You’ve bought a beautiful new Breville espresso machine, but after using it a few times, you’ll probably notice that you’re missing a few essential Breville accessories! In this blog, we’ll show you which Breville accessories you need to get the very best out of your Breville.
Sometimes, this is actually one of the most frustrating aspects of a Breville espresso machine: the barista accessories included with the machine simply don’t add that much value. They can feel clunky to use, leave too much room for mistakes, and aren’t always the most user-friendly tools you could hope for — especially for a new home barista.
Like with any profession or hobby, the right accessories also matter when it comes to coffee. A good set of tools can improve the taste of your coffee by reducing inconsistencies, improving your workflow, and even making the process of brewing espresso more enjoyable.
So without further ado, we’ve put together a list of our top 8 Breville barista accessories and tools for your new Breville espresso machine.
Breville accessory 1: Breville coffee scale
When I first started using my Breville espresso machine, I was simply guessing when dosing my coffee. I didn’t really know which barista accessories I needed. I would grind enough coffee to fill the portafilter and scrape off the excess. Introducing a coffee scale completely changed this process for me. Here are four reasons why a barista scale or coffee scale is a Breville accessory you absolutely need:
Accuracy
When it comes to making great coffee, finding the right ratio of ground coffee to water is essential. Different beans can be more or less dense, making accurate measurements crucial for consistent results. The volume of your espresso can also vary greatly depending on freshness and roast level, making a coffee scale incredibly useful for tracking your actual brew ratio.
Consistency and repeatability
Once you’ve found the perfect coffee-to-water ratio, a scale allows you to repeat it every single time.
Less waste
Grinding coffee by eye often leads to using more coffee than necessary, resulting in waste. By weighing your coffee properly, you’ll enjoy your beans longer without wasting them.
Experimenting
A barista scale allows you to experiment with different brew ratios to find the perfect espresso shot for your taste. Some coffees taste better at a 1:2 ratio (for example 20 grams of ground coffee to 40 grams of liquid espresso), which can create a softer body and highlight subtle flavor notes, while other coffees may taste better at a 1:1 ratio. If you want more control over flavor, a scale is an essential Breville accessory.
If you’re looking for a good Breville scale that’s affordable and reliable, our barista scale with timer is a great choice. Be sure to check out the reviews from fellow home baristas.
Breville accessory 2: Breville dosing ring and Breville dosing cup
A new Breville espresso machine also introduces you to the art of grinding coffee beans. We all know the situation: you load the bean hopper, start grinding, and before you know it, you’ve built a mountain of espresso grounds in your portafilter. One wrong move and your carefully ground coffee ends up in the drip tray or all over your counter.
We developed specially designed dosing rings and dosing cups for all 51mm and 54mm Sage, Breville, and Solis espresso machines. Regular dosing rings or dosing cups usually don’t fit under the built-in grinder of your machine, and often won’t activate the grinder either. Thanks to the unique design of our Breville dosing ring and dosing cup, you can fully use your built-in grinder while reducing waste and keeping your workspace clean.
The specially designed wings fit perfectly into the built-in grinder of your Breville espresso machine. The design also includes an activation tab that starts the built-in grinder.
The dosing ring is made from strong aluminum, making it lightweight and easy to use.
Important note: make sure you choose the correct size for your portafilter! Check our size chart or contact us if you have any questions.
Breville accessory 3: Breville coffee distributor
The importance of properly distributing coffee in your portafilter is often underestimated. Coffee naturally falls unevenly into the basket, and tamping immediately without distribution can create channeling. Channeling happens when water under pressure finds weak spots in the coffee puck and flows through them. The result is weak coffee with poor flavor caused by uneven extraction.
Our advice is to always use a coffee distributor for Breville before tamping. This helps evenly distribute the coffee, creating a more consistent puck and allowing water to flow evenly through it, helping you get the most out of every shot.
Important note: make sure you choose the correct size for your Breville portafilter!
Breville accessory 4: Breville tamper
Your tamping technique is an important part of making good espresso, but it’s also a skill that takes some time and practice to master. This is especially true when using an entry-level machine. The plastic tamper included with many Breville machines leaves a lot to be desired.
