Breville Oracle Espresso Machine Review

Is The Brevile Oracle Touch Easy To Use

The Breville Oracle Touch is very easy to use. It will guide you through every stage of making your coffee, allowing you to be as hands-on or hands-off as you like but ensuring you get the perfect coffee at the end of it.

Starting by selecting your preferred grind size, the machine will perfectly dose and tamp the portafilter for you. This can, of course, be adjusted not only grind size but also dose amount .

Then, once you have locked the portafilter into the group head, the Oracle Touch will pour a single or double shot. You can also play with the volume and water temperature if you wish. Plus, the group head sports a dedicated heating element to keep the portafilter at temperature.

While your espresso is pouring, your milk can be foaming at the same time. The presets work perfectly but you can still play with the temperature and level of foam you are looking for. You can even manually foam the milk if you prefer, although it isnt necessary as the automatic foaming is very good.

It sounds like a lot of steps vs just touching a button. But if you dont want to do any fiddling with settings, you literally just move the portafilter from one place to the next and put the milk jug under the steaming wand.

What is so brilliant about this coffee maker is that you can really get into the weeds on grind size, dose, water temperature and volume, milk temperature, and foam stiffness, if you want to.

Further Down The Rabbit Hole

Ok, there is a lot more about to learn and to explore if you are serious about your espresso. For instance you can buy a naked portafilter, so that you know exactly how well you pull your shots.

If you want to connect with fellow Oracle owners, or ask technical question, or just exchange ideas, this forum dedicated to Oracle BES980XL is the place for that. Or you can ask on reddit for more general question. Most of the times is the barista and not the machine

Breville Oracle Touch Fully Automatic Espresso Machine Review

The Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine with milk frother is a dual boiler, highly automated, espresso machine with powerful steam for creating micro bubbles for velvety froth.To provide guests or yourself with real authentic espresso quality, your machine should have a bean grinder for more control over flavors like the Breville.

Designed for commercial use or coffee aficionados at home, One touch is designed to automatically perform the grinding, dosing and tamping .

Breville say theyre superseding older brands with their tech advances and who am I to argue. Program and save up to 8 personalized coffees, on the touch screen making life easier.Adjust the milk texture, and coffee strength coffee your way.

Also Check: Is Instant Coffee Real Coffee

Coffee Quality & Versatility 45/5

The Oracle uses a 58 mm stainless steel portafilter to brew the espresso. But all you have to do is fix the portafilter in position and hit a couple of buttons. The machine automates the grinding, dosing, and tamping.

You can even program the Oracle to your hearts content.

• You can change the dose to adjust the strength of the brew.
• You can set the tamping pressure and polishing time according to your liking.
• The single and double shot buttons are programmable for volume or duration.
• The Americano button has 3 programmable settings for size and strength.
• You can even program the pre-infusion time, wait time, and brew time for that perfect layer of crema.

Those are just the settings for your coffee. You even get to control the temperature and frothiness of your steamed milk via its dedicated control dial.

All of this programmability translates into one thing the Breville Oracle makes shot after shot of identical espresso.

The espresso tastes great after youve dialed in all the settings. And that makes us happy. That first cup in the morning can be hard to make, and the Oracle makes it so much easier. And if you choose to experiment with your brew on the weekend, you can override the automation and take back control.

Are Breville Espresso Machines Worth It

If youre a coffee aficionado whos familiar with the coffee scene, you surely have heard of the brand Breville, a globally well-known Australian home appliance manufacturer and distributor, including coffee machines.

Brevilles machines are known for:

• State-of-the-art technologies that improve users experience
• A sleek appearance thats a great addition to the surroundings
• Long-lasting lifespan that saves you money on your journey together
• Abundant availability so you can easily get it fixed or find replacement parts.

Brevilles espresso machines are not only a popular choice for a home barista but also a professional barista as well. The brand has long been in favor with coffee lovers around the world. And, the Breville Oracle Touch espresso machine can be your next favorite.

Recommended Reading: What Are The Different Models Of Keurig Coffee Makers

What Makes The Oracle Coffee Machine By Sage Different

Bean-to-cup coffee making has become a bit of a catch phrase of late. For most high-end coffee machines that means a completely automated process.

Press one button and your coffee is delivered from bean form to steaming coffee in your cup.

The Oracle, similarly, gives a bean-to-cup experience. The journey is what makes it different than its peers.

The design is similar to the large, manual machines found in fashionable coffee houses. The process is comprised of three stages. The grinding, dosing and tamping stage. The coffee extraction phase. And the milk frothing stage, assuming that a cappuccino or latte is desired.

One can use pre-ground coffee, but the Oracle really shines when high quality, freshly roasted beans are ground a la minute. Its a one touch process as the Oracle recognises that this is the part of coffee making that trips people up.

Pour the coffee beans into the hopper. Simply set the desired coarseness of the grind and insert the portafilter into the socket. A 21 gram dose is ground and deposited into the portafilter. The coffee is then expertly tamped into a puck.

