I have worked as a barista for Lavazza in a private event, and have used a Dual Boiler to steam milk and pull espresso(along some Barista Max heat exchangers, but they were used for espresso only) for three days straight, from 9 am to 8 pm, that machine is a BEAST
I’m excited for whatever product Lance is consulting on with Breville/Sage. I feel like Lance knows what the nerds want, and if Breville starts making what the nerds want…what could be better than that? Also, just good for him. That companies are recognizing his value
@@kg-Whatthehelliseventhat Lelit has more commercial-grade parts and is superior than breville. And they also stated that quality will remain the same. Matter of time.
My BDB is over 5 years old. No repairs and it’s my daily driver. It rocks. Manual pre- infusion to one Bar, then full 9 bars until my grams out target is reached. Foolproof steam wand, although the valve is starting to cause some drips from the wand in the off position. I have never modded it. Thanks, Lance!
Pete Russell has a video showing you how to open up the steam wand assembly to flip over the seal in the ball valve. That’s your leak; very common in older BDBs. I flip that seal over once a year and it’s good forever - it just slowly deforms.
I just bought a BDB about two months ago based largely on you & Daddy Hoff's earlier recommendations. I appreciate the confirmation that I did the right thing. :) Loving it!
I have seen all your videos using this machine and I am really impressed. When finances allow, I will certainly purchase the same. I have no issues with Breville quality, as I am still using the Barista Express from 2013 without a single fault in these 10 years (in fact, none of my several Breville appliances ever failed, all purchased in the same year). Keep up the great work! I can't wait for the next video.
I have one of these, and in Australia there is nothing even remotely close at this pricepoint. I bought mine brand new at $780, and at this pricepoint it's simply a no brainer. Fantastic machine.
Have had mine for about 9 years now, and I have to say, you should be comfortable with basic DIY repair if you buy this. I've had to do the solenoid valve repair, which is a really simple repair. Also, I just descaled, and everyone knows about all the problems that could go wrong with descaling. I had to re-open the machine to detach the red wire lead to get it to work again. I've also replaced a few o-rings, although it wasn't necessary. The machine is great and super good value, but you really should be comfortable with manually fixing things.
Your original video plus the fact that you used this machine to explain latte art convinced me to buy it. I've had it for one year and a half and I don't regret it a bit. (And I don't even tried the slayer modification).
There are not many dual boiler machines have aesthetics like this. Great to know this is not discontinued and hopefully would come out to explain the descale problems in other machines.
I find the aesthetic to be lacking. It could be smaller first off, there is a lot of empty space in there I assume for the oracle touch components as I believe it uses the same housing cuz, cost.
ive had a dual boiler and niche, partially due to your other video, since Jan, and Iove it! It hits the mix of great quality and nice consumer features to make it just good to use.. And the quick heatup time is amazing
You have an awesome set up. Have you seen the Jleverespresso? Maybe you could check out the videos and let me know. Thank you in advance for your kind reply. 😊😊
Ive had my BDB (which I bought minty second hand) in May of 21... ive had to do a solenoid, stream probes and some seals. I got it for 900 bucks. I still love this machine. The consistency, the stability, the ease of use... i have slayer moded it but wonder if a dimmer is a better idea... this will be my workhorse until Breville releases your edition or I can afford a decent.
I have a black dual boiler, I think Ive had mine for 3 years I purchased it broken and repaired it. Duno how old it is, but I bet its getting along. Works perfectly everyday, multiple times a day. My steam want only just started leaking, so I'll have to fix that soon but no bigge :)
Had one for 5 years. Every few months I have to replace o rings on the steam boiler, once had to replace steam ball valve, and once or twice the solenoid 3 way. I love it but I only recommend if you are a little handy.
Great, great video, always a joy to watch, and as always, you have managed to leave me craving for this machine! It already worked with the Baratza Vario, I bought one and I love it! I watched your previous video on the BDB, and later binge read the home barista forum, then watched just about every video on this machine. And it is all on you. Now I have 2 special orders for you! First you need to figure out a way to mix opera and beat box! Second, you need to find me one of those second hand in good condition and ship it over the pond to me! Of course I'll wire you the money, no need for such an expensive gift! Jokes aside, love your videos! Thanks for taking the time to do this!
Wasn't aware that this machine will improve my singing too :). Great voice. I have a Delonghi EC685 which I have to say with beans and non-pressurised basket makes great coffee, plus is a doddle to maintain, but I feel the need for a Dual Boiler!
You glossed over some of the maintenance issues with the BDB, but it really is a concern for many of us. In fact, most coffee repair shops won't even touch them (there is only one location in Seattle that works on these machines). Anyways, I have a Meticulous on order, which has a fraction of the working parts to (hopefully) minimize maintenance costs - so looking forward to selling my BDB real soon.
Yeah the o-rings are a problem and the steam valve. I now can repair almost anything in this machine now, but it took me 2 1/2 month of repairing to get mine up and running.
@@TheMusicDrawer well, I almost made it 4 months before another o-ring went. Sadly, this time I accidentally dropped the pin-clip into the machine trying to replace the o-ring so now I'm screwed. I have no idea what this part is or how to get a new one. Any thoughts?
Man I bought the breville BES 920 because of your review and it is a fantastic machine and with your other superb videos I am slowly learning how to make some great coffee no more coffee shops for me! 😊
Picked mine up for ~$750 Australian dollars. The other machines around the price point were either decent single boilers, with no temp control or straight up garbage machines. When I saw this for the price it was at I had to call the store to check they weren’t missing the extra thousand dollars from the price 😛 Needless to say I started reading my credit card details out before the guy finished explaining that it was the correct price. Easily my favourite purchase in the way of coffee paraphernalia, if not my favourite all round purchase. 10/10 will continue to recommend this machine whenever someone asks about getting a new one, top bloody notch!!!
