Breville is one of the most reliable and reputed espresso brewing machines. One of its models is Barista Express. Barista Express could also run into some errors. One of the most common errors is Breville Barista Express low pressure. Why is it? Here is a quick answer.
The two of the most common things that could cause low pressure in a Breville Barista Express are the wrong ground size of coffee or a problem with the water pipeline. In the case of the ground size, the coffee beans would occupy much more space resulting in less pressure. The water pipeline could have a leak that could lead to low pressure.
Further in this article, you will get to have a much deeper insight into this issue and anything that could lead to this. Also, you will come to know the solutions as well. So, make sure to read till the end and take it all away.
5 Reasons Why Your Barista Express Has Low Pressure And Their Solutions
Every problem has some root to it that causes it in the first place. The low-pressure issue in the Breville Barista Express has also some root causes to this. Here I will discuss 5 most common reasons for low pressure in Breville espresso machine Barista Express;
Wrong Coffee Beans Dosage
To brew an espresso you will certainly need to put coffee beans in the portafilter. But, if the dosage of these beans in the portafilter is wrong, it could lead to low pressure.
The dosage could be either high or low, but whatsoever, you will need to use the machine’s razor tool to correctly put the coffee beans dosage. Using this will fix this issue in your machine.
Coffee Is Not Being Tamped
Tamp the Espresso Properly
Tamping a coffee is important for the water to have high pressure to make the espresso right. If you are not tamping your coffee beans or if you are decreasing the intensity of the tamping process in any way, it will lower the pressure.
You can fix this issue by tamping the coffee enough by using the tamping handle, given on the left of your Barista Express espresso machine.
Issue With The Grinder
Another one of the most common reasons for low pressure in your Barista Express is an issue with the grinder. Sometimes, the grinder could be needing some maintenance, and due to this, it could be grinding the coffee beans to the wrong size.
In this case, the grind size matters because the pressure needed to push them through the machine relates inversely to the beans’ grind size. The smaller the size, the higher will be the pressure. So, do keep that in mind while fixing the issue of low pressure.
Issue With The Water Pipe
The pressure that comes on the machine is through the water that comes in from the pipe. If the water pipe of your machine is damaged in any way, it could lead to lowered pressure. The damage could be a leak in the machine or some dirt stuck in the pipes.
To fix this issue, you will have to disassemble your machine and then resolve the damage done to the pipe because the pipe is inside the machine and can not be fixed without doing so.
Watch the Video if you want to repair your machine
Pressure Gauge Issue
If none of the above-mentioned reasons and solutions are relevant to you, then it could also mean that the issue is not really an issue with the pressure mechanism of the machine.
The problem could be with the pressure gauge itself, sometimes it could malfunction as well. Its simple solution is to replace the gauge and get a new one to observe the pressure of the machine.
How To Check Optimal Pressure On A Breville Barista Express?
Pressure On A Breville Barista Express Issue
If you are still not too sure about the pressure being generated by your Breville Barista Express and want to see it for yourself, you can easily test the pressure yourself.
The process is not complicated at all, it is an easy 3 to 4 steps scenario. The steps are as follows;
- First, you will need to obtain a rubber disk that could fit in your machine’s portafilter and that could make the compartment airtight.
- Once you have the disk, put it in the portafilter and add some warm fresh water to the compartment.
- Now, close the machine and choose the cup size you want to check the pressure for, and start the brew cycle.
- As the cycle goes on, observe the pressure gauge of the machine and note the pressure. If it is around 8 to 10 bars of pressure, then the pressure is optimal. Otherwise, there could be a problem with your machine’s pressure management system.
- In the end, with the correct pressure, the out product will be given out in about 30 seconds. No more and no less.
This is all you have to do to check whether the pressure system of your Breville Barista Express is functioning properly or not. You can even check it for more assurance by adding coffee beans to it and brewing some legit real coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is the pressure low on my Breville espresso machine?
The low pressure on your Breville espresso machine could be because of these three reasons.
Either the coffee beans are not in enough dosage for the pressure to be regulated or the water pipe of the machine is leaking or there could be a physical issue with the gauge.
In any case, you can fix these issues by tamping the coffee, regulating the water flow and voila the pressure is just right now. As for the gauge problem, you will need to get it replaced.
How do you fix the pressure on a Breville espresso machine?
Fixing the pressure on a Breville espresso machine depends on what kind of problem you are facing. If the dosage of the coffee is not optimal you will have to change it. It could be also due to the less tamping of the beans, you should tamp them in a good way to fix the pressure issue.
Lastly, you can fix this issue by adjusting your grinding settings to something more suitable for higher pressure.
Why is my Breville coffee machine making weak coffee?
There could be multiple reasons for your coffee being weak. But, the most common ones include low-pressure, cool water, or weak coffee beans.
For the first one, you will have to regulate the pressure of your machine to make good espresso. For the second and third ones, you will just have to tweak the machine settings for a bit to make them work again. You can also try to clean or descale the machine.
Coffee beans depend on their nature, they could be Robusta or Arabica, if you want stronger ones, Robusta is suggested.
Conclusion
Breville Barista Express could run into different errors over time, but the low-pressure one is the one that annoys the users the most.
Other errors will simply render the machine dysfunctional, but this error will keep the brewing ongoing and the product will be a waste of both time and resources.
So, whenever you face this error, use my guide to go through it and fix it without any trouble.
