If you are looking for an espresso machine on a decent budget, Breville Barista Express is a fantastic pick. The semi-automatic espresso machine performs similarly even better than high-budget appliances. Due to excellent brewing and hassle-free use, it is one of the top-selling espresso machines. But, a few customers are complaining about the under extraction issue.
Under extraction can happen due to many rationales. For instance, unregulated brewing duration, inaccuracy in water measurement, and choosing the wrong grind can lead to under extraction.
We will share why your Breville barista express is causing under extraction and how you can fix the problem. Let’s go through the post.
Why Does Under Extraction Happen?
Under extraction happens when you fail to pull out the required flavor of the coffee grind. In general, an espresso machine draws out the coffee flavor and essential properties from the ground by applying high pressure of hot water.
Under extraction occurs, when the pressurized water cannot take out enough essence from the ground coffee.
How is the taste of under-extracted coffee?
Since your espresso machine does not receive sufficient flavor from the coffee grind, the taste of the coffee will be weird. You will taste a sour, sharp, and salty coffee. Moreover, it will lack sweetness. In short, under extraction will ruin the taste of coffee.
What should espresso taste like?
Before you judge a cup of under-extracted coffee, you should be well familiar with the taste of perfect espresso. A cup of perfectly brewed espresso will taste well.
The bitterness of perfectly brewed espresso will not bother you at all. Besides, it will provide you with a sweet and ripe taste. If we sum up, a cup of ideally brewed espresso should balance acidity and bitterness. But, sour taste is an indication of badly brewed espresso.
Read: Breville Espresso Machines Comparison Chart
How to fix under extraction in Breville barista express
You can be disappointed by thinking that the under extraction is caused by the malfunction of your Breville Barista. But, the concern is meaningless in most cases. Your coffee can taste bad for tons of reasons.
So, you need to find why your espresso machine is under extracting. Before blaming your machine, you should apply the following techniques.
Use Fine Ground Coffee
Breville Barista Express is designed to process fine ground coffee. If you put a different ground into it, for example, coarse ground, it will not perform conventionally.
As a result, it will fail to take out the flavor and oil from the ground. Fine ground allows pressurized water to contact the ground thoroughly. Better water contact causes superior flavor extraction. So, it is needless to say that you always have to buy fine espresso ground.
Read: Breville Steam Wand Clogged – Why and How to Fix at Home
Take the Right Amount of Ground
Accompanying fine ground coffee, you have to ensure the precise amount of coffee to put into the Breville barista express. If you take too much ground, it can prevent the water from extracting. The quantity of ground coffee is inevitably crucial to get the best outcome.
Espresso experts prefer measuring the ground, not guesswork. Doing guesswork and taking too much ground can block the water flow. It is one of the common reasons for under extraction.
Check the Temperature
Making a cup of espresso is a very sensitive task. You need an accurate temperature to pull out the tasty flavor from the ground. If the temperature is too hot, it will cause a quick extraction. In contrast, the less hot temperature will cause a late extraction.
Both can ruin the taste of espresso. According to experts, a perfect espresso cup is brewed at a temperature between 190°F and 195 ° Fahrenheit. So, set the optimal temperature to avoid under extraction.
Add Adequate Water
If your Breville Barista is still under extracting even after following the above points, perhaps you need to check the amount of water. Using too much water will weaken the brewing and cause a sour taste.
On the other hand, using less water will cause a bitter taste. Hence, you should carefully add water.
Enhance Brewing Time
Sometimes, under extraction happens due to insufficient brewing. Since making espresso requires perfection in everything, you must follow the optimal brewing duration.
Beginners often make the mistake of brewing the ground less than the required duration. The duration cannot be too long or too short. If you cannot detect the accurate time, you will never get the perfect espresso even after using the best espresso ground coffee.
Therefore, you can increase the brewing time or experiment to identify the accurate time.
Keep Your Machine Clean
The cleanliness of your espresso machine is imperative for many reasons. It is crucial for enhancing the longevity of your espresso machine. Old coffee grinds block the brewer after long usage.
Even the waste prevents smooth brewing and causes under extraction. Regular cleaning removes sludge from your espresso machine and ensures a better espresso taste. So, you should descale your espresso machine at least once a month using a good descaler.
Read More: Breville Espresso Pumping No Water
Tips by Breville support
If you often experience the under extraction issue, check out the video by Breville support. In this video, Breville’s expert explains why you are facing it and how you can solve both under and over-extraction. You can also read The Breville Barista Express Instruction Book PDF.
Final Thought
After reading the entire article, you can understand why some Breville Barista Express users are facing an under extraction issue. But, the solution is possible from the user’s end in most cases.
Under extraction usually happens because of wrong ground selection, using insufficient water, and inaccurate temperature settings. Applying all the above techniques should solve your problem.
However, if these tricks don’t help, maybe it is a technical issue. Therefore, you should contact Breville customer support for professional help.