Makes me love my sunbeam dual boiler even more. Complete under-dog, punches way above its weight for half the money, has preinfusion, warms up even faster than the breville and looks higher quality (imo). Only found it looking for a BDB, so no hate, but the sunbeam deserves a LOT more love than it gets.
Are we sure the dual boiler isn't discontinued? It's out of stock most places, including their own website. Has been for months. I was hoping to upgrade to the dual boiler, but now I want to wait to see what happens. And, come on, Breville, let's get this next one out to market!!
Black version of (Sage) BDB has been discontinued according to their online chat service. Also advised no replacement dual boiler is planned to replace it.
Oh thank you, not discontinued! Hoping to buy one for it's good quality/price value for someone who doesn't want to go full scientist with a 5k machine. I had the infuser and had so much fun with it.
If they make a new revision, some upgrades I'd love to see: - 58.5mm tamper standard - Insulated steam wand and remove the rubber handle - Water tank with less nooks and crannies to make it easier to scrub clean - Rotary pump to reduce noise - Modular portafilter to go from naked to spouted (this type of innovation should be up Breville's alley) If they wanted to go next level they could have flow control and a Bluetooth scale built in.
Thanks mate for this video. Really love your way of explaining things. Interesting enough, I was hunting for this machine since April/May, because I missed a big sale of this machine during that time (by the way I am from Australia and when the machine was on sale, post Covid, it dropped to around AUD 900 up or down, insane value I know) but it seems out of stock everywhere with major retailers recently. I asked many staff at the shop and the answer I was given is either‘I don’t know’ or ‘it is discontinued’, but lately I saw the Dynamic Duo (same BES920 with a grinder) is back on the shelf. But hearing you say it is not discontinued, I will keep looking for it. Or maybe it is discontinued in some regions. Anyway, I am excited about the project you are working on the Breville! Also I wanna ask a question if the Oracle Touch worth the shoot, pun intended, because of my not-really-into-the-coffees-world girlfriend 😅
Mine got me through pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne. Eventually learned to make coffee as good as my local cafes. Had to get seals replaced once around the 2 year mark. Frankly i can't afford more than A$1k for a machine so thank God this exists, because any other machine that gives this much control costs thousands in Aus. Will replace with another Breville if it dies, but would love it to be a little more compact if possible.
As your testing showed, the temp can actually build up especially if you do long pre-infusions. That's one of the causes for people to have blown temp probes or leaking fittings on the BDB. Purging the group head after pulling a shot is good practice to prevent overheating as well as keep the temps consistent. Well, people should do that (purging) anyway to clean up the shower screen. That's the first thing I advice people who ask me stuff when they get a BDB.
I love mine, which I found used after your 1st video, and slayer modded it! ... 2 questions : 1) About the PP, I had to change my solenoid valve (typical and pretty easy) but while prepping I read online "Applying an incorrect voltage to the coil will cause it to fail and may cause the coil to burn out." and wondered if always using it at low PP for the whole shot, or long shots, or whatever, could create problems? ..... 2) even with slayer mod, I find I often don't get a lot of control on the flow. I open it a little for pre-infusion, then even if I open it full, there's not a lot of range for me to ramp up the pressure (it stays the same pretty much wherever I open it too ..) ...not grinding fine enough maybe? THANK YOU SO MUCH, for your channel, for everything you do, and for singing those deliciously long notes! ;)
Growing up in a household of immigrants we would regularly laugh at mixing/blending idioms. Which is why I especially loved “punching above it’s belt” - welcome to the family @lance 😂❤
There's a reason that still to this day at least one person shouts BDB on every single buying advice / upgraditus thread. I think plenty of home baristas (myself included) will always have a soft spot for breville with them being the gateway drug into this rabbit hole of a hobby.
Thanks for making this Lance. My knowledge of the home market is not as strong, but it’s so nice knowing you always have excellent content I know is trustworthy.
Hey Lance, have you seen the paint flaking off the group head under the shower screen? Happens on old and new machines. Not sure how toxic that material is??
In Australia, this machine is around $1000aud and it’s pretty hard to beat at that price point. Sure, it’s a consumable item, but you can easily find one with a 5 year (extended) warranty for sub $1200aud. Which is a pretty good value proposition if you can live with the throw away nature of it. With the feature set at that price point, it’s really hard to go past if you’re shopping in the sub $2000 market
@@marcusannegarn8497 It’s actually a bit of a problem as it’s absurdly reducer price point has devalued it. A lot of people see what it costs and what it offers compared to higher prices prosumer machines and automatically assuming it’s extremely low quality (how else could you offer so much for so little…)
I had the original v1 of this machine and got 7 years out of it before giving it away. More recent versions have fixed a lot of the issues of those early machines.
I managed to get one early Covid days (figuring I'd be locked up at home for a while, good call :/) for 1100$ CAD on amazon.... what a great buy! I'll admit having issues with the O-rings and more specifically the temp probe in the steam boiler but it's manageable (albeit a bit disappointing 3 years in). The online community and certainly Lance's enthusiasm made me go for this one versus other options. In fact, even today, now that it's twice as expensive (!) there seems to be little to no competition.
Can you please do a temperature test with the Breville Barista Touch? I have it and feel like it has major temperature issues. Saw a lot of people having the same issue as well. The temperature settings seem to be very inaccurate as well
It's awesome while working,but much more difficult to repair when its needed and descaling is iffy..I've been through 3 steam valves and 2 thermostats in 5 yrs..
