Breville Barista Express - too cold?

[DC_Ross]

Hey all,
I purchased a new Breville Barista Express a few weeks ago from a reputable local shop here in Seattle. After successfully dialing the grind and shot times in, it was still super bitter, regardless of the beans used (all fresh though). The shots seemed relatively cold, so I suspected that it wasn't getting up to the proper brewing temperature. To test it, I powered the machine on, waited for 1/2 hour, then ran an empty shot through the portafilter. I ran another empty shot and measured the stream right out of the portafilter using a good, reliable instant read thermometer, and it was reading 157 degrees F (corroborated with another thermometer placed in a preheated cup). I then pulled a shot, with the same results.

I took it back to the shop, and the guy said that's normal, which didn't quite seem right to me. I did a bit of searching, and found the troubleshooting section on the Breville site. They say ""the temperature of the liquid coming out of the machine, before it hits the coffee, is around 200°F (generally between 195°F and 205°F)" with "some heat loss expected." Maybe I'm way off, but 40 degrees seems a bit more than "some"

Thoughts?

Thanks,
-d

 

[DC_Ross]

Thanks for the reply.
I get where you're coming from, but according to Breville themselves, “between 160°F and 180°F is considered a comfortable drinking temperature” (from the BES870XL troubleshooting page at brevilleusasupport.com/bes870xl/troubleshooting/). At 157°F, it's much less than their stated minimum.
Do their numbers seem high, or is 157°F about right?

Thanks again

 

[Musicphan]

Breville machines often have the ability to set temp to several pre-determined temps. Does yours have this function? Set to the highest temp? I would contact Breville support... at 160 degrees (if your testing at the point water would hit your espresso) would be too low to ever extract great espresso.