Best Breville Espresso Machine: Every Model Ranked

Our picks at a glance

Best overallTest score 8.7

Breville Barista Touch Impress

Guided touchscreen, a tamping lever that checks your dose and automatic or manual milk, all heated in seconds.

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Best valueTest score 8.5

Breville Barista Pro

Three-second heat-up, 30 grind settings, a clear shot timer and a powerful four-hole steam tip.

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Best fully automaticTest score 8.8

Breville Oracle Touch

Grinds, doses and tamps into a 58 mm portafilter, then brews and steams at once from two boilers.

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Best for beginners on a budgetTest score 8.3

Breville Barista Express Impress

The classic Express layout with a lever that tamps for you and a dose meter that learns from every puck.

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Best espresso and cold drinksTest score 8.4

Breville Oracle Jet

My top-scoring Breville espresso, superb manual steam, and cold brew and cold espresso on the menu.

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My test scores at a glance

Every Breville was scored on espresso, milk drinks, ease of use and cleaning. The Oracle Touch scored highest overall, but my top pick is the Barista Touch Impress.

It does nearly everything the Oracle Touch does for a beginner, in a smaller, faster-heating machine at a far lower outlay. That balance matters more to most homes than a tenth of a point.

Every Breville, ranked by score

Our tip: Choose by how much of the process you want to do yourself, because every Breville makes good espresso.

Breville’s range explained

Breville’s names are confusing, but the range follows a simple logic. Each family adds more automation, and each "Impress" or "Touch" version adds help or a touchscreen.

The four families

What "Impress" and "Touch" mean

"Touch" models replace buttons with a touchscreen and add automatic milk texturing. You choose a temperature and foam level, and the wand stops on its own.

Heating: thermocoil, ThermoJet or dual boiler

The Barista Express family uses a thermocoil, which heats in under a minute. The Barista Pro, Touch and Oracle Jet use ThermoJet, ready in about three seconds.

The Oracle and Oracle Touch use a dual boiler✕Dual boilertwo separate boilers, one for brewing water and one for steam. You can pull a shot and steam milk at the same time, with stable temperature for both., which takes several minutes to heat. In return, you can brew and steam at the same time with very stable temperature.

The Oracle family automates grinding, dosing and tamping.

Why Breville is so popular

Breville machines sit between manual and fully automatic. You still use a portafilter✕Portafilterthe handle with a metal basket that holds ground coffee. You lock it into the machine, and hot water is pushed through the coffee inside it. and get real espresso, but the grinder, heating and milk tools make it far easier than a traditional machine.

That middle ground is growing. A 2025 national coffee survey found espresso machine ownership among coffee drinkers rose from 8% to 12% in five years, and 28% of adults had an espresso-based drink in the past day.

Our picks in depth

Best overallTest score 8.7 · Best for most homes

1. Breville Barista Touch Impress

The Barista Touch Impress is the easiest real portafilter machine I’ve used, and the Breville I’d recommend to most people. A color touchscreen walks you through grinding, tamping, brewing and milk, step by step.

You still lock in a portafilter and pull a real shot. But the tamping lever, dose feedback and automatic milk remove almost every way a beginner can go wrong.

3 secThermoJet heat-up

30Grind settings

4 inColor touchscreen

8Saved custom drinks

Guided from the first shot

The touchscreen shows each step with a short animation: grind, tamp, brew, steam. On day one, a beginner in my household made a latte we were both happy with, which took a week on the Barista Pro.

Impress tamping✕Impress Puck SystemBreville’s lever that tamps the coffee for you with consistent pressure, then tells you whether you used too much or too little coffee and adjusts the next dose. does the rest. You pull a lever, it tamps the coffee evenly, and the screen tells you if the dose was too high or low, then adjusts the next grind.

Espresso

Once settled, the shots were sweet and balanced, with caramel notes and a dense crema. Every double, with its short pre-infusion✕Pre-infusiona short soak of the coffee puck with low-pressure water before full pressure arrives. It helps water flow evenly through the coffee., tasted the same, because the dose barely changed from day to day.

The grinder is unhurried, taking around 15 seconds for a double. That’s slower than the Barista Pro, but it never clogged or jammed.

Milk, automatic or by hand

The automatic wand textures milk to the temperature and foam level you choose, then stops. My flat whites were glossy, and cappuccinos had a tall, stable cap.

You can also steam by hand when you want to practice latte art. That flexibility is why it scored 8.8 for milk.

The touchscreen walks you through each step with short animations.

Saved drinks

You can save up to eight custom drinks with your own dose, temperature and milk settings. In a two-person house, that ended the daily adjusting.