Hi Lance, Between you, that dirty scumbag latte queen ❤ Emilee Bryant, and the great Daddy Hoff, the BDB was my first - and only so far - espresso machine purchase about 18 months ago. Second-hand, but only a few months old. I'm in Australia, which means I got an even bigger bargain! (Usually retails here for about AU$1200 but on special for about AU$1000. I scored mine in mint condition for considerably cheaper). Rather than opening up the unit for modifications, however, and thereby voiding the extended warranty, I've been running the pre-infusion at a lower pressure percentage but have also extended the pre-infusion auto runtime. Pressure ramps slowly, and I've tweaked it to hit around 8 bar and naturally decline from there. Delicious espresso straight or as a base. Sure, I'd love a pro machine as fancy-looking and supreme as a La Marzocco and the like, but I'm getting great coffee from a manually versatile, second-hand kitchen appliance that I'm told should last well beyond the warranty years. More money for really good beans! Cheers, Lance! ☕️☺️👍
Hey, I'm the guy that posted that Reddit post and got that email about the machine being discontinued! (Max Stoiber) The email was not fake, one of Breville's representatives did reply to me that it's discontinued. However, after (I'm guessing) you pinged them, they did send a followup email correcting themselves and I posted that as a followup thread on Reddit too. I'm glad that the BDB is not discontinued - I eventually decided to just get a Decent after I couldn't find one in stock for months and am very happy I did.
Nice! Yeah- I wasn't sure who posted it. I didn't look at poster. I just had seen a screenshot being passed around and asked the head of coffee there. They were confounded haha! Thanks for commenting! Enjoy your decent!
What an increcible useful and info-rich video! Thanks for making this one. I own a BES900 dual boiler. Love it, but it leaks steam inside. Gotta fix that soon.
Hey Lance, I bought a BDB 900 and contacted breville for repairs and was told than it was discontinued. Maybe the individual was referring to the 900 and not the "upgraded" 920 which has a drainage valve for the boilers. Been working to repair my second hand BDB for about 4 months now, wish me luck!
I got one based off your suggest but had to sell it due to acid reflux problems. I got a used bambino to fill that gap on days im feeling bad. I like how the right to repair law is coming through, i noticed a site in EU already selling parts for the bambino.
I have had my BDB for going on 3yrs. I learned how to dial shots in with my BDB and it makes great espresso. I am not looking forward to replacing parts that fail as the years roll on, but I have kept our 10yo LG washer and dryer running by replacing the occasional small bit here or there. Many of the well thought out features like front loading water (my espresso machine has to sit under a cabinet) and auto on have become mandatory through my experience, so if I ever did need a new espresso machine, it likely would just be another BDB.
Wish we knew what that secret project was, I've been looking at finally buying a BDB, but I'd hate to purchase one and have a better version come out. Also the black version seems to be perma oos. Rip.
Really wish for a little comparison to more affordable options like Barista Express/Pro, whether Dual Boiler is really worth it or can you do fine with Barista Pro at home but otherwise great video!
Bit late to the party (apologies) but I wonder if the rumours related to the Dual boiler in black truffle model. I was just about to place an order for one of these for myself from a UK supplier and was informed that only the silver colour is available as the black model has been discontinued. Thank you for your informative and entertaining vids, keep up the great work🙂
Some of the australians think the discontinued thing is a misunderstanding over the newer versions of the bdb with much better fittings/connectors and upgraded bits that have been added since it first came out years ago.
Hey Lance, because of you I picked up The Legendary BDB! And i was much satisfied for the past 6 months, yesterday i tried to upgrade the inner shower screen to stainless steel, but unfortunately with multiple tries, I couldn’t align it perfectly, the water coming from the sides now! I hope you have a tip for install! Thanks
I had the same problem originally, just do not overtighten the screw and also i needed another screw that had a smaller diameter head in order to fit perfeclty in the new showerscreen
I use the Lelit Elisabet very similar but cheaper and has many settings options makes good Espresso and now Breville has taken over Lelit. However, the agreement is unusual as Lelit is pretty independent and the Italian owners run the show. It will benefit both companies as they exchange knowledge and Breville has plenty of cash that will benefit research and development. I'm sure in the future they will come up with some advanced models!
I happen to have a Breville Oracle Touch which happens to have the same internals as the BDB. Its a brilliant machine, but I really hope the right to repair in the EU makes components replaceable for that unit. I had a sensor that went faulty and in should have been an easy replacement but I was unable to get the part. It was upsetting. I’m also looking forward to a second gen BDB, with further implementations and improvements that Lance has discussed.
I was on the lookout for one of these a while ago (Australia), but could not find one brand new standalone for the life of me. Seems to only come with the Breville Smart Grinder, which is a bummer because I've heard there are better grinders from other brands.
Got my one of these on Facebook marketplace with the sage grinder for £400. Sold the grinder for £100. Won’t find a better machine punches way above its weight. Sold my sage barista express for the same price second hand
I remember about 6 month ago i grabbed on for 200$ that was leaking ... after fixing it i pulled a shot and steam milk and it was soooo nice , i couldnt believe it from a breville machine ... i sold it , but still if i can grab one in the right price/condition i would
I'm going to try to replace my barista Express with a cafelat robot. Maintenance of the machine and inconvenient heat management are annoyances. The robot only has a couple of seals and requires zero preheating for dark and medium roasts.
Question for Lance: Why all the exact temperature measurements on the shot, and you then just "feel" the temperature of the milk?! Surely a thermometer is better to use for milk rather than 'to touch'? Everyone's fingertips are different and react to heat differently!
Because milk has no extraction dynamics. And I've steamed milk tens of thousands of times over the decade. I can hit within 2degrees Celsius my desired temp every time. Have been tested by many lol
This video could not have come at a better time in my life. I’ve been looking at getting the BDB but was concerned with it possibly being discontinued and the parts being specific to breville. Now I just wish they would restock the black sesame color lol
@@Solidsnake0208 Honestly...I would prefer the BDB...Ya build is a bit lacking, but the usability is just so much better. Auto startup based on an actual clock and not a time delay in hours. Volumetric dosing (which if you dial for the bag, is surprisingly accurate), the MASSIVE drip tray. By no means is the silvia pro a bad machine. But the BDB does have a unique place where if you don't want to be "weird coffee guy" and just want a coffee before starting work, it can do that with zero fuss. and if you do want to nerd out. you can pseudo-flow profile your shots. the BDBs have their hot water via the coffee boiler. so you can actually do the GCP trick of opening the hot water tap slightly to decline pressure as the shot progresses. and you can always slayer mod it if you want more control.
