Breville Barista Touch Impress Review: Another Breville Star!

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Breville is doing all it can to achieve complete home espresso machine world domination. In today’s Breville Barista Touch Impress review I’ll be checking out the latest release from the Australian powerhouse.

I have to say I was immediately intrigued by this swanky new model, especially seeing as it comes hot on the heels of the Breville Barista Express Impress. You can be sure I’ll discuss the similarities and differences between the two a little later.

As you might imagine, I wasted no time in ordering the Breville Barista Touch Impress to test out. I’ve spent a lot of time playing with the thing and I can’t wait to share my experiences using it. In the meantime, let’s take a first look at what makes the Barista Touch Impress so exciting.

Barista Touch Impress Review Overview

Chances are, if you’re reading this Breville Barista touch Impress review you’ll already be familiar with the Australian manufacturer’s products. The game plan is simple and incredibly effective: produce high quality espresso machines that’ll appeal to those looking for an approachable way to replicate authentic specialty coffee at home.

To be honest, I’m all for it and I champion Breville’s agenda whenever I get the chance. After all, getting people to focus on using sustainably sourced coffee beans from independent roasters is the way forward in my book.

Anyway, if you’ve checked out my Breville Barista Express Impress review you’ll know that it left me feeling a little disappointed. Sure, there’s lots to love, but I think Breville missed the mark slightly. With that in mind, I was interested to see whether the Aussies had made improvements to their latest Impress series machine.

So, is the Barista Touch Impress just the same machine with a fancier user interface? Absolutely not. As it happens, the Breville Barista Touch Impress is a different animal altogether.

For starters, the Barista Touch Impress is bigger and more powerful than the Express Impress. What’s more, there’s an improved burr grinder on board as well as a ThermoJet heating system. For lots of folks, the most exciting part will be the new automatic milk frother, which has calibrated settings for non-dairy milk. And, of course, there’s that sleek touchscreen display that promises a seamless user experience.

I’ll get into all of that in more detail later in this Breville Barista Touch Impress review. I’ll also talk about how Breville is trying to blur the line between super automatic espresso machines and home espresso machines. For now, though, I’ll just say that for $1,150.00 I was really hoping this baby would blow my mind!

Breville Barista Touch Impress Espresso Machine Features

There’s a lot more to talk about in this Breville Barista Touch Impress review. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at what makes this such an intriguing espresso machine.

Size and Design

I haven’t met a Breville espresso machine that I didn’t like the look of. With that said, I do prefer the more retro-industrial stylings of machines like the Breville Barista Express over the more modern vibes we’ve got going on here. Still, the Barista Touch Impress is a handsome devil with its sleek lines and sturdy stainless steel housing.

In terms of size, the Touch Impress isn’t going to win any compact espresso machine awards. In fact, this machine is going to take up a decent amount of space in your kitchen. Still, at least you aren’t going to need to make room for a separate burr coffee grinder.

One thing to bear in mind is that this machine is rather tall at 16.4 inches (41.7 centimeters), so fitting it under overhead cabinets might be tricky. Plus, you’ll need to access the removable water tank and bean hopper on a regular basis, so take accurate measurements before committing.

User Interface

While seasoned baristas might balk at the idea of using a touchscreen to operate an espresso machine, I can attest to the fact that Breville has really nailed this kind of user interface. Having played around with other Breville Touch machines, I knew this one would be extremely intuitive and easy to get the hang of before I’d even opened the box.

If you’re making the switch from a fully automatic machine, operating the Barista Touch Impress will feel very familiar. And that’s kind of the point here – this machine has been designed to appeal to those who want authentic espresso and milk foam without having to spend years honing their barista chops.

I can already tell you that the Barista Touch Impress won’t appeal to everyone. Those who demand total control over all aspects of espresso preparation will be left feeling frustrated.

However, if you’re willing to let the machine take all the guesswork out of the equation, you’re in luck. The Breville Barista Touch Impress touchscreen interface is easy to navigate and provides all the information you need via pretty color icons. From my experience, this will be a huge selling point in terms of approachability and ease of use.

Grinder

Breville has really upped the ante with the Breville Barista Touch Impress Espresso Machine with a grinder. In saying that I’m referring to the grinder’s Baratza stainless steel conical burrs with a whopping 30 grind adjustment settings.

