had a dual boiler and thought it was brilliant until if broke down and then it was a heap of scrap plastic. It was ridiculously expensive to repair and could not be recycled. I think all appliances should come with an environmental impact rating as well in which case, the dual boiler would do poorly. They are just not made to be repaired and that is wrong. Save a bit longer, buy a machine that that is made to last 30 years or at least has replaceable parts and don't purchase something which is meant to be thrown away after 5 years. The beautiful machine I replaced my dual boiler with should outlast me if properly cared for and it makes even better coffee.

[@ronfern4733]

any ideas..bbe broke after 2 months

[@emilgram]

What did you replace your BDB with? Rancilio Silvia Pro X sounds like the closest alternative. In any case please let us know what you've got and how well it works...

[@dumkopf]

All the parts are available. Either your didn't care to repair or you weren't looking hard enough

[@Soulslider70]

​@@dumkopfdude crys landfill without wrenching on it himself; can't preach responsibility when an individual doesn't take a simple task into hand himself. #kook

[@abiquamediaco]

@@dumkopfexactly

[@Iceman-xe7jo]

Just a suggestion that someone may want to consider about the “wet pucks”. Someone may want to change the portafilter basket to a nanotech and swap the shower screen. If I was a betting person Breville probably uses a cheaper form of these like may companies use.

[@overthetopblues]

Where can I buy one like this in black? thanks

[@HiBeebBeeb]

Thumbs up for an excellent informative vid 😊 thx

[@ItsMeJeki]

I am seriously considering this machine over the other machines like rancillo pro or ascaso just because it's a lot easier to use and programs are just unbeatable. How's your machine after a year? Have you had any problems with it? I heard there's an issue with descaling.

[@petervansan1054]

BDB: has cup warmer XI: HEAT WAS HOT!

[@ametis38]

How do u deal with light roast bean with BDB? I find it is difficult to get the full flavor out

[@Stralnikov]

Very good video. I look forward to more videos from you.

[@phoenixr6811]

Very good review 😊does this espresso machine have app that you can use to control any functions on the machine 🤔

[@shameelali2549]

Nice video I started off with the barista express,it was a good start,then I bought a bdb and a sette 270wi grinder with fresh beans,sooo easy to dial in such a great combo,I nearly bought a rocket crono yday I did lots of testing but decided iam super happy with this,I may buy a rocket in a year or two,however it will not give a better shot,more for looks and build.

[@gerardvanommenkloeke9464]

Good review. Thinking of the same upgrade or a small Italian one the the price is very good for this unit in comparison. Can you comment on what the maximum shots you pulled in a row would be? As in for making cappuccinos for say.. six or eight guests?

[@askthecoffeeguy]

wouldnt the wet puck be explained by the pre infusion process, which is also completely programmable ? I rest my portafilter after extraction to allow it to drain properly, before knocking out the puck

[@arpurba_]

Thanks for talking about the wet puck. I have a BDB since less than 2 months and I’m freaking out on wet puck. Do you still have it? Did/do you also have stuck puck? I got stuck puck frequently especially when brewing light roast coffee. I use IMS baskets since the very beginning. Any clues?

[@moviemaster00000]

Have you descaled it already?

[@igordragicevic0606]

So, you spill old water only when cleaning? I get rid of few hours old water every day. Always use fresh water for coffe. It's needed!

[@moinevarez3317]

It's been a while since your last video. I just ordered a BDB and I really wanted to keep watching your videos about that machine. What happened to you?

[@OhDearBabajan]

How did you get a black one? Can’t find one anywhere

[@nathanraasch]

What are the tools in the wooden box thing and where to buy?

[@davidhunternyc1]

Could you fix the wet puck issue by going from 18 grams to 22 grams? It's not that many more grams. Also, why does anyone think it's O.K. to put plastic and steam together for ingestion? Even though the taste of plastic went away in your milk, chemicals are still being leached into your milk, no different than teflon. As always, I'll see you on the next one. 😉

[@fabioposser2]

It possible to select the days of week and time or only the time? I ask because the weekends.

[@derrickflc]

Been waiting for your BDB video for monthssss! I also switched to a BDB, but from Barista Pro. Went through a few "challenges" as per yours, but the one thing I'm still stuck (pun intended) with is that my puck 9/10 times sticks to the grouphead - requiring a quick water flush to push it back into the portafilter, but knocking it out also leaves a mess. I've never had that issue on Barisa Pro before, but now it happens almost all the time that I've resorted to using a puck screen which solved my issue and now my puck doesn't stick, comes out cleanly, and less stress overall. If you have some tips, would be great! =D

[@XICups]

Sorry for the delay on the video lol with the baby I literally don't know where my time went =P But I haven't had a issue with the puck sticking to the group head thus far, one thing I can think of is maybe there are two much grinds? Some medium/dark beans produces more volume when grounded, so the same 18 grams will be "fuller" in the portafilter. I would probably try using a larger basket, like a 20g, to see if it helps. Otherwise you can also try grinding finer and using less beans (assuming the taste is still something that you can accept.) Hope this helps a little.

[@carynmcgrenra5967]

Aside from that are you happy with the upgrade? I have the pro, just ordered a Niche grinder and am considering upgrading to the dual boiler

[@XICups]

@@carynmcgrenra5967 Yes I am very happy with the upgrade thus far! The concerning period was really the first month or so.

[@cmortel2005]

Great work on the video. Regarding puckology, there is something to garner from the dryness or wetness of the puck. Once dialed in with a specific bean, I usually have a sense of what to expect regarding the moisture content of the resulting puck. If a dialed in shot normally results with a more wet puck, the instance there is a resulting dry puck, that's an indication to me that something may have gone differently during the brew or something has occurred with the moisture content of the beans. Many happy brews to you.

