The Caffeinated Gear Team
Searching for the perfect Breville espresso machine? You’re in good company.
As certified baristas and coffee experts, we’ve witnessed Breville’s remarkable journey to becoming the leading name in home espresso machines.
While their Barista Express revolutionised home brewing and remains incredibly popular, Breville now offers an impressive range of machines for every type of coffee enthusiast.
We’ve spent countless hours testing each model to help you determine which Breville machine truly matches your needs—or whether you should consider other brands entirely.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll share our hands-on experience with every Breville espresso machine, offering honest, detailed reviews that highlight both strengths and limitations.
If you’re familiar with our work and testing methodology, feel free to skip straight to the reviews.
For those just discovering Caffeinated Gear, you might wonder what sets our reviews apart.
Our team combines professional barista training with real-world testing experience. Since 2015, we’ve dedicated ourselves to understanding and evaluating coffee equipment, turning our passion into expertise.
We spend every day in our testing facility, examining and comparing coffee machines. This isn’t just theoretical knowledge—we pull hundreds of shots, steam countless litres of milk, and put each machine through rigorous daily use.
While we hold professional certifications including SCA barista qualifications, we started just like you—as home coffee enthusiasts. This means we understand exactly what matters to someone setting up their home espresso bar, whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced home barista.
When it comes to Breville machines specifically, our expertise runs particularly deep. We’ve tested every model they’ve released, spending years understanding their features, quirks, and capabilities. Our relationship with Breville has grown so strong that we’re regularly consulted on new features and improvements.
Breville’s extensive lineup might seem overwhelming, but there’s careful thinking behind each model. They’ve created specific machines to suit different needs, skill levels, and budgets.
We’ll examine every Breville espresso machine in their current range. By understanding who each machine is designed for, you’ll find it much easier to create your shortlist of potential options.
Breville espresso machines span from around £300 to £2,700, fitting into the mid-range segment of the home espresso market. We’ll present these machines in price order, making it simple to focus on options within your budget.
Remember: the most expensive model isn’t necessarily the best choice for you. Often, a mid-range machine might better suit your needs and brewing style.
One common misconception needs addressing: Breville doesn’t make super-automatic (bean-to-cup) machines, despite some similarities.
While several Breville models include built-in grinders like super-automatics, they remain traditional espresso machines at heart. The key difference lies in the brewing mechanism—super-automatics use automated brewing units, while Breville machines maintain the traditional portafilter system.
This distinction matters because it affects both the brewing process and the final result. Traditional machines offer more control and potential for exceptional espresso, though they require more skill to master.
While Breville does produce some pod machines, we’re focusing exclusively on their espresso machines in this guide.
For those weighing up between pod machines (like Keurig or Nespresso) and traditional espresso machines, here’s the key difference: espresso machines brew fresh coffee from whole beans, while pod machines use pre-packaged coffee.
See our detailed review of Keurig options here:
Despite marketing claims, pod machines produce a concentrated coffee drink that’s different from true espresso. Traditional espresso machines extract coffee under specific pressure and temperature conditions, creating that distinctive taste and texture that coffee enthusiasts prize.
Super-automatic machines bridge this gap somewhat, offering fresh-ground coffee with pod-like convenience. However, Breville’s traditional machines provide the control and capability needed for truly outstanding espresso.
While super-automatic machines prioritise convenience, they often fall short of delivering truly exceptional espresso. If you’re willing to embrace a slight learning curve for the reward of crafting coffee that surpasses most high street cafés, the Breville espresso machines we’re about to explore will help you achieve exactly that.
As Breville’s entry point into serious espresso making, this compact powerhouse delivers remarkable value. While it’s the smaller sibling of the popular Bambino Plus, we’ve found it actually outperforms its pricier counterpart in certain scenarios, which we’ll explore below.
In our extensive testing, we’ve discovered this machine stands out as possibly the most affordable option that meets all the essential criteria for proper home espresso brewing. The value proposition is genuinely impressive.
