The Saeco Picobaristo is a fully automatic espresso machine designed for one-touch convenience, whereas the Breville Barista Touch is a semi-automatic machine that offers a greater degree of hands-on control via an intuitive touchscreen. The Saeco excels at delivering consistent coffee with minimal effort, while the Breville provides a more engaging, barista-like experience with customizable settings for those who enjoy perfecting their technique.
Here’s everything you need to know to decide which of these excellent espresso machines is the right fit for your kitchen.
Saeco Picobaristo
The Saeco Picobaristo is a super-automatic espresso machine that handles every step of the coffee-making process for you, from grinding the beans to frothing the milk. It's designed for coffee lovers who crave the quality of freshly ground espresso drinks without the learning curve or manual effort of a traditional machine.
- What it is: A fully-automatic, bean-to-cup espresso machine with an integrated grinder and automated milk frothing system.
- Key features: Built-in ceramic disc grinder, AquaClean water filter system, one-touch drink selections, and customizable user profiles for saving your favorite coffee strengths and volumes.
- Price: Ranges from $900 to $1,200.
- Dimensions: Approximately 11" wide x 16" deep x 14" high.
- Materials/Construction: Features a durable plastic chassis with stainless steel accents, focusing on functional design and easy cleaning.
- Style: Modern and compact with a straightforward, practical design that fits well in most kitchens without consuming excessive counter space.
- Pros: Exceptionally easy to use with one-touch operation. Delivers consistent results for every cup. The integrated milk frothing system is hands-free. Compact footprint is ideal for smaller kitchens.
- Cons: Limited manual control over brewing variables like water temperature or shot timing. Plastic-heavy construction may feel less premium than its price suggests. The internal brewing unit requires regular maintenance.
This machine is ideal for anyone who prioritizes speed and convenience and wants consistent, high-quality espresso, cappuccinos, or lattes at the push of a button.
Shop this product: philips.com/c-m-pe/saeco
Breville Barista Touch
The Breville Barista Touch strikes a perfect balance between automation and manual control. Its signature feature is a color touchscreen that guides you through every step of making your favorite coffee, while still allowing you to customize grind size, dose, and milk texture to your personal preference. It is built for a growing coffee enthusiast who wants professional-quality results with an intuitive, modern interface.
- What it is: A semi-automatic espresso machine that combines a touchscreen interface with precise control over brewing and milk frothing.
- Key features: Integrated steel conical burr grinder, 3-second heat-up time with a ThermoJet heating system, and an automatic steam wand for creating perfectly textured microfoam.
- Price: Ranges from $1,200 to $1,500.
- Dimensions: Approximately 12" wide x 12" deep x 16" high.
- Materials/Construction: Built with a sleek, high-quality brushed stainless steel body, giving it a premium look and solid feel.
- Style: Sophisticated and minimalist. Its polished finish and clean lines make it a focal point on any kitchen counter.
- Pros: The intuitive touch screen makes it incredibly easy to learn and use. It gives the user excellent control over brew parameters. Feels very solid due to its high-quality stainless steel build. The automatic steam wand produces cafe-quality milk foam.
- Cons: More expensive than the Saeco. It requires more user interaction than a fully automatic machine. The larger size occupies more counter space.
The Barista Touch is an ideal choice for the hands-on home barista who wants a high degree of customization and a premium build quality, without a long learning process.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes880.html
Saeco Picobaristo vs. Breville Barista Touch Comparison
Dimensions & Scale
The Saeco Picobaristo is designed to be more compact, with a narrower but deeper footprint at 11" x 16" x 14". This makes it a good option for kitchens where counter depth is more readily available than width. Its utilitarian, blocky form is functional and space-efficient.
In contrast, the Breville Barista Touch is slightly wider but less deep at about 12" x 12" x 16". It offers an elegant look that makes it appear like a high-end appliance. It's built for those who have a bit more space and want their machine to be a showcase piece in their kitchen.
Materials & Construction
The Picobaristo uses a combination of durable plastic and stainless steel. While sturdy and functional, the feel is less luxurious than the Breville. Its integrated ceramic grinders are known for their durability and for not overheating the beans during the grinding process.
The Barista Touch is encased in premium brushed stainless steel. Every part, from the portafilter to the drip tray, feels solid and well-made. It uses an integrated steel conical burr grinder, which is prized by coffee experts for ensuring a precise and consistent grind.
Price & Value
At $900-$1,200, the Saeco Picobaristo delivers strong value for a completely hands-off experience. You’re paying for convenience, consistency, and a machine that gets the job done quickly with zero fuss. This makes it an amazing investment if pure automation is your main goal.
