Breville Barista Express BES870XL vs Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS

Somebody buying their first proper espresso setup who wants the grinder in the same box

Scores higher on shot quality & extraction, value for money.

A household where more than one person makes milk drinks and nobody wants to learn to steam

Scores higher on steam power & milk texturing, build quality & durability, maintenance & cleaning.

• +An integrated conical burr grinder that doses on demand, so beans go from hopper to basket in one action
• +PID temperature regulation and low pressure pre-infusion
• +Stainless steel with a 1600W element, and a one-year warranty
• +$692.99 for a grinder and machine together, just under the $699.99 category median

• −A manual steam wand: milk is textured by hand
• −One year of cover, where the Barista Pro and Touch publish two
• −10kg, the heaviest machine in this category

• +Hands-free milk texturing with 8 texture levels and a temperature you choose between 104F and 167F.
• +A 30-setting hardened steel conical grinder built in, dosing to Breville's stated 18g.
• +ThermoJet heating that Breville publishes as reaching extraction temperature in 3 seconds.
• +Two-year warranty, double the one year Breville gives the Barista Express and the Infuser.
• +Five preset drinks plus eight you can create, name and save.

• −$999.95, which buys a super-automatic that also pulls the shot for you.
• −A 54mm portafilter, not the 58mm commercial size, so accessories are less interchangeable.
• −The tamp is still manual, so the one step most likely to ruin a shot is left to you.
• −Breville publishes no pre-infusion pressure and no shot volumes, only the 9 bar extraction.