When using the standard Breville tamper included with your machine, consistent tamping depends heavily on your own technique. The amount of pressure you apply and how evenly you apply it makes a huge difference. Some home baristas prefer this level of control, even if it can affect consistency. For them, we offer beautiful black, wooden, and stainless steel tampers for Breville.
If you’re looking for more consistency, we recommend a palm tamper for Breville. During tamping, the outer sleeve of the palm tamper rests on the edge of your portafilter once the desired depth is reached. You set this depth yourself. This ensures a perfectly level puck while also guaranteeing equal pressure every time.
Important note: make sure you choose the correct size for your Breville portafilter!
Breville accessory 5: Breville naked portafilter
There’s a good chance your Breville came with a double-spouted portafilter with a closed bottom.
While this type of portafilter has its advantages, such as splitting a double espresso into two shot glasses, it doesn’t allow you to fully analyze your extraction.
A bottomless portafilter, also known as a naked portafilter for Breville, is exactly what it sounds like: a portafilter with the bottom removed. The extraction itself is exactly the same as with a regular portafilter, but without the bottom, you can clearly see the extraction process underneath the basket.
Besides looking incredibly satisfying, a naked portafilter also serves as a diagnostic tool. By seeing the extraction, you can identify problems such as channeling. Fixing these issues will eventually lead to a more balanced and better-tasting espresso.
When looking for the best naked portafilter, you should also consider the handle material. A wooden handle, for example, feels premium and adds a beautiful aesthetic to your machine. Or maybe you prefer a color that better matches your Breville? Take a look at our collection!
Important note: make sure you choose the correct size for your Breville portafilter!
Breville accessory 6: Breville tamping mat
A simple but effective Breville accessory is the tamping mat. The advantage of a tamping mat is that it helps keep your workspace clean while preventing damage to your accessories.
We offer two solutions when it comes to tamping mats for Breville: a corner tamping mat and a flat tamping mat. The corner tamping mat sits on the edge of your counter and includes a holder for your portafilter, helping stabilize it while tamping for more even pressure and better consistency.
If the corner mat doesn’t fit your setup or you don’t need the holder, you can choose the flat tamping mat instead. It fits on almost any surface and offers much more flexibility in placement.
Breville accessory 7: Milk pitchers
Pouring a beautiful tulip into your morning coffee is a great addition to the home barista experience. But what makes a good milk pitcher for Breville?
The most important thing to consider is width. You want a milk pitcher that’s wide enough to create a proper whirlpool effect while steaming milk. This whirlpool breaks down larger bubbles and creates silky microfoam.
Most milk pitchers come in 350ml and 550ml sizes. The most important factor is how much milk you actually need. A pitcher that’s too empty makes proper aeration difficult, while one that’s too full can overflow during steaming. Ideally, the milk level should sit just below the base of the spout, around one-third of the pitcher’s height. We recommend owning both sizes so you can always use the right one and fine-tune your microfoam.
You’ll also want a milk pitcher made from high-quality stainless steel because it keeps the temperature more stable while steaming. This gives you more control over milk temperature and texture.
We selected a range of high-quality stainless steel milk pitchers that can take your latte art skills to the next level. For the best deal, you can also choose our milk pitcher set!
Breville accessory 8: Breville knock box or knock drawer
Once you’ve pulled a great shot of espresso from your Breville machine, you’ll need somewhere to dispose of the coffee puck. That’s exactly what a Breville knock box or knock drawer is for.
Commercial knock drawers are often designed for high-volume café use and aren’t always practical for home kitchens. That’s why we developed a mini knock drawer specifically for home use. Its compact size fits perfectly into any kitchen or coffee corner, while the rubber feet keep it stable during use.
For smaller budgets, we also offer a knock box for Breville. It’s a great affordable solution with a rubber knock bar that protects your portafilter. The rubber ring underneath also prevents it from sliding around while knocking out pucks.
And there you have it — 8 Breville barista accessories for your new espresso machine. Are we missing something from the list or do you have ideas for future blogs? Let us know! And if you have any questions or want some advice, feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to help fellow home baristas.
