For home baristas in the United States, few combinations are as iconic as the Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) paired with Lavazza Super Crema coffee beans.
The Breville machine offers commercial-grade features at a consumer-friendly price point, while Lavazza Super Crema is widely celebrated for its forgiving nature, rich hazelnut notes, and abundant crema production.
However, owning the gear is only half the battle. The frustration of pulling sour, watery shots or bitter, over-extracted espresso is real. The “magic” lies in dialing in the settings.
Because Lavazza Super Crema is a blend of washed Brazilian beans and Central American/Indonesian varieties (60% Arabica, 40% Robusta), it requires a specific calibration to balance its mild acidity with its creamy body.
This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step framework to dial in your Breville Barista Express specifically for Lavazza Super Crema beans. Stop wasting expensive coffee and start brewing café-quality espresso at home.
1. Quick Settings Overview (Cheat Sheet)
If you are in a rush and need a starting point, use the table below. Note that these are baseline settings. Environmental factors like humidity and the age of your beans will require micro-adjustments.
{% table %}
- Setting
- Recommended Value
- Notes
- Internal Burr Setting
- 6 (Default) or 5
- Adjust only if external dial isn’t fine enough.
- External Grind Dial
- 4 - 6
- Start at 5. Go lower (finer) if the shot is too fast.
- Dose Amount
- 18 grams
- Use a digital scale for precision.
- Extraction Time
- 25 - 30 seconds
- Timed from the first button press (including pre-infusion).
- Yield (Output)
- 36 - 40 grams
- Aim for a 1:2 to 1:2.2 ratio.
- Temperature
- Default (+0°F) or +2°F
- Lavazza Super Crema benefits from standard or slightly higher temps. {% /table %}
2. Understanding the Lavazza Super Crema Profile
Before touching the dials, it is crucial to understand why we choose these settings. Lavazza Super Crema is a medium-light roast (despite the packaging sometimes suggesting otherwise, it behaves like a medium roast in extraction). It contains Robusta beans, which are responsible for the thick, long-lasting crema.
Because of the Robusta content, this blend extracts easier and faster than a dense, light-roast single-origin Arabica. It produces a lot of gas (CO2), which creates resistance (pressure) in the basket. This means you generally don’t need to grind as aggressively fine as you might for other specialty beans.
3. The Grind Size: Finding the Sweet Spot
The Breville Barista Express utilizes a conical burr grinder. The settings range from 1 (Finest) to 16 (Coarsest).
The External Dial
For a fresh bag of Lavazza Super Crema (roasted within the last 1-3 months), start your external dial at setting 5. This is the “Goldilocks” zone for this specific bean.
- If the shot gushes out (under 20 seconds): The grind is too coarse. Move the dial to 4 or 3.
- If the shot drips slowly or chokes (over 35 seconds): The grind is too fine. Move the dial to 6 or 7.
The Internal Top Burr
Many users forget that the Breville Barista Express has an adjustable internal burr. By default, this is usually set to 6. For Lavazza Super Crema, the default internal setting of 6 is usually sufficient.
Pro Tip: Only adjust the internal burr if you are at setting “1” on the external dial and your shots are still running too fast. In that case, move the internal burr to 5 or 4.
4. Dose Amount: The 18g Standard
Consistency is the enemy of bad espresso. The “Amount” knob on the front of the Breville is timed-based and often unreliable because bean density changes as the hopper empties.
Recommendation: Ignore the timed dosing knob eventually. Instead, single dose or weigh your output.
- Target Dose: 18 grams of dry coffee grounds.
- Basket: Use the Single Wall Double Shot filter basket. Do not use the Dual Wall (Pressurized) basket unless your beans are very old (stale).
- Procedure: Weigh your portafilter. Grind coffee into it. Weigh it again. Add or remove grounds until you hit exactly 18g.
Lavazza Super Crema is a voluminous bean. 18 grams might pile up high in the 54mm portafilter. You will need to tap the portafilter on the counter halfway through grinding to settle the grounds.
5. Temperature Settings
The Breville Barista Express uses a PID temperature controller, but it is preset at the factory (approx. 200°F / 93°C). You can adjust this in 2°F increments (-4, -2, 0, +2, +4).
Lavazza Super Crema has notes of hazelnut, brown sugar, and dried fruit. To highlight the sweetness and avoid emphasizing the bitter rubbery notes characteristic of Robusta:
- Standard Default Temp: This works for 90% of users.
