Breville (Sage) Barista Comparison - Express, Express Impress, Touch Impress

Thanks for watching, comments welcome! Which machine do you guys think offers the best value for its features?

Have the express and it has been amazing for 7 years. Decided to get a touch since it apparently was faster to warm up and simpler to use (click and done) I have had it for 18 months and went back to the express. The display failed after 2 months while still was under warranty, the quality of coffee never felt right. I ended up selling the touch one. If you are new to coffee machines and can afford probably the touch is going to be your best option since makes things super simple and you won't get dissapointed that your shoots don't taste right

We have a two year old Barista Touch machine and have been quite happy with it. We are re-researching machines to buy one for a family member.

The Express Impress seems very nice, but for $100 more, the Barista Touch model has the better steamer, and we really like having the touch screen. The screen guides you through the periodic maintenance tasks (and there are quite a few of those) quickly and easily, keeping track of when it's time to clean the steamer wand, fill the water tank, change the filter, clean the group head, etc. Plus it looks cool. The Touch Impress would seem to offer the best of both worlds, but it is currently a whopping $500 more than the Touch, and $600 more than the non-Touch Impress.

So while I was initially attracted to the built in tamper of the Express Impress, I'll probably go with the tried and true Barista Touch, as I value the Touch screen more than the built in tamper/dose control.

There's also the regular touch (minus the impress tamper), which is very close in price to the express impress, so you can do different combinations of features.
Also, the touch has that auto steamer + temp sensor. You just put the milk thing in there and it steams to the desired temp automatically without touching it. They also claim adjustments for oat and soy milk. Surprised you didn't mention the auto frother in the "touch" models. Any thoughts on them compared to the normal express/express impress?

I sell these for a living and everything Tom said was on point! I'd add some niche points:
The Express/Express Impress Thermoblock also makes slightly hotter espresso and americano water output as a result of having the older slower aluminium block design, and also allows for unlimited pre-infusion and unlimited steaming! Thermojet can preinfuse for only 8s and steam for 90s AFAIK. Not many people will access those two features, most people don't mess with pre infusion and most steaming sessions for 1-2 coffee's milk would be done by the 60s mark anyway.

Very nice comparison! I'll be sending it to any customers who want to know the differences between the two

Thank you for sharing. Although the touch would looks nicer and fancier, but I would prefer the analog one for simplicity and maintainability - anything to avoid "touch" algorithm due to possible buggy controller

Barista Express or Bambino Plus? Mostly with Milk drinks.

Great comparison and a lot of good info. I think you are the only one that calls the Touch Impress Grinder "Stepless" (which it is). Also, I think you could have made a bigger deal about the new Baratza M2 burrs. They really make a very big difference especially in the Espresso range.
One thing that most don't bring up is that while the new Thermojet is really fast, It does not keep up with a continuous water flow for say a large Americano (45 seconds of water). The drink temp will drop by a few degrees towards the end.

How come my express turns in like 7 seconds? I'll double check, but it really seems way faster than yours

With kitchen’s newer desing their is less space of counter top. Can you or have already review a machine with minimal footprint and with side water tank?

Thanks for the great video Tom. A newbie question. When you say the expresses facilitates passive heating of the brew group, but it takes a long time, what does a 'long time' mean? Do I just leave the machine heating up for awhile, or is it saying after a couple pulls, then it is better for extraction? Thanks.

Hello Tom.
Can you tell me what's better? An RM-BES870XL-w Breville Barista Express or a combination of BES840XL Breville Infuser Espresso Machine and BCG820BSSXL Breville Pro Coffee Beans Grinder?

I found myself here as I am currently debating which one to get. I have zero patience and have double espresso with steamed milk
Which one do I get ?!

The middle is perfect,more clasic plus the tamp
After all what is the most important is WHAT coffee you use . Is like 📷 ,you take the photo not the 📷

Nice review. Thank you.

Meh waste of money by a better machine and spend most of your money on a good grinder !

I just got the Express Impress and I think it has the best value here with the puck tamper as well as a few design upgrade from the Express such as a higher clearance from the tabletop surface (which could explain why it's less noisy, less vibrations on the tabletop and easy to move for cleaning) and much sleeker front panel which is easy to clean. The only thing I was weirded is about is that there is no mention at all about the pressure gauge in the manual. I understand that the shot time can also an indication of optimal extraction, which they mention in the manual; but I just found it strange they completely omitted any reference to the pressure gauge. Perhaps part of the instruction here was copied and pasted from an LCD based model.

Touch controls are nice, but I think the large jump in pricing for touch controls is a bit much. The steam wand upgrade is nice though.

So informative Tom.
Your demonstration on this machine was so helpful.
I'm so pleased I scrolled to find your review.
Loved the way you gave every detail & close up shots on this machine while explaining it's every feature.
Well done to "YOU" !!!!! 👏👏👏👏
I'm feeling way more confident on making my cappuccino's now.
Your video was so more informative then everyone else's on this machine.
Thankyou so very much for sharing this.......brilliant work 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

For a 2-3 person work place would you recommend touch impress or oracle? Does the lack of heated group head have much impact on coffee quality?

Is it preinfussion possible in the touch model?? Thaanks a lot for your video

I really like these videos they are really informative, well presented. One thing not covered and overlooked because I’m sure it’s frowned upon is can you pull a shot straight into a tall travel mug with the drip tray removed?

I think compared to Sage Barista Pro

Tom, if money was no factor, I’d like to see what machine you’d choose. Like a ultimate home setup

What about barista max ?

Thank you Tom, i started watching your videos last month since i wanted to move from the "Capsule" experience to the real barista experience (i had a Lavazza Modo mio...).
I believe the home barista experience is better and rewarding so I started looking the fully automatic machines (Saeco etc.) but i ended up on your reviews around the Barista Express Impress which i bought 2 weeks ago and I am super happy.
Still trying different beans, blends and tastes and i am super happy for my choice. I love traditional cappuccino and i am still learning milk steaming (and improving) so for the time being i am preparing my milk on a Lavazza Milk frother (makes it a lot more thick and creamy). Hopefully will master the steaming soon!

I prefer the simpler edition , screens are not for me. Instead of simplifying things they make them more complicated by adding screens and electronics on them. Great review though !

I’m not very happy with my new dedica 685.. I follow all your explanations :) but the extraction on the machine is too quick. Do I have an option to reduce it ? thanks

thank u for this comparison video. ive decided to get the impress!!

The impress touch does not make sense at current price point for sure. The express is $600ish, express impress $720ish, and express impress touch $1400ish.

Thanks for your great videos, Tom.

Thanks Tom!!!!🍮

Tom, I've gone through the process of buying the old Barista Express after watching quite a bit of your videos on these all-in-one machines this summer. I bought mine second hand, had it decalcified and have been enjoying nice coffee ever since. I even bought the IMS Nanocoat basket to improve the extraction and it is true that these baskets enhance the taste of coffee in interesting ways. The only thing I haven't had the courage to do is disassemble it and try to adjust the OPV. Your videos are much appreciated! Danke!