Customer Reviews

Breville ESP6SXL Café Modena Espresso Machine

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

My wife and I love this machine. We use it nearly every day for lattes and cappuccinos. While we first used it with espresso ground coffee, we later discovered pods. This machine comes with a pod holder that makes grinding, measuring, tamping obsolete and cleanup is a breeze. The box also includes two espresso cups and saucers, a frothing pitcher and a maintenance tool. The only necessary accessory that is not included is a thermometer for frothing the milk. I bought a cheap one for about 5 bucks at a nearby BB&Beyond that came with a holder with clip and it works very well. The machine always makes perfect espresso with excellent crema. Be sure to follow the directions for preheating the machine and the cups. If frothing milk for latte, be sure to put the brewed espresso in its cup on the top metal heating tray; it really makes a difference. This machine will also easily produce steamed milk for Irish coffees and other drinks. This is my first pump machine. All my previous machines were the steam kind; what a waste of money they were! Note that I did not purchase this machine through Amazon; however this is the exact unit and the price now offered is a bit less than I paid. However, we do get the pods through Amazon as a local merchant never seems to have stock in-date.

First off, I'm not a true espresso aficionado, just a guy who one day added up how much he had been spending at Starbucks and realized something had to give. I first tried my wife's old steam-driven machine but hated it, so after poking around at basic starter-model reviews online settled on the Cafe Modena.

It's been a year, and so far so good. My thoughts and experiences:

- The "warming plate" is just a piece of thin metal resting on the machine's molded plastic top. It simply absorbs whatever heat the machine is giving off naturally and only provides a tiny bit of warmth; I'd rate it as near-useless.

- I'm a straight shot or iced latte guy all of the way, so I've honestly never even tried the steam wand, so can't speak to that feature at all. Never tried using pods either.

- The grind makes a huge difference-- I've tried grinding whole beans here at home, and have purchased ground beans from various local coffee shops as well. Whenever I used grinds that were slightly too coarse or too fine, it ruined the pull. Too coarse definitely makes for weak espresso, and one super fine grind I tried clogged the filter to the point where the water couldn't get through it, forcing me to spend 30 min using the provided needle tool to clean out the gazillion incredibly tiny holes in the basket. So if you're new to this like I was, really pay attention to the grind and read the instruction manual carefully first.

- The water indicator really is hard to read, but is such a small issue in the scheme of things I would never not recommend this machine for that reason alone.

- I have hard water in my tap and so follow the maintenance as recommended in the instruction manual carefully.

- I always run a cycle of hot water through the machine before pulling that first shot to warm everything up; this seems to make a big difference.

- The indicator light that lets you know the water is hot enough doesn't seem to stay lit for the same amount of time each pull, and so isn't a good guide for whether you've reached 1 oz, or 1.5, or 2 of espresso in your cup-- so you're on your own as to when to stop the flow of water. Fill the cup too much and the espresso gets a little weak; it just takes a little practice.

Ultimately, after finally figuring out the right grind and how full to fill the cup I now can make perfectly serviceable espresso for myself in the morning. It may not be as good as my favorite local cafe, but is just as good (if not better) than Starbucks and absolutely helps me start the day off right. If you're a beginner home barista like me and don't expect the greatest shot of espresso ever pulled in the history of coffee, have the patience to not expect the perfect shot on the first try, and finally CLEAN your machine carefully after every use as directed, then you should be really happy with this machine. I am.

If I was doing it all over again I would still get a Cafe Modena, but in the future when this machine finally kicks it I'll probably try moving up to the next level.

I am a coffee snob. After years of using inexpensive $69.00 throw away espresso makers (which delivered great cups of coffee nonetheless), I decided to get the Breville Cafe Modena.

First thing that I must say is that operating this unit is very easy. Love.
But the knob is very hard to twist, particularly if you have arthritis. Hate.

The water reservoir is a terrific idea, and you can make at least 6-8 cups before needing to refill it. Love.
The housing around the water reservoir begins to rust if water splashes when removing/reinserting reservoir. Hate.

It heats very quickly. Love.
It is constantly reheating and there is never enough pressure. Hate.

The resulting coffee is usually delicious, and consistent. Love.
It sounds like a Diesel truck with no muffler when in operation. Hate.

Despite the Love/Hate, I think in the balance, my taste buds say that this machine is worth it, although I would not buy another one of these simply because of the noise and the hard-to-twist handle. If you can live with the negatives, it's a good buy.

Mine broke after 1 month of use! Says that it has 15 bars of pressure, but even though the grind wasn't fine the machine couldn't push water through! A very cheap piece of junk with the Breville name stamped on the machine! If you buy it, you'll regret it!