- High Temp (+2°F or +4°F): Try this if your espresso tastes sour or salty. The extra heat helps extract more solubles.
- Low Temp (-2°F): Use this only if you taste ash or burnt charcoal flavors.
To change temperature: With the machine off, hold the ‘Program’ button and press the Power button. The machine will beep. Press the ‘1 Cup’ button for -4, ‘2 Cup’ for -2, etc. Refer to your manual for the specific button map.
6. Tamping and Pressure
The pressure gauge on the Breville is your best feedback mechanism. You want the needle to be in the solid grey zone (roughly 12 o’clock to 1 o’clock position).
Tamping Pressure: You do not need to be a bodybuilder. You need roughly 30lbs of pressure, but consistency is more important than force. Press down until the coffee pushes back and you feel no more compression occurring. Ensure the tamp is perfectly level.
Warning: Lavazza Super Crema produces a very thick “puck” due to the Robusta content. Ensure you leave enough headspace (gap) between the top of the coffee puck and the shower screen. If you lock the portafilter in and it feels overly tight, lower your dose to 17.5g.
7. Step-by-Step Brewing Guide
Follow this exact workflow for the best results with Lavazza Super Crema:
- Warm Up: Turn on your Breville at least 20 minutes before brewing. Lock the empty portafilter into the group head so it gets hot. Run a “blank shot” (water only) through it to heat your cup and the basket.
- Dry the Basket: Wipe the portafilter basket completely dry.
- Weigh Beans: Weigh out 18g of Lavazza Super Crema beans.
- Grind: Set grind to External 5. Grind into the portafilter. Tap to settle.
- Distribute: Use a WDT tool (or a paperclip) to break up clumps. Level the bed.
- Tamp: Tamp firmly and evenly.
- The Pull:
- Place your scale under the cup on the drip tray.
- Press the “Program” button, then the “Double Shot” button to start manual mode.
- The machine will pre-infuse (low pressure). Release the button when you see the first drops (usually around 7-10 seconds).
- Press the button again to stop the flow once your scale reads 36g to 40g.
- Taste: Stir the crema into the espresso and taste.
8. Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with the best settings, things can go wrong. Here is how to fix them specifically for this bean.
Problem: The Espresso Tastes Sour / Salty
Diagnosis: Under-extraction. The water didn’t grab enough flavor from the beans.
Fix:\
- Grind Finer (Move dial from 5 to 4).\
- Increase Ratio (Let the shot run to 42g output).\
- Increase Temperature (+2°F).
Problem: The Espresso Tastes Bitter / Dry / Ashy
Diagnosis: Over-extraction. You dissolved too many tannins and harsh compounds.
Fix:\
- Grind Coarser (Move dial from 5 to 6).\
- Decrease Ratio (Stop the shot at 34g output).\
- Check if your machine needs cleaning (old oils cause bitterness).
Problem: The Pressure Gauge is Low (8-9 o’clock)
Fix: Your grind is too coarse or your dose is too low. If you are at 18g dose, change grind dial to 4 or 3.
Problem: The Pressure Gauge is Too High (Past 1 o’clock) or No Flow
Fix: Your grind is too fine. Change dial to 6 or 7.
9. FAQ
Q: My Lavazza bag doesn’t have a “Roasted On” date, only a “Best By” date. Is it fresh?
A: Lavazza typically uses a 2-year shelf life for “Best By” dates. Subtract 2 years from that date to find the roast date. For espresso, try to use beans within 6 months of roasting. If they are older, you may need to use the Dual Wall (Pressurized) basket to get good crema.
Q: Why is there so much foam/crema?
A: That is the signature of Lavazza Super Crema. The 40% Robusta content produces massive crema. It will settle. If it is too bubbly, let the beans degas for a few days after opening the bag.
Q: Can I use these settings for Lavazza Qualita Oro?
A: No. Qualita Oro is 100% Arabica and generally requires a finer grind (setting 3 or 4) and potentially a higher temperature compared to Super Crema.
10. Conclusion
Dialing in Lavazza Super Crema on the Breville Barista Express is a rewarding process. Once you lock in that grind setting around 5 and stick to an 18g dose, you will be rewarded with a rich, creamy shot that stands up beautifully to milk in lattes and cappuccinos.
Remember, coffee is an agricultural product. As your bag of beans ages over the weeks, you will naturally need to adjust your grind slightly finer (from 5 to 4) to maintain the same flow rate. Trust your taste buds over the numbers.
Ready to upgrade your home coffee setup? Ensure you have the fresh beans and the right tools.
