If you’re someone who nods approvingly at a more “traditional” espresso machine, then Breville is your brand. Within their lineup, the Breville Oracle Vs Oracle Touch stand out as the crowd favorites – though, be warned, they’re not exactly what you’d call “budget-friendly.”
They are both packed with many of the same features, but the Breville Oracle Touch has a user-friendly touchscreen and the ability to program eight one-touch coffee options.
The Breville Oracle, on the other hand, is more affordable, so you can brew a cup of coffee that’s just as heavenly as the one from the Oracle Touch but without thinning your wallet as much. Plus, this one is a bit more compact.
After all, I think the touch screen isn’t an upgrade for nothing, and I give the Oracle Touch my nod. It’s like choosing between a touchscreen smartphone and a flip phone – both can make calls, but the touchscreen one definitely feels cooler.
Breville Oracle Vs Oracle Touch: Specs & Features Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Breville Oracle Vs Oracle Touch: Differences
The Oracle Touch justified its higher price tag with a 2-0 lead against the Oracle. Let’s go down to see more!
Dimensions & User Interface
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
| Breville Oracle | Breville Oracle Touch | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 17.8 x 14.7 x 16.1 inches | 17.9 x 14.7 x 15.4 inches |
| Weight | 36 lbs | 37 lbs |
The Oracle Touch is slightly smaller, but honestly, this difference is so minor that it doesn’t really impact its practical use. They are both quite large, so you’ll need a decent amount of space to accommodate them. Also, something to keep in mind is that their bean hoppers load from the top, which means you’ll need some extra space above the machine for easy refilling. This can be a bit tricky if you’re planning to place the machine under kitchen cupboards.
Alright, let’s dive right into the most glaringly obvious difference between the Breville Oracle Touch and its cousin, the Oracle. And yes, it’s so obvious – it’s literally in the name.
The Oracle Touch boasts an LCD touchscreen display, which is a real game-changer. It’s like having a mini smartphone on your coffee machine. You can swipe and tap through options, choose from the standard coffee recipes, or even show off a bit with your own customized coffee settings. It’s super easy to navigate, and honestly, it looks pretty slick. You’ll feel like a high-tech barista with this thing.
On the flip side, the regular Oracle has an LCD screen too, but it’s more old-school. It still does the job, letting you pick your drink and displaying all the essential settings – grind, dose, extraction time, milk settings – but without one-touch beverage options.
Pre-programmed Coffee Options & Programmability
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
| Breville Oracle | Breville Oracle Touch |
|---|---|
| Espresso Americano Hot Water | Espresso Americano Long Black Latte Flat White Cappuccino Hot Milk Hot Water |
The Oracle Touch comes loaded with eight one-touch drinks on its home screen. Plus, it’s got room for eight of your own custom creations, which is probably more than enough for most home coffee enthusiasts. However, in an office setting where everyone fancies themselves as a bit of a coffee connoisseur, those eight custom slots might lead to some not-so-friendly competition.
The Oracle base version, on the other hand, only has three built-in options: single espresso, double espresso, or americano. No frills, just good coffee.
They’re the same in terms of customization. You can adjust the shot volume and grind size, as well as the texture and temperature of the milk foam. They don’t have a user profile feature, but the Oracle Touch allows you to save up to eight personalized recipes for future use.
The thing is that it is impossible to adjust the dose from the control panel. I’m a bit torn about this since dose adjustment is a crucial part of espresso crafting and important for those who love to tinker and fine-tune every single brew.
Breville Oracle Vs Oracle Touch: Similarities
Coffee Flavor & Brewing System
Built-in Grinder
Both feature an integrated conical burr grinder. The beauty of this setup is that you don’t need to clutter your counter with an additional grinder – just use the one integrated into your machine.
Better yet, both offer up to 45 grinding settings, which is an excellent barista-level feature. You can experiment, adjust, and perfect your grind until it’s just right, giving you the power to craft your ideal cup of coffee every single time.
Dosing & Tamping
Both have an automatic grinding and tamping system that does grinding, dosing, and tamping for you in an enclosed space, keeping your kitchen counter looking pristine. This feature is a godsend for those mornings when you’re in a rush or just not in the mood to deal with a coffee ground mess. You can skip the messy part and go straight to enjoying your perfect cup of coffee!
Don’t get me wrong. I’m the kind who relishes being in full command of every step of the coffee-making process and I understand the allure of intricate control and precision. Trust me, there’s something satisfying about grinding, dosing, and tamping the coffee yourself.
Both come with a commercial-grade 58-millimeter portafilter, which allows for up to 22 grams of coffee to be dosed. Additionally, the wider diameter of the portafilter means there’s a greater surface area, resulting in a thinner coffee puck. Why should you care about a thinner puck? It allows for a more even extraction of the coffee during brewing.