That’s really good news, seeing as hybrid machines like this often suffer from under-performing grinders. As a result, it can be hard to dial in your shots for consistent results. Anyway, that shouldn’t be a problem with this machine – heck, you even have the option to adjust the upper burr to give you a wider grind range.

I will say that there was only one instance in which I found myself wishing I could make micro-adjustments to really nail down my shots. Overall, though, the grinder on this machine is incredibly responsive and consistent.

Up top you’ve got a 12 ounce (340 gram) bean hopper that’s UV tinted to protect your precious coffee beans.

By the way, if you’ve read my review of the Barista Express Impress you might remember that I grumbled about the absence of a ring pull on the hopper lid. Well guess what? Breville has added one to this model! What do you guys think – are the Aussies reading my reviews?

Impress Puck System

There can be little doubt that the prospect of learning the ins and outs of espresso preparation can seem overwhelming to beginners. I mean, there are just so many variables to take into account, including grind size, dose and water temperature. And that’s before you get to the part where you have to develop the necessary muscle memory for consistent tamping.

Personally, I love geeking out on all that stuff, but I get why someone might feel like it’s all just too much. Enter the Impress Puck System, which aims to eliminate the need for coffee scales and espresso tampers.

Essentially, the machine will consistently dispense an ideal dose, and the assisted tamping function ensures 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of pressure will be applied every time. Plus, the Touch Impress gives you feedback on your dose and adjusts itself according to the last shot pulled.

I have to say that this function is incredibly cool, and works really well. Although I observed quite a lot of inconsistency with the Barista Express Impress, I’m happy to report that Breville has made massive improvements with this machine.

I’m sure the improved grinder plays a big part in this machine’s superior performance. However, I have learned that a certain amount of finessing is required to get consistent shots. By that I mean removing the portafilter after tamping, settling the remaining loose grounds on the puck surface then tamping once more. Trust me, that method makes a huge difference!

Portafilter

The Barista Touch Impress comes equipped with Breville’s standard issue 54mm portafilter. As always, this portafilter has a good weight distribution and feels pretty solid overall. You’ll also get both single-wall and double-wall filter baskets, although I’d recommend ignoring the double-wall pressurized ones.

Then again, if you’re making the odd espresso from pre-ground decaf coffee, a more forgiving double-wall filter will come in handy. Still, for the most part, you’ll get more complex results from a single-wall basket.

My only complaint about the portafilter is its pesky plastic insert. Seriously, I see no good reason for putting plastic in there, and it’s kind of impossible to remove.

Pre-Infusion

If you’ve only just started researching espresso machines, you might have seen pre-infusion listed as a feature and wondered what it means. Well, allow me to enlighten you!

Pre-infusion is a vital first stage of the espresso making process, wherein the coffee grounds are dampened slightly under low pressure. This allows carbon dioxide to escape and complex aromas to start developing.

After a few seconds, the pump kicks in and the pressure increases to 9 bars for extraction.

The Breville Barista Touch Impress has an automatic pre-infusion function, and there isn’t an option to adjust the timing. That likely won’t matter much to most people, but more experienced baristas might feel a little disappointed. Are you picking up on a recurring theme yet?

Fortunately, Breville has nailed the pre-infusion function on this machine. If you’ve read my Breville Barista Touch review you’ll remember me complaining that the 10-second pre-infusion duration was way overboard. Well, the Barista Touch Impress reigns things in with an average pre-infusion of around five seconds. That’s just about ideal in my book!

PID Temperature Control

The Breville Barista Touch Impress comes equipped with the manufacturer’s cutting-edge ThermoJet heating system. Believe me when I tell you this heating technology is truly impressive! Seriously, other ThermoJet machines I’ve tested have been ready to go in about three seconds.

The only downside is that your portafilter and cup warmer won’t be hot right away. So, you’ll need to run hot water over the portafilter to bring it up to temperature. On a happier note, ThermoJets supposedly use 32 percent less energy than a thermoblock, which is a big win.

Getting back to the subject of temperature, the Touch Impress has a digital PID controller on board, which constantly monitors water temperature. This ensures that your espresso is always brewed at the optimal 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius).

