The Breville Barista Touch and Barista Express are both high-quality, all-in-one espresso machines from Breville, but they target different home baristas. The Barista Touch is a premium, automated machine with an intuitive touchscreen that guides you through the process and froths milk for you, prioritizing convenience and speed. The Barista Express offers a more hands-on, traditional experience with manual controls and dials, appealing to those who want to master the craft of espresso on a smaller budget.
Here's a complete comparison to help you choose the right Breville machine for your kitchen counter.
Breville Barista Touch
The Barista Touch is built for the modern coffee lover who values convenience, technology, and repeatable results. Its color touchscreen simplifies the entire process from grinding to brewing to milk frothing, making complex café drinks approachable for beginners while still offering enough customization for enthusiasts.
- What it is: A premium, semi-automatic espresso machine featuring a touchscreen interface and an automated steam wand.
- Key features: Intuitive color touchscreen display with pre-programmed cafe drinks, automatic milk frothing with adjustable temperature and texture, 3-second heat-up time with ThermoJet heating system, integrated conical burr grinder, ability to save up to 8 personalized drink settings.
- Price: Around $1,200 - $1,400.
- Dimensions: 12.7" (W) x 13.1" (D) x 16" (H).
- Materials/Construction: Brushed stainless steel body with a robust internal ThermoJet heating system and integrated conical burr grinder for a premium feel.
- Style: Sleek, modern, and minimalist. The large touchscreen gives it a high-tech look that fits well in contemporary kitchens.
- Pros: Extremely user-friendly and great for beginners. Very fast 3-second heat-up time. Automatic milk texturing creates perfect microfoam effortlessly. Customizable presets allow you to save your favorite drinks.
- Cons: Significantly more expensive than the Express. Limits the opportunity to learn manual brewing and frothing skills. More complex electronics might lead to more potential issues long-term.
The Barista Touch is ideal for anyone who wants consistently great coffee with minimal fuss and is willing to invest in a machine that offers a user-friendly, high-tech experience.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes880.html
Breville Barista Express
The Barista Express has become a modern classic for home espresso, offering an incredible balance of quality, control, and value. This is a true all-in-one machine for aspiring baristas who want complete control over their brew, from grind size to shot extraction, using manual dials and a pressure gauge.
- What it is: A best-selling semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in grinder and manual controls for hands-on brewing.
- Key features: Integrated conical burr grinder with dose control, analog pressure gauge for precise extraction feedback, single and double shot programmability, manual steam wand for milk frothing, digital temperature control (PID).
- Price: Around $700 - $900.
- Dimensions: 12.5" (W) x 12.6" (D) x 13.1" (H).
- Materials/Construction: Durable stainless steel build with some quality plastic components. It features a thermocoil heating system.
- Style: Utilitarian and classic, resembling a more traditional espresso machine with prominent dials, buttons, and a pressure gauge.
- Pros: Excellent value for the price. Offers great control for learning and mastering espresso skills. Robust and reliable build quality. The pressure gauge provides direct feedback for improving your technique.
- Cons: Has a steeper learning curve, especially for milk frothing. Slower heat-up time compared to the Touch. A completely manual process can be less convenient for busy mornings.
The Barista Express is perfect for the coffee enthusiast who enjoys the hands-on process and wants to develop true barista skills without breaking the bank.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
Breville Barista Touch vs. Breville Express Comparison
Ease of Use & Learning Curve
This is the most significant difference between the two machines. The Barista Touch is designed for simplicity. Its touchscreen guides you through every step, from selecting your drink to adjusting the grind size and brewing. The automated steam wand eliminates the guesswork of frothing milk, delivering consistent silky microfoam every time. You can get great results within minutes of unboxing it.
In contrast, the Barista Express demands more involvement. You have to learn how to dial in your grind, tamp with the right pressure, and manually froth your milk using the steam wand. While it has a steeper learning curve, this hands-on process is precisely what many aspiring baristas enjoy, as it provides a deep understanding of the craft and a rewarding feeling when you pull the perfect shot.
