Why Is My Breville Pressure Low (And How to Quickly Fix It)?

If you landed on this page you probably wonder ‘Why is my Breville pressure low’? 

I have experienced this issue in the past with my Breville coffee machine. I wasn’t sure how to fix it and at the beginning, I was thinking that I probably need to buy a new machine. But then I found information online on how to quickly & easily fix it. Stick around, in this article, I go over the steps you need to follow to fix this issue with your Breville coffee brewer. 

Let’s get started. 

Key takeaways:

• 7 most common reasons your Breville has low pressure
• How to fix the issue with low pressure in each occasion easily

Why is my Breville pressure low? 

Probably the most common reason that the pressure is low in your Breville machine is that the grind size of your coffee beans is too coarse. This allows the water to run through easily and not enough pressure can be built up. Other reasons for low pressure are not enough coffee grounds in the gasket or the tamping hasn’t been done properly.

What happens if espresso pressure is too low?

What’s going to happen is your espresso isn’t going to taste that good. 

High pressure is a prerequisite to brew coffee full of flavours and aromas. 

The process of brewing with a coffee machine goes like this: 

1. The water is heated and sprays the coffee grounds 
2. The water moves from the tank to the coffee grounds 
3. It forces the coffee grounds to extract coffee flavours and aromas
4. Coffee starts dripping from the portafilter to your cup

If there’s not enough pressure, the chances are that your coffee is going to be somewhat watery. 

7 reasons why your Breville pressure is too low

Let’s talk about 5 common reasons why your Breville pressure is too low and what to do in each case.

1. Too coarse coffee grinds

As mentioned above this is probably the most common reason your Breville machine has too low pressure.

When using too coarse coffee grounds to brew with a Breville machine what happens is the water doesn’t find much resistance and this leads to:

• Low pressure 
• Watery coffee without much aroma and flavours

Because the water runs through too quickly this means not enough pressure is built up and as a result, the taste of coffee isn’t great. 

Like with any machine and gadget, it’s to be aware of the ideal grind size. For example, the ideal grind size for a Moka pot is medium while the one for a French press is coarse. Similarly, Breville machines have an ideal grind size. 

And it’s wise to read through the booklet of your machine to find out which one is the right one. In general, Breville recommends the 5-grind size. 

But to make sure that this is the one for your own model take a look at the booklet. 

2. Your Breville Barista Express isn’t working properly

How can you fix this issue? 

The first thing you need to check is if there’s enough pressure in your Breville machine without necessarily having put coffee beans in the basket. Start by putting the basket in the handle and press start; the pressure measure should move up to at least half of the pressure level needed for brewing. 

If this doesn’t happen, the odds are that you’re experiencing an issue with your machine. I suggest you speak with a professional to help you. If you’re on a low budget you can always speak with the customer service of Breville, so they can guide you on how to solve this issue. 

3. Not enough coffee grounds in the portafilter

It’s vital to use the right amount of coffee you need, otherwise, your Breville machine won’t have enough pressure to brew.

A great rule of thumb is to pay attention to the inside of the basket, it has a line that indicates the right level of coffee grounds you need to add. If your coffee grounds are below that, just add some more, tamp them, and make sure they are just below the silver line. 

Another tool that makes your life easier is the razor tool that comes with your Breville machine. This a simple-to-use tool that shows you exactly how many coffee beans you need to use each time.

4. Tamping isn’t done properly

When brewing with an espresso machine the coffee grounds need tamping.

Do you need to tamp the coffee grounds for every single gadget and machine you use? 

Not really. 

For example, when brewing with a Moka pot it’s not wise to tamp them cause you block the water to run through the coffee. 

But when you use an espresso machine with high pressure, it’s essential to tamp the coffee grounds. In this case, all you need to do is tamp the coffee grounds once or twice. But keep in mind to not tamp them too much cause water won’t run through them. You need to do a bit of practice to be able to tamp them enough but no more that’s needed.

5. The coffee machine isn’t clean enough

One of the most common signs that your Breville espresso machine needs cleaning is when it’s making unusual noises while brewing. 

This typically happens as your machine is clogged and it’s struggling to brew which might make your Breville espresso taste bitter.

Another common sign that gives away that your machine needs to be cleaned is when the pressure is low. 

Coffee residue and coffee oils & lipids are built up on the inside of your machine and this makes it harder for your machine to brew coffee.