Milk Foam

I originally fell in love with this manufacturer’s automatic milk frother when I reviewed the Breville Oracle Touch. Maybe it’s because I had limited expectations of what an automatic frother could do, but the results completely blew my mind.

True to form, the milk foam I got from the Barista Touch Impress was exceptional. Plus, I didn’t have to do anything other than put the pitcher under the frother! That said, you can use the steam wand manually if you’d prefer.

As it happens, the Breville product development team got a little carried away and felt like they should come up with a silly name for this machine’s milk frother. Hence the unfortunate Auto MilQ moniker.

Oh, and they’d like you to know that you can expect “at least one million micro bubbles per ml” of your milk foam. I’d like to know how I’m supposed to verify that particular claim!

Anyway, what’s more important is that you’re able to adjust the temperature and texture of your milk, then let the machine do the rest.

At this point I should probably tell you that the specially calibrated settings for non-dairy milk options are totally unnecessary.

During my Breville Barista Touch Impress review I experimented with oat and soy as well as moo juice. Sure, the frother seemed to perform differently for non-dairy milk. Still, I always got better results frothing oat and soy with the dairy setting and tweaking temperature and texture to my liking. Sorry Breville; I love your machine, but this is just a sales gimmick!

Specialty Drinks

In keeping with the idea of the Barista Touch Impress occupying a gray area between fully automatic and semi-automatic machines, it comes with a full menu of specialty drinks. Sure, you will have to put some work in, and you’ll need to pour the drink by hand. However, remember that the Barista Touch Impress will pretty much hold your hand the whole time. Let’s take a look at what’s on the drink menu:

Whether a babyccino is a new invention or an Australian staple is beyond me. However, I’m fairly sure I never want to have to mention it again.

Bear in mind that these menu drinks are basically just suggestions. You’re free to change parameters for espresso and milk foam as you wish. Even better, there’s room on the menu to name and save up to eight of your own creations.

Cup Height

The Breville Barista Touch Impress has a decent amount of room under the portafilter, so you’ll have no issues fitting espresso cups or a regular mug under there. Still, if you have ideas of brewing into a taller travel mug or latte macchiato glass, you’ll need to remove the drip tray first. 

Breville Barista Touch Impress Accessories

No one could ever accuse Breville of skimping on the espresso accessories. I just hope that other manufacturers will realize that they’d better step up their game. Seriously, take a look at what’s included with the Barista Touch Impress:

That’s an embarrassment of riches to be sure, and worth a pretty penny. Essentially, it’s a complete barista starter kit, minus – ahem – an espresso knock box, of course. Hey – it’s worth pointing out, right? Besides, we know Breville is reading this!

How to Use the Breville Barista Touch Impress

Having made it this far into my Breville Barista Touch Impress review, you’ll have cottoned on to the fact that this machine is extremely user-friendly. Sure, it’s hands-on enough to give you some barista experience, but the Touch Impress takes care of most of the hard work.

Before first use, make sure to rinse all removable parts then let them dry fully. I noticed a particularly unpleasant chemical smell in both the water tank and bean hopper, so don’t skip this!

Once that’s done, attach the hopper, lock it into place and fill it with coffee beans. Now’s the time to install the water filter and add cold water to the reservoir. Oh, and use the included test strip to measure your water’s hardness.

After switching the machine on for the first time, you’ll be guided through a setup menu. This is where you’ll set the time, default milk and water hardness. Oh, and there’s a cool tutorial if you want the machine to walk you through all its features.

Drink Preparation

Now you’re ready to start making drinks with the Breville Barista Touch Impress. As you’d imagine, the user manual offers a comprehensive guide to espresso and milk foam preparation. Still, here’s a quick rundown:

My Observations

As I mentioned earlier in this Breville Barista Touch Impress review, the manufacturer has made a bunch of improvements. I have to say I absolutely loved using this espresso machine, and I was blown away by how well the Impress Puck System worked this time.

I think part of it was that I decided to approach the machine as a beginner would, rather than as an experienced barista. So, I “allowed” the Breville to take care of (almost) all the variables, and didn’t sweat the small stuff. I have to say it was liberating, and I was stunned by how well the machine handled everything.