@@depress0coffee 100% works. but for the original claim of "pro x is better in every way", needing to buy a seperate smart plug just to get a sensible auto start seems to contradict that claim.
Let me just start by saying I love your videos, learnt most of what I know about espresso extraction theory and latte art from yourself, so massive thanks for all your help and everything you do for the coffee community. One small criticism, I find some of your recent videos a bit hard going. Information overload and a bit difficult to follow because the info just comes thick and fast, without much pause for reflection or examples of what’s being described. I never used to find that with your older videos. Anyhooo…. You probs won’t get a chance to even read this! Cheers brudda!
Interesting! I feel I've always been pretty intense with presentations going back to my turbo shot video two years ago. Criticism noted and appreciated!
Lance, many thanks for this video. I purchased mine originally four years ago, after watching one of your videos. I then recommended it another four times to friends and family I was a little shocked at the comment, regarding not to descale. I de Scale mine every eight weeks - what are your concerns with this? My steam pump does not work anymore - do you think it has something to do with the descaling? I’ve cleaned the steam nozzle, just incase you recommend to clean this Many thanks for reading my comment
Sage Dual Boiler + Baratza 270... that's EXACTLY my current setup😂 both bought second hand because it's easier on the environment...and on my wallet 😉 I would say that the Baratza 270 deserves a bit more love (although it's noisy and I experienced the grind size shifting over time)
Hi Lance, great video as ever. Entertaining and informative. Thank you. At the start you mentioned that there are now more competitors at or near this price point - it would be great to get your take on what you believe are credible competitors and how they compare. I have possibly one of those - The Lelit Elizabeth. regards, Mark
Hey Lance excited to watch the video. I have an old 15 year old Expobar Office Leva after dozens of home repairs I think I’m finally going to take the chance to upgrade. It’s been great but it’s time for a Dual Boiler. So with that said I’m looking at ECM Synkronika. Do you have any experience with them? Is ECM a great brand to support. I saw your Mechanica Heat Exchanger video and liked the look, and my experience with E61 seems like a great reason to stick with it. Any thoughts?
It’s complicated because most people talking about it here are the sole US distributor for them. Although I’ve very much enjoyed Whole Latte Loves video it’s such a large purchase.
Had mine for 10 years and going strong still.
I’ve had to replace and fix a few things but I’m incredibly happy with my machine.
Great that I could hear your experience :)
I went through 2. They replaced it, repaired it, then refunded me. Worked great while we had it!
Bought a 2nd hand rocket after that
I have worked as a barista for Lavazza in a private event, and have used a Dual Boiler to steam milk and pull espresso(along some Barista Max heat exchangers, but they were used for espresso only) for three days straight, from 9 am to 8 pm, that machine is a BEAST
I’m excited for whatever product Lance is consulting on with Breville/Sage. I feel like Lance knows what the nerds want, and if Breville starts making what the nerds want…what could be better than that? Also, just good for him. That companies are recognizing his value
I’m hoping it’s a Lance x Breville Lineup. That last one off they did for the dual boiler together was STELLAR!
Please release it soon!
Lelit is owned by breville…
@o.c5362 Really? No way. Does Lelit lean toward Breville in quality or does Breville lean towards Lelit? You know what I mean?
@@kg-Whatthehelliseventhat Lelit has more commercial-grade parts and is superior than breville. And they also stated that quality will remain the same. Matter of time.
My BDB is over 5 years old. No repairs and it’s my daily driver. It rocks. Manual pre- infusion to one Bar, then full 9 bars until my grams out target is reached. Foolproof steam wand, although the valve is starting to cause some drips from the wand in the off position. I have never modded it. Thanks, Lance!
Pete Russell has a video showing you how to open up the steam wand assembly to flip over the seal in the ball valve. That’s your leak; very common in older BDBs. I flip that seal over once a year and it’s good forever - it just slowly deforms.
@@mikkoutevsky3902 thanks for the reply! Can’t find his channel, what is it called?
@@mikkoutevsky3902 hah just found it, thanks.
I just bought a BDB about two months ago based largely on you & Daddy Hoff's earlier recommendations. I appreciate the confirmation that I did the right thing. :) Loving it!
I have seen all your videos using this machine and I am really impressed. When finances allow, I will certainly purchase the same. I have no issues with Breville quality, as I am still using the Barista Express from 2013 without a single fault in these 10 years (in fact, none of my several Breville appliances ever failed, all purchased in the same year). Keep up the great work! I can't wait for the next video.
I have one of these, and in Australia there is nothing even remotely close at this pricepoint. I bought mine brand new at $780, and at this pricepoint it's simply a no brainer. Fantastic machine.
here in the US its still works its way to about 1750+ with shipping and tax. not that cheap over here.
Where did you buy from?
What online stores do you recommend to buy it from?
999 dollars at JB hi fi atm
I got mine with grinder for 120aud used. That's probably 70usd. But I got a san remo 2 group 12ltr boiler for 200 that I'd say is a proper beast.
Breville should bring out a Dual Boiler Pro version that adds flow regulation and maybe a rotary pump
Flow can be adjusted by turning on the hot water switch at the time of making coffee!
Have had mine for about 9 years now, and I have to say, you should be comfortable with basic DIY repair if you buy this. I've had to do the solenoid valve repair, which is a really simple repair. Also, I just descaled, and everyone knows about all the problems that could go wrong with descaling. I had to re-open the machine to detach the red wire lead to get it to work again. I've also replaced a few o-rings, although it wasn't necessary. The machine is great and super good value, but you really should be comfortable with manually fixing things.
