BREVILLE ORACLE TOUCH REVIEW: IMPRESSIVE ESPRESSO MACHINE

The Breville Oracle Touch is by far the most expensive espresso machine in the Breville lineup, which makes it particularly exciting to review.

A high price tag comes with high expectations, so I really put this model through its paces. At this price, delicious espresso should be a given, but I also expect an enjoyable user experience, easy maintenance, and impeccable build quality.

Did the Breville Oracle Touch live up to my standards? For the most part, yes. I was suitably impressed. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right espresso machine for everyone. Read this in-depth review for my honest opinion on the Oracle and who it’s for.

The Full Breville Oracle Review

The Breville Oracle is the brand’s top-of-the-line model. It’s essentially a fully automatic version of the popular Breville Dual Boiler, with the addition of a built-in grinder to make it a complete bean-to-cup system. 

There are two models of this machine: the Oracle and Oracle Touch. I tested the latter for this review, but they share many key features. I’ll start by explaining where they differ so you can quickly land on the better option for you.

The Breville Oracle Vs Oracle Touch

These two machines are identical at their core, and most sections of this review apply to both. They have the same brewing system, automatic milk steaming, and grinder, so they make the same quality of coffee drinks. 

The difference lies not in the coffee but in the user-friendliness and design – and, of course, the price.

The Oracle Touch features an intuitive full-color touchscreen display that makes it easy to select and customize espresso and milk drinks. While the Oracle’s LCD screen provides the same functionality, it’s less convenient and attractive. As the more popular model, the Touch is available in a wider array of colors, whereas the Oracle only comes with the classic brushed stainless casing.

The Touch is priced about $700 more than the basic Oracle, which is a significant but not overwhelming difference, especially if you’re already budgeting well over $2000 for an espresso machine.

Commercial-Level Brewing Features

The Breville Oracle is technically a super-automatic espresso machine. But to paraphrase a famous movie quote, it’s not a regular super-auto; it’s a cool super-auto. It has many of the features found in the best home and commercial espresso machines, just tucked into an exceptionally user-friendly package. 

Let’s dig into the brewing system for making espresso first.

A Dual Boiler Espresso Machine

It’s very rare to find a dual boiler super automatic machine; the vast majority rely on a single thermoblock. The Oracle has separated dedicated boilers for brew water and steam, which allows you to pull an espresso shot and steam milk simultaneously. Additionally, a boiler outperforms a thermoblock in temperature stability and steam quality. It’s a win-win-win!

Speaking of temperature stability, the brew boiler is equipped with a PID temperature controller. PIDs are used in the top modern espresso makers because they offer the best accuracy and precision. You’ll nail the exact brew temperature you want, and it won’t fluctuate during extraction (1).

Even more impressive, a second PID-controlled heating element is embedded directly in the group head, ensuring the water stays at the ideal temperature as it travels from the boiler to your cup.

The result of all of the above is a consistently even extraction for the most flavorful shot of espresso every time (2).

Commercial-Standard 58mm Portafilter

Many home espresso machines use 54 mm or 51 mm portafilters, but the Oracle has a commercial-grade 58-mm filter portafilter. It can accommodate a coffee dose as high as 22 grams – akin to the amount of coffee baristas use in modern specialty cafes. This size also makes it easier to upgrade to professional accessories like precision baskets or a calibrated tamper.

Pre-Infusion

The Oracle features a 15-bar Italian pump to produce the requisite 9 bars of extraction pressure. It also includes an adjustable pre-infusion stage, which I consider mandatory in any decent coffee maker (3). 

The length of the pre-infusion is adjustable, but I found that the factory preset of 7 seconds was a nice sweet spot for most of the coffees I tested. I’d only suggest lengthening it for lighter roasts.

The Quality Of The Espresso Is Outstanding

The features just discussed combine to produce truly cafe-quality espresso. Once you determine the perfect brewing parameters for your favorite coffee beans, your efforts will be rewarded with sweet, balanced, and complex shots. And because the process is completely automated, you can confidently reproduce that delicious extraction every single time.

