Breville’s Barista line is pretty extensive, but the Breville Barista Touch Impress espresso machine is a product that stands out. If you’re not yet familiar with the Breville Barista line, I’ll talk in this post about what makes it special—and why you might want to choose a Barista Touch over anything else on the market.
What’s in the box of the Breville Barista Touch Impress espresso machine?
Breville coffee and espresso machines come with a lot of included accessories. In the brand’s Barista lineup, those accessories are often stored within the machine itself during shipping—so make sure to check every nook and cranny before brewing!
The list of parts and accessories that the Barista Touch Impress comes with is extensive, so I’ll cover them here in point form.
Integrated machine parts:
- Barista Touch Impress espresso machine with integrated grinder, integrated tamp, removable tamp cover, integrated steam wand, and integrated hot water outlet
- 340g flouted plastic bean hopper with removable lid (silicone gasket for freshness)
- 2L removable plastic water tank with removable water filter and water filter holder
- Removable drip tray with removable drip tray cover
- Removable cleaning tool box (hidden behind the drip tray in the interior)
Accessories:
- Quick start guide
- Product manual
- Warranty information
- Stainless steel milk jug
- Portafilter
- (4) Filter baskets: 1 cup single wall, 1 cup dual wall, 2 cup single wall, and 2 cup dual wall
- The Razor stainless steel precision dose trimming tool
Cleaning tools:
- (2) Cleaning tablets
- Allen key
- Cleaning tool for steam wand tip
- Cleaning disc
- (1) Descaling powder
- (1) Water hardness test strip
What’s it like to use the Breville Barista Touch Impress with frother and coffee grinder?
As its full name implies, the Breville Barista Touch Impress does more than just pull espresso shots. This espresso machine is kind of a do-it-all device. You can use it to warm mugs, make espresso, make coffee drinks, steam four different kinds of milk, and even make a cup of tea. It features a full-colour touchscreen with presets for making espresso, lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, Americanos, hot chocolate, “babyccinos,” tea, and steamed milk or microfoam.
The way the Touch Impress works is pretty cool. Its touchscreen breaks down the steps for each drink and lets you fine-tune them to fit your exact preferences. To make a latte, for instance, you can customize your espresso shot: Filter size, double or single walled filter (depending on the freshness of your coffee beans), and grind size. When you tap the icon of the portafilter, the Barista grinds your beans into your portafilter. Then, you tamp them down using the integrated lever—Breville recommends tamping twice for the perfect tamp. If your portafilter is a little low, as mine was a number of times, you’ll keep tapping the portafilter icon and re-tamping until the dose is perfect.
From there, you’ll tap the middle icon showing an espresso pull. To customize it, first tap the bar below it; there, you can choose from a single or double shot or select “custom” for further fine-tuning. Finally, you’ll finish by customizing and tapping the milk icon. You can choose from dairy milk, almond milk, oat milk, and soy milk, plus customize your foam level and temperature. At any stage during your drink making process, you can tap the top right corner of the screen to use the steam wand or hot water tap (to pre-warm your cup or mug).
What I love making using the Barista Touch Impress
The Barista Touch Impress makes making the perfect latte (and other coffee drinks) really easy. Not only does it walk you through each step, but each step is fully customizable, too. This is perfect for picky coffee drinkers making their morning brew, but it’s also very impressive for when guests come over. Now, not only can you show off your brewing skills, but you can fine-tune each drink to their preferences right down to the temperature of their drink.
I’m especially a fan of how customizable the steam wand is on the Touch Impress. Breville’s other products haven’t had a steam wand this finely-tuned and it’s fun to play with. I love lattes with a lot of foam but which aren’t too hot, and with this espresso maker, I can finally achieve the exact drink of my dreams. For this review, I made my latte extra cool and it was ready to be iced right away.
Aside from creamy, foamy lattes, I also find myself using the Barista Touch Impress multiple times a day to make tea. It’s so fast and easy, heating up within Breville’s promised three seconds with boiling hot water. (The tea function has settings for both high and low temperatures for different kinds of tea.) Because Breville included a separate hot water outlet in this appliance, my tea never tastes like coffee.
Finally, I love Breville’s Babyccino function. Babyccinos use the steam wand to froth the milk of your choice at precisely 45°, a low and safe-for-kids temperature. To me, the inclusion of such a wide variety of drinks shows that the Breville Barista Touch Impress is really for the whole family, even those who don’t drink coffee (yet!)
What is a Breville Touch product?
Breville’s “Touch” line is the brand’s flagship product line in smart coffee making. These products come equipped with full-colour touchscreens that will guide you through every step of the coffee making process. If you’re a coffee lover who’s still learning, I don’t think there’s any better way to learn than a Breville Touch. They’ll teach you how to make every single one of your favourite coffee drinks from the comfort of your own home.
For those who love a smart product, Breville offers high-quality, high-resolution online videos to continue your learning process. These tutorials will walk you through everything from setup to creating latte art. They’re a little bit like getting private classes in your own home—but there’s no wait or booking fee and they’re all customized to match the exact machine you’re working on.
Breville makes a lot of really gorgeous, high-performing coffee and espresso machines. The Touch line, however, is the only line that they offer with this kind of educational support. If you’re nervous about your entrance into the coffee making world, the Barista Touch Impress is a beautiful “splurge” product that pays off.
The Breville Barista Express Impress vs Barista Touch vs Barista Touch Impress
I’ve reviewed two similar products from Breville in the recent past, so let’s cover them before we finish up this review. This espresso machine is pretty similar to both, and if you’re confused about the differences… I get it! These product differences help show what sets the Barista Touch Impress apart and does a great job of highlighting its unique features.
The Breville Barista Express Impress is a similar product that I reviewed a year ago. It’s very similar to this one, and at close to half the price, I think a lot of people will opt for the Barista Express Impress instead—and honestly, I think it’s a great choice; it’s a fantastic appliance. However, what you lose in the manually operated Barista Express Impress compared to the Barista Touch Impress is the colour touchscreen and in-machine drink tutorials. The Touch can give you guides and help you troubleshoot each espresso pull; the Express cannot. The Express also has a smaller bean hopper at 250g vs 340g. While the original Express is a great price, the improved Impress offers a noticeable upgrade in its quick warm-up times and calibrated steam wand.
The Breville Barista Touch is also very similar to the Barista Touch Impress. I reviewed it two years ago. The Impress upgrades what Breville was already working on in the Barista Touch. It adds improved 22lb tamping, intelligent puck dosing using the new Impress Puck System, and a quicker ThermoJet heating system. It also has a larger bean hopper and adds Auto MilQ, which is a new system for Breville’s steam wand. Auto MilQ calibrates for three alternative milk settings along with cow’s milk. (Choose from dairy, almond, oat, and soy!)
I recommend opting for the Barista Express Impress if you want a manual machine. However, if price is no object and you simply want the best, then I definitely recommend the Barista Touch Impress over the original Barista Touch. The improvements that Breville has made in its steam wand and tamping system (no more separate tamper!) are noticeable and I feel that they justify the price increase.
Final thoughts on the Breville Barista Touch Impress
The Breville Barista Touch Impress is a fantastic espresso machine that really does it all. It’s been expertly designed and crafted and it is truly a pleasure to use. If you’re unsure about your ability to get the right grind size, dose accurately, or tamp with the exact pressure you need for the perfect puck, worry no longer: The Barista Touch Impress has you covered. It’s a great espresso machine for the whole family or the whole office, even those who don’t drink coffee.
Shop the Breville Barista Touch Impress Espresso Machine online at Best Buy today.
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