What is the Barista Touch Impress?
Every step of espresso automated except pressing the button.
Breville publishes a ThermoJet heater that reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, a conical grinder with Baratza European Precision Burrs in hardened steel and 30 settings, a 340 gram hopper, a 2 litre tank, a 54 mm stainless portafilter, a touchscreen and an automatic steam wand with a milk temperature sensor. It measures 414 by 351 by 338 mm, draws 1750 watts and costs $1,499.95 on breville.com.
On top of that sits the Impress Puck System from the Barista Express Impress: a lever that tamps for you and a dose that corrects itself from one shot to the next.
Three hard things, all handled
Grind, tamp and milk are where home espresso usually goes wrong.
Making espresso well means getting three separate skills right. The grind decides how fast the water flows. The tamp decides whether it flows evenly. The milk decides whether a latte is silky or a cup of bubbles. Most machines leave all three to you.
The Touch Impress takes on the second and third outright. The lever applies the same tamp every time and the machine adjusts the next dose from how far the tamp travelled. The steam wand textures the milk to a temperature and froth level you set on the screen, with separate settings for dairy, almond, oat and soy. What is left is the grind, and the screen guides you through adjusting it when a shot runs too fast or too slow.
That is as close to a bean-to-cup machine as a portafilter machine gets, while still giving you a real portafilter, a real puck and the control to change them.
The grinder and the heater
The same 30-setting Baratza burrs and 3 second ThermoJet as the Barista Touch.
The burr set is Baratza's, in hardened steel, with 30 settings and dose control. The heater is ThermoJet, which Breville says reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, so there is no warm-up to plan around and the switch from brewing to steaming is quick.
Breville does not publish a pump pressure figure or describe pre-infusion anywhere on the page or in the BES881 manual, which is unusual because it does for the Express Impress and the Dual Boiler. It is a gap in the documentation rather than a sign the machine lacks either, but it is a gap, and we do not fill it with a retailer's number.
Automatic milk, and what it is good for
The part of this machine most buyers are really paying for.
A manual steam wand makes better milk than any automatic system once you have learned it. Most people never learn it well, and that is why automatic wands exist. The Touch Impress holds the jug, heats and aerates the milk, and stops at the temperature you chose. Plant milks behave differently from dairy under steam, and having separate settings for them is a real convenience rather than a menu filler. Our page on microfoam explains what the wand is aiming for.
If you already steam milk well by hand, you are paying for something you do not need, and the Barista Pro gives you the same heater and grinder range for $849.95.
Barista Touch Impress vs the Barista Touch
The Impress lever and a bigger hopper, for about $500.
The Barista Touch is listed on this site at $987.99. It shares the ThermoJet heater, the 3 second heat-up, the 30 grind settings, the touchscreen and the automatic milk wand. Its hopper is 227 grams against 340 on the Impress.
So the $500 buys two things: assisted tamping with self-correcting dosing, and a larger hopper. If the tamp is the step you struggle with, that is money well spent. If it is not, the Barista Touch is the better value, and the difference would buy a great deal of coffee.
Barista Touch Impress vs the Oracle Jet
$500 more buys a 58 mm group and automatic grinding and tamping in one motion.
The Oracle Jet is listed at $1,999.95, with a 58 mm portafilter, 45 grind settings and a machine that grinds and tamps without a lever. It is the step for someone who wants the most automation Breville makes in a portafilter machine.
Most people do not need that step. The Touch Impress already automates the tamp and the milk, and the difference between them is refinement rather than a different kind of machine.
Against a bean-to-cup machine
Nearly as easy, with a real portafilter.
At this price you could buy a bean-to-cup machine that does everything at one button. The difference is control and results: a portafilter machine lets you change the grind, the dose and the shot, and it makes espresso the way a café does. A bean-to-cup machine is faster and simpler and gives you less say in the cup. Our comparison of bean-to-cup against espresso machines sets the two side by side.
Upkeep
Everything for the routine jobs comes in the box.
Breville packs a water filter holder, a water hardness strip, cleaning tablets, a cleaning disc, a brush, a steam wand cleaning tool and descale powder. The hardness strip matters more than it looks: it tells you how hard your water is, and hard water is what makes descaling come round often. The automatic wand still needs a wipe and a purge after each jug, because milk dries onto the tip quickly.
Is the Barista Touch Impress worth it?
Worth it if you want café milk drinks without learning to make them.
The machine is aimed at a specific buyer: someone who drinks lattes and flat whites, wants them to be good, and does not want to spend months learning to tamp and steam. For that person there is little else that does as much for as little effort.
For a buyer who drinks straight espresso, most of the price is milk automation they will not use. For a buyer who likes the craft, most of the price is automation they would rather do themselves. Breville publishes no warranty term or weight for this model, so confirm the warranty with the retailer at this price.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
- You drink milk drinks daily and want them café-quality without learning to steam.
- You drink plant milk, and want settings made for it.
- You want a real portafilter machine that is nearly as easy as a bean-to-cup.
Skip it if
- You drink espresso straight; the Barista Pro or Express Impress does it for far less.
- You already tamp well; the Barista Touch is about $500 cheaper.
- You want a listed pressure gauge or a 58 mm basket.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Barista Touch and the Barista Touch Impress?
The Impress adds the lever-assisted tamp with self-correcting dosing and a 340 gram hopper in place of 227 grams. The heater, grinder settings and milk wand are shared.
Does the Barista Touch Impress froth milk automatically?
Yes, with adjustable temperature and froth level and settings for dairy, almond, oat and soy milk.
How fast does it heat up?
Breville says 3 seconds to reach extraction temperature, from its ThermoJet heater.
How many grind settings does it have?
Thirty, on hardened steel Baratza European Precision Burrs.
What warranty does it have?
Breville does not state it on the product page or in the manual. Check with the retailer before buying.