When we mention essential criteria, we’re talking about the full package: PID temperature control, low-pressure pre-infusion, a professional-grade steam wand for silky microfoam, traditional filter baskets, and a properly calibrated 15 bar pump with an OPV set to the ideal 9 bars of pressure.
Finding just one or two of these features in an entry-level machine would be noteworthy, but having the complete set is remarkable. We’ve found this comprehensive approach to be consistent across Breville’s range – something that sets them apart from other manufacturers at this price point.
The Bambino features Breville’s newer “thermojet” heating system, boasting a 3-second warm-up time. However, from our practical experience, this ultra-fast start-up isn’t as crucial as it might seem. By the time you’ve properly warmed your equipment, the 30-second difference compared to older thermocoil systems becomes negligible.
Where the thermojet technology truly shines, in our testing, is its rapid steam readiness and swift temperature recovery between brewing and steaming. These practical benefits make a real difference in daily use.
The machine comes equipped with both traditional and pressurised (“dual-walled”) filter baskets. We’ve found the pressurised baskets particularly useful for those wanting to use pre-ground coffee or avoid the complexities of dialing in their grinder settings.
Speaking of dialing in – this refers to fine-tuning variables like grind size to achieve optimal extraction. While traditional baskets require this process, the dual-walled options offer a middle ground: better results than typical super-automatics while approaching their convenience level.
Based on our extensive testing, we’ve found the standard Bambino actually outperforms the Plus for Americano drinkers. Its dedicated hot water button and ball-jointed steam wand offer superior flexibility. While it lacks the Plus’s auto-steaming feature and has a smaller water tank (47 oz vs 64 oz), these trade-offs might be worthwhile depending on your preferences.
The Plus version brings several notable upgrades over the standard Bambino. From our hands-on testing, here are the key differences:
It’s marginally wider, features a larger water tank (64 oz vs 47 oz), and trades the ball-joint steam wand for a vertical-only movement design. Notably, it includes both automatic and manual milk steaming capabilities, incorporates a solenoid valve, and comes with professional accessories like the razor tool and metal tamper. While it lacks a dedicated hot water button, most models can still dispense hot water through a specific button combination.
The solenoid valve upgrade (versus the standard Bambino’s brew valve) primarily affects puck dryness after extraction. In our testing, the solenoid valve provides quicker, more effective pressure relief post-shot. However, we were impressed by how well the standard Bambino’s brew valve performed – wet pucks weren’t an issue.
One practical consideration with brew valves is their behaviour when a machine “chokes” (when too-fine grounds completely restrict flow). While solenoid valves release pressure immediately, brew valves require a brief waiting period before portafilter removal to avoid the dreaded “portafilter sneeze” – an explosive release of hot grounds that invariably prompts colourful language.
The Plus’s automatic milk steaming capability genuinely impressed us. Initially sceptical, our testing revealed it’s far from a gimmick – it consistently produces better microfoam than most users achieve manually in their early learning phase. It even outperforms many super-automatic machines we’ve tested.
For those interested in developing their barista skills, the manual steaming option remains available and performs excellently. The thermojet heating system, while touting a 3-second warm-up time, proves most valuable in its rapid steam readiness and quick temperature recovery between drinks.
In our extensive testing of Breville’s espresso machine lineup, we’ve found the Duo Temp Pro holds a unique position.
While it predates the newer Bambino and Bambino Plus models (which share its price point), this machine offers distinct advantages that might better suit certain coffee enthusiasts.
The Duo Temp Pro features a robust, well-built design that feels substantial on your worktop.
During our testing, we noticed its original thermocoil heating system takes roughly 30 seconds longer to heat up compared to the newer thermojet technology.
However, let’s be realistic – most of us spend more time than that getting our coffee gear ready anyway!
Through our comparative analysis, we’ve identified some key differences between the thermocoil and newer thermojet systems:
The steam preparation time runs a bit longer, and the cooling process is more elaborate.
Similar to its sibling, the Barista Express, the Duo Temp Pro performs a water purge through its larger thermocoil to reach brewing temperature after steaming.
When steaming milk, you’ll notice about a 20-second difference compared to the Bambino models.