The tamping is extremely important. Too tight and the hot water takes too long to pass through the beans. The result is a sour, over-extracted coffee. Too loose and the water passes too quickly. That turns out a weak and insipid espresso.

The Oracle smartly determines the best pressure to tamp the coffee based on how coarse or fine the grind is. No barista can be that consistent.

The Many Faces Of The Oracle Touch

Since entering the U.S. Market in 2003, Breville has become a leading brand and the country its biggest market. Adding to the piling up superlatives is the fact that the Breville Oracle Touch is one of the manufacturers most expensive items in its entire portfolio of kitchen appliances. All good reasons for the marketing machine to rev into high gear stateside.

Theres also a big push in Germany a new market for the group where I ran into a member of the promotional team. He was a real nice guy with impressive barista chops even though he had Gorilla coffee in the hopper. Sigh. I decided not to hold it against him.

Breville doesnt just send out baristas as touts but also consults with the top names in Australia on their settings. All the more reason to get reviewing more of their machines, such as the Bambino Plus mini espresso machine. Lets see whether they listened.

Breville is pushing back against super automatic machines in order to appeal to people who are tired of compromising on brewing methods and the quality of the coffee in their cup.

Confusion alert: If instead of an automated process, you have to manually tamp i.e. compact the coffee puck what youve got is the Barista Touch. Despite similar design and some features in common, theres a $1,500 price jump and other significant differences between the machines. So look before you leap at that Buy now button.

Only you can decide whether a touch screen and a few feature upgrades are worth that.

Recommended Reading: Where Does Nespresso Coffee Come From

My And My Family Experience With The Breville Oracle Touch

Let me review how my wife and I use the Breville Oracle Touch espresso machine. My wife and I are preparing our two children to go to school in the morning. We have a hard time making coffee because of the short time, so we are moving around a lot, and we need something simple. Many friends have advised us to try one of the Nespresso pod machines or Keurig coffee makers. Though both Nespresso and Keurig make good quality espresso and coffee in less time, we want more than espresso or coffee and a machine that gives us a real taste of coffee and espresso. You must have understood that we want to grind coffee beans with our own hands and brew them.

We used the Breville Barista Express . However, Barista Express has been an excellent machine for us. The problem was that my wife never felt comfortable using it. The extra time we spent using it made our mornings difficult. My wife enjoys making drinks, but its tough to get a drink every day, trying to get out the door early in the morning.

Key Features And Specifications Of Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine

• Color: Brushed Stainless Steel

Introduction

The Oracle is a machine that helps you create third-wave specialty coffee from the comfort of your home. Fully automatic, this machine handles all the complex parts of manual espresso and lets you control temperature and texture to a degree you didnt think was possible. Using the famous four keys formula, Breville ensures that each brew has a rich, full flavor, the perfect body, balanced taste, and a silky mouthfeel. It is done by providing everything in just the right amount: the ideal temperature, dose, and water pressure. The Oracles Dual Boiler is a great asset, too, as it allows you to simultaneously do the extraction and steaming.

Dose Control Grinding

The Oracle uses an integrated precision conical burr grinder that automatically grinds, doses, and tamps 22 grams of coffee. You get terrific freshly ground coffee with a rich flavor profile.

Optimal Water Pressure

This machine makes use of an Over Pressure Valve. This valve controls the water pressure to make sure it isnt too much if the water pressure is too high, this may cause the brew to taste bitter. The Oracles low-pressure pre-infusion technology makes it so that the pressure gradually increases and spreads out to ensure even extraction.

Precise Espresso Extraction

Automatic Microfoam Milk Texturing

Shot Control and LCD Display

One-Touch Americano

Included Accessories

Capacity & Settings

Warranty

Other Features

Also Check: How Much Caffeine Is In Midol Complete

Breville Oracle & Breville Oracle Touch

The Breville Oracle is the ultimate hybrid among espresso machines. Everything is automatic, from grinding beans and tamping, to making coffee and frothing milk. However, thanks to the many adjustable settings, you remain in full control, and each new cup is a success.

The Oracle Touch combines the far-reaching automation of the Oracle with an intuitive touchscreen. So with a single swipe, you have the tastiest coffee drinks at your fingertips. And that also applies to the coffee creations that you save yourself! Thanks to the over-pressure valve , the coffee machine maintains the pressure supply for a perfectly even extraction.

Can One Grind The Coffee Beans A Few Hours Prior To Brewing Them

The Breville BES980XL machine grinds the coffee beans automatically when you start then brewing process. However, the two process are simultaneous and cant be done separately. However, if you still choose to go with that option, then use a different device to grind the coffee. Once you are done with grinding, place the fine coffee in the coffee maker.

Also Check: How Is Nespresso Decaf Coffee Made

Automatic Grinding Of Your Favorite Coffee Beans Built In Convenience

The Oracle Touch is a versatile coffee maker that offers the convenience of grinding your own beans while also allowing you to use pre-ground coffee.

