Get started with Breville espresso.
Your first shot on a Breville machine: what to switch on, what to weigh, and when. Filtru guides the shot, and with a Bluetooth scale it measures it live.
Available for iPhone and iPad.
A quick word about Breville.
Breville is an Australian appliance maker, founded in Sydney in 1932, that has arguably done more than anyone to bring real espresso into home kitchens. Their machines are built around what Breville calls the 4 Keys formula: the right dose, precise water temperature, controlled pressure, and proper steam for milk. If you are in the UK or Europe, you will see the exact same machines sold under the Sage name; Breville is the US and Australia branding.
The lineup is unusually friendly to beginners without talking down to them. At one end sits the tiny Bambino Plus, which heats up in seconds; at the other, the 58mm Dual Boiler and the automated Oracle machines get genuinely close to cafe hardware. Most models include a built-in grinder, which removes the biggest hidden cost of getting into espresso.
What owners tend to appreciate most is that Breville machines meet you where you are. They automate the fiddly parts when you want help and hand back control as your skills grow.
Popular Breville home machines
- Bambino Plus — ThermoJet heating system, 54mm portafilter. Breville says it reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, and the compact body hides an automatic steam wand with adjustable milk temperature and texture.
- Barista Express — thermocoil with PID temperature control, 54mm portafilter. The machine that taught a generation to pull shots at home, with a built-in conical burr grinder and 16 grind settings.
- Barista Express Impress — thermocoil with PID temperature control, 54mm portafilter. Adds the Impress puck system, which doses and tamps with a consistent 22 lb press and a 7 degree finishing twist for a tidy puck.
- Barista Pro — ThermoJet heating system, 54mm portafilter. Pairs the 3 second ThermoJet heat-up with an integrated grinder, so there is very little waiting between switching on and brewing.
- Dual Boiler — dual boiler, 58mm portafilter. Two stainless steel boilers and a heated group head with PID control let you brew and steam at the same time, with a commercial-size 58mm portafilter.
- Oracle Jet — ThermoJet heating system, 58mm portafilter. Automatic grinding, dosing and tamping into a 58mm portafilter, plus guidance that flags over- or under-extracted shots.
What you need.
- Your Breville machine
- Cup or a mug
- Kitchen scale
- Coffee tamper
Any kitchen scale gets you going. A supported Bluetooth scale takes it further: Filtru reads the weight live under your cup, so dose and yield are measured as they happen, not eyeballed after.
Grind setting for espresso: extra fine.
Your first shot, step by step.
Warm-up depends heavily on which Breville you own. ThermoJet models like the Bambino Plus and Barista Pro reach extraction temperature in about 3 seconds by Breville's own numbers, while the thermocoil Barista Express and the Dual Boiler benefit from a longer warm-up so the group head and portafilter are properly hot.
- Switch on the machine Let the boiler inside heat up the water while you grind the coffee.
- Weigh out the coffee and grind it 1tbsp ~ 12g. Make sure you adjust the grinder first to get the right grind size.
- Remove the portafilter and rinse the machine A short water cycle should remove any residual grounds from before.
- Place the coffee in the portafilter Make sure the coffee is evenly distributed
- Tamp the coffee with little pressure Make sure the tamper sits evenly in the portafilter
- Attach the portafilter
- Place the scale and the cup The scale will help Filtru record the espresso shot.
- Turn on the scale, ensuring it reads `0g` Some scales will require to switch to "Grams" mode. Filtru-supported scales will need to be tare'd manually.
Before your first shot, run a blank water cycle through the empty portafilter into your cup. It rinses the group head, preheats the metal that touches your coffee, and warms the cup, which makes that first espresso noticeably better.
Dial it in with a scale in the loop.
The fastest way to better shots on your Breville is measuring them.
Pair a supported Bluetooth scale with Filtru and every shot gets recorded as it pours: live weight, real yield, shot time, and a graph you can compare against yesterday's. When the numbers are honest, dialling in stops being guesswork. Adjust one thing, pull again, and watch the extraction even out.
No scale yet? Filtru still guides the shot, times it, and keeps your log of dose, yield, and taste, so you always know what to change next.
The answer is YES
Pulling shots on a Breville? These all have the same answer:
- Can I use Filtru with my Breville machine? Yes
- Can Filtru time my espresso shots? Yes
- Can I log dose, yield, and taste for every shot? Yes
- Can I see live shot weight with a Bluetooth scale? Yes
- Will Filtru help me dial in my grinder? Yes
- Is Filtru free to download? Yes
Getting started on another machine?
Espresso basics · De'Longhi · Gaggia · La Marzocco · Lelit · Rancilio · Sage
Breville is a trademark of its respective owner; Filtru isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it. Machine details come from public manufacturer information as of July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I'll fix it.