Make some time and clean your machine properly to remove all this residue. The chances are your machine will hit the pressure needed for brewing again.

6. The top burr ground setting needs adjusting

Normally, the default grinding size in a Breville machine is 6.

But like I said, you need size 5 to brew and get high pressure.

All you need to do is:

• Switch off and unplug the machine
• Remove the top of the coffee container
• Turn the top grinder 1 quarter anticlockwise and you’re done

Now your grinder should grind your coffee beans at size 5.

7. The pressure gauge isn’t working

Coffee lover and and Breville owner MichaelScarn is asking:

“I have had the BBE for about 6 months now. I have experienced that when my shots come out in about 30 seconds, the “pressure gauge” is always way over the espresso area on the gauge. I recently saw this photo on a forum that shows where on the BBE gauge 9 bar actually is. I tried to dial in to this pressure while brewing, but found it impossible to get the flow slow enough when the pump kicked in. I saw somewhere else online that one trick is to hold the shot button in for the entire duration of the shot so that the pump does not kick in and send the pressure through the roof. Does anyone have experiences similar to this with the BBE? Is it simply not able to keep to 9 bars when used normally?”

– MichaelScarn

The good news is you don’t have to worry much. If it shows that the bars are 0 even though the machine is brewing properly, then most probably your pressure gauge isn’t working and it needs replacing. 

It doesn’t happen quite often with Breville machines as they are some of the best out there. But in case it happens I suggest you speak with customer service. 

Let’s summarise all the important reasons in a table:

Reason:	Solution:
1) Too coarse coffee grinds	Go for the grind size Breville recommends
2) Your Breville Barista Express isn’t working properly	Fix the pressure level
3) Not enough coffee grounds in the portafilter	Add more coffee grounds
4) Tamping isn’t done properly	Tamp your coffee grounds enough to extract coffee flavours and aromas
5) The coffee machine isn’t clean enough	Clean the inside as well as outside of the machine
6) The top burr ground setting needs adjusting	Make sure the ground setting is aligned with what Breville suggests
7) The pressure gauge isn’t working	Replace the pressure gauge with a new one

Let’s wrap it up

Still wondering ‘Why is my Breville pressure low?’ The reality is that you need high pressure no matter what the brand of your coffee machine is to brew coffee. If you have found this article helpful, share the link with your friends who also own a Breville machine to help them solve low-pressure issues quickly & easily.

FAQs about low pressure in Breville espresso machine

Let’s go over a bunch of frequently asked questions about Breville espresso low pressure to help you get a better understanding of the topic.

How do I increase the pressure in my Breville Barista Express?

To increase the pressure in your Breville Barista Express make sure your coffee machine is clean. Also use the right grind size; too coarse grinds will give your Breville coffee brewer a hard task. If the issue persists, it’s wise to contact the manufacturer and talk to them about the problem.

What happens if you tamp espresso too hard?

What happens when you tamp espresso too hard is channelling. In plain English, the water can go through the coffee grounds and more likely it creates a little hole in the coffee grounds. Why is this bad? The water doesn’t extract much of the flavours and aromas from coffee and as a result your brew won’t taste that good. 

Does tamping pressure really matter?

Tamping pressure does matter. If you brew with a Moka pot it doesn’t really matter because you don’t have to tamp the coffee grounds. If you do, you won’t manage to brew coffee with your Moka pot. When brewing with an espresso machine though it does matter. If you put too much pressure, the water won’t go through the coffee grounds and if will do, it won’t extract the flavours from the coffee grounds 

Why is my Breville pressure low after cleaning

Your Breville pressure is low after cleaning because you probably haven’t assembled your coffee machine right. Ensure that you put your machine together the right way. If the pressure is still low, I suggest you use the grind size Breville suggests for your coffee espresso brewer. You can find this information either online or in the manual booklet.

Breville barista express troubleshooting low pressure

The best way to troubleshoot low pressure Breville Express is to make sure your machine is clean and doesn’t have any coffee residue stuck on the inside. If there is coffee residue, it makes your machine work harder to brew espresso each time.

Breville Barista Express pressure gauge not moving

If the pressure gauge of Breville Barista Express isn’t working, your best bet is to replace it with a new one to know the exact pressure your Breville has. If this doesn’t work, I suggest you speak with the manufacturer.