Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS vs La Marzocco Linea Micra
Ahead
The verdict
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS is the better buy on our scoring, 7.6 to La Marzocco Linea Micra's 6.3. It leads on build quality & durability and ease of use & learning curve.
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS costs $3,512.01 less.
Who each one suits
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS
A household where more than one person makes milk drinks and nobody wants to learn to steam
Scores higher on build quality & durability, ease of use & learning curve, maintenance & cleaning.
La Marzocco Linea Micra
Commercial-grade temperature stability from dual boilers and an integrated group, in a machine small enough for a home counter
Scores higher on shot quality & extraction, steam power & milk texturing.
How they score, criterion by criterion
Both are scored the same way against the rest of their category, from what their makers publish. The weight is how much each criterion moves the total. How the score works
| Criterion | Weight in category | Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS | La Marzocco Linea Micra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot Quality & Extraction | 22% | 6.5 | 8.5 |
| Build Quality & Durability | 16% | 8.2 | 6.4 |
| Steam Power & Milk Texturing | 16% | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Ease of Use & Learning Curve | 12% | 7.3 | 2.7 |
| Maintenance & Cleaning | 12% | 10.0 | 7.5 |
| Workflow & Ergonomics | 12% | 8.8 | 6.9 |
| Value for Money | 10% | 5.6 | 1.1 |
What each one costs
| Price | $987.99 | $4,500.00 |
Where they differ
Every specification the two makers publish differently. Everything they match on is in the full table below.
| Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS | La Marzocco Linea Micra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $987.99 | $4,500.00 |
| Best for | A household where more than one person makes milk drinks and nobody wants to learn to steam | Commercial-grade temperature stability from dual boilers and an integrated group, in a machine small enough for a home counter |
| What sets it apart | An automatic steam wand that sets milk temperature and texture, so the milk is not a skill you have to acquire | — |
| App Connected | — | ✓ |
| Automatic milk frother | ✓ | ✕ |
| Bean hopper | 227, published as 1/2 lb | — |
| Body Material | Stainless steel | — |
| Boiler | — | 2 |
| Boiler Type | ThermoJet heating system | Dual boiler: 0.25 l coffee boiler and 1.6 l steam boiler |
| Brew Activation | — | Brew paddle working an electric switch |
| Built in Grinder | ✓ | ✕ |
| Burr Material | Hardened steel, conical | — |
| Colour Options | Brushed Stainless Steel, Black Truffle, Sea Salt, Damson Blue, Black Stainless Steel | Blue, Brushed Stainless Steel, Crème, Light Grey, White, Black, Stainless Steel, Red, Light Blue |
| Made in | — | Italy. La Marzocco USA states Handmade in Florence across its site, though not on this machine's own page |
| Custom Drinks Saved | 8, which can be named | — |
| Dimensions | 399 x 320 x 315, published as 15.7 x 12.6 x 12.4 in | 292 x 457 x 330 (W x D x H), published as 11.5 x 18 x 13 in |
| Dose Grams | 18 | — |
| Extraction Pressure | 9, which Breville calls a high pressure extraction after a low pressure pre-infusion | — |
| Grind steps | 30 | — |
| Hot Water Spout | — | ✓ |
| In Box Accessories | — | 14 g and 17 g baskets, cleaning basket, convex tamper, convertible portafilter, Purocaf cleaning solution, 12 oz pitcher, installation and user guide |
| Machine Type | Semi-automatic espresso machine with an integrated grinder and a touchscreen | Semi-automatic dual boiler home espresso machine with an integrated group head, a scaled-down Linea Classic S |
| Milk Temperature Range | 104F to 167F, adjustable | — |
| Milk Texture Levels | 8 | — |
| PID control | — | ✓ |
| Plumbable | — | Optional; the self-contained 2 l reservoir means plumbing in is not required |
| Portafilter | 54 mm | — |
| Portafilter Size | — | 58 mm |
| Portafilter Type | — | Convertible portafilter that changes between single spout, double spout and bottomless |
| Power | 1680 W | 1600, at 110 V |
| Pre Infusion | ✓ | — |
| Preset Drinks | 5 | — |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar | — |
| Pump Type | — | Rotary vane pump |
| Ships to | US | — |
| Ships to Note | Confirmed on Amazon US, which is where this link points. Availability in other Amazon stores has not been checked, and a regional store may substitute a different product. | — |
| Steam Wand Cleaning | Automatic cleaning function for the steam wand | — |
| Steam Wand Type | Automatic | Manual insulated steam wand, cool to the touch |
| Tamp Type | Manual, with a removable magnetic tamper | — |
| Warm-up time | 3, which Breville publishes as the ThermoJet system reaching extraction temperature | 300, published as about 5 minutes on La Marzocco's own Linea Mini against Linea Micra comparison rather than on the product page |
| Warranty | 2 years | 1, published as a 12 month parts and labor warranty |
| Water Tank | 1.98, published as 67 oz | 2 L |
| Weight | 9.9 kg | 19.1, published as 42 lb |
Pros and cons
From each full review, written from the same published facts as the scores above.
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS
- +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.