However, the machine’s solid construction offers excellent stability during portafilter locking – a practical advantage we particularly appreciate.
Speaking from experience, while lighter machines like the Bambino range might need steadying during portafilter insertion, this becomes second nature with use.
In fact, our team noticed we instinctively stabilise most machines during this process, even commercial-grade equipment!
During our testing, we discovered the Infuser essentially serves as a premium version of the Duo Temp Pro.
It maintains the core functionality while adding several significant upgrades: adjustable brew temperature control, programmable shot volumes, a dedicated hot water spout, and a pressure gauge for precise extraction monitoring.
The Barista Express has revolutionised home espresso brewing, maintaining its position as a beloved choice among coffee enthusiasts for over ten years.
Interestingly, it’s currently the bestselling espresso machine in the super-automatic category on Amazon – quite remarkable considering it’s not actually a super-automatic machine!
This classification confusion is worth clarifying. While both super-automatic machines and the Barista Express feature built-in grinders, that’s where the similarities end.
The key distinction lies in the brewing mechanism: super-automatic (or bean-to-cup) machines use an internal brewing unit, while traditional machines like the Barista Express employ a portafilter system.
From our extensive testing experience, traditional machines offer superior potential for espresso quality and milk texturing, though they demand more skill and practice compared to super-automatics.
Regarding the integrated grinder design, our team has found it works brilliantly for coffee enthusiasts who prefer consistency over precise shot-to-shot adjustment.
The heating of the burrs as the machine warms up can introduce an extra variable – something to consider if you’re passionate about exact extraction control.
Within the Barista range (Express, Pro, and Touch), the Express represents outstanding value.
While it offers fewer grind settings (18 compared to 30), makes more noise during cooling, and steams slightly slower than its siblings, we’ve found virtually no difference in espresso quality across the range.
At first glance, the Barista Express Impress might appear to be simply its predecessor with an added tamping lever.
However, our hands-on testing revealed much more substantial differences beneath the surface.
Through our detailed comparison, we found that the core espresso-making components remain consistent.
Both machines share the original thermocoil heater, 54mm portafilter, identical burr sets, and the same PID temperature control system.
The main differences include expanded grind settings (26 versus 18), a slight height increase, and relocated power button placement.
Beyond these modifications, the fundamental espresso-making capabilities remain identical between both models.
The fundamental distinction between these machines lies in their approach to automation. While the standard Barista Express requires manual skill, the Express Impress introduces groundbreaking assistance features that set a new standard for machines in this price range.
The most striking innovation is the combination of the tamp lever system with an intelligent dosing mechanism. Through our extensive testing, we’ve found this pairing creates remarkable consistency that was previously unattainable at this price point.
Let’s examine the tamp lever first. While tamp levers aren’t new to espresso machines, this implementation stands out significantly. In our hands-on testing, we discovered that the lever delivers a precise 10kg tamp with minimal effort—so light that a single finger can operate it. The consistency is remarkable, offering a level of precision we haven’t seen in other machines at this price point.
However, the real magic happens when this consistent tamping pairs with the innovative dosing system. For novice baristas, tamping traditionally requires practice to master. The Impress eliminates this variable entirely, simplifying the process considerably. Even more crucial is the dosing precision, an aspect many home baristas struggle with.
Proper dosing is more complex than simply filling the basket with ground coffee. It’s about achieving the correct volumetric dose—ensuring consistent puck height with every shot. While many focus on weight (such as the common 18-gram dose), weight primarily relates to ratio rather than extraction quality. The actual weight needed varies based on bean type, roast level, and grind size.
Most beginners don’t realise that using the same coffee weight while adjusting grind size introduces two variables instead of one. This common mistake causes many of the problems new home baristas encounter.
The Impress’s innovative approach measures puck height directly, guiding you to add more grounds or use the razor tool for the perfect volume. Once dialled in, it remembers these settings for consistent dosing with your chosen beans and grind size.
The precision is remarkable. Our testing with an Acaia Lunar scale showed variations typically within 0.2g, rarely exceeding 0.5g—exceptional accuracy for this price range. We would have been impressed with 1g tolerance, making this performance particularly noteworthy.