What to know before you buy

The 54 mm basket limits some accessories, and the grinder is slower than the Barista Pro. Neither changed my everyday drinks.

If you want real espresso with guidance and great milk, the Barista Touch Impress is the Breville to buy.

Pros

• Easiest real portafilter machine I’ve used
• Tamping lever with dose feedback
• Automatic or manual milk
• Heats in about three seconds

Cons

• Slow grinder
• 54 mm basket limits accessories
• Bigger outlay than the Barista Pro

Who should buy it

• Complete beginners
• Families who share the machine
• Latte and flat white drinkers

Who should skip it

• Experienced home baristas
• People who want one-touch drinks
• Tight budgets

Choose this if you want real portafilter espresso with guidance at every step. Read my full Breville Barista Touch Impress review.

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Best valueTest score 8.5 · Best for hands-on home baristas

2. Breville Barista Pro

The Barista Pro is the best-value Breville for anyone who wants to make espresso themselves. It heats up in about three seconds, has 30 grind settings and shows a shot timer on a clear LCD.

There’s no tamping help or automatic milk. That’s exactly why it’s the best Breville to learn on if you enjoy the craft.

3 secHeat-up time

30Grind settings

67 ozWater tank, about 2 liters

1,680 WThermoJet heating power

Fast and tidy

From switch-on to flat white took me under two minutes, including grinding and steaming. The grinder doses straight into the portafilter with very little mess.

The LCD shows grind time to a tenth of a second and a shot timer. Those two numbers made it easy to repeat a good shot day after day.

Espresso and milk

Dialed in, the espresso was syrupy with a thick crema, scoring 8.7. The four-hole steam tip is powerful, and with practice, it made the best hand-steamed microfoam✕Microfoammilk foam with bubbles so small you can’t see them. It feels silky, pours smoothly and blends into the espresso. of the Barista range.

Our tip: Run a blank shot through the empty portafilter before the first espresso of the day, so the group head is hot.

The four-hole steam tip makes silky milk quickly.

What to know before you buy

It doses by time, not weight, so a cheap scale helps when dialing in✕Dialing inadjusting grind size and dose until a shot runs at the right speed and tastes balanced. On a manual machine, you redo it whenever you change beans.. There’s no pressure gauge, which some learners miss.

If you want to learn espresso properly, the Barista Pro gives you the most control for the outlay.

Pros

• Three-second heat-up
• 30 finely spaced grind settings
• Powerful steam wand
• Clear LCD with shot timer

Cons

• Needs practice
• No tamping help
• No pressure gauge

Who should buy it

• Hands-on home baristas
• Latte art learners
• Anyone who values speed

Who should skip it

• Beginners who want guidance
• One-touch fans
• Busy multi-user homes

Choose this if you want to learn espresso and control every step yourself. Read my full Breville Barista Pro review.

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Best fully automaticTest score 8.8 · Best for busy households

3. Breville Oracle Touch

The Oracle Touch is the highest-scoring Breville and the most automatic. It grinds, doses and tamps into a commercial-size 58 mm portafilter, then brews and steams at the same time from two boilers.

You swipe to a drink, press start and get real espresso and silky milk with almost no mess. It’s big, heavy and a serious outlay.

2Stainless steel boilers

58 mmCommercial-size portafilter

45Grind settings

84 ozWater tank, about 2.5 liters

Automatic grinding, dosing and tamping

Lock the portafilter under the grinder, and it grinds, doses and tamps in one go. Move it to the group, press start, and the shot pulls.

My shots were rich and full-bodied, scoring 8.9. With a dual boiler and PID✕PID temperature controla digital controller that holds brewing water at a set temperature, usually within a degree or two. Stable temperature means consistent shots. control, temperature stayed rock steady, so back-to-back shots tasted identical.

Milk while you brew

The automatic steam wand textures milk to your chosen temperature and foam, at the same time as the shot. Two cappuccinos took under three minutes.

The milk scored 8.9, the best in the Breville range. It was glossy enough for basic latte art straight from the auto wand.

Two boilers let the Oracle Touch brew and steam at the same time.

What to know before you buy

It’s large and very heavy, so measure your counter and cabinets. The automatic tamp is fixed, so fine-tuning takes a little exploring in the menu.

For café drinks with almost no technique, the Oracle Touch is Breville’s best.

Pros

• Grinds, doses and tamps automatically
• Brews and steams at once
• Excellent milk from the auto wand
• 58 mm commercial-size portafilter

Cons

• Very heavy and large
• Slow heat-up from cold
• Biggest outlay in the range

Who should buy it

• Busy households
• Milk drink lovers
• Anyone who wants automation with a portafilter

Who should skip it

• Small kitchens
• Budget buyers
• Hands-on enthusiasts

Choose this if you want café drinks with real espresso and almost no technique. Read my full Breville Oracle Touch review.