Your original video plus the fact that you used this machine to explain latte art convinced me to buy it. I've had it for one year and a half and I don't regret it a bit. (And I don't even tried the slayer modification).
There are not many dual boiler machines have aesthetics like this. Great to know this is not discontinued and hopefully would come out to explain the descale problems in other machines.
I find the aesthetic to be lacking. It could be smaller first off, there is a lot of empty space in there I assume for the oracle touch components as I believe it uses the same housing cuz, cost.
ive had a dual boiler and niche, partially due to your other video, since Jan, and Iove it! It hits the mix of great quality and nice consumer features to make it just good to use.. And the quick heatup time is amazing
You have an awesome set up.
Have you seen the Jleverespresso? Maybe you could check out the videos and let me know. Thank you in advance for your kind reply. 😊😊
Ive had my BDB (which I bought minty second hand) in May of 21... ive had to do a solenoid, stream probes and some seals. I got it for 900 bucks. I still love this machine. The consistency, the stability, the ease of use... i have slayer moded it but wonder if a dimmer is a better idea... this will be my workhorse until Breville releases your edition or I can afford a decent.
I'm getting something else because I can't phathom having to replace those damn seals yearly. The ones on the probes are a nightmare
I have a black dual boiler, I think Ive had mine for 3 years I purchased it broken and repaired it. Duno how old it is, but I bet its getting along. Works perfectly everyday, multiple times a day. My steam want only just started leaking, so I'll have to fix that soon but no bigge :)
Had one for 5 years. Every few months I have to replace o rings on the steam boiler, once had to replace steam ball valve, and once or twice the solenoid 3 way. I love it but I only recommend if you are a little handy.
Great, great video, always a joy to watch, and as always, you have managed to leave me craving for this machine! It already worked with the Baratza Vario, I bought one and I love it! I watched your previous video on the BDB, and later binge read the home barista forum, then watched just about every video on this machine. And it is all on you.
Now I have 2 special orders for you! First you need to figure out a way to mix opera and beat box! Second, you need to find me one of those second hand in good condition and ship it over the pond to me! Of course I'll wire you the money, no need for such an expensive gift!
Jokes aside, love your videos! Thanks for taking the time to do this!
Wasn't aware that this machine will improve my singing too :). Great voice. I have a Delonghi EC685 which I have to say with beans and non-pressurised basket makes great coffee, plus is a doddle to maintain, but I feel the need for a Dual Boiler!
You glossed over some of the maintenance issues with the BDB, but it really is a concern for many of us. In fact, most coffee repair shops won't even touch them (there is only one location in Seattle that works on these machines). Anyways, I have a Meticulous on order, which has a fraction of the working parts to (hopefully) minimize maintenance costs - so looking forward to selling my BDB real soon.
Yeah the o-rings are a problem and the steam valve. I now can repair almost anything in this machine now, but it took me 2 1/2 month of repairing to get mine up and running.
@@TheMusicDrawer well, I almost made it 4 months before another o-ring went. Sadly, this time I accidentally dropped the pin-clip into the machine trying to replace the o-ring so now I'm screwed. I have no idea what this part is or how to get a new one. Any thoughts?
Home espresso repair up on phinney?
@@SyphriXI’ve contacted them before and they don’t touch Brevilles. There’s a guy down in Gig Harbor who will repair them and he’s quite affordable.
@@CaptLatteTake the tank out, turn the machine upside down, and shake it. Your U Clip should fall out.
Man I bought the breville BES 920 because of your review and it is a fantastic machine and with your other superb videos I am slowly learning how to make some great coffee no more coffee shops for me! 😊
Picked mine up for ~$750 Australian dollars. The other machines around the price point were either decent single boilers, with no temp control or straight up garbage machines. When I saw this for the price it was at I had to call the store to check they weren’t missing the extra thousand dollars from the price 😛
Needless to say I started reading my credit card details out before the guy finished explaining that it was the correct price.
Easily my favourite purchase in the way of coffee paraphernalia, if not my favourite all round purchase. 10/10 will continue to recommend this machine whenever someone asks about getting a new one, top bloody notch!!!
Where did you get it from?
Makes me love my sunbeam dual boiler even more. Complete under-dog, punches way above its weight for half the money, has preinfusion, warms up even faster than the breville and looks higher quality (imo).
Only found it looking for a BDB, so no hate, but the sunbeam deserves a LOT more love than it gets.
Are we sure the dual boiler isn't discontinued? It's out of stock most places, including their own website. Has been for months. I was hoping to upgrade to the dual boiler, but now I want to wait to see what happens. And, come on, Breville, let's get this next one out to market!!
Black version of (Sage) BDB has been discontinued according to their online chat service. Also advised no replacement dual boiler is planned to replace it.
Oh thank you, not discontinued! Hoping to buy one for it's good quality/price value for someone who doesn't want to go full scientist with a 5k machine. I had the infuser and had so much fun with it.
I can’t wait for this new machine that you have been consulting on, I know it’s gonna have flow control
If they make a new revision, some upgrades I'd love to see:
- 58.5mm tamper standard
- Insulated steam wand and remove the rubber handle
- Water tank with less nooks and crannies to make it easier to scrub clean
- Rotary pump to reduce noise
- Modular portafilter to go from naked to spouted (this type of innovation should be up Breville's alley)
If they wanted to go next level they could have flow control and a Bluetooth scale built in.
And a real tamper for that price, not that plastic one.
Those upgrades would make the price goes up in the sky, wouldn't it? ☕
buy yourself a pesado hybrid portafilter, basket and tamper.
