Breville Barista Express Impress BES876 vs Gaggia Classic Evo Pro RI9380/49

The Barista Express with the tamping done for you, so the shot is repeatable from day one

Scores higher on shot quality & extraction, workflow & ergonomics, ease of use & learning curve.

Anyone who wants commercial fittings at home and expects to keep the machine for a decade

Scores higher on build quality & durability, steam power & milk texturing, value for money.

• +Assisted tamping at a fixed pressure removes the step most beginners get wrong.
• +The machine reads each tamp and adjusts the next dose, so the puck is repeatable.
• +A built-in 25-setting conical burr grinder, so there is nothing else to buy.
• +A pressure gauge on the front, which shows whether a shot ran fast or slow.
• +Both pressurised and unpressurised baskets in the box.

• −Breville publishes no warranty term or weight for it, on the page or in the manual.
• −The manual allows up to 55 seconds to heat, against 3 seconds on the ThermoJet Breville machines.
• −The steam wand is manual, so milk is still a skill to learn.
• −A 54 mm basket, not the 58 mm most café accessories are made for.

• +A 58mm commercial portafilter, the same size professional machines use, so every accessory fits
• +9 bar published as the actual extraction pressure rather than a pump maximum
• +Solid steel housing with brass and stainless steel, made in Italy, with a 2.1 litre tank

• −No built-in grinder
• −A single uncoated aluminium boiler, which is the part that most needs descaling
• −1200W, and no warranty term is published