The Breville Barista Pro and the Barista Touch deliver café-quality espresso at home but cater to different users. The Barista Pro is a semi-automatic machine offering hands-on control via an LCD display and physical buttons, while the Barista Touch is fully automated with a touchscreen interface, pre-programmed recipes, and an automatic steam wand for frothing.
Here’s everything you need to know to choose the right Breville espresso machine for your kitchen counter.
Breville Barista Pro
The Barista Pro is designed for the home barista who enjoys crafting coffee and wants precise, manual control over every step. It features an intuitive LCD screen providing real-time feedback on grind time and shot duration, paired with a powerful manual steam wand for texturing milk. Its rapid 3-second heat-up time means you can start your coffee-making ritual without delay.
- What it is: A semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in conical burr grinder and a manual steam wand for full control over milk texturing.
- Key features: ThermoJet heating system with a 3-second heat-up time, intuitive LCD interface, integrated grinder with 30 grind settings, powerful manual steam wand.
- Price: Around $700 - $750.
- Style: Sleek and professional look with a brushed stainless steel finish and a digital display complemented by buttons and a dial.
- Materials/Construction: Durable stainless steel encases high-quality brewing components, built for longevity and a premium feel.
- Pros: Fast heat-up gets you brewing almost instantly. Complete control over extraction and milk steaming. More affordable than the Touch. Excellent for those who want to learn and perfect their barista skills.
- Cons: Manual milk frothing has a learning curve. Requires more hands-on effort for every drink. No capability to save custom drink settings.
This machine is ideal for the aspiring barista who wants a balance of professional features and hands-on control without needing full automation.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes878.html
Breville Barista Touch
The Barista Touch streamlines the espresso-making process with its brilliant full-color touchscreen interface. It automates every step from grinding and brewing to milk frothing, offering perfectly consistent results with minimal effort. You can swipe through pre-programmed café favorites or create and save up to 8 of your own personalized coffee recipes, making it incredibly user-friendly.
- What it is: An automated touchscreen espresso machine with an integrated grinder and an automatic steam wand for milk frothing.
- Key features: Color touchscreen with 5 pre-programmed drinks (espresso, latte, cappuccino, etc.), ability to create and save up to 8 personalized recipes, and an automatic steam wand with adjustable milk temperature and texture.
- Price: Between $1,000 - $1,200.
- Materials/Construction: High-quality stainless steel body with the same core brewing technology as the Pro.
- Style: Modern and high-tech with its large, colorful touchscreen taking center stage.
- Pros: Extremely easy for beginners to use. Automatic milk frothing delivers consistent foam every time. Saving personalized recipes is perfect for households with multiple coffee drinkers. One-touch operation offers ultimate convenience.
- Cons: A significant price jump from the Pro. Less hands-on control for experienced baristas who prefer to customize drinks on the fly. Touchscreen components could be a long-term durability concern compared to simple buttons.
The Touch is built for those who prioritize convenience, want consistent results without the learning curve, and love the modern experience of a smart, automated appliance.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes880.html
Breville Barista Pro vs. Breville Barista Touch Comparison
User Interface & Control
This is the central difference between the two machines. The Barista Pro uses a sharp LCD screen with buttons and a dial. This interface gives you all the essential information - grind size, dose amount, shot time - and allows for precise manual adjustments. It's a tactile experience favored by traditionalists who want to feel more connected to the process.
The Barista Touch trades manual controls for a sleek, full-color touchscreen. You simply swipe and tap to select your drink, adjust its strength, milk texture, or temperature, and then hit start. It guides you through every step visually, making it nearly foolproof. The control is still there, but it's digital and guided rather than manual and tactile.
Milk Frothing & Texturing
The Barista Pro features a powerful manual steam wand, the same kind you'd find on a commercial machine. It puts you in direct control, allowing you to create everything from silky microfoam for a latte to thick, airy foam for a cappuccino. This delivers superior results in skilled hands but requires practice to master.
The Barista Touch completely automates this process. You place the milk jug under the auto-steam wand, select your desired temperature and foam level on the screen, and it does the rest. It consistently produces excellent foam and is perfect for beginners or anyone who wants a latte with the press of a button.