Features & Automation
The Barista Touch is loaded with automated features. Its ThermoJet heating system warms up in just three seconds, whereas the Express's thermocoil system takes about a minute. The Touch's standout feature is its automatic steam wand, which creates perfect foam for lattes and cappuccinos without any skill required. You can also save up to 8 personalized drink recipes for one-touch operation.
The Barista Express favors manual control over automation. Its most important feature is the analog pressure gauge, which gives you real-time feedback on your extraction and helps you diagnose issues with your grind size or tamp. The steam wand is fully manual, giving you the control needed to practice and perfect latte art. Think of the Express as a tool to develop a skill, while the Touch is a tool to get a great result quickly.
Materials & Construction
Both machines feature Breville's signature brushed stainless steel finish and feel solid and well-built. They are designed to be durable countertop appliances. The Barista Touch generally feels a bit more premium, largely due to its high-resolution screen and more streamlined facade. Both machines integrate high-quality conical burr grinders that perform very well for espresso.
Price & Value
At roughly $700-$900, the Barista Express offers incredible value. For under $1,000, you get a machine with a built-in grinder that can produce true café-quality espresso, provided you put in the time to learn. It remains one of the best entry points into the hobby of home espresso.
The Barista Touch, at $1,200-$1,400, costs significantly more. The extra cost buys you convenience, speed, and advanced technology. For those who want excellent coffee drinks without the learning curve or time commitment, the polished experience justifies the higher price tag.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both of these Breville machines deliver excellent coffee, but they are built for fundamentally different users.
Choose the Breville Barista Touch if:
- You prioritize speed and convenience in your morning routine.
- You want consistently great results without a steep learning curve.
- You prefer a guided, modern touchscreen interface over analog dials.
- You want automated, cafe-quality milk frothing at the touch of a button.
- You have a higher budget and appreciate high-tech kitchen appliances.
Choose the Breville Barista Express if:
- You are on a more conservative budget but want a high-performance machine.
- You enjoy a hands-on process and want to learn real barista skills.
- You want precise control over every variable of your espresso shot.
- You feel rewarded by mastering a new skill, including manual milk frothing for latte art.
- You prefer the classic, utilitarian aesthetic of a traditional espresso machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Barista Touch and Express?
The main difference is automation and user interface. The Barista Touch uses a color touchscreen and an automated steam wand for a convenient, guided experience. The Barista Express uses manual dials, buttons, and a pressure gauge for a hands-on, traditional brewing process.
Is the Barista Touch worth the extra money?
If you value speed, convenience, and automation, then yes. The 3-second heat-up time, touchscreen presets, and automatic milk frothing drastically simplify the coffee-making process and can justify the higher cost for those who want great coffee without the fuss.
Which machine is better for beginners?
The Barista Touch is easier for complete beginners to use right away, as the screen guides them and the milk frothing is automatic. The Barista Express is a great machine for beginners who want to learn the craft of espresso. It will be more challenging at first, but ultimately more educational.
How is the grinder quality on these machines?
Both machines feature a high-quality integrated conical burr grinder that is fully capable of grinding fine enough for espresso. They both offer adjustable grind size settings, which is crucial for dialing in the perfect shot.
Can you make latte art with both machines?
Yes. The automated steam wand on the Touch is designed to create silky microfoam that's perfect for latte art. With the Express, you have full manual control, which many baristas prefer for creating latte art once they've mastered the technique.
How long do they take to heat up?
The Barista Touch uses a ThermoJet heating system and is ready to brew in just 3 seconds. The Barista Express uses a thermocoil system and takes around 30-60 seconds to heat up properly.
Do I need to buy a separate grinder?
No, both the Barista Touch and the Barista Express are all-in-one machines. They have a high-quality coffee grinder built directly into the unit.
Which one is easier to clean?
Both machines have similar cleaning procedures, including regular descaling and backflushing. The Barista Touch has the advantage of guiding you through the cleaning process with on-screen prompts, which makes it slightly more user-friendly.
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