The Breville Barista Touch, costing $1,200-$1,500, offers a different value for users. The higher price is justified by its superior build quality, more engaging user experience through its touchscreen, and the ability to finely tune everything about your morning brew. This machine is also excellent to learn on. It gives you the control you’d find more in line with a professional semi-automatic espresso maker with the ease and support usually only found in automatic ones.
Style & Versatility
The Saeco's style is functional and modern. It offers a variety of one-touch coffee recipes that are great if you drink pretty standard milk-based and espresso drinks like cappuccino or latte macchiato. The Breville’s style is more sophisticated. The brushed metal and minimalist design make it suitable for modern or professional-style kitchens. It is much more versatile due to its excellent customization features which allow users to save their own personalized coffee recipes.
Who Each One Works Best For
Choose the Saeco Picobaristo if you're looking for a machine that is almost entirely automated. It’s perfect for busy households, people new to home espresso makers, or anyone who wants a great latte macchiato without needing to know a puck prep or what a portafilter even is.
However, if you're the type of person who loves to experiment and have some control over your shot of espresso, the Breville Barista Touch is right for you. It appeals to coffee enthusiasts or to people who know what they like and appreciate the ability to dial in everything to brew the perfect cup of coffee.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both of these espresso machines are excellent and will deliver amazing coffee. They just deliver it in different ways. One favors convenience more, while the other offers automation balanced with a personal touch.
Choose the Saeco Picobaristo if:
- You prioritize speed and “one-button” convenience above all else.
- You want a consistent cup of coffee without any need for guesswork or learning.
- You prefer a more fully automated experience.
- You want a more compact machine and need to save on some counter space.
Choose the Breville Barista Touch if:
- You enjoy the process of customizing your coffee parameters.
- A premium stainless steel design and high-end feel are very important to you.
- You want an intuitive touchscreen to help you learn and create your recipes.
- You are looking for cafe-quality textured milk foam to practice your latte art.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Picobaristo and the Barista Touch?
The main difference is the level of automation. The Saeco Picobaristo is super-automatic, meaning it does everything without the user needing to do anything. It will grind, tamp, brew, and then add frothed milk to your cup with no additional work. The Barista Touch is a semi-automatic that automates the grinding and milk frothing but lets you take control of certain aspects like tamping if you want more involvement in the coffee-making process.
Which machine is easier for a beginner?
For a beginner who wants absolutely no learning curve, the Saeco Picobaristo is easier because it is truly a one-touch machine. However, if you're a beginner who wants to get more involved and learn how to make great-tasting coffee, the Breville Barista Touch is fantastic due to its guided touchscreen interface that teaches and shows the ropes.
How is the milk frothing different on each machine?
The Saeco uses an integrated milk carafe that automatically siphons, heats, and dispenses frothed milk directly into your cup for a complete hands-off drink. The Breville uses a powerful automatic steam wand. You need to place the wand in the milk pitcher, and it froths the milk to a perfect velvety texture based on the temperature you preselect, giving you amazing control for making latte art or if you just like your cappuccinos extra frothy.
Can I use pre-ground coffee in these machines?
Yes, many Saeco machines, including the Picobaristo models, feature a bypass doser for using pre-ground coffee, which is excellent for serving a cup of delicious decaf coffee. With the Breville, you just need to skip the grinding part and fill the portafilter using already ground coffee. As mentioned before, the Breville gives you great control over how you manage your whole coffee-making experience.
Which grinder is better, Saeco's ceramic burr grinder or Breville's conical burr grinder?
Both are excellent grinders. Ceramic burrs are known for their durability and very low heat transfer, which many coffee aficionados feel is important for preserving the aromatic qualities of the coffee beans. Steel burrs are famous for precision and consistency of grind size. You can’t really go wrong with either. For the majority of users, the difference will be negligible.
Is the Breville Barista Touch worth the extra money?
It really depends on your priorities and needs. If high-quality premium materials, a great user interface, and the ability to learn and experiment are important to you, then the price of the Breville is most definitely worth it. If, on the other hand, you crave ease of use above anything else, the Picobaristo offers much better value while delivering the convenience you require.
How much cleaning do these machines require?
Both machines are great and will not demand constant servicing like some other super-automatics. It’s pretty standard – both espresso machines require simple but regular maintenance, including daily rinsing and more thorough weekly cleaning of parts like the milk system. The Saeco features a removable brew group that should be cleaned under running water regularly. The Breville will prompt its touchscreen with alerts when it needs to be descaled or backflushed. Breville has done an amazing job making this simple and easy for their customers.
Which one is bigger and takes up more space?
The Saeco Picobaristo is slimmer but deeper (11"W x 16"D), whereas the Breville Barista Touch has a wider but more square-shaped footprint (12"W x 12"D). Before you buy, measure the available counter space in your kitchen and consider both their width and depth to make sure whichever choice you end up with fits like a glove!
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