Comparing Breville Espresso Machines: Which One to Buy in 2024

You really can’t go wrong with a Breville espresso machine, but there are so many options available. And since they’re expensive, it’s important to get the one you want that you won’t outgrow in a month. If you’re a coffee purist, you probably won’t be thrilled with a super-automatic Breville machine. And if you just want convenient espresso-based drinks every morning, you’ll soon regret buying an automatic or even a semi-automatic Breville machine.

If you fall into any of these categories, this guide is for you. 

1. You’re new to espresso and want the ability to make mixed coffee drinks like lattes at home
2. You bought a budget espresso machine and have already outgrown it, and you don’t want to make the same mistake again
3. You’re not sure what kind of espresso machine you want, but you trust the Breville name
4. You want to upgrade to a premium home espresso setup

I’ll be comparing Breville espresso machines to help you make the right choice, and I’ll explain along the way which machines are the best for specific types of coffee drinkers.

The Best Breville Espresso Machines for Home

1. Breville BES920XL Dual Boiler Espresso Machine — Best Overall
2. Breville Oracle Touch — Best Super Automatic Machine
3. Breville Bambino Plus — Best Budget Machine for Beginners
4. Breville Infuser — Best for Brewing Control
5. Breville Barista Touch — Best Value If You Don’t Have a Grinder

1. Breville BES920XL Dual Boiler Espresso Machine — Best Overall

If you want amazing espresso in a relatively compact package and don’t mind getting a little hands-on, the Breville Dual Boiler is the best Breville espresso machine, in my opinion. It has almost every feature you could want in a high-end home espresso machine, but it still gives you some control over the brewing process.

With dual stainless steel boilers, you get exceptional temperature control and stability. One boiler is dedicated to brewing your espresso, while the other produces steaming temperature and pressure for thick, velvety microfoam. It lets you adjust the pre-infusion to ensure even extraction, and the over pressure valve (OPV) avoids overextraction for a perfect shot every time.

You get a fantastic commercial-style steam wand that puts you in total control of your microfoam. The wand has a cool-touch grip so you don’t burn your hand, and a built-in temperature sensor that purges the wand after steaming to keep it clean.

What really makes the Dual Boiler stand out is the degree of control and customizability. With electronic PID temperature control for both boilers, you can adjust brew temperature in 2-degree (F) increments and the steam boiler temperature in 5-degree (F) increments. There are also low/high programmable pre-infusion settings, adjustable auto-start time, and customizable hot water dispenser temperature.

The only thing this doesn’t have is a built-in grinder, so you’ll need a high-quality espresso-specific grinder to pair with it. That’s a good thing in my opinion, as the grinders in most home espresso machines are usually just decent.

While it’s an investment, if you want to take your home espresso to a professional level and still have control over every aspect of the brewing process, the Breville Dual Boiler is well worth the price.

2. Breville Oracle Touch — Best Super Automatic Machine

If you want the convenience of a high-end super automatic espresso machine that can grind, dose, tamp, and froth milk automatically and have your coffee ready for you when you wake up, the Breville Oracle Touch is the crème de la crème. It automates the entire process, delivering insanely good espresso and milk drinks with zero fuss and almost no effort on your part.

At the heart of the Oracle is a commercial-grade Italian burr grinder that grinds fresh for each shot, a low-pressure pre-infusion system for even extraction, and an automatic tamping system to make getting your daily espresso drink as convenient as possible.

But the real magic happens once you select your drink. The automatic milk steamer achieves impeccable microfoam with very little effort or skill required. With one tap, it purges automatically to keep the wand clean. It’s amazing watching it seamlessly froth the perfect temperature and texture milk for your latte or cappuccino.

While it doesn’t let you manually adjust brew parameters all that much, the Oracle does give you some room to customize drink sizes, milk temperatures, and brewing temperature. And the cleaning cycle helps keep things running smoothly with little maintenance.

The downsides are the sky-high price, large countertop footprint, and lack of true manual brewing control. But if you want an easy, hassle-free way to make delicious mixed coffee drinks at the push of a button, the Breville Oracle Touch delivers unmatched convenience without sacrificing quality.

