Breville Barista Touch
Review
The Age-Old Art of Coffee-Making
Meets Modern Technology
By: James Butler Revised by: Mark Cambell Last updated: Feb 6, 2024
Breville has been crafting high-end kitchen appliances for over 100 years, dating back to 1932 when the company started in Sydney, Australia. From bullet blenders and sandwich presses to specialty coffee makers, Breville uses the latest technology to make food preparation efficient and enjoyable. The Breville Barista Touch is no exception, incorporating a huge number of cutting-edge features to provide a superior coffeehouse experience right in your own kitchen.
The Color Touch Screen and Control Panel are the heart of this machine, allowing me to swipe and select from an impressive array of drink options with ease. What sets the Breville Barista Touch apart is its ability to let me adjust the shot volume, milk texture, and temperature to my personal preferences, and then save these settings as my own customized favorites. I appreciated how intuitive and straightforward it was to use, even for a coffee novice. Simply select single or double shot, and the machine handles the rest. Adjustments can easily be made on the fly with the touch of a finger. This level of control and personalization is a game-changer for the home espresso enthusiast.
I've drunk well over a hundred shots pulled from the Breville Barista Touch since I've started testing it, and each one has delighted my taste buds and awakened my spirit.
The integrated bean hopper and built-in conical burr grinder allow you to adjust your grind to the 0.2 gram, ensuring the optimal amount of grounds are dosed for each shot. Grounds are delivered directly to the portafilter basket, eliminating mess and wasted coffee. The pre-infusion feature wets the grounds evenly before a full pump, maximizing flavor extraction.
The espresso comes out full-bodied with an intense complexity usually found only in the finest cafes. And the crema! It's velvety and long-lasting, coating the sides of the coffee cup.
The Automatic Hands-Free Milk Texturing feature has been an absolute delight to use. The Breville Barista Touch effortlessly textures the milk to my desired temperature and style, whether I'm craving a silky-smooth latte or a creamy cappuccino. The automatic purge function also ensures that the steam wand is clean and ready for my next use, eliminating the need for manual cleaning.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Breville Barista Touch is its Rapid Heat-Up capability. In just 3 seconds, the innovative heating system achieves the ideal extraction temperature, allowing me to start brewing my espresso shots with minimal wait time. This feature is a game-changer, especially for those mornings when I'm in a hurry to get my caffeine fix.
The Integrated Conical Burr Grinder is another standout feature of this machine. The stainless steel burrs maximize the ground coffee surface area, ensuring a full-bodied espresso flavor with each brew. The grind size and grind amount are both adjustable, allowing me to fine-tune the extraction to my liking.
The Automatic Dosing function is a particularly convenient feature, as the machine automatically dispenses the required amount of ground coffee based on the filter basket size I've selected. This ensures a consistent and precise dose every time, eliminating the need for manual measurement.
The Razor Dose Trimming Tool is a clever addition, allowing me to quickly and easily tamp the ground coffee to the perfect level, ensuring a consistent extraction.
The Adjustable Temperature Control and PID Temperature Control features ensure that the water temperature remains stable throughout the brewing process, further enhancing the flavor profile of my espresso.
The Instant Hot Water outlet is a bonus, providing me with hot water for making Americanos or pre-heating my cups, adding to the versatility of this machine.
The Low-Pressure Pre-Infusion and Volumetric Control features are also worth highlighting, as they contribute to the overall quality of the espresso extraction.
So, if you're ready to elevate your at-home coffee game but don't want to sacrifice simplicity, the Breville Barista Touch is an absolute must. For under $1,000, you'll enjoy espresso shots that rival those from high-end cafes but with the convenience of having an expert barista living right inside your espresso maker. The age-old art of coffee making has truly met its machinery match, the magnificent Breville Barista Touch.
Pros:
•Automatic steam and foam milking for espresso and milk based drinks. Touchscreen menu with custom milk profiles.
•Built-in grinder with conical burr grinder for fresh whole bean grinding. Adjust grind size for espresso, pour-over or drip. Save profiles for different drink types.
•Programmable volume control allows customizing volume for espresso or alternative milk drinks. Control volume to optimize intensity and flavor for your perfect drink.
•Multi-beverage customization. Save profiles for espresso, latte, cappuccino, flat white, macchiato or your specialty drink. Quickly replicate your signature beverages.
•Advanced PID temperature control for consistent brew water temperature. This control precisely maintains water at the ideal temperature for extracting optimal flavor from coffee beans.
•Large color touchscreen is easy to navigate for programming volume, temperature, milk froth level and more. This intuitive display lets you focus on the process, not the procedures.
•Pressurized portafilter system produces authentic espresso crema with balanced flavor and acidity. High performance 15 bar steam pressure pumps up flavor for every drink.
•Steam wands with automatic milk frother and cappuccinatore milk frother provide frothed, steamed and foamy milk for your perfect milk-based beverage on every attempt. Save custom milk profiles for muscle memory.
•Fast heat-up time. Ready to brew in under 30 seconds for quick convenience and on-the-go enjoyment. Minimal wait between drinks.
Cons:
•Well-built but less durable than commercial models.
•Premium design and 2-year warranty with good support but lower than dedicated commercial espresso machine brands.
•Touches screen can be more complicated to navigating and program versus dedicated knobs and dials on specialized espresso machines.