A well-made cup of coffee is one surefire way to start the day right.
With coffee shops opening up left and right, the varieties to choose from can be overwhelming.
Sometimes, you just want to make a cup of joe for yourself – exactly how you like it.
With a growing line-up of robust espresso machines, Breville has established itself quite well commercially and domestically.
Getting into best selling espresso machines, you’ve got the Barista Touch and the Barista Express.
Both these machines handle coffee-making demands like it’s nothing – but what makes one stand out from the other? Let’s find out.
Quick Navigation
Breville Barista Express
Breville Barista Touch
Controls
A key difference between these two espresso machines is that the Barista Touch features a convenient touch-screen system. This allows for quicker, more optimized coffee servings – leaving no room for human error.
Meanwhile, despite the lack of a touch screen, the Barista Express features its own elaborate set of controls. This allows for more fine-tuning that will inevitably make a more personalized cup of joe.
What the Barista Express lacks in automation, it makes up for in manual control. If you’re the type who’s very particular about increments and measurements, you’re better off with this machine.
However, if you want high-quality coffee with just a push of a button, then the Barista Touch is your best bet. Just scroll through the touch screen options, select your preferred coffee type, and wait for the machine to do the work for you.
Heat-up Time
One thing that makes espresso machines so efficient is their built-in water heaters. Breville’s products put this as a top priority for coffee enthusiasts, as the optimal temperature is key to making the best cup of joe.
Since the Barista Touch prioritizes speed, it features an efficient ThermoJet heating system that extracts coffee in a matter of seconds. This cuts preparation time in half, making it a practical choice for fast-paced servings.
Comparably, the Barista Express utilizes a more gradual heating technique. While not as quick, it ensures a more thorough process of extracting flavor out of the coffee beans.
Built-in Grinder
Both the Barista Touch and the Barista Express have coffee grinders built into their systems. This is a convenient and efficient way to keep beans fresh – ensuring more flavor out of your coffee.
Although both machines have grinders, the Barista Express ups the ante with a size grind dial. This dial gives you control over the grind size of your beans, allowing for more precision in your coffee-making.
Comparably, the simplicity of the Barista Touch sacrifices precision to make way for efficiency. You won’t be able to choose the size of your ground beans, as the machine decides this for you automatically – depending on the preparation style you’ve selected.
Steam Wand
Another notable difference between the Barista Touch and the Barista Express is their steam wands. Steam wands are a great way to incorporate rich, textured milk foam into your coffee. It’s also a nifty tool to use for latte art.
The Barista Express is incorporated with a manual steam wand, which you can use to manually create micro-foam milk. There’s a lot more control and personalization that comes into a manual steam wand.
Meanwhile, the Barista Touch is equipped with an automatic steam wand. While you can still make latte art with this wand, much of the manual work is taken out. If you’re looking for speed and efficiency, then an automatic steam wand may help you better than a manual one.
Conclusion
Getting the most out of your roast comes easy with these Breville Espresso Machines. In the end, choosing between the Barista Express and the Barista Touch boils down to preference.
If you’ve got extra time to meticulously fine-tune your coffee, the Barista Express is ideal for you. However, if you want the same high-quality coffee with just a touch of a button, the Barista Touch is your best bet.
This post may contain links that we earn a small commission from, at no cost to you, read more.