Top 7 Breville Espresso Machines – 2022 Full Review
The espresso machine market has been long dominated by Italian companies. Which makes sense, as the espresso was invented and boomed in Italy, around a century ago. Many of the most popular names when looking to buy an espresso machine are Italian, or Italian-sounding.
Yet it doesn’t mean that only Italians can do good espresso machines. Competitors have sprung up all around the world, with some giving a good run for the money to the Italian classic espresso machines’ manufacturers. One of them is Breville.
Founded in 1932 in Australia, Breville started making general home appliances, like radios and sandwich toasters, coming into the espresso machine market only in the early 2000s.
Since then, they have continuously improved their machines, making them appreciated among coffee experts when talking about good home espresso machines.
Breville’s dedication to improvement is shown by its impressive espresso machine line-up. All are user-friendly and of great build quality.
Their line of espresso machines is what we are going to discuss in this article. Checking the qualities and features of each one, so you know what’s the right one for you.
A quick review of each follows.
Breville Espresso Machines Review
A few words before starting with the reviews. Breville gives a one-year warranty on all these espresso machines. The customer care of Breville is famed for its attention to each customer, with representatives available every day to answer any questions you may have.
These espresso machines all have a focus on user friendliness, to get you started brewing in no time with no expertise at all.
Most, but not all, Breville espresso machines integrate a technology called PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) Control. It manages the extraction’s temperature to minimize fluctuations.
Keeping the temperature stable is extremely important to brew espressos that are consistently good. Any fluctuations in temperature will mean a mix of over and under-extracted grounds.
Something you surely don’t want to taste in your coffee.
Furthermore, Breville machines use up to 19-22 grams of grounds per brew, over a third more than the average espresso machine. More coffee grounds means richer, fuller espressos.
You can use less, of course, but it’s nice that you can go to the fullest that the portafilters can contain if you prefer.
Breville focuses also on durability of their machines. Not only are most of them made of stainless steel outside but also a lot of internal components are made of this durable material. This makes it improbable that any parts of these espresso machines will break a short time after the first use.
Most definitely they will last you plenty of years, with thousands of espressos brewed, before breaking. Plus, the single stainless steel components are easy to clean and virtually unbreakable.
Breville Oracle Espresso Machine
The Breville Oracle has the classic Italian-inspired espresso machine’s look. It is a hybrid machine between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic one. Meaning, you can use it as both, either letting the machine grind and brew alone, or only brewing automatically.
It is good then for those who are beginners, as there’s absolutely no setting to choose when working as a fully automated machine. Also for semi-experts as well, with the possibility to have a little more control with the semi-automatic operation mode.
The Breville Oracle espresso machines implement a smart technology that remembers for you all settings. This makes it to easy to repeat your most successful drinks.
It has a dual boiler for faster brews, it is of the excellent build quality that we have come to appreciate from Breville, and comes with a 1.5lb coffee grinder and 84 oz. water reservoir. One of the highest in capacity Breville espresso machines.
And it also includes a steam wand to make milk-based coffee drinks, completing an impressive array of features.
The Oracle can do much for an admittedly steep price. Quality has its worth, though. If you want the absolute best that Breville can offer, the Oracle is the pinnacle that the Australian company can offer right now.
Breville Dual Boiler Espresso Machine
The key feature of this espresso machine is already in the name: the dual boiler. This means that one boiler is for brewing espresso and another for steaming milk, making it great for quick and excellent brews. This Breville espresso machine includes an over-pressure valve (OPV) to make sure that the extraction is always at the right temperature and pressure.
There’s also a dedicated hot water outlet to preheat your cups or make Americano coffee (espresso plus hot water). An auto-start setting makes it possible to preheat the water before brewing right when you need your coffee. No time wasted waiting for the water to reach the near-boiling point.
The Breville Dual Boiler espresso machine lacks a grinder, so it’s not fully automatic. Other than that, the water reservoir is the same as the Oracle, 84 oz., and the overall feeling and build quality are quite similar too. A tad cheaper, as it doesn’t include a grinder.
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine
The Express is a bit smaller than the previous two machines, but does include the grinder. The dimensions and weight are lower also thanks to the water tank that has a reduced capacity of 67 oz.
It is overall a simpler, more hands-on machine, but not because of that of inferior quality.
