Shadowing Practice: How to use the Breville Barista Express like a coffee nerd - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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This is the Breville Barista Express, and we're going to talk about how to make the best possible coffee with it.
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This is the Breville Barista Express, and we're going to talk about how to make the best possible coffee with it.
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The most important part is to use high-quality specialty coffee that's freshly roasted.
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But on top of that, we're going to bypass the auto-grinding and brewing features of the machine because they're a little inconsistent and instead use a scale that has a built-in timer.
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We'll use the scale first to weigh out the exact amount of coffee that we need for our recipe, which is 18 grams.
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Then we can take just that coffee and pour the beans into the grinder of the machine.
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Instead of using the auto-grind amount feature, which just turns the grinder on for a certain amount of time, we'll hold the portafilter pressed in, which keeps the grinder on manually until all of the coffee has been ground.
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So now we know the exact amount of coffee in our portafilter instead of just eyeballing it.
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The only other accessory I think you should get besides the scale is a WDT tool.
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They're super helpful for making sure that all of your coffee grounds are evenly distributed, which means your espresso will extract evenly and taste better.
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When it comes to tamping, the main thing to focus on is to have a level tamp.
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It's the same idea as As the WDT tool, we want to compact the coffee grounds evenly so that they will extract evenly.
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And an important step before we get brewing is to make sure that our machine is adequately warmed up by running some hot water through it first.
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Once we get our portafilter locked in, then we want to grab that scale and place it underneath and put our cup on top of it.
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We'll start the timer on the scale while at the same time pressing the button to start our shot.
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I'm using the double shot button, but we're going to stop it before it would stop itself automatically.
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My machine runs a 10 second pre-infusion, but when the espresso starts coming out, it should look like this.
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It should flow smoothly like honey, and we're looking to get our total weight of 36 grams out in generally a 30 to 40 second range.
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But we're watching the weight and stopping it when it gets to 36 grams.
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If your shot is going way too slow and barely dripping out like this, that means you need to grind coarser.
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And if it's gushing out way too fast like this, that means you need to grind finer.
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And if your grind size is set as fine as it can go and your shot is still pulling too fast, that means you need to do the inner burr grind size adjustment.
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It's pretty simple.
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You just remove the hopper, vacuum out any loose coffee grounds, remove the outer burr by rotating it counterclockwise, and you'll find this array of grind sizes on the collar of the outer burr.
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Just remove the metal handle part and rotate the collar to a smaller number.
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That's it.
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And once we have our espresso dialed in and brewed, we're going to want to steam some milk.
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I'm using six ounces here for a cappuccino-sized drink.
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We want to turn the knob for the steam wand and then wait until the machine is pumping out steam at full capacity.
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Then we do this maneuver.
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We turn the steam wand off, insert the milk pitcher, and turn the steam wand back on quickly so that we're starting at full steam pressure.
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I have a milk steaming technique video that you should watch.
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The only Breville-specific differences are that it takes a little bit longer to get the whirlpool going, and you need to be a little bit more careful when you're injecting air.
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When it's time to pour our latte art, we want to start by pouring from up high, and then to make the art, get the tip of the pitcher really close to the surface so that the foam sits on top.
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Latte art is really difficult to learn, so don't get discouraged.
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The main thing is whether or not the coffee tastes good.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video is an excellent resource for English learners who wish to enhance their speaking skills while engaging with a popular topic: coffee brewing. By focusing on the specific steps to use a coffee machine, learners can not only learn technical vocabulary related to coffee but also practice shadow speaking with clear and coherent instructions. This context provides a practical and enjoyable way to learn English with YouTube, as learners mimic the speaker's tone, pacing, and intonation. Speaking in this way helps to strengthen linguistic skills, boost confidence in pronunciation, and promote fluency.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Imperatives: The speaker frequently uses imperative sentences such as "weigh out the exact amount of coffee" and "turn the knob for the steam wand." Imperatives are essential for giving clear instructions, which makes them valuable for learners aiming to improve their command of English.
  • Conditional Structures: Phrases like "if your shot is going way too slow" and "if it's gushing out way too fast" introduce conditional grammar that describes cause and effect, a crucial aspect of conversational English.
  • Gerunds and Infinitives: The usage of gerunds, as seen in "pouring from up high," demonstrates how actions can be described using different verb forms. This can enhance a learner’s ability to convey ongoing actions effectively.
  • Present Continuous Tense: The speaker often discusses ongoing actions, such as "we're going to talk about" and "we're watching the weight." This helps learners grasp how to describe current processes in conversation.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking with this video, you may encounter some pronunciation challenges. For example, words like "espresso" and "tamping" can be tricky due to their unique vowel sounds. Be mindful of the distinction in sounds to avoid common mispronunciations. Additionally, the phrase "turn the steam wand off" features a challenging consonant cluster at the end of "wand" that may require extra practice to pronounce smoothly. To effectively improve English pronunciation, try repeating these phrases using the shadow speech method, allowing you to mimic the speaker’s pronunciation and intonation while reinforcing proper articulation.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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