Thanks mate for this video. Really love your way of explaining things. Interesting enough, I was hunting for this machine since April/May, because I missed a big sale of this machine during that time (by the way I am from Australia and when the machine was on sale, post Covid, it dropped to around AUD 900 up or down, insane value I know) but it seems out of stock everywhere with major retailers recently. I asked many staff at the shop and the answer I was given is either‘I don’t know’ or ‘it is discontinued’, but lately I saw the Dynamic Duo (same BES920 with a grinder) is back on the shelf. But hearing you say it is not discontinued, I will keep looking for it. Or maybe it is discontinued in some regions. Anyway, I am excited about the project you are working on the Breville! Also I wanna ask a question if the Oracle Touch worth the shoot, pun intended, because of my not-really-into-the-coffees-world girlfriend 😅
Mine got me through pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne. Eventually learned to make coffee as good as my local cafes. Had to get seals replaced once around the 2 year mark.
Frankly i can't afford more than A$1k for a machine so thank God this exists, because any other machine that gives this much control costs thousands in Aus.
Will replace with another Breville if it dies, but would love it to be a little more compact if possible.
As your testing showed, the temp can actually build up especially if you do long pre-infusions. That's one of the causes for people to have blown temp probes or leaking fittings on the BDB. Purging the group head after pulling a shot is good practice to prevent overheating as well as keep the temps consistent. Well, people should do that (purging) anyway to clean up the shower screen. That's the first thing I advice people who ask me stuff when they get a BDB.
I love mine, which I found used after your 1st video, and slayer modded it! ... 2 questions : 1) About the PP, I had to change my solenoid valve (typical and pretty easy) but while prepping I read online "Applying an incorrect voltage to the coil will cause it to fail and may cause the coil to burn out." and wondered if always using it at low PP for the whole shot, or long shots, or whatever, could create problems? ..... 2) even with slayer mod, I find I often don't get a lot of control on the flow. I open it a little for pre-infusion, then even if I open it full, there's not a lot of range for me to ramp up the pressure (it stays the same pretty much wherever I open it too ..) ...not grinding fine enough maybe? THANK YOU SO MUCH, for your channel, for everything you do, and for singing those deliciously long notes! ;)
Growing up in a household of immigrants we would regularly laugh at mixing/blending idioms. Which is why I especially loved “punching above it’s belt” - welcome to the family @lance 😂❤
Had a chuckle at this too but he righted himself on the third try
Appreciate the fan service with Hugo, the singing, the texture test...
There's a reason that still to this day at least one person shouts BDB on every single buying advice / upgraditus thread. I think plenty of home baristas (myself included) will always have a soft spot for breville with them being the gateway drug into this rabbit hole of a hobby.
That was impressive!! Great pipes!
And the machine and the coffee and all that as great aswell... xD
Come for the review, stay for that wonderful VIBRATO! Thanks for affirming my commitment to this machine Lance.
Thanks for making this Lance. My knowledge of the home market is not as strong, but it’s so nice knowing you always have excellent content I know is trustworthy.
love my BDB. and not to forget that milk video by you, it taught me a lot!!! thank you Lance for your contents!
The end of the video this guy is a legend 😂
Thank you so much, I am learning a lot from your videos. I am a beginner, looking into the dual boiler machines.
Can’t wait for Breville to make what I have to believe is a soon to be made successor to this unit. Still rocking the Breville Duo Temp.
Hey Lance, have you seen the paint flaking off the group head under the shower screen? Happens on old and new machines. Not sure how toxic that material is??
In Australia, this machine is around $1000aud and it’s pretty hard to beat at that price point.
Sure, it’s a consumable item, but you can easily find one with a 5 year (extended) warranty for sub $1200aud. Which is a pretty good value proposition if you can live with the throw away nature of it.
With the feature set at that price point, it’s really hard to go past if you’re shopping in the sub $2000 market
I see them go for craaaazy low priced on the used market in Australia too
@@doc8125
Oh, yeah, you can pick one up for a couple hundred dollars with less than 500 shots on it
In Australia I actually see no reason to get any other machine.
That price is absolutely absurd.
@@marcusannegarn8497
It’s actually a bit of a problem as it’s absurdly reducer price point has devalued it. A lot of people see what it costs and what it offers compared to higher prices prosumer machines and automatically assuming it’s extremely low quality (how else could you offer so much for so little…)
I had the original v1 of this machine and got 7 years out of it before giving it away. More recent versions have fixed a lot of the issues of those early machines.
If it’s anything like that custom machine breville made for Lance with rotary pump and flow control, that’ll be sick!!
I managed to get one early Covid days (figuring I'd be locked up at home for a while, good call :/) for 1100$ CAD on amazon.... what a great buy! I'll admit having issues with the O-rings and more specifically the temp probe in the steam boiler but it's manageable (albeit a bit disappointing 3 years in). The online community and certainly Lance's enthusiasm made me go for this one versus other options. In fact, even today, now that it's twice as expensive (!) there seems to be little to no competition.
I run the Breville Pro… looks like a nice machine.
Amazing...The Brazilian coffee made you sing like an Italian...must be a fantastic espresso machine...
Respect your balanced views Lance. Thanks for this!
I got one of these for $400aud second hand from a guy who repairs them. Love it so much
I wouldn't be mad if you released a video on pre-infusion
Can you please do a temperature test with the Breville Barista Touch? I have it and feel like it has major temperature issues. Saw a lot of people having the same issue as well. The temperature settings seem to be very inaccurate as well
I agree. I sold mine and upgrade to the Breville Dual Boiler and haven’t looked back.
It's awesome while working,but much more difficult to repair when its needed and descaling is iffy..I've been through 3 steam valves and 2 thermostats in 5 yrs..
Thanks Lance, I love my Breville Dual Boiler. 😊
Great content. Thank you. Where can I buy the Breville Dual Boiler online? Their website says there is no available product.
This is just Coffee Porn to me considering I can't even afford a Flair Pro 2. So I live my espresso experience through watching Lance.