I can say without hesitation that the Oracle makes the best espresso (and, for that matter, the best steamed milk) of any super-automatic espresso machine I’ve tested.

Features That Make Life Easy

The user-friendly features of the Oracle Touch are why you should consider buying this machine. If espresso quality is your only demand, I recommend buying the Breville Dual Boiler and a high-end espresso grinder instead.

The Oracle Touch automates all of Breville’s top-of-the-line brewing features and adds a colorful touch screen display to the front of the machine, making them simple to access, understand, and adjust. It’s a clever idea, and I’m honestly surprised more brands haven’t followed suit.

The Touch is pre-programmed with five drink options (espresso, long black, latte, flat white, and cappuccino), and there is room for eight additional custom recipes. When customizing your drink, you can set the pre-infusion time, brew temperature, coffee volume, coffee strength, milk temperature, and milk texture.

There is also a dedicated hot water tap for making an Americano or brewing tea.

Using The Breville Oracle Touch

Once you’ve selected your drink, espresso preparation is easy but not entirely hands-off like some super-automatic espresso machines. 

Starting with the puck prep, the Oracle will grind and dose directly into the portafilter. It then tamps automatically, a nice way to guarantee the same tamp pressure every time.

The user then needs to move the portafilter to the group head. You will also need to measure milk into the included milk pitcher and insert the steam wand. After that, extraction and frothing are fully automated.

One thing I love about the Oracle is that you can make it as easy or challenging as you like. Every automatic process can also be done manually making this machine uniquely appealing to households where one person is a coffee nerd and another just wants a latte at the touch of a button.

Can you use ground coffee in Breville Oracle Touch?

Yes, you can pack the portafilter with any ground coffee. You don’t need to dose directly from the built in grinder. I like this flexibility, which allows you to try a new coffee without emptying the hopper or to upgrade your grinder without buying a new machine.

That said, you can’t just use any ground coffee. The Touch doesn’t include pressurized filter baskets, so you won’t have much luck with a typical grocery store drip grind. It needs to be espresso grind.

How long does it take to heat up a Breville Oracle?

The main downside to a boiler compared with a thermoblock is that it takes longer to heat up and achieve temperature stability. The Oracle takes at least 5 minutes to heat up, but in my experience, 10 minutes is even better. 

While the Oracle doesn’t have a programmable auto-on, many users have reported installing it with a smart plug on a timer. You can have it heating before you even hit the kitchen in the morning. Don’t forget to store your espresso cups on top of the machine, which acts as a passive cup warmer.

Automatic Milk Frothing With The Auto MilQ

I am a big fan of the Oracle’s automatic steam wand, even if I think the stylized moniker “MilQ” is silly. Having a real wand coupled to an actual steam boiler is a massive improvement over the integrated milk frother found on other super-automatic espresso machines. 

With Auto MilQ, you can prepare a proper cafe-quality latte with microfoam milk – a rarity in this category of machine. I know some people complain about the added step of steaming the milk in a separate vessel before adding it to the espresso, but I disagree. Doing it this way adds the opportunity to learn latte art!

You can adjust the milk temperature from 104°F to 167°F, and there are 9 levels of texture, from airy froth to dense foam. As with the other features of this machine, you can operate the steam wand manually if you prefer.

Cleaning And Maintenance Needs

The Breville Oracle’s traditional brewing style spares you the cleaning hassle and expense of most super-automatic machines. There is no internal brew head or dregs container to clean. 

After each brew, I knock the spent coffee grounds into my compost, rinse the portafilter, and wipe the shower screen and steam wand with a damp microfiber cloth. The wand automatically purges itself with a burst of hot steam after every use.

Once a week, I’ll clean the portafilter, filter basket, and drip tray more thoroughly with soap and water. At the same time, I’ll run a few “shots” of hot water through the group.

The machine will alert you that it’s time for a backflush cycle roughly every 3 to 6 months. This easy-to-perform automated cleaning rinses the internal plumbing and group head. It takes about 5 minutes.