3. Breville Bambino Plus — Best Budget Machine for Beginners

If you want delicious espresso and milk drinks at home without breaking the bank, check out the Breville Bambino Plus. It’s a compact yet powerful semi-automatic machine that’s perfect for beginners and people just dabbling in the world of espresso.

Despite its small size, the Bambino Plus packs a punch with a 15 bar Italian pump and 1600W thermocoil heating system. It has faster heat-up time than many other machines and can maintain optimal temperatures for perfect espresso extraction.

Customizing your shot is easy with programmable single and double-shot volumetric control, plus manual overriding. The intuitive interface couldn’t be simpler—just press a button for a single or double shot. Just keep in mind that the customization options are limited. There’s no PID or pressure control, and you can’t control your steaming temperature or pressure. But at this price point, you won’t find those options in any machine.

While the steam wand isn’t commercial-grade, it’s still quite good for a budget machine. The Bambino has enough power for hand-texturing quality microfoam, especially considering its tiny footprint. If you’re looking to make lattes on a budget, this is the machine for you. Powerful enough to make microfoam and latte art, but not thousands of dollars.

Another potential downside is that ther’s no built-in grinder, so you’ll need to buy one separately. And being a single boiler, there’s always a short lag between brewing and steaming while it transitions and heats back up.

But if you’re just getting into espresso and want an affordable, no-fuss machine that makes great coffee, the Bambino Plus hits all the marks. It’s Breville’s most compact model, yet it crams all their signature quality and convenience into a very approachable package.

4. Breville Infuser — Best for Brewing Control

Want a Breville espresso machine that gives you serious control over the brewing process? Check out the Breville Infuser. It strikes the perfect balance between automating the basics and allowing for manual, hands-on tweaking.

The Infuser starts with a solid foundation: a 15 bar Italian pump, 1600W thermocoil heating system, and pre-infusion setting for optimal flavor extraction. From there, it really lets you play.

You get a unique “Power Select” system with dual wall filters for adjusting espresso richness and body. The “Pressurized” filters restrict flow for a richer beverage, while the “Non-Pressurized” filters allow more body and complexity at the risk of a puck choking.

Further brew adjustments include a manual override for reprogramming single or double-shot volumes, and PID digital temperature control accurate to ±2 degrees (F).

For those who want to work on their barista skills, the Infuser boasts a high-quality 1650W conical burr grinder that grinds directly into the portafilter, plus a commercial-style swiveling steam wand for handcrafting dense microfoam by hand.

With its comprehensive brewing capabilities, durable stainless steel construction, and included quality accessories, the Infuser hits a real sweet spot for home enthusiasts. If you want to go deeper than just auto-programmed settings, this is the ideal balance of automation and tweakability.

5. Breville Barista Touch — Best Value If You Don’t Have a Grinder

Don’t have a separate espresso grinder yet? The Breville Barista Touch is an outstanding all-in-one solution that gives you quality grinding and brewing in one sleek package—and it’s one of the better values in Breville’s lineup.

What makes the Barista Touch truly shine is the built-in Smart Grinder. It has precision conical burrs that grind fresh beans directly into the portafilter on demand, with over 30 grind settings for dialing in the ideal particle size. Having that level of grind control paired with the powerful 15 bar Italian pump delivers incredibly balanced, flavorful shots.

I do have to mention that I still recommend investing in a standalone, high-quality grinder for espresso machines, but if you’re not keen on spending another $300 to $500 on a grinder, then the one included in the Barista Touch will be good enough for most coffee drinkers.

You have plenty of programmability for dialing in single or double shot volumes, slowing the pour, experimenting with pre-infusion, and adjusting grind time. But the automated grinding, tamping, and extraction make it straightforward for beginners too.

When it’s time for milk drinks, the Barista Touch excels with a commercial-style steam wand, dedicated hot water outlet for Americanos, and auto-purge keeping everything clean. The sleek touchscreen interface ties it all together in a modern, intuitive package.