Hi Lance, Between you, that dirty scumbag latte queen ❤ Emilee Bryant, and the great Daddy Hoff, the BDB was my first - and only so far - espresso machine purchase about 18 months ago. Second-hand, but only a few months old. I'm in Australia, which means I got an even bigger bargain! (Usually retails here for about AU$1200 but on special for about AU$1000. I scored mine in mint condition for considerably cheaper).
Rather than opening up the unit for modifications, however, and thereby voiding the extended warranty, I've been running the pre-infusion at a lower pressure percentage but have also extended the pre-infusion auto runtime. Pressure ramps slowly, and I've tweaked it to hit around 8 bar and naturally decline from there. Delicious espresso straight or as a base.
Sure, I'd love a pro machine as fancy-looking and supreme as a La Marzocco and the like, but I'm getting great coffee from a manually versatile, second-hand kitchen appliance that I'm told should last well beyond the warranty years. More money for really good beans! Cheers, Lance!
☕️☺️👍
the texture test though 🥰
parts readily available would be so great. i’ve been repairing mine with lots of help from home barista forums, but it’s a pain.
same. i finally had to replace that side fitting o-ring on the steam boiler. not sure i'll push my luck and try that again.
Hey, I'm the guy that posted that Reddit post and got that email about the machine being discontinued! (Max Stoiber)
The email was not fake, one of Breville's representatives did reply to me that it's discontinued. However, after (I'm guessing) you pinged them, they did send a followup email correcting themselves and I posted that as a followup thread on Reddit too.
I'm glad that the BDB is not discontinued - I eventually decided to just get a Decent after I couldn't find one in stock for months and am very happy I did.
Nice! Yeah- I wasn't sure who posted it. I didn't look at poster. I just had seen a screenshot being passed around and asked the head of coffee there. They were confounded haha!
Thanks for commenting! Enjoy your decent!
I got a great laugh "~ How Breville does, does not affect what I'm doing"! LOL, LOL!!!
it's true. People like to speculate otherwise. I've lost out on tons of potential money by refusing any type of incentive if sales do well. lol
@Lance, I'm looking to get a Breville Dual Boiler as my next upgrade and doing the Slayer mod. Would it be worth waiting on future offerings?
What an increcible useful and info-rich video! Thanks for making this one. I own a BES900 dual boiler. Love it, but it leaks steam inside. Gotta fix that soon.
I figured. It's a good product and it needed a refresh. Was just thinking about this last week.
Hey Lance, I bought a BDB 900 and contacted breville for repairs and was told than it was discontinued. Maybe the individual was referring to the 900 and not the "upgraded" 920 which has a drainage valve for the boilers. Been working to repair my second hand BDB for about 4 months now, wish me luck!
The BES900xl has been long discontinued. I dont' think that was the reference of the post.
I got one based off your suggest but had to sell it due to acid reflux problems. I got a used bambino to fill that gap on days im feeling bad. I like how the right to repair law is coming through, i noticed a site in EU already selling parts for the bambino.
I have had my BDB for going on 3yrs. I learned how to dial shots in with my BDB and it makes great espresso. I am not looking forward to replacing parts that fail as the years roll on, but I have kept our 10yo LG washer and dryer running by replacing the occasional small bit here or there.
Many of the well thought out features like front loading water (my espresso machine has to sit under a cabinet) and auto on have become mandatory through my experience, so if I ever did need a new espresso machine, it likely would just be another BDB.
buy some cheap #7 and #10 o-rings, change them out every 2 years, mine's at 8th
@@pinkysweets I just did this. I had three leaks on the steam probes. Fixed it perfectly, thanks.
glad i found your channel! really great content :)
Wish we knew what that secret project was, I've been looking at finally buying a BDB, but I'd hate to purchase one and have a better version come out. Also the black version seems to be perma oos. Rip.
Breville Express Impress deep dive next? 🤗 unsure of how to dial in outside of grind size. Thank you for all these videos 🤍🥳
Thanks Lance,great machine too
Really wish for a little comparison to more affordable options like Barista Express/Pro, whether Dual Boiler is really worth it or can you do fine with Barista Pro at home but otherwise great video!
Lance you're hilarious! The singing was so funny 😆 I want more!
Bit late to the party (apologies) but I wonder if the rumours related to the Dual boiler in black truffle model. I was just about to place an order for one of these for myself from a UK supplier and was informed that only the silver colour is available as the black model has been discontinued. Thank you for your informative and entertaining vids, keep up the great work🙂
When Lance closes his eyes, we know what’s coming 😂 - shoutout Hugo!!
Some of the australians think the discontinued thing is a misunderstanding over the newer versions of the bdb with much better fittings/connectors and upgraded bits that have been added since it first came out years ago.
Hey Lance, because of you I picked up The Legendary BDB! And i was much satisfied for the past 6 months, yesterday i tried to upgrade the inner shower screen to stainless steel, but unfortunately with multiple tries, I couldn’t align it perfectly, the water coming from the sides now!
I hope you have a tip for install!
Thanks
I had the same problem originally, just do not overtighten the screw and also i needed another screw that had a smaller diameter head in order to fit perfeclty in the new showerscreen
It's what I've wanted for a couple years now, one day I will afford it 😌 although I'm very curious about what you're working on with them 👀
Just picked a second hand one up in Australia. This machine is incredible!
Links to the BDB community? I just bought mine coming from a Barista Pro and I want to master this one.
Thanks and great videos bro.
I also think it looks gorgeous in red or black [I have black]. And it's not insanely heavy like all e61 machines.
That's reassuring, I ordered a Sage DB last week!
Halfway and a quarter club member reporting for duty!
