Semi-automatic and prosumer machines

How Much Should Your Breville Espresso Machine Do for You?

Published · By the Espresso Shortlist editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Breville's US lineup reads best as a ladder of help. The Bambino models need a separate grinder, the Barista Express and Barista Pro grind for you but leave tamping and milk to you, the two Impress machines help with dosing and tamping, and the Oracle Dual Boiler grinds, doses, tamps, and textures milk by itself. Prices run from $299.95 to $2,999.95 along that ladder, so the question to answer is which of those jobs you want to hand over.

The lineup by what the machine handles

List priceGrinderDose and tampMilk
Bambino$299.95NoneBy handManual steam wand
Bambino Plus$499.95NoneBy handAutomatic wand, 3 temperatures and 3 textures
Barista Express$699.9516 settingsBy handManual steam wand
Barista Express Impress$799.9525 settingsDose set from the last grind, 22 lb assisted tampManual steam wand
Barista Pro$849.9530 settingsBy handManual steam wand
Barista Touch Impress$1,499.9530 settingsDose set from the last grind, 22 lb assisted tampAuto MilQ, 104°F to 167°F, 8 texture levels
Oracle Dual Boiler$2,999.9545 settings, adjusted automaticallyGrinds, doses, and tamps each puckAuto MilQ, 115°F to 165°F, 9 texture levels

The order in the table is by price, and one row breaks the pattern. The Barista Pro costs more than the Express Impress but does less of the puck work.

Why the Barista Pro costs more than the Express Impress

The extra $50 on the Pro pays for heat-up speed and grinder range. It uses Breville's ThermoJet heater, which Breville says reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, and its Baratza burrs have 30 settings. The Express Impress keeps the Thermocoil heater with PID control that the original Barista Express uses, and spends its budget on the puck instead. It calculates the dose from your previous grind, applies a constant 22 lb when you tamp, finishes with a 7° twist, and then corrects the next dose.

Say your shots keep running fast one morning and slow the next because the dose and tamp change each time. That is the problem the Impress system is built for. If your shots are fine and the wait before the first one is what bothers you, the Pro's heater is the difference you would notice.

Where the 54 mm platform stops

The Bambino, the Barista Express, the Express Impress, and the Touch Impress all use a 54 mm portafilter. The Oracle Dual Boiler moves to a 58 mm portafilter that holds a 22 g dose, so a basket, tamper, or bottomless portafilter bought for a smaller Breville will not fit it. The Oracle is also the one model here that offers a separate Auto mode and Manual mode, and it runs on two stainless steel boilers.

Shopping for one? Shop semi-automatic machines →

Sources

  1. Breville — the Bambino®
  2. Breville — the Bambino® Plus
  3. Breville — the Barista Express®
  4. Breville — the Barista Express® Impress
  5. Breville — the Barista Pro™
  6. Breville — the Barista Touch™ Impress
  7. Breville — the Oracle® Dual Boiler

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

More semi-automatic and prosumer machines guides

Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhat Do You Get for the Extra $200 on a Bambino Plus?Mostly a steam wand that textures milk on its own. The Bambino ($299.95) and Bambino Plus ($499.95) brew the same way, with a 54 mm portafilter, an 18…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhat Does a Prosumer Espresso Machine Add, and What Does It Cost You?Makers don't use "professional" as a class of machine. The word turns up on parts, as in Breville's "Professional 58mm stainless steel portafilter."…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhat Separates One $100 to $150 Espresso Machine From Another?On a listing they look alike. A new CASABREWS CM5418 is $139.99, Gevi's compact ECMG0 is $139.99 marked down from $199.99, and Chefman's CraftBrew is…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesHow Different Are the Gaggia Classic E24, Rancilio Silvia, and Profitec GO?All three brew and steam from a single boiler, so the real split is in the controls. The Gaggia Classic E24 and the Rancilio Silvia run on switches…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhat Are You Getting With a GE Profile or Café Bellissimo Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine?Both are semi-automatic machines that grind their own beans, run a 15-bar pump, froth milk with steam, and connect to Wi-Fi through the SmartHQ app…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesHow Much of the Espresso Does Each Smeg Machine Leave to You?Three of Smeg's current US machines split the work three ways. The ECF03 is a manual machine with a 58 mm portafilter and no grinder, so you grind…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesShould Your Next Espresso Machine Be a Heat Exchanger or a Dual Boiler?A heat exchanger machine has one boiler, kept hot for steam, with the brewing water passing through a separate path inside it. A dual boiler machine…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhat Makes an Espresso Machine Commercial, and Would One Work at Home?The difference shows up first in the electrical supply. La Marzocco's two-group Linea Classic S, a café machine, lists 208 to 240 volts and a 30-amp…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesHow Does Meraki's All-in-One Machine Compare With a Fellow Series 1 and Opus 2?Fellow sells its Espresso Series 1 with an Opus 2 grinder as a kit for $1,559.90. The Meraki lists at $1,999, or $1,799 on sale, with the grinder…Read the guide →Semi-automatic and prosumer machinesWhich Specs Matter When You Compare Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines?Three lines on the spec sheet change the morning routine most: how the machine heats, whether you can set the brew temperature, and what the pressure…Read the guide →

All semi-automatic and prosumer machines guides · All guides and search