The target audience differs significantly between the standard Express and the new Express Impress, which fundamentally changes our recommendation approach.
The standard Barista Express has long been a popular entry point for aspiring home baristas, partly due to its price point. However, some retailers mistakenly market it as a super-automatic machine, leading to confusion and occasionally disappointment.
To be clear: the standard Barista Express isn’t a super-automatic (known as bean-to-cup machines in Britain). While it’s suitable for beginners, it doesn’t offer the automated assistance many expect. Learning to use it requires the same skill development as any traditional espresso machine.
Based on our testing, we believe the Barista Express Impress perfectly suits coffee enthusiasts who want near super-automatic convenience with home barista quality results, minus the steep learning curve. It achieves similar goals to the Oracle and Oracle Touch, but at a significantly lower price point.
We also see the Express Impress as an excellent training platform for aspiring home baristas. Its assistance features act like training wheels, helping newcomers build confidence. While this might mean upgrading later, that’s common in the home barista journey anyway—we like to call it “upgrade-itis”!
The Barista Pro represents the entry level of Breville’s newer machine lineup. While pricier than the original Barista Express, it offers distinct advantages and trade-offs worth considering.
Advantages over the Express:
Disadvantages compared to the Express:
The ThermoJet system deserves special mention. While its quick heating provides advantages, it also means each use essentially starts from cold. Unlike machines with brew boilers or larger thermoblocks, there’s minimal heat retention and ambient warming.
However, we’ve found this trade-off worthwhile. The Pro’s faster steam preparation and shot timer, combined with its user-friendly LCD interface for temperature adjustments, make it our preferred choice over the Express.
The Barista Touch builds upon the Pro’s foundation, adding a sophisticated touch screen interface, preset drinks, and automated milk steaming with a temperature-sensing wand tip. While impressive, our testing reveals some interesting considerations about its market position.
For dedicated home baristas, it matches the Pro’s espresso capabilities, but we’ve found the touch interface can sometimes feel unnecessary and potentially cumbersome for those focused on manual control.
Conversely, casual users drawn to super-automatic convenience might appreciate the display and auto-steaming but could find the manual shot-pulling aspects challenging. While the touch screen provides guidance, it can’t replace hands-on experience.
Compare this to the Oracle Touch, which we’ll discuss later—it truly bridges the super-automatic and manual worlds with features like automatic dosing and tamping.
In our view, the Barista Touch shines brightest in shared environments. Picture a household where one person enjoys the craft of manual brewing while others prefer automation. The Touch accommodates both preferences admirably, making it an excellent compromise for mixed-use settings.
The Breville Dual Boiler has earned its spot as our most trusted professional-grade espresso machine.
Our team has put two of these machines through their paces, with one serving as our daily workhorse in our testing kitchen and another in our training studio.
We invested in refurbished models, which proved to be a brilliant decision – they’ve pulled thousands of shots without missing a beat.
What sets this machine apart? Temperature stability is its superpower.
Drawing from our extensive testing, we’ve found that Breville’s engineering approach mirrors commercial machine design principles.
The clever combination of a compact brew boiler paired with a larger steam boiler creates a thermal system that professional baristas dream about.
The heat exchanger system ensures the brew boiler receives pre-heated water, preventing temperature fluctuations that can ruin a perfect shot.
The PID-controlled group head functions like a commercial saturated group, delivering consistent temperature shot after shot.
To put this in perspective: you’d typically need to spend twice as much to achieve this level of temperature precision.
Beyond temperature control, this machine offers unmatched pump control flexibility.
The pre-infusion settings are particularly impressive – you can fine-tune both duration (up to 90 seconds) and pressure.
While this might seem excessive for traditional dark roasts, it’s revolutionary for light-roasted speciality beans.
After months of daily use, we’re convinced the Dual Boiler offers commercial-grade performance at a fraction of the price.
Picture the Breville Dual Boiler with an integrated grinder and a built-in barista assistant – that’s the Oracle in a nutshell.
This machine bridges the gap between traditional espresso craftsmanship and modern convenience.