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Best for beginners on a budgetTest score 8.3 · Best for budget-minded beginners

4. Breville Barista Express Impress

The Barista Express Impress keeps the classic Barista Express layout, with a grinder, pressure gauge and steam wand. Then it adds a lever that does the tamp✕Tampingpressing the ground coffee into a firm, flat puck. An even tamp makes water flow evenly, which is the key to a balanced shot. for you and a dose meter that learns from every puck.

It’s the best Breville for a beginner on a budget. The steam is gentle, though, and there’s no low-water warning.

25Grind settings on the side wheel

54 mmPortafilter size

67 ozWater tank, about 2 liters

½ lbBean hopper, about 250 g

Tamping without guesswork

After grinding, pull the lever, and it tamps the coffee with the same pressure every time. A light shows whether you used too much, too little or the right amount.

Within a few days, my doses were consistent and my shots were sweet and syrupy. It scored 8.6 for espresso, ahead of the original Express.

Steaming

The steam wand is the original Express’s, which is gentle. A cappuccino’s milk took about 40 seconds, which is slower but forgiving while you learn.

Our tip: Stop steaming when the jug is too hot to hold for more than a second, which is around 60°C.

The Impress lever tamps with the same pressure every time.

What to know before you buy

You can’t stir the grounds before tamping, and there’s no warning when the tank runs low. Keep an eye on the water level.

If you want the Express experience without the tamping struggle, the Express Impress is the smart choice.

Pros

• Assisted tamping with dose feedback
• Classic pressure gauge
• Consistent espresso
• Lower outlay than the Touch models

Cons

• Gentle, slow steam
• No low-water warning
• Can’t stir grounds before tamping

Who should buy it

• Beginners on a budget
• People who like analog gauges
• Espresso-first drinkers

Who should skip it

• Daily latte makers in a hurry
• One-touch fans
• Anyone who wants automatic milk

Choose this if you want a classic Express with help on the hardest step. Read my full Breville Barista Express Impress review.

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Best espresso and cold drinksTest score 8.4 · Best for espresso and iced coffee fans

5. Breville Oracle Jet

The Oracle Jet made the best espresso of any Breville, scoring 9.0. It grinds, distributes and tamps into a 58 mm portafilter, heats in seconds with ThermoJet, and adds cold brew and cold espresso.

Its manual steam is superb. The automatic milk made bubbly foam in my tests, though, and the dose drifts slightly.

9.0Espresso, my top Breville score

58 mmCommercial-size portafilter

45Grind settings

77 ozWater tank, about 2.3 liters

The best Breville espresso

The Jet distributes the grounds before tamping, which evens out the puck. My shots were dense and sweet, with a long-lasting crema and very little channeling.

The dose drifted by about half a gram over a week. A quick check on a scale every few days kept it on target.

Cold brew and cold espresso

Cold brew comes out smooth and mild in minutes, not hours. Cold espresso brews at a lower temperature for iced drinks, and it was noticeably less bitter over ice than hot espresso.

Milk

Manual steaming was superb, with a powerful, dry steam. The automatic setting was the weak point, giving bubbly, stiff foam unless I adjusted it.

Cold brew and cold espresso make the Jet the iced coffee Breville.

What to know before you buy

It uses a lot of water for flushing. If milk drinks matter more than espresso, the Oracle Touch is the better Oracle.

For the best Breville espresso and iced coffee, the Oracle Jet is the one.

Pros

• Best espresso of any Breville
• Cold brew and cold espresso
• Superb manual steam
• Automatic grind, distribute and tamp

Cons

• Automatic milk is bubbly
• Dose drifts slightly
• Heavy water use

Who should buy it

• Espresso lovers
• Iced coffee drinkers
• People who steam by hand

Who should skip it

• Latte drinkers who want auto milk
• Small kitchens
• Tight budgets

Choose this if you want the best Breville espresso and cold drinks. Read my full Breville Oracle Jet review.

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My test data: heat-up, learning time and capacity

These are the numbers I recorded during four weeks with each Breville. They explain most of the differences in daily use.

Time to the first drink

Heating is where Breville’s families differ most. The ThermoJet models were ready almost instantly; the dual boiler Oracle Touch needed a few minutes.

Time from switch-on to ready to brew, measured from cold.

Days for a beginner to make a great latte

A beginner in my household learned on each machine. Automation made the biggest difference here.

Milk scores

Automatic milk is now very good on the Touch and Oracle Touch. Manual wands can match them, but only with practice.