Its built sturdy in heavy duty stainless steel and features a conical burr grinder that can produce 18 different grind sizes, from coarse to fine.

So whatever kind of bean you prefer or grounds you want to use, they are available. This saves you from having to have a separate coffee grinder to store, clean and use to get really freshly ground coffee. If you dont have time for all this effort then its okay because there is an option where you wont need to do any manual labor at all by just using already ground up coffee instead which saves me money and energy!

Grind And Strength Control

In the Breville Oracle Touch, you can always change your grinding and coffee pouring. For example, if you want a strong coffee, you can make the grinding smaller, but it can take less time to extract. However, the machine allows you to enter and add brewing time to the shot quickly, getting your full two ounces. If you buy a Breville Oracle Touch, I recommend purchasing a 2-ounce shot glass so you can check your grinding ratio.

Add time if you cant find two ounces. Check when you get it with a small bag. Just assume youre going to burn through a coffee test bag . Tap it and make sure you get your two ounces, and youre set.

Read Also: The Black Cow Coffee Company

Features: Grinders Americanos And Froth Oh My

I honestly don’t know where to start. This machine is absolutely packed with features, most of which I won’t even be able to cover during this blog.

The Oracle houses a powerful built in grinder with 30 espresso specific grind settings, giving you a range that will be able to handle any coffee bean you throw at it. The Oracle’s grinder also has a locking mechanism that not only holds the portafilter in place during the grinding process, but also automatically tamps at the perfect tamp pressure once the grind is complete. All that’s left after that is to lock the portafilter into the group head and watch the magic happen.

You will soon notice when looking at the Oracle that you have a separate spout situated behind the portafilter. This is one of my favorite things about this machine. The Oracle, in addition to having single and double programmable shot buttons on the front of the machine, has a 3rd button….for an Americano! This button allows you to make a drip coffee style cup with much more flavor. The machine begins by pulling a double shot of espresso like it normally would and when finished, switches over and dispenses hot water down the spout behind the portafilter directly into the cup, making a one-touch Cafe Americano, something no semi-automatic on the market can replicate.

Is The Breville Oracle Touch A Super Automatic Espresso Machine

Nothing sharpens the coffee worlds claws faster than a good debate: third-wave coffee vs dark roasts, the exact French press ratio, and super-automatic vs portafilter.

So, does the Breville Oracle Touch really qualify as a super-automatic? After all, you do have to move the portafilter from one place to the next in order to brew your coffee. And you have to place the milk jug under the steam wand.

Truly a Herculean effort in the morning whilst desperately seeking caffeine.

However, we do put the Oracle Touch espresso machine into the super-automatic category. Why? Because you dont actually do any of the processes in coffee brewing yourself.

You simply push a button and your coffee is ground and tamped. Then you move the portafilter and your espresso shot is pulled. The milk is also automatically steamed to your preference.

If you feel this is too much work then there are machines where you literally just push a button and go. But boy, you are missing out.

The Oracle Touch is a brilliant piece of coffee engineering from Breville that draws you into the process of making great coffee but takes care of all the bits you might mess up. Like having an expert Barista Rat controlling you as you go.. or maybe we watch too many animated films.

Don’t Miss: Where Can You Buy Keto Coffee

Compare The Breville Oracle Touch And The Barista Touch / Barista Express Pro

One difference between the Oracle Touch and the Barista Express Pro is that the Oracle Touch automatically tamps the ground coffee.

The Barista Express Pro and Barista Touch make you do this step yourself but each is about $1,500 less than the Oracle . So know what features are important to you before you click on that Buy now button!

Is Breville A Good Brand For Espresso Machines

Breville is an Australian electronics manufacturing brand with about a century of industrial experience. They are popular worldwide for building basic to advanced coffee machines.

Breville coffee machines come with the latest technology and user-friendly features. Particularly, they have trademarked high-end engineering that is included in their Espresso machines.

The brand offers compact Espresso machines at a reasonable price. However, if you are confused about Breville quality, you should not be worried at all. Breville is a renowned name in manufacturing premium quality Espresso machines worldwide. You can follow this thread to have more ideas.

Recommended Reading: How To Make Delicious Coffee Drinks At Home

Changing The Coffee Dose

As detailed in the instruction manual, you can actually change how much coffee the auto grind and auto tamp system doses out, but its a manual, hands on thing that you cant just change with the push of a button. The Oracle Touchs auger tamper system can have its height adjusted, by removing it and its lock nut . Once you have the lock nut out, take the included tiny hex wrench that comes with the machine, and loosen the screw on the side of the lock nut. Turn the collar to make the lock nut longer or shorter and tighten up the hex screw. Re insert the magnetic lock nut into the auger, and screw them both back into the grinder chute area. I found I could go as low as 19g or as high as 24g for my dose, using Brevilles dual basket. .

This is the magic, patented device that automatically distributes your ground coffee and tamps it as the grinding takes place.

This is the little piece of hardware that allows you to increase or decrease the dose the machine delivers on each grinding session. Note the side adjustment screw.