Breville Reviews: An In-depth Comparison of Their Best Espresso Machine Models

Breville Oracle BES980XL (View Product on Amazon.com)

The Breville Oracle BES980XL is a great high-end machine that really combines the best of super automatic espresso machines with those of semi-automatic espresso machines. It will do everything from grinding your beans to warming your cups.

The Oracle BES980XL has dual stainless steel boilers, allowing you to brew and steam at the same time. It has a generous 84 oz. water reservoir, and the bean hopper (which sits on top of the machine) has the nice feature of easily turning to lock or unlock it to the machine. When unlocked, it can be easily be removed to change beans or clean the hopper. Also, the burr (under the bean hopper) is removable with a simple turn to unlock for cleaning.

The grind fineness is easily adjustable via a nob on the front of the machine with the setting digitally shown on an LCD display. It automatically grinds, tamps, and polishes; the tamping force is adjustable. The grinds go into a super high-quality stainless steel porta filter. In fact, the whole machine reeks of high quality and stainless steel.

One of the nice features of the Breville Oracle is that even Americanos are programmable, automatically producing the shot, a longer shot, and then filling with water.

The steam wand can function either automatically or manually. The temperature can be digitally set as can the frothiness (from Latte to Cappuccino). The steamer makes excellent foam even in automatic mode.

The Oracle Espresso Machine has a digital clock which can be set for auto on and auto off. The temperature is precisely controlled with a PID. You can also set up the machine for automatic pre-infusion—you can set the length of time of the pre-infusion, the wait time, and the brew time.

The Breville BES98XL has an automatic cleaning cycle. All you have to do in put a tablet into the porta filter and tell it to “go”. The drip tray has a simple and reliable mechanical indicator of when it needs to be emptied.

Like the Breville Dual Boiler, The Oracle has a very nice feature to move or rotate the machine. Normally, the Oracle sits firmly on 4 feet on the counter in a lowered position. However, with the singe turn of a knob, the whole machine raises up to rest on movable bearings. Once raised, the machine may be easily moved or rotated for access to the water reservoir or otherwise access the rear of the machine.

The generous water reservoir is filled from the top of the machine and may easily be removed from the rear. This machine includes a charcoal water filter to improve the taste of the water.

The Oracle from Breville is another example of their exceptionally well-engineered products that looks just like you would want an espresso machine to look.

Breville Dual Boiler BES920XL (View Product on Amazon.com)

The Breville Dual Boiler BES920XL is an extremely attractive stainless steel machine that has dual stainless steel boilers—one for the brew side and one for the steam side. It has a traditional steam wand on the right side, next to the hot water dispenser.

Starting from the left, the dual boiler model has controls to set the shot temperature with auto-on and auto-off (and the implied clock). The BES920XL comes with a stainless steel filter—much better than the chrome plated filters on other brands—and four baskets (2 pressurized and 2 non-pressurized). The tamper is always handy–stored magnetically attached next to the brew group.

This is a semi-automatic espresso machine, so it does not include a built-in grinder. The water reservoir is filled by lifting door on the top of the machine, and the tank is easily removable from the back of the machine. The water level is visibly LED lighted and viewable through a window right behind the cup. There is also an indicator for the level of fluid in the drip tray. There is a convenient button for super-easy back flushing and cleaning.

One clever feature of the Breville Dual Boiler is the way it raises and pivots to access the rear of the espresso maker. Normally, the machine sits firmly on 4 feet in a lowered position. However, with the singe turn of a knob, the whole machine raises up to rest on movable bearings. Once raised, the machine may be easily moved or rotated for access to the water reservoir or whatever.

The volumetric controls may be used to produce either a single or double shot at the press of a button or you can manually control the volume of each shot.

Because of the dual boiler design, this Breville can be used to brew and steam at the same time. The steam is moderately powerful, but not as powerful as some machines—which may be good for someone who is just getting used to dual boiler machines and would prefer not to blow all the milk out of the container!

The shot timer shows the length of time for the shot, so you can experimentally find just the right shot time for you.

Breville is really strong on research and development of its products. All of the kinks and little nuances are worked out long before a product goes to market. It’s hard to go wrong with the Breville Dual Boiler BES920XL if you want a dual boiler espresso maker.

Breville Barista Express BES870XL(View Product on Amazon.com)

The Breville Barista Express BES870XL is a high quality and attractive stainless steel espresso machine with a compact footprint. This is a semi-automatic espresso machine with options to manually override coffee volume and frothing. Temperature is precisely controlled digitally (PID) and delivers the heated water to pre-infuse the coffee in the porta filter. It produces 9 bar pressure for extraction. The net result is a superior tasting coffee beverage delivered in less than a minute.

This BES870XL has an integrated conical burr grinder that will deliver just the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the porta filter. The grind size is controlled by an intuitive dial knob on the front of the machine. The Barista Express will produce single or double shots with adjustable grind volumes and manual override.

The bean hopper has a ½ lb. capacity, and the water reservoir has a 67 oz. capacity.

The Barista Express comes with an integrated tamper, stainless steel milk jug, and other tools. You can hand texture micro-foam milk for enhanced flavor and to decorate your final drink.