I bought a Cuisinart for $100.00 that has the same pump rating (15 bars), but this machine works great! The Breville name used to mean something, I think the company was purchased a few years ago for it's reputation. This machine is a piece of crap!

I glad I didn't read all the negative reviews on here before I bought it. You would think this was the worst espresso machine in the known world. The fact is my wife and I have had it for several days and it is working great. She absolutely loves that I bought this for her. It produces very good stuff, comparable to what you get a coffee shop depending on what you use and how you make it. We have had no major issues.

Well, there is one slight problem. The plastic handle on the water container...well that broke. It's a very small plastic handle that folds flat and is used to pick up the water container. Even with a slightly broken plastic handle I have no problems lifting the water container out with ease. I bought mine for $149 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond so not sure why the list price is $249.

The cleanup is a breeze. It does not leak. I've ran it through several times without any leaks. I've never had to wipe down the counter or anything. It does not overheat or even get hot. It fits together. Looks stylish. Did I mention cleanup is easy? Takes about 2 minutes to clean. Dump the tray in the sink and rinse. Detach the handle, dump the excess coffee in the trash and rinse. Slip off the rubber piece on the froth wand and wash it. Then wash and rub down the wand. I just run the froth wand through another cycle with just water in a cup. It also comes with a cleaning tool for the forth wand, along with expresso cups/saucers, 3 filters (one which handles pods), and a stainless-steel milk frothing pitcher.

Don't forget to check the water level each time and adjust appropriately.

I rated this a four due to the one small issue I had with the handle breaking, but otherwise this is a five star product so far.

UPDATE: We have had this now for about 4 weeks. In that time we have used it at least 25+ times. Still works great. Using froth wand is super easy, espresso's are very good (use a quality grind), and cleanup is still quick and painless.

This is the first espresso machine I've owned. I've had it about 6 weeks, and make 3 lattes a day - heats up my almond milk in about 45 seconds. A swivel wand would be nice, but that's why others are more expensive - more features. A little difficult (okay, impossible) to see water level, not a big deal to me, I can just open the top door and see. The wand does sometimes shoot water for a few seconds, but I use the little mug saucers to catch it and it rarely causes a mess. As far as noise, I don't find it to be an issue at all, it's not very loud in my opinion. Great so far, very pleased.

Just bought this several weeks ago. Wonderful product. Our first espresso machine but very easy to use. My husband uses the frother to make chai lattes and I make vanilla lattes.
Easy to use, easy to clean, makes great espresso with perfect crema (i use starbucks espresso grind).
The water mark is hard to read, but if I can't tell for sure I just fill it up.
So far a great machine. Did not notice any bad smell in the water bin.
Bought mine at bed bath and beyond.
So far, delivers what it promises.

This is my third espresso machine. I just purchased it one week ago and so far it is the best I have owned. Yes the frothing wand does not swing out and its a bit short, but all you have to do is lift the cup up high enough for it to reach the bottom and it works as it's suppose to. To me, it froth's better or as good as S. Bucks. The water sight glass is a little narrow, however you can still see inside enough to check the level. It also has a removable tank for easy refill. Once done brewing the pressure releases and the unused steam drains into the pan and for me never leaks out the side or anywhere else it's not suppose to. This machine so far makes excellent espresso's and cappacinos and I would recommend it to anyone. Besides if you buy it and have a problem, you can always return it. Check it out yourself.

I wanted to purchase a reasonable priced espresso machine for my husband. I did a lot of research and was a little hesitant to purchase this machine due to some of the negative reviews, but I am so glad I did! It's been only two weeks since we've been using it, but the espresso comes out nice, hot, and perfect. I'm not an espresso fan, but I love making lattes and cappuccinos and after a few tries with using the frother I can now make great drinks. No need to go to Starbucks anymore and pay 4 dollars for a latte/cappuccino.

Just received this item as a Christmas gift. So far, I've only used it to make lattes, but they've been delicious. The machine is easy to use and I seem to be getting the correct espresso extraction. The milk steamer/frother is great, too. I've been using Starbucks whole bean French roast (and a burr grinder) because that's what we had on hand, but I'll be trying espresso pods soon.

If I had to come up with a complaint, it would be that the temperature isn't as hot as I'd like; the espresso actually comes out at the perfect temp to drink immediately, when I prefer my coffee a little hotter so that I can sip on it for a while without it getting cold. Lame complaint, I know.

The only other at-home espresso machine I have experience with is the DeLonghi combo machine that we bought my parents a few years ago, and this is 100x better than that one. Happy user, so far! I'd recommend it.