It comes with the usual PID control. A Grid Amount dial to exactly choose how much grounds you want to brew with. Also with a good steam wand and the integrated conic burr grinder it has many features as any other Breville espresso machines on this list.
The water pressure can be lowered to 9 bar for a gentler extraction. It is a relatively little espresso machine, yet with the classic build quality and features that you can expect from a Breville espresso machine.
Breville Infuser Espresso Machine
If you want an even smaller machine, the Breville Infuser may be the perfect one for you. It is a middle range espresso machine as price goes, but still includes lots of the features that the more exclusive models have: PID control, hot water outlet, a 61 oz. water tank, a steam wand.
Plus, as you may guess from the name, a pre-infusion setting to pre-extract the grounds and have a gradual increase of the pressure to the optimum 9 bars.
It has a single and double wall portafilter, so you can get just great coffee or only beautiful crema, depending on your necessities.
This pre-infusion makes for a better overall extraction of the coffee. Not all espresso machines have this, and considering the price at which the Infuser is sold, it is an excellent and welcome addition.
In total it weighs only 17 lb, and it is small also thanks to the lack of a grinder. If you are low on kitchen counter top space, the Breville Infuser espresso machine is one of the first you should be looking at purchasing.
A few of its features to perfecting the extraction will make it appreciated by even the most exigent coffee expert.
Breville Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine
If you need an even smaller and lighter one, the Duo Temp Pro is both. Weighing only 13.01 lb, it is a lightweight Breville espresso machine.
Also in size, the Duo Temp Pro is a full inch shorter in any direction than the second smallest Breville espresso machine. 10’’ x 11’’ x 13’’ make it easy to fit and store in any kitchen.
The Duo Temp in the name means that this machine can have two different temperatures that you can set to brew the coffee vs frothing the milk. With a powerful 1600W thermocoil heating system, this machine is quick and responsive in heating the water for the coffee and the milk steaming.
This espresso machine doesn’t skimp on features, including some of the pricier models, like the PID control, the stainless steel construction and a 1 or 2 wall filter basket, so you can use freshly ground or pre-ground coffee beans alike.
It does not have a coffee grinder, though. Considering the price at which this model is sold, an understandable omission. A middle machine among the Breville lineup, sitting right between the most expensive ones and the lower end of the line.
Breville Cafe Roma Espresso Machine
Those looking to brew espresso manually and without spending a fortune may want to check this Breville Cafe Roma. Already from the exterior, much compact and with a visible portafilter lever right in the middle of the body, it looks different from all the other espresso machines here reviewed.
It is an entry model, without a grinder but including a large portafilter and a steam wand. The water reservoir is large enough (40.6 oz.) for plenty of espressos before a refill is necessary. It is not the most performing machine from Breville, but it is fully manual, meaning that you can decide every aspect of the brewing.
Lovers of automation will have to look elsewhere, but if you are willing to put in the time to tweak your brews, this little espresso machine can assist and serve you well.
Whether you’re learning how to brew espresso or want absolute control over it at the expense of convenience, the Cafe Roma is an inexpensive machine that will welcome you to the world of espresso brewing with its great build quality.
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Breville Barista Touch features a touch screen from which to select up to five preset coffee drinks to brew, at literally the single pressing of your finger. Convenience at its best. It is a fully automatic espresso machine, thus including a grinder, a steam wand, and a capable water tank (40.6 oz.), for a total automation of your espresso brewing.
If you need more customization, up to 8 custom drinks can be set in the machine’s memory for quick re-brewing. There won’t be any need to remember your perfect espressos by hand, let this machine do it for you.
All the usual Breville espresso machine’s features are here present as well, with a few nice upgrades. Namely, the ThermoJet heating system can reach the optimum water temperature for brewing in just three seconds, which is faster than we could imagine possible.
The price is on the higher end of the Breville line, which is to be expected for such a good and convenient espresso machine.
Conclusion
So these were the reviews of the best espresso machines from one of the world’s to brands, Breville. From some of the most filled with features and sturdy machines, and fully automated, to the basic, inexpensive, manual ones, the line-up offered by the Australian brand is impressive and able to satisfy any need.
The Cafe Roma is the perfect entry-level machine, while the Oracle is the most semi-professional of them all. Between these two extremes you will not find it difficult to meet one that has all you want, at the right price for your personal budget. Whatever your needs might be, Breville has you covered.