Adjusting the Top Burr on the Breville Barista Express

Written by Pat C
Content Creator
Published on Jan 22, 2025
Pat is an espresso machine enthusiast with a passion for perfecting every shot. With years of hands-on experience testing espresso machines, coffee makers and everything in between, Pat provides detailed, no-nonsense reviews to help coffee lovers find the right fit.
Adjusting the Top Burr on the Breville Barista Express

The Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine is a fantastic way to get started with making espresso at home. One issue you might run into is a need to adjust the top burr of the grinder. There’s a couple of reasons you might need to do this, and we’re here to help if you’re unsure of how!

Why would I need to adjust the burr?

The Barista Express has a grind range that’s actually much wider than it may seem. You can actually adjust the bur for a finer or coarser grind, which moves the range that you set with the outer dial. 

 

But why would you need to do this? The main reason would be to get a coarser or finer grind. If you find that you’re at the finest setting and your espresso still brews too fast, you’ll want to adjust the burr coarser. The same is true in reverse on the coarse end with too slow of a flow rate.

 

By adjusting the burr, you’ll shift the range and hopefully be able to find the right setting for brewing.

How do I adjust the burr?

Adjusting the top burr is very simple and an intended part of operating the machine. To access the burr, start by twisting the hopper lock counterclockwise and removing the assembly. This will expose the grinder and the burr in question.

 

Next, use the wire handle to rotate the burr counterclockwise. Due to oil buildup and the design of the grinder this can require some significant force, but you should be able to do it with two fingers. You’ll notice that the red arrow that was over the “lock” label should now be over “align” label. Turn the burr all the way to the left, then pull up to remove.

 

Once the top burr is removed, you’ll need to also remove that wire handle. This can easily be done by pulling each side out of the seating hole. Now you can rotate the top ring of the burr to set the setting to your desired number, denoted by the red dot on that top piece. 

 

Once you’ve set the right setting, reinstall the wire handle, insert the burr with the arrow over that “align” release point, the turn the handle hard clockwise to re-lock the burr. Place the hopper back on the machine and lock it, then you’re good to go!

 

If you have any questions or issues with this process, be sure to check out your owner’s manual. For more thoughts on this machine and purchasing a machine with a built-in grinder, check out this video below!

 

Finally - we’d love to hear more about how you set up your Barista Express grinder in the comments!

 

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