Our testing revealed something remarkable: it consistently produces cafe-quality drinks with minimal human input.
The secret lies in its automated dosing and tamping system.
These seemingly simple functions are actually crucial variables in espresso preparation, and Breville has nailed their automation.
During our extensive testing period, the Oracle impressed us by delivering excellent shots straight out of the box using factory settings.
The only manual adjustment you’ll need to master is grind size, which follows a straightforward principle: finer for slower shots, coarser for faster ones.
While it might take a few attempts to get comfortable, it’s far simpler than learning traditional barista skills.
The milk steaming capabilities particularly impressed our team.
Unlike typical super-automatic machines that produce stiff, bubbly foam, the Oracle creates genuine microfoam – the silky, glossy texture that professional baristas strive for.
The temperature control is equally precise, adjustable up to 170°F, though we’ve found that keeping it below 150°F preserves milk’s natural sweetness.
The Oracle Touch takes everything brilliant about the Oracle and adds an intuitive touchscreen interface.
Our testing confirmed it’s the ultimate solution for those seeking true barista-quality drinks with one-touch convenience.
The touchscreen interface isn’t just attractive – it’s genuinely useful.
We particularly appreciate the ability to create and save personalised drink recipes with custom names and images.
This feature shines in busy households or office settings where multiple users need their preferred drinks at the touch of a button.
The espresso quality matches what you’d expect from a skilled barista using professional equipment.
Using quality beans, we challenged our team to blind-taste drinks from the Oracle Touch against those made by our professional baristas – the results were remarkably close.
While the touch screen adds convenience, it’s worth noting that the standard Oracle delivers identical drink quality at a lower price point.
If you’re deciding between the two, consider how much value you’ll get from the touch screen interface.
After weeks of thorough testing in our workshop, we’ve discovered that the Oracle Jet isn’t just another addition to Breville’s lineup—it’s a remarkable leap forward in home espresso technology.
Initially, we approached this machine with measured expectations. However, our hands-on experience completely transformed our perspective. For specific coffee enthusiasts, this might be Breville’s most impressive assisted machine yet.
But here’s the crucial bit: whether it’s right for you depends entirely on your coffee-making habits. The Oracle Jet stands as Breville’s newest flagship in their assisted espresso range, specifically designed for moderate daily use.
When comparing it to its siblings, the Oracle and Oracle Touch, there’s a fundamental difference in intended use. Those dual-boiler models excel in high-volume scenarios, taking 8-10 minutes to warm up but then matching commercial machines in output speed.
The Oracle Jet takes a different approach. It’s ready in just 3 seconds, followed by a quick group flush. While you can’t simultaneously steam milk and pull shots, you can queue these operations seamlessly. During our testing, we consistently crafted two perfect flat whites in under 5 minutes—before an Oracle Touch would even be warmed up.
If you regularly prepare four or more drinks at once or maintain steady coffee service throughout the day, consider the Oracle or Oracle Touch instead. But if your routine involves one or two morning coffees, followed by occasional drinks hours later, the Jet perfectly matches your needs.
Some standout innovations caught our attention:
The new grinding mechanism offers unprecedented precision with its stepless adjustment. However, we noticed that returning to exact previous settings requires attention, as the dial rotation between positions is quite generous. We’re optimistic that future firmware updates might refine this through WiFi.
The grinder’s full range is accessible through burr adjustment alone—no need to modify the upper burr settings as with other Breville models. It’s a welcome simplification of the process.
The upgraded display isn’t just about aesthetics. Beyond its stunning resolution and responsiveness, it offers practical improvements. You can customise your drink menu by hiding or rearranging beverages, save up to 10 personalised recipes, and modify preset drinks to your taste.
The WiFi capability represents a significant advancement. While we’ve identified areas for improvement, most can be addressed through firmware updates. We’ve already seen positive changes: enhanced barista guidance, bug fixes, and new recipes (including espresso martini and shakerato variations).
We did notice that the automatic milk frothing system currently works best with dairy milk. Alternative milks don’t achieve quite the same results in automatic mode, though manual frothing produces excellent results with all milk types. Based on our analysis, this appears to be related to the air pump control algorithm—an issue we expect future firmware updates to resolve.