The downsides are no dual boiler for temperature stability, and you’re still frothing milk manually. But for the price, you get quality burr grinding, precise espresso programming, and very reliable milk drinks in a compact footprint. If you don’t already have an amazing separate grinder, the Barista Touch is tough to beat.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Breville Espresso Machine for Home

Buying a Breville espresso machine is a significant investment, even if you go for the budget options, so considering the following key factors will help ensure you pick the right model for your needs.

Brew Control

This is likely the most important consideration. Do you want a super-automatic machine that takes all the guesswork out of pulling shots and texturing milk? Or would you prefer the ability to tinker manually with brew parameters like temperature, pre-infusion, and pour rate?

For espresso newbies or those who just want quality drinks with minimal fuss, super-automatic models like the Oracle Touch are a dream. It grinds, doses, and extracts perfect shots at the touch of a button, then auto-froths velvety microfoam for lattes and cappuccinos. No technique, no learning curve to learn how to use the espresso machine, and no hassle.

On the flip side, machines like the Dual Boiler and Infuser give you extensive control over every single variable. That’s ideal for ardent home baristas who love the ritual of brewing coffee and geek out like I do over controlling all aspects of extraction and milk steaming.

Semi-automatics like the Bambino Plus or Barista Touch offer a happy medium—automatic dosing (in some cases) and extraction, but you still get to tinker a bit and hand-texture the milk yourself.

Convenience

This is directly tied to brew control but from a different angle. Super automatics that do everything for you are crazy convenient. Semi and manual automatics that require more hands-on effort? Not so much.

If you want to wake up to great espresso already brewing and not fuss with anything before you grab your latte and head out the door, a super automatic like the Oracle is hard to beat. Just set it to your desired drink with your preferred brew parameters, grind size, and milk temperature, then let it go to work. Minimal barista skills required, and you can even schedule your brew.

Automatic machines like the Bambino Plus mean more work (but some more control too). You have to dose, grind, distribute, tamp, time the shot, and steam milk—doing everything yourself morning after morning.

For most home setups, a nice in-between like the Barista Touch is ideal. It auto-grinds, doses, and extracts but leaves milk prep up to you. That’s a great balance of convenience and hands-on enjoyment for most enthusiasts.

Heating Element

Breville uses three different heating systems across their machine lineup: single thermocoils, dual boilers, and heat exchangers (not as common for home machines).

Single boiler units like the Bambino Plus use one compact thermoblock to heat water for both brewing and steaming. It’s more affordable but makes you wait to switch between functions as temperatures rise again after brewing.

Dual boilers like the top-tier BES920XL have two dedicated boilers—one optimized for brewing espresso, and the other always ready for steaming milk. This provides faster drink prep and extremely stable temperatures for better extraction.

Heat exchanger units avoid that wait time but keep prices down by using a single heating source that keeps two separate chambers for brewing and steaming at their respective temps. This gives you stability without the cost/size of true dual boilers.

For ultimate convenience and temperature stability, dual boilers are king. Single boilers make more sense for a compact budget setup where you don’t mind the brief transition lag.

Frother (and Frother Quality)

Only planning to pull straight shots? Skip this section. But for making quality lattes and cappuccinos at home, your espresso machine’s frother ability and quality are critical.

Frother quality is hard to quantify because there’s no perfect single metric like pressure or temperature. But in general, dual boiler units give you the most powerful, barista-grade steam wands for handcrafting luscious microfoam with dense, velvety texture. The Dual Boiler and Barista Touch excel here.

Super automatics like the Oracle Touch automate milk frothing entirely with self-cleaning steam wands that can texture microfoam to custom specifications at the touch of a button. They’re also really good on Breville machines, and super convenient.

Less expensive single boiler tend to have adequate but not exceptional frothers that require more technique to achieve great foam. The primary exception to this, though, is the Breville Bambino Plus. This is a budget espresso machine, but its milk frother is actually really solid. You can make high-quality mixed drinks—including latte art!—with the Bambino Plus.

Consider how important mixed milk drinks are to you, and choose a machine with the frothing abilities to match. If you love lattes and cappuccinos, frother quality is not a spec to overlook.

Grinder (and Grinder Quality)

Having a quality burr grinder for grinding espresso is just as important as the espresso machine itself. Sadly, the grinders included on many home machines are just decent at best. For ultimate control and cafe-quality grounds, I recommend adding a standalone high-end grinder to your setup.