Mine is working with zero issues. I hope you got a commission off me because I bought it cause of your previous video
With the reversible slayer mod, the shot was unbeatable. ♥️♥️♥️
I use the Lelit Elisabet very similar but cheaper and has many settings options makes good Espresso and now Breville has taken over Lelit. However, the agreement is unusual as Lelit is pretty independent and the Italian owners run the show. It will benefit both companies as they exchange knowledge and Breville has plenty of cash that will benefit research and development. I'm sure in the future they will come up with some advanced models!
I happen to have a Breville Oracle Touch which happens to have the same internals as the BDB. Its a brilliant machine, but I really hope the right to repair in the EU makes components replaceable for that unit. I had a sensor that went faulty and in should have been an easy replacement but I was unable to get the part. It was upsetting.
I’m also looking forward to a second gen BDB, with further implementations and improvements that Lance has discussed.
Yay Australia!!
I was on the lookout for one of these a while ago (Australia), but could not find one brand new standalone for the life of me. Seems to only come with the Breville Smart Grinder, which is a bummer because I've heard there are better grinders from other brands.
Same as New Zealand.
😮my f bought a standalone on July this year at DJ. U may look at the end of this year around Christmas. The retailer may have a sale
Got my one of these on Facebook marketplace with the sage grinder for £400. Sold the grinder for £100. Won’t find a better machine punches way above its weight. Sold my sage barista express for the same price second hand
I remember about 6 month ago i grabbed on for 200$ that was leaking ... after fixing it i pulled a shot and steam milk and it was soooo nice , i couldnt believe it from a breville machine ... i sold it , but still if i can grab one in the right price/condition i would
I'm going to try to replace my barista Express with a cafelat robot. Maintenance of the machine and inconvenient heat management are annoyances. The robot only has a couple of seals and requires zero preheating for dark and medium roasts.
Question for Lance: Why all the exact temperature measurements on the shot, and you then just "feel" the temperature of the milk?! Surely a thermometer is better to use for milk rather than 'to touch'? Everyone's fingertips are different and react to heat differently!
Because milk has no extraction dynamics. And I've steamed milk tens of thousands of times over the decade. I can hit within 2degrees Celsius my desired temp every time. Have been tested by many lol
@LanceHedrick cheers for the comprehensive answer, Lance! Keep up the great work! 👍
This video could not have come at a better time in my life. I’ve been looking at getting the BDB but was concerned with it possibly being discontinued and the parts being specific to breville. Now I just wish they would restock the black sesame color lol
Get the Rancilio Silvia Pro X, better in literally EVERY way
@@Solidsnake0208 Honestly...I would prefer the BDB...Ya build is a bit lacking, but the usability is just so much better. Auto startup based on an actual clock and not a time delay in hours. Volumetric dosing (which if you dial for the bag, is surprisingly accurate), the MASSIVE drip tray.
By no means is the silvia pro a bad machine. But the BDB does have a unique place where if you don't want to be "weird coffee guy" and just want a coffee before starting work, it can do that with zero fuss.
and if you do want to nerd out. you can pseudo-flow profile your shots. the BDBs have their hot water via the coffee boiler. so you can actually do the GCP trick of opening the hot water tap slightly to decline pressure as the shot progresses. and you can always slayer mod it if you want more control.
@@skifree0 Or you just buy a wallplug that has digital control and you make it autostart that way.
@@depress0coffee 100% works. but for the original claim of "pro x is better in every way", needing to buy a seperate smart plug just to get a sensible auto start seems to contradict that claim.
@@skifree0could you explain to me what volumetric dosing means in terms of an espresso machine?
Let me just start by saying I love your videos, learnt most of what I know about espresso extraction theory and latte art from yourself, so massive thanks for all your help and everything you do for the coffee community. One small criticism, I find some of your recent videos a bit hard going. Information overload and a bit difficult to follow because the info just comes thick and fast, without much pause for reflection or examples of what’s being described. I never used to find that with your older videos.
Anyhooo…. You probs won’t get a chance to even read this! Cheers brudda!
Interesting! I feel I've always been pretty intense with presentations going back to my turbo shot video two years ago. Criticism noted and appreciated!
@@LanceHedrick appreciate you man! 🙏
Lance, many thanks for this video. I purchased mine originally four years ago, after watching one of your videos. I
then recommended it another four times to friends and family
I was a little shocked at the comment, regarding not to descale. I de Scale mine every eight weeks - what are your concerns with this?
My steam pump does not work anymore - do you think it has something to do with the descaling? I’ve cleaned the steam nozzle, just incase you recommend to clean this
Many thanks for reading my comment
Lance, when you do a long preinfusion like you suggested in this video of preinfusion till 5g…do you still shoot for under 30 seconds?
Sage Dual Boiler + Baratza 270... that's EXACTLY my current setup😂 both bought second hand because it's easier on the environment...and on my wallet 😉
I would say that the Baratza 270 deserves a bit more love (although it's noisy and I experienced the grind size shifting over time)
Hi Lance, great video as ever. Entertaining and informative. Thank you. At the start you mentioned that there are now more competitors at or near this price point - it would be great to get your take on what you believe are credible competitors and how they compare. I have possibly one of those - The Lelit Elizabeth. regards, Mark
Hey Lance excited to watch the video. I have an old 15 year old Expobar Office Leva after dozens of home repairs I think I’m finally going to take the chance to upgrade. It’s been great but it’s time for a Dual Boiler. So with that said I’m looking at ECM Synkronika. Do you have any experience with them? Is ECM a great brand to support. I saw your Mechanica Heat Exchanger video and liked the look, and my experience with E61 seems like a great reason to stick with it. Any thoughts?
It’s complicated because most people talking about it here are the sole US distributor for them. Although I’ve very much enjoyed Whole Latte Loves video it’s such a large purchase.
Lance low key pointing with the middle finger. Nice.
I love it, the only thing really bothers me is the non insulated steam wand, i burned my fingers a few times already on it..