Overall, this Breville is a high-end semi-automatic product with great functionality and features that will be most attractive to more serious home espresso aficionados. Reviews from actual customers are excellent (better than virtually all espresso machines), with most being “excellent”. It is an excellent machine for home use, but it would not generally work as a commercial machine as its cycle time is too slow for commercial operation.

You might also like to read our comparison review of Breville Barista Express vs Express Pro vs Express Impress.

Breville BES500BSS Bambino Plus (View Product on Amazon.com)

The Breville BES500BSS Bambino plus Espresso Machine is a great machine for those wanting an entry priced espresso machine that has lots of high-end features.

The Bambino Plus really differentiates itself on the remarkable 3-second heat-up time to be ready to brew. After all, who wants to wait around for a cup of coffee?

The low pressure pre-infusion feature helps guarantee full flavor and aroma to you shots. This is an unusual feature for a lower-priced machine.

Other higher-end features include a larger portafilter, which permits a larger dose for richer flavor, PID (digital sensor) for precise temperature control, and great automatic micro-foam milk texturing.

Breville produces high quality designs and manufacturing for its products. The Bambino plus Espresso Machine is a very nice machine with upscale features for its price point—making it a very popular choice. Note that it is not fully automatic, and it does not include a grinder.

Breville BES840XL the Infuser (View Product on Amazon.com)

The Breville Infuser BES840XL is a semi-automatic, compact, high quality stainless steel espresso machine. The Infuser does not have a built-in grinder, so you need a grinder. This is a semi-automatic espresso machine with options to manually override coffee volume and temperature. You may produce single or double shots or manually control the volume.

It has a built-in pressure gauge to help you produce great tasting shots. It has a full 15 bar pressure, but it releases that pressure slowly to do a low pressure pre-infusion for greater flavor extraction from your grinds. The built in water filter also helps produce superior flavor.

At a relatively low price point, the BES840XL has higher end features like a digital PID that precisely controls temperature (adjustable in 4ºF increments). This Breville espresso machine gives you override control over volume and time of shots that you will appreciate.

With a 1650 watt heating element, the Breville Infuser has a brew time of about one minute and it takes on 45 seconds to be ready to steam. Speaking of steam, the Infuser BES840XL makes great foam; many purchasers have commented favorably on the quality of that foam. Also, the Infuser has an auto purge feature to automatically adjust the water temperature after producing steam.

Overall, The Breville Infuser BES840XL is an excellent semi-automatic product with the features to produce great espresso drinks. It has excellent reviews from purchasers. Remember that you will need a separate grinder. Convenient maintenance reminders will help you keep your machine in top shape.

Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Machine (View on Amazon)

The Café Roma is quite an impressive entry-level home espresso machine. With Thermoblock design, it is definitely “budget friendly” with a super attractive price while having functions that are definitely “a step above basics”, as a customer wrote.

The ESP8XL offers full 15 bars of pressure for a rich, barista-style crema. We like its stylish stainless steel construction and a 1.2 L removable water tank. It’s a simple but winning product. The top of the machine is a die-cast cup warming tray, and it has a steaming wand.

Purchaser reviews focus most frequently on the high quality of the coffee drinks produced from such a low cost product. To the extent that we have heard negative comments, they are primarily focused on how important it is to keep the machine clean and maintained to produce that great coffee.

The Breville Café Roma includes a Stainless Steel frothing pitcher, a tamping tool, a measuring spoon, and a cleaning tool. This Breville compact machine does not include a grinder, so you will need a stand-alone grinder.

The Café Roma is an excellent entry-level attractively priced espresso machine that produces surprisingly good espresso.

Best Overall: Breville BES980XL Oracle

Get The Breville Oracle BES980XL on Amazon

The BES980XL Oracle super-automatic espresso machine is our choice for the best overall Breville espresso machine. It combines the very best features of a super automatic machine with the ability to finely control nearly every aspect of the process if you so desire. From the built-in grinder through automatic brewing and hands-free milk texturing, everything about the Oracle is designed to produce superior drinks.

Best Value: Breville Barista Express BES870XL

Get The Breville Barista Express BES870XL on Amazon

The Barista Express Espresso Machine is our pick for the best value Breville espresso machine. This is a semi-automatic model with premium features usually found in super-automatic units. It has an adjustable integrated burr grinder combines with the PID to deliver water precisely the right extraction temperature. This reasonable-priced Barista has a large portafilter. It also provides you with the ability to hand texture micro-foam for the perfect drink. All of this comes with Breville’s super-quality design and manufacturing.

Best Budget friendly: Breville BES500BSS Bambino plus

Get The Breville BES500BSS Bambino Plus on Amazon

This Bambino plus model is our choice for the best budget friendly Breville espresso machine. Priced at an attractive price, the Bambino plus has some decidedly up-scale features. One of the most desirable and notable features is the super-quick 3 second heat up time. This unit also has digital temperature control (PID) and low pressure pre-infusion – to extract all of the flavor from your beans. This model is an excellent choice for home use – it combines Breville’s high quality with great features at an attractive price.