The one physical design element we’d change is the water outlet. Unlike the traditional faucet design of other Oracle models, the Jet uses a pressurised nozzle that can cause splashing. While this isn’t problematic when queuing Americano water first, adding water to coffee already in the cup may cause splashing.
For its intended user, the Jet offers advantages in both size and energy efficiency. While the drip tray is more compact (and fills relatively quickly due to frequent flushing), and the tamp fan operates slightly louder than its siblings, we believe most users will be thoroughly satisfied with the Oracle Jet. The current limitation with alternative milk frothing should be temporary, given Breville’s commitment to continuous improvement through firmware updates.
The “best” machine varies significantly based on individual needs. Through our extensive testing, we’ve provided detailed insights about each model to help match you with your ideal machine.
For coffee enthusiasts who prefer convenience without sacrificing quality, the Oracle or Oracle Touch offers an exceptional balance. These machines truly bridge the gap between super-automatic ease and professional-grade results.
However, we recognise these premium models aren’t within everyone’s budget. If you’re willing to develop your barista skills, machines like the Duo Temp Pro or Bambino Plus can deliver outstanding coffee quality at a more accessible price point.
Absolutely! While Breville machines feature a contemporary, kitchen-friendly design (compared to traditional Italian-style machines), they consistently produce excellent espresso.
Drawing from our extensive experience with countless espresso machines, we can confidently say that Breville’s range delivers impressive quality, particularly within their price segments.
Every Breville machine incorporates essential elements for superior espresso: 9-bar pressure, pre-infusion capability, and temperature stability. This engineering foundation ensures that even their entry-level models meet our standards for “good” espresso machines.
The value proposition depends on your specific needs and alternatives. Compared to the Barista Express, the Pro offers several enhancements that may or may not justify the price difference for you.
If precise shot timing, faster steam readiness, quicker milk texturing, and finer grind control aren’t priorities, the Express might serve you perfectly well. Both machines produce equally good espresso, but the Pro streamlines the process with additional refinements.
Key differences include:
The Bambino offers identical espresso quality at a lower price point. Cost savings come from using a brew valve instead of a solenoid (resulting in wetter pucks) and omitting automatic steaming functionality.
Fed up of messy puck disposal? Consider Breville’s innovative Puck Sucker:
The Bambino’s manual steaming performs admirably, though its single-hole tip works slightly slower than the Plus’s four-hole design. Additional differences include:
The core difference lies in the Touch’s screen interface and additional features. While the Touch shares similar display capabilities with the Oracle Touch, including drink customisation and statistics, both machines use identical internal components.
No. The entire Barista range employs thermocoil heating: traditional thermocoils in the Express, Duo Temp Pro, and Infuser; Breville’s innovative ThermoJet in the Pro, Touch, Bambino, and Bambino Plus. Currently, only the Dual Boiler, Oracle, and Oracle Touch feature dual boiler systems.
Both machines build on the excellent Dual Boiler foundation, sharing its outstanding temperature stability and precision. The Touch simply adds an intuitive screen interface with drink customisation capabilities.
The Jet specifically targets occasional use and smaller volumes, contrasting with the original Oracles’ high-volume capability. It features dual thermojet heaters (group and brew), rather than a dual boiler system, plus an upgraded stepless grinder and larger 4.5″ screen powered by a quad-core processor.
Uniquely, the Jet’s WiFi connectivity enables continuous improvement through firmware updates, regardless of purchase date.
While all Breville machines excel with medium-dark to dark roasts, we recommend the Dual Boiler exclusively for light roast enthusiasts. Light roasts present unique challenges to both equipment and technique.
The Dual Boiler’s superior temperature stability, precise preinfusion control, and “slayer style” shot capability (with simple modification) make it ideal for light roasts—when paired with a capable grinder.
For an excellent hand grinder option, see our detailed review:
Though the Oracle and Oracle Touch share the Dual Boiler’s core, their integrated grinders include a protective feature that can limit grinding light roasts fine enough for espresso.
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