Customization & Presets
With customization, the Barista Touch has a clear edge. It comes with five pre-programmed classics (espresso, flat white, latte, cappuccino, and long black). More importantly, it lets you create, name, and save up to eight of your own coffee recipes. You can dial in the perfect shot length, milk temp, and foam for your signature drink and recall it anytime.
The Barista Pro offers full manual customization on a per-drink basis. You can adjust grind size, duration, and water temperature, but the machine will not remember those settings for next time. It's designed for someone who wants to fine-tune each individual cup on the fly.
Price & Value
The Barista Pro typically costs around $750, while the Barista Touch comes in closer to $1,100. The several-hundred-dollar price difference is directly tied to the touchscreen and automation. The Pro offers incredible value for an espresso enthusiast, providing the same core powerful brewing system and grinder as the Touch for much less.
The Touch justifies its higher price tag with pure convenience and user-friendliness. If you want a foolproof system that delivers great coffee without a learning curve, and everyone in the house can make their custom drink with a single tap, then the extra cost is worthwhile.
Who Each One Works Best For
The Barista Pro is for the hobbyist and the purist. It's perfect for someone who sees coffee making as a ritual and wants to develop their barista skills, from dialing in the perfect shot to mastering the art of microfoam. If you enjoy the process and want to be hands-on, the Pro gives you the tools to do it expertly at a great price.
The Barista Touch is for the coffee lover who prioritizes convenience and consistency. It’s ideal for busy households, people who entertain guests frequently, or anyone who wants a fantastic café-style drink without any guesswork or cleanup fuss. If your goal is to get a delicious, personalized latte in your hand as quickly and easily as possible, the Touch is the way to go.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both machines make exceptional espresso, but they serve two very different types of coffee drinkers.
Choose the Barista Pro if:
- You enjoy the hands-on process of making coffee and want to pull your own shots.
- You are excited about learning to froth milk manually for latte art.
- Your budget is better suited for a machine under $800.
- You prefer the tactile feel of buttons and dials over a touchscreen.
Choose the Barista Touch if:
- You prioritize convenience and want one-touch café drinks.
- You want to save custom-drink preferences for different family members.
- You’re a beginner and want automated milk frothing for consistent results.
- You are willing to invest more for a modern, user-friendly touchscreen experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Barista Pro and the Barista Touch?
The main difference is the user interface and level of automation. The Barista Pro features an LCD screen with manual buttons for a hands-on experience, while the Barista Touch uses a full-color touchscreen to automate the entire coffee-making process, including milk frothing.
Which Breville machine makes better coffee?
Both machines use the same high-quality ThermoJet heating system and integrated conical burr grinder. The potential quality of the espresso is identical. The final result depends on user skill on the Pro versus the consistent automation on the Touch.
Is the Breville Barista Touch worth the extra money?
If you value automation, custom-saved recipes, and the ease of one-touch operation, then yes, the Touch is worth the investment. For those who prefer manual control and want to save a few hundred dollars, the Pro is most likely a better option.
Do both machines have the same grinder?
Yes, both the Pro and the Touch feature Breville's integrated conical burr grinder, which gives you precise control over grind size for optimal coffee extraction.
How long do these machines take to heat up?
Both models are equipped with the ThermoJet heating system, which achieves the optimum extraction temperature in an impressive 3 seconds, so there’s virtually no waiting time for your coffee.
Is the Barista Pro good for beginners?
The Barista Pro has a gentle learning curve, especially for mastering manual milk frothing, but it's an excellent machine to learn on due to its real-time feedback. However, for an absolute beginner, the Barista Touch is significantly easier to use right out of the box.
Can I save custom-drink recipes on the Barista Pro?
No, the Pro lets you adjust settings for each shot, but it does not save custom recipes like the Touch does.
How do you clean the Breville Barista Pro and Touch?
Both models guide you through cleaning with on-screen alerts. They come with a cleaning kit, and the machine will tell you when it’s time to run a cleaning cycle or descale it. Breville also provides detailed instructions and online videos for routine maintenance.
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