La Marzocco Linea Micra
- +Two boilers, a 0.25 l coffee boiler and a 1.6 l steam boiler, so brewing and steaming never compete.
- +PID control with full temperature adjustment, and an integrated group that La Marzocco credits for commercial-grade temperature stability.
- +La Marzocco Home app for temperature, auto-backflush and a daily on and off schedule.
- +A convertible portafilter that changes between single spout, double spout and bottomless, plus a hot water spout and an insulated steam wand.
- +Nine finishes on La Marzocco's US page, from Stainless Steel and Black to Red, Light Blue and Crème.
- −$4,500.00 is the highest price of any espresso machine on this site, and it does not include a grinder.
- −La Marzocco's US page does not publish pump pressure or a warranty period.
- −Baskets are 14 g and 17 g only, so anyone dosing 18 g or more needs to buy a larger basket.
- −The 0.25 l coffee boiler is small, which suits a home but is not built for making drinks for a crowd back to back.
Every specification, side by side
| Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS | La Marzocco Linea Micra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price | $987.99 | $4,500.00 |
| Who it suits | ||
| Best for | A household where more than one person makes milk drinks and nobody wants to learn to steam | Commercial-grade temperature stability from dual boilers and an integrated group, in a machine small enough for a home counter |
| What sets it apart | An automatic steam wand that sets milk temperature and texture, so the milk is not a skill you have to acquire | — |
| Specifications | ||
| App Connected | — | ✓ |
| Automatic milk frother | ✓ | ✕ |
| Bean hopper | 227, published as 1/2 lb | — |
| Body Material | Stainless steel | — |
| Boiler | — | 2 |
| Boiler Type | ThermoJet heating system | Dual boiler: 0.25 l coffee boiler and 1.6 l steam boiler |
| Brew Activation | — | Brew paddle working an electric switch |
| Built in Grinder | ✓ | ✕ |
| Burr Material | Hardened steel, conical | — |
| Colour Options | Brushed Stainless Steel, Black Truffle, Sea Salt, Damson Blue, Black Stainless Steel | Blue, Brushed Stainless Steel, Crème, Light Grey, White, Black, Stainless Steel, Red, Light Blue |
| Made in | — | Italy. La Marzocco USA states Handmade in Florence across its site, though not on this machine's own page |
| Custom Drinks Saved | 8, which can be named | — |
| Dimensions | 399 x 320 x 315, published as 15.7 x 12.6 x 12.4 in | 292 x 457 x 330 (W x D x H), published as 11.5 x 18 x 13 in |
| Dose Grams | 18 | — |
| Extraction Pressure | 9, which Breville calls a high pressure extraction after a low pressure pre-infusion | — |
| Grind steps | 30 | — |
| Hot Water Spout | — | ✓ |
| In Box Accessories | — | 14 g and 17 g baskets, cleaning basket, convex tamper, convertible portafilter, Purocaf cleaning solution, 12 oz pitcher, installation and user guide |
| Machine Type | Semi-automatic espresso machine with an integrated grinder and a touchscreen | Semi-automatic dual boiler home espresso machine with an integrated group head, a scaled-down Linea Classic S |
| Milk Temperature Range | 104F to 167F, adjustable | — |
| Milk Texture Levels | 8 | — |
| PID control | — | ✓ |
| Plumbable | — | Optional; the self-contained 2 l reservoir means plumbing in is not required |
| Portafilter | 54 mm | — |
| Portafilter Size | — | 58 mm |
| Portafilter Type | — | Convertible portafilter that changes between single spout, double spout and bottomless |
| Power | 1680 W | 1600, at 110 V |
| Pre Infusion | ✓ | — |
| Preset Drinks | 5 | — |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar | — |
| Pump Type | — | Rotary vane pump |
| Ships to | US | — |
| Ships to Note | Confirmed on Amazon US, which is where this link points. Availability in other Amazon stores has not been checked, and a regional store may substitute a different product. | — |
| Steam Wand Cleaning | Automatic cleaning function for the steam wand | — |
| Steam Wand Type | Automatic | Manual insulated steam wand, cool to the touch |
| Tamp Type | Manual, with a removable magnetic tamper | — |
| Warm-up time | 3, which Breville publishes as the ThermoJet system reaching extraction temperature | 300, published as about 5 minutes on La Marzocco's own Linea Mini against Linea Micra comparison rather than on the product page |
| Warranty | 2 years | 1, published as a 12 month parts and labor warranty |
| Water Tank | 1.98, published as 67 oz | 2 L |
| Weight | 9.9 kg | 19.1, published as 42 lb |
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS vs La Marzocco Linea Micra: common questions
Which is better, Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS or La Marzocco Linea Micra?
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS scores 7.6 against 6.3, both computed from published specifications rather than opinion. La Marzocco Linea Micra is still ahead on shot quality & extraction.
Is Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS or La Marzocco Linea Micra cheaper?
Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS starts at $987.99, and La Marzocco Linea Micra at $4,500.00.
Who is Breville Barista Touch BES880BSS for?
A household where more than one person makes milk drinks and nobody wants to learn to steam
Who is La Marzocco Linea Micra for?
Commercial-grade temperature stability from dual boilers and an integrated group, in a machine small enough for a home counter
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