That said, for the sake of convenience, having a capable built-in grinder on machines like the Barista Touch is awesome. The Smart Grinder has conical burrs and over 30 grind settings for dialing in your brew. That’s very respectable and better than Breville’s average integrated grinders.

The Oracle Touch takes grinding to another level, with a commercial-grade built-in grinder that doses and tamps automatically for unmatched consistency. Talk about convenience.

For those just looking for good espresso at home without obsessing over maximum flavor potential, integrated grinders from Breville get the job done quite nicely. Just know to pair their dual boilers and manual models with a standalone conical burr grinder if your aim is true coffee perfection.

Price

Breville makes exceptional espresso machines across a huge price spectrum, from around $500 up to over $3,000 for their top super automatic models.

In general, I recommend budgeting between $1,000 and $2,000 for a really solid, feature-rich home setup that scratches your espresso itch without going totally overboard. At that price point, you have fantastic options like the Dual Boiler, Infuser, and Barista Touch models.

Under $1,000, you start sacrificing premium features and build quality. But a machine like the Bambino Plus shows Breville’s compact magic around $500 is still pretty darn impressive for the price.

Above $2,000, and you’re paying a premium for elite machines like the Oracle Touch with all the bells and whistles. Convenience and brewing capabilities max out, but diminishing returns set in from a value-to-performance perspective.

Whatever you decide to spend within reason, you’re getting the world-class engineering and user-friendly focus that has made Breville an undisputed leader in home espresso.

Wrapping Up: Which Breville Espresso Machine Is Right for You?

For the ultimate balance of espresso quality, brew control, and convenience, I recommend that you go with the Breville Dual Boiler (BES920XL). Its dual stainless steel boilers, precise temperature control, and commercial-style components deliver an elite home espresso experience without compromising on automation or ease of use.

If you simply want the absolute best, most convenient super automatic experience for craft coffee drinks, splurge on the Oracle Touch. It automates everything from grinding to tamping to texturing milk with impeccable results. Just tell it what you want and let it dazzle you.

No matter which model fits your needs and budget, always consider ease of use, temperature stability, grinder integration, and frothing ability as your top priorities. You can also check out my complete espresso machine buyer’s guide for more help deciding which factors matter when choosing.

With Breville’s reputation for quality and innovation in this space, you really can’t go wrong. The only question is how far down the rabbit hole of espresso obsession you want to venture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Breville espresso machines come with a built-in grinder?

Higher-end models like the Oracle Touch and Barista Touch have quality conical burr grinders built right in. This provides amazing convenience and good grind consistency. However, Breville’s top performers like the Dual Boiler omit built-in grinders, as they expect you to pair it with a premium standalone grinder for maximum flavor. Budget models like the Bambino Plus also leave out grinders to keep costs down. Consider if you want that all-in-one grinding convenience or prefer more flexibility with your grinder choice.

How long do Breville espresso machines typically last?

With proper care and maintenance, you can expect most Breville espresso machines to last 5 to 10 years or longer. They use premium materials and durable construction. Following regular cleaning cycles, descaling, and avoiding excessive hardness in your water will maximize longevity. Many home baristas get 8 to 10 years out of their trusty Breville before an upgrade. And the company’s exceptional customer service supports the machines well.

What is a dual boiler espresso machine?

Dual boiler machines like Breville’s BES920XL have two separate stainless steel boilers: one dedicated to brewing espresso at optimal temperatures, and one for steaming milk up to 265 degrees (F). This allows for extremely stable temperature control and eliminates lag time between brewing and steaming. Dual boilers provide a true cafe-grade experience compared to less expensive single boiler or thermoblock systems.

Can I make regular drip coffee with a Breville espresso machine?

No, Breville espresso machines are designed specifically for brewing espresso and making milk-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. They are not intended for making regular drip or pour over style coffee. For that, you’d need a separate drip coffee maker. Some higher-end Breville models like the Oracle do have a hot water dispenser which could be used to make Americanos, but they cannot brew regular filter-style coffee.