Less frequently, you’ll be required to descale the Oracle, and again, it will alert you at the time. It is an easy but lengthy process that takes at least an hour. How often you need to do this depends on your water quality, so I highly recommend using filtered water to minimize scale build-up.

Build Quality And Design

Breville home espresso machines have a reputation for prioritizing user-friendly features over build quality, which has kept the brand largely out of the prosumer espresso conversation. I believe that is shifting with these high-end models. True, it still isn’t a stainless steel box that will last decades, but the Oracle is a sturdy and well-engineered espresso machine with a brushed stainless steel shell that should long outlive its 2-year warranty.

Its stylish design looks distinctly Breville, with the smooth curves and friendly appeal that define all the brand’s coffee gear. It’s available in five colors: classic Brushed Stainless, Black Truffle, Sea Salt, Damson Blue (my favorite), and Black Stainless Steel (which is more of a stormy grey). 

The Oracle is fairly large, at 14.5 x 14.7 x 17.6 inches, but not unusually so. While it might look out of place in a tiny galley kitchen, you certainly don’t need a mansion to comfortably house it. Indeed, it’s impressively compact given its array of features, built-in grinder, and substantial 84-ounce water tank.

Is A Built-In Grinder A Pro Or A Con?

The Oracle includes a built-in grinder with Baratza conical steel burrs and an 8-ounce bean hopper (4). There are 45 grind settings, and you can easily adjust the grind size using a dial on the side of the machine. An integrated grinder is very convenient – not to mention space-saving – but personally, I always prefer the added flexibility of a separate grinder.

I consider the grinder to be this machine’s limiting factor. It’s a good grinder tacked onto a great espresso machine. You can get even better performance from the Oracle if you pair it with a specialized coffee grinder of its caliber.

Is The Breville Oracle Touch Worth The Cost?

The Breville Oracle stands alone among super-automatic espresso machines, which goes a long way toward justifying its $2800 price tag. Thanks to its dual boilers and commercial-style portafilter, it’s the rare super-auto that doesn’t require you to exchange coffee quality for convenience. 

Whether this hybrid machine is worth the cost depends on your priorities and finances. If you’re willing to settle for lower quality espresso or navigate a steeper learning curve, you can find less expensive machines to meet your needs. 

It’s worth noting that, like all Breville machines, the purchase price includes a nice array of accessories: filter baskets for single shots and double shots, a stainless steel milk pitcher, cleaning kit, water hardness test kit, mini grounds bin, and some spare parts for the steam wand.

Do Not Buy The Breville Oracle Touch If…

• You want something more hands-on: If you’re more interested in learning the craft of espresso than pressing a few buttons, you can buy an impressive commercial-grade espresso machine for the price of the Oracle Touch. I’d suggest taking a look at the semi-automatic Lelit Bianca, a gorgeous double boiler machine with advanced features like flow control.

• You want something compact: If you don’t have a dedicated coffee nook, the Oracle might occupy too much of your precious counter space. For a compact bean-to-cup machine, check out the Jura ENA8, which is nearly 4 inches narrower. Or pick up the tiny and much less expensive Breville Bambino Plus, a nice espresso machine that includes the automatic steam wand but lacks an integrated grinder.

• You want something more affordable: Any good-quality super-automatic espresso machine comes at a significant cost, but you can find cheaper options than the Oracle Touch (or even the base model Oracle) – for example, the Delonghi Magnifica or Philips 3200. Neither has the brewing chops or build quality of the Breville, but they’re well under half the cost.

The Verdict

The Breville Oracle Touch espresso machine will appeal equally to knowledgeable and novice coffee lovers. It combines user-friendly automation with ample opportunities for user control. 

While it comes at an undeniably high cost, I believe its one-of-a-kind functionality justifies its price tag for the right user. If you want the pleasure of cafe-quality espresso at home but don’t want to train like a professional barista, the Breville Oracle should be on your radar!

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