Our tip: If you mostly drink lattes, choose a Breville with automatic milk, because it scored higher than the manual wands in a beginner’s hands.

Size and weight

Oracle models are big and heavy. Measure your space before buying.

ThermoJet models are ready to brew in about three seconds.

Answer four questions, and I’ll point you to the Breville that fits how you make coffee.

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How to choose the right Breville

Every Breville makes good espresso, so the choice comes down to how much you want to do and what you drink.

Decide how much automation you want

Heating system

ThermoJet is fast and efficient, ideal if you make one or two drinks at a time. A dual boiler is better if you make several milk drinks in a row and want to brew and steam at once.

Portafilter size

The Barista models use 54 mm baskets; the Oracles use 58 mm. A 58 mm basket gives a slightly more even extraction and opens up more accessories.

Our tip: If you’ll make more than four milk drinks in a row, choose a dual boiler Oracle, because the steam never slows down.

Milk system

Automatic wands on the Touch and Oracle models are excellent for beginners. Manual wands give more control and are better for latte art once you’ve practiced.

Grinder

The Oracle Touch and Oracle Jet have 45 settings, the Pro and Touch have 30, and the Express Impress has 25. More, finer steps make light roasts easier to dial in.

Size and cabinet height

Check the height with the bean hopper fitted, because that’s what has to clear your wall cabinets. The Oracle models are noticeably taller and deeper than the Barista range.

Also leave space behind or beside the machine to lift out the water tank. Some Breville tanks lift out from the back, which is awkward under low cabinets.

Who should skip Breville altogether

If you want drinks at one touch with no grounds on the counter, a Breville isn’t for you, even an Oracle. Every model still asks you to move a portafilter and wipe a steam wand.

What each step up the range adds

This is what each step up Breville’s range added in my tests, and whether it changed the coffee.

The jump from the Express to the Touch Impress changed my drinks the most. Assisted tamping and automatic milk fix the two most common beginner mistakes.

The Oracles add automation and consistency, with a small gain in espresso. They’re worth it for busy homes, less so for one careful person.

Breville vs one-touch super-automatic machines

Many people choosing a Breville are also looking at super-automatics, which make drinks at one touch. This is how they compared in my testing.

A Breville makes better espresso and milk in the hands of someone who enjoys the process. The Oracle Touch and Touch Impress narrow the gap in effort a lot.

A super-automatic wins on speed and convenience, especially for households where nobody wants to learn. My guide to the best super-automatic espresso machines covers those.

Our tip: If nobody in your home wants to touch a portafilter, skip Breville and buy a one-touch machine instead.

Maintenance and running costs

Breville machines need a little daily care. These habits kept my test machines tasting good.

1. Purge and wipe the steam wand

   Wipe it right after steaming and purge for a second, so milk can’t dry inside.

2. Flush the group head after each shot

   Run a second of water through the empty group to clear grounds.

3. Backflush when the light comes on

   Use the cleaning disc and a tablet. It clears coffee oils from the group.

4. Change the water filter

   Breville filters slot into the tank. Replace them every two to three months.

5. Descale when prompted

   Hard water scales up thermocoils and ThermoJets. A filter slows it down a lot.

Our tip: Clean the grinder chute every week, because old grounds make fresh beans taste stale.

Beans that work best

Fresh beans matter more on a Breville than on a one-touch machine, because you’re pulling bigger, more flavorful doses. Use beans within a month of the roast date.

Store beans in an airtight, opaque container at room temperature. The fridge adds moisture and smells, and the freezer only helps for long-term storage.

Fresh beans make the biggest difference on a portafilter machine.

Common mistakes to avoid

These caught me out at least once across eight machines.

Other Breville machines I tested

These three complete the range. They’re all good machines; my picks simply do the same job better or suit more people.

For a broader look, see my guides to the best espresso machines with a built-in grinder and the best espresso machines under $500.

None of these is a bad buy. The Oracle is a great machine if you prefer real buttons to a touchscreen, and it’s often the better buy when it’s on sale.

The Barista Touch makes sense if you already know how to tamp and want automatic milk. The original Barista Express is still a fine learner machine, but the Impress version fixes its biggest weakness for a small step up.

Breville OracleRanked 3rd

The Oracle Touch with buttons and dials instead of a touchscreen. Quick once learned, heavy and slow to warm up.

Breville Barista TouchRanked 6th

Touchscreen and automatic milk, but you still dose and tamp by hand. The Touch Impress fixes that.

Breville Barista ExpressRanked 8th

The classic that started it all. Great espresso with practice, but the Express Impress is easier.