During my testing I used an espresso blend from one of my favorite independent roasters. The Barista Touch Impress did an outstanding job of highlighting this coffee’s complex aroma and syrupy body. Plus, dialing in took next to no time at all, and the machine made slight adjustments each time it brewed, based on the previous shot.

Incidentally, I weighed each dose, and the Breville was remarkably consistent – only adding or subtracting a gram here and there.

Personally, I really appreciated the shot timer, although it isn’t strictly necessary. After all, the machine gives a little report on your shot if you need to make a grind adjustment for next time. Likewise, you’ll get a green check if everything went according to plan.

I also tested out the machine’s ability to handle different bean types by swapping the blend out for a single origin Ethiopia. For this I used the Intelligent Brew function, which calibrates the espresso machine for a change in beans. I have to say it worked seamlessly, and the single-origin espresso was spectacular.

My only real complaint is that when you’re preparing a specialty drink, espresso preparation comes before milk frothing on the screen. That means your espresso shot degrades a little as you’re waiting for the milk. Still, there’s nothing to stop you preparing the milk first, which is what I’d recommend.

Breville Barista Touch Impress Cleaning

Although the Breville Barista Touch Impress can feel like a fully automatic machine, it’s a lot easier to maintain. In terms of cleaning and descaling, this machine really makes it easy on you.

I’d recommend getting into the habit of rinsing the portafilter after each use and flushing the group head to remove stray coffee grounds.

Although the steam wand has an automatic rinsing function, I’d make sure to give it a good wipe down with a damp cloth after you’ve used it. Otherwise it’ll get nasty really quickly. And don’t worry – the Barista Touch Impress will prompt you to take care of that.

You’ll periodically need to take care of deep cleaning tasks like backflushing and descaling. However, the machine will let you know when it’s time and will guide you through the process.

The Barista Touch Impress Specifications

Breville Barista Touch Impress vs Other Espresso Machines

My Breville Barista Touch Impress review wouldn’t be complete without looking at a couple of other machines. So, let’s see how the Touch Impress fares in comparison to a pair of its stablemates.

Breville Barista Touch Impress vs Oracle Touch

The Breville Oracle Touch has to be one of my all-time favorite home espresso machines. Still, for $2,770.98, this model is significantly more expensive than the Barista Touch Impress.

The Oracle Touch has it all – from a commercial sized 58mm portafilter to dual boilers and PID temperature control. Plus, you’re able to adjust every setting under the sun, including water temperature and pre-infusion time. And like the Barista Touch Impress, this machine has automatic tamping and milk frothing.

Ultimately, the Breville Oracle Touch is going to appeal to beginners as well as professional baristas. Seriously, it’s just so cool!

See Also: Breville Oracle Touch Review

Breville Barista Touch Impress vs Barista Touch

While the Breville Barista Touch appears to be almost identical to the Barista Touch Impress, there are quite a few significant differences between the two.

Obviously, there’s no assisted tamping function on the Barista Touch, and it won’t give you feedback on your dose. However, you are able to access and adjust way more settings with this machine, making it more attractive to espresso nerds like me.

With that said, the Barista Touch’s grinder isn’t quite as advanced in terms of adjustment levels. Still, costing $799.95, the Breville Barista Touch is definitely more affordable and can make superb espresso and milk foam.

See Also: Breville Barista Touch Review

Breville Barista Touch Impress vs Others Comparison Chart

Verdict: Breville Barista Touch Impress Review

If you’ve got this far into my Breville Barista Touch Impress review, you’ll know how highly I rate the thing. I’m always impressed by how Breville is constantly looking to improve its products, and this beauty is far superior to the Barista Express Impress.

While I understand that the Barista Touch Impress won’t appeal to some espresso snobs, it’s certainly a superb way for newbies to start pumping out quality espresso. Heck, it’s a great way for anyone to pump out quality espresso!

Ultimately, I wasn’t prepared for quite how much I’d love the Barista Touch Impress. In fact, I’m having a hard time thinking about boxing it back up! Well … Mauricio won’t mind if I leave it set up for just a couple more days, right?

Breville Barista Touch Impress Review FAQ