Breville Barista Express Impress vs Barista Touch Impress
Both tamp for you; only one textures the milk for you, for $700 more.
The short version
| Criterion | Breville Barista Express Impress | Breville Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Milk system | Manual: steam wand you work yourself | Automatic: Auto MilQ hands-free microfoam, with alternative milk settings |
| Tamping | Assisted tamping | Assisted tamping at 22 lb, with automatic correction of the next dose |
| Heating system | Thermocoil | ThermoJet, stated to reach temperature in 3 seconds |
| Grind settings | 25 | 30 |
| Price | $799.95 | $1,499.95 |
Which one fits
Consider Breville Barista Express Impress if
- You want the machine to measure the dose and tamp it for you
- You want 25 grind settings, and every dose tamped the same way
- You want assisted tamping at $799.95 and a steam wand you still work yourself
Consider Breville Barista Touch Impress if
- You want Auto MilQ to texture the milk hands-free, with settings for alternative milks
- You want 13 drink presets and room for six drinks of your own
- You want the dose tamped at a stated 22 lb with the next dose corrected automatically
Main tradeoffs
- Hands-free Auto MilQ microfoam, 13 presets and a three-second ThermoJet$1,499.95
- $799.95 with assisted tamping and PIDtexturing every jug of milk yourself
At a glance
| Criterion | Breville Barista Express Impress | Breville Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Someone who wants the dosing and tamping taken out of their hands at $799.95 while keeping control of the shot and the milk | Someone who wants the dose, the tamp and the milk handled by the machine and is prepared to pay $1,499.95 for it |
| Pricing | $799.95 | $1,499.95 |
| Key differentiator | Assisted tamping and 25 grind settings with published PID temperature control, for $799.95 | Auto MilQ hands-free milk texturing and assisted 22 lb tamping with automatic dose correction, with 13 presets, for $1,499.95 |
| Category | Espresso Machines | Espresso Machines |
Key facts
| Fact | Breville Barista Express Impress | Breville Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $799.95 | $1,499.95 |
| Machine type | Assisted semi-automatic: the machine doses and tamps, you run the shot | Assisted semi-automatic: the machine doses, tamps and textures the milk |
| Grinder | Integrated conical burr grinder | Integrated conical burr grinder with Baratza European Precision Burrs |
| Grind settings | 25 | 30 |
| Tamping | Assisted tamping | Assisted tamping at 22 lb, with automatic correction of the next dose |
| Heating system | Thermocoil | ThermoJet, stated to reach temperature in 3 seconds |
| Temperature control | PID temperature control, water delivered at 200°F | — |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar Italian pump | — |
| Brew pressure | 9 bar extraction | — |
| Portafilter | 54 mm stainless steel, with 1 and 2 cup single and dual wall baskets | 54 mm stainless steel, with 1 and 2 cup single and dual wall baskets |
| Milk system | Manual: steam wand you work yourself | Automatic: Auto MilQ hands-free microfoam, with alternative milk settings |
| Dimensions | 16.6 x 14.4 x 12.2 in (W x D x H) | 16.3 x 13.8 x 13.3 in (W x D x H) |
| Housing | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Drink presets | — | 13 presets, plus up to 6 customisable drinks |
Both machines tamp the dose for you. Only one textures the milk: the Touch Impress publishes Auto MilQ hands-free microfoam with alternative milk settings and 13 drink presets, where the Express Impress leaves the wand in your hands. It also brings a three-second ThermoJet heat-up and 30 grind settings against 25, for $700 more.
Take the next step
Breville Barista Express Impress
Breville Barista Touch Impress