Calphalon Temp iQ vs Breville Barista Express

I love coffee, I drink at least two mugs a day, one at breakfast and one after the evening meal.

There are different ways to make coffee; I used to use instant coffee granules from a jar. Nowadays I use filtered coffee during the week, and at weekends, I treat myself to coffee beans which I grind and then make with a cooker top percolator. Occasionally, when out and about, I buy an espresso.

An espresso coffee machine is a home kitchen or commercial catering device that works by pushing hot, pressurized water through a measure of ground coffee in a filter to produce an extra-strong coffee called Espresso.

A few things to know about espresso machines; there are different types, they can be a piston, pump, or steam-driven, they can be automatic or semi-automatic, they come with a tamper, a kind of mini pummel for pushing the ground coffee into the filter, a razor dose trimming tool, which is a kind of blade for skimming off excess coffee from the filter after it has been tamped down, and they may come with a steam wand, which is a tube through which hot steam can be spouted to make the milk foamy or frothy.

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Calphalon Temp iQ vs Breville Barista Express Overview
Let’s now take a look at two espresso machines currently on the market, the Breville BE870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine and the Calphalon Temp IQ espresso coffee machine.

Features

Breville BE870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine: 1,600 watts, 120 volts; 2 litre capacity; Has an integrated grinder that can make raw coffee beans into espresso in one minute; Has a feature called “dose control”, which grinds the exact amount of coffee for a particular flavor; Has digital temperature control to heat water to exactly the right temperature for the best espresso; Has a steam wand that creates micro-foam milk and can also create latte art; Has a 16-grind-setting dial that enables users to grind coffee to a variety of coarse, medium, or fine particles; Is supplied with a dose trimming tool, a stainless steel portafilter, filter baskets, tamper, stainless steel milk jug, cleaning disc, water filer and holder; Only a 1 year limited warranty; Expensive.

Calphalon Temp IQ espresso coffee machine: 1,450 watts; 1.81 litre capacity; Not broiler, dishwasher or oven safe; The grind setting on this model can produce 30 different grades of coffee particles, from very coarse to very fine; Has a cup warming tray, on which users can warm their espresso cups before serving; Is supplied with a stainless steel milk jug, tamper, cleaning disc and cleaning pin; Comes with a 3-year limited warranty; Expensive, more so than the Breville, but the guarantee is 2 years longer.

Who should buy it

Either of these coffee machines is suitable for people who are the proverbial “coffee aficionados” and like to make their own espresso;

They are mainly aimed at home users, but one, or more of these machines, could be used in a small coffee shop;

What do people say on Social Media?

NOTE: the reviews are all U.S. and Canada based, these machines are 120 volts, and will need adaptors if bought outside of these countries.

Breville BE870XL Facebook – couldn’t find any reviews; YouTube – there are two informative videos, by “More George”, who is pleased with it, and “Whole Latte Love”. Amazon reviews – most of the reviews on Amazon are positive, and for some reason, they all seem to be very long – some of them are essays! Most reviewers were Canada or U.S.A. based, a couple was from Mexico, and they described it as a great machine but went to great lengths to try and advise other potential customers of any faults; it was noticeable that the reviewers all seemed to forgive any failings of this machine.

Calphalon Temp IQ Facebook – couldn’t find any reviews You tube – “The French Glow” gives a detailed review, is happy about the 2 liter water tank, but does not come with a measuring spoon. Amazon reviews – interestingly, I could only find 3 reviews for this machine on Amazon, all from the U.S.A. the first one was positive, a customer was happy with the dual boiler, the rubber seal on the bean hopper and the pressure gauge; the Second customer wrote that the machine broke down quickly and that the replacement didn’t work properly; Third customer was unhappy with the quality and wrote that the stainless steel coating was coming off and that light was coming through the silver parts of the illuminated buttons.

Last update on 2023-03-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Calphalon vs. Breville Conclusion
Both of these coffee makers are suitable for people who like to make their own espresso at home

Overall, the Breville seems to get better reviews than the Calphalon, though the Calphalon seems to have some better features, and it has a longer guarantee period.

Last update on 2023-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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