[@sergn717]

Thank you for the review! I've been looking at it for months, and some things you mentinoned I'm hearing for the first time. The plastic taste from steaming is surprising, but glad it went away. I have a question on its auto-off function. I heard it turns off after 20 min - considering that's the least amount of time you want to give it for the portafilter to be preheated, it's concerning. How are you finding it? Is it annoying? How long does it take it to get back up to temp for your second drink if it's been off for a bit?

[@XICups]

So on the topic of auto off, it start counting when the machine comes to temperature, so that takes about 5ish minutes depending on your environment, before that the machine will not operate. I haven't notice the auto-off function to be so quick out of the factory, I have had it turn off on me after maybe 45 minute to a hour. By that time the internals are still very warm and it will come back up to temp fairly quickly. If you are going to have it sit there for a couple of hours then I would suggest that you give it 15 minutes or so before you make your cup. As far as the initial heating time is concerned, there isn't anything to worry about, it will not turn off.

[@sergn717]

Thanks! Just got mine. They might have updated it - it goes to the low-power mode after 1 hour of being on, which is exactly the same as my old BBE and totally sufficient. Additionally, it retains heat exceptionally well and gets back to temp in no time, even 3 hours after the last pull

[@natashatan9954]

Hello! Great video and I actually have just received my dual boiler. Struggling with the machine building pressure with the single wall baskets though using fresh ground beans (Is fine with dual wall)- do you have any tips? Thanks for the great content

[@sergn717]

Your grinder needs to be able to grind quite fine. If you still can't get to pressure on the finest setting, consider upgrading your grinder. A good grinder is essential for espresso, and it's especially true for these larger basket sizes, since puck depth is smaller for the same dose, so a tiny adjustment in grind size results in a noticeable difference in the shot.

[@RamonRamon609]

Do more on pre-infusion!

[@deant6627]

Does this machine take substantial longer to heat & start using compared to the express?

[@cdfegab]

It's around the same as express. I highly recommend barista pro as heating time is only 5seconds

[@Shadowguy456234]

This was a great video, and actually answered the exact question I was wondering about! I just bought a BDB (Sage where I am, w/e) and was thinking about getting Decent baskets since I ordered their tamper. I guess that does lead me into another question, what do you normally tamp with? Apologies if you mentioned and I missed it :) And thanks!

[@moviemaster00000]

"Let it heat 20-30 minutes.." Wouldn't it turn itself off in 20-25 minutes?

[@sergn717]

I was concerned about this too. I just bought a new BDB in the US, they seem to have changed the 20 min auto-off to 1 hour, which is totally sufficient. It also retains temperature very well once heated up - even when off - so it takes ~5 min to get back to temp after a couple hours of being off.

[@moviemaster00000]

@@sergn717 okay, good to know. I purchased the machine a year ago and it shuts itself off in about 20-20 min. But like you say, even if it has been turned off for 30 minutes or so, the cups are still hot and the machine takes about a minute or even less to heat up once again.

[@user-gk1nt6sm2z]

Nice grinder

[@damianhbk1]

Seeing this review really makes me want to upgrade from my BBE. I should purchase a good grinder first before pulling the trigger. Does the niche pair well with BDB? Great video!

[@saleen12]

Yes it's a fantastic pairing. I'm in love with my bdb and niche. The only thing that would make me want to upgrade is a decent de1xl

[@damianhbk1]

@@saleen12 that decent is a lovely machine. That may be my endgame setup if I go down the espresso rabbit hole! So much science at your fingertips! ☕

[@naf4361]

Same here, my bdb is paired with a Niche. It's a winning combo.

[@damianhbk1]

@@naf4361 oh man! Now I'm convinced! I'll come back to this thread in the event I pull the trigger and need some advice on that combo. Much appreciated! ☕

[@XICups]

Yeah I would probably use the budget on a grinder first, since there are still room to get better with the BBE. This is me speaking from experience, so biased as it may be, it worked out for me.

[@saleen12]

That's super confusing. I have the same grinder and machine, I set my niche at nearly 18. Anything below that and I end up choking the machine. You might need to calibrate the niche. Also try a vst 20 gram basket

[@naf4361]

I run my Niche at around 11-15. 18 is pretty course for espresso. If your choking your shots at below 18, you might want to recalibrate the Niche

[@saleen12]

@@naf4361 depends on several factors. I use 20 gram doses in a vst basket and medium to dark roast beans

[@XICups]

Hey thanks for the comment. So one thing of note is that I am usually using light/medium light beans and for those are times that I try out dark roasts I am usually also on 16-18. The point I am making is that with the BBE I could have gotten away with using much smaller of a range, right now with the BDB I have to be more precise to the bean that I am using. For some really light roasts I have even went down to as low as 8 during the 3rd week after roast.

[@WheresTheAnyKey1]

Any recommendation on a grinder besides the Niche? Seems hard to find ...

[@bellado1721]

Try eureka mignon specialita

[@tylergarrett8066]

df 64, lagom p64, specialita is good but not recommended if you plan on switching grind sizes a lot

[@checkwhatsleft4565]

Can you set ur steam boiler to 140c, to get fast steam performance?

[@XICups]

You can, however I would say you are giving yourself less time to properly froth in order to gain maybe 5 seconds of steam time. So there is a trade off.

[@checkwhatsleft4565]

@@XICups I'd like to know how long does steam 170g of milk up to temperature if it was set to 140c, I have Nuova Oscar ii and it takes 17-20 seconds for that, it was at 1.4 ish bar of steam pressure.

[@user-gk1nt6sm2z]

Wet dry pucks no big deal.

[@steinanderson9849]

wow bro, just hold the milk jug in your left hand

[@mikegurv1818]

Not a single word about the actual taste.