Both of these machines come equipped with single-wall filter baskets, absent “amateur” pressurized dual-wall baskets. Well, I bet this will make beginners sad since the pressurized dual-wall baskets are great for beginners, helping to compensate for inconsistencies in grind size or tamping pressure. Single-wall baskets require a bit more skill and understanding of coffee grinding and tamping. It’s more challenging, I know, but so satisfying when you get it right.
Heating System
One of the things that I think might justify their high price is a dual boiler system – one boiler dedicated to pulling espresso shots and the other solely focused on steaming milk. So with one of them, you can simultaneously prepare espresso and steam milk – no more standing around waiting for the machine to shift gears from espresso to steam mode.
Then there’s the aspect of thermal stability. Each boiler has its own task, so the machine isn’t constantly readjusting its temperature. This means more consistent espresso shots and perfectly steamed milk every time.
These boilers take about half an hour to heat up at first, as these machines have no fast-heating technology like a thermojet or thermocoil. But don’t worry. Both come equipped with a programmable auto-start feature, getting the machine up and running while you’re still in dreamland or staggering out of bed.
Brewing System
Both the Oracle and Oracle Touch have something called pre-infusion, and this initial low-pressure phase lasts just a few seconds, but it’s crucial. Before the main event – the high-pressure extraction of 15 bars – it gently introduces water to the coffee puck.
If you’re familiar with the blooming phase in pour-over coffee preparation, where carbon dioxide escapes, and the grounds get ready to release their full flavor, then you’ve got a good idea of what pre-infusion does for espresso.
Milk Frothing System
Both feature an automatic steam wand, allowing you to create the perfect milk foam right from your kitchen.
You can select the texture and temperature of your milk foam, hit the button, and then just walk away with peace of mind. There is a sensor on the tip of the wand to track and stop it as soon as the milk foam hits your perfect temperature.
And hey, if you’re feeling a bit old-school or just want to show off your barista skills to impress your friends (or your cat), you can switch to manual mode and steam the milk yourself.
Spout Type & Cup Clearance
| Breville Oracle | Breville Oracle Touch | |
|---|---|---|
| Spigot Type | Dual | Dual |
| Cup Clearance | 4 inches | 4 inches |
The 4-inch cup clearance under their portafilters is more than enough for any standard espresso cup, and you have to accept the fact that there is no way to reduce the distance from the rim of the cup to the portafilter to avoid disturbing the gorgeous crema layer.
But there is a way you can fit oversized travel mugs – remove the drip tray. And well, when you do, you will also find a wheel system that makes it easier to glide the machine across your countertop with ease.
Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper
| Breville Oracle | Breville Oracle Touch | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Reservoir | 2.5 liter | 2.5 liter |
| Bean Hopper | 0.28 kilogram | 0.28 kilogram |
Both have a spacious water tank and a generously sized bean hopper. So you don’t have to play that awkward game of “how do I get this tank out without spilling water everywhere or dislocating a shoulder?”
You can use a water filter to ensure that every cup of coffee you brew is made with only the finest H2O. This feature is particularly handy if you’re in an area with hard water or if you’re just really particular about getting the perfect taste in your coffee.
Other Features
Built-in Cup Warmer
Why do warm cups matter? It’s simple: temperature consistency. When you pour hot coffee into a cold cup, the cup can absorb some of that heat, leading to a quick drop in the coffee’s temperature.
A built-in cup warmer gently heats your cups before you pour your coffee. This means your coffee stays at its optimal temperature for longer. Plus, there’s something really comforting about holding a warm cup in your hands, especially on those chilly mornings.
Auto On/Off
Another cool feature of these machines is their programmable on-and-off function. It’s like having a coffee machine with its own internal alarm clock. You can set them up so they know exactly when to wake up and start running and when to call it a day and shut down.
Quick Rundown Of Breville Oracle Touch
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use.Grind Settings : 45 precision grind settings. Portafilter : Commercial grade 58mm portafilter.Portafilter : Commercial grade 58mm portafilter
Last update on 2024-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Breville Oracle
- AUTOMATIC MICROFOAM MILK TEXTURING: Self-cleaning steam wand, powered by a dedicated boiler, automatically textures milk to your liking and delivers barista quality microfoam that enhances flavour and is essential for creating latte art at home
- PRECISE ESPRESSO EXTRACTION: Dual stainless steel boilers and heated group head controlled by digital temperature control (PID) delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extraction
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: The Over Pressure Valve limits the maximum pump pressure throughout extraction, helping prevent bitter flavours; Low pressure pre infusion gradually increases water pressure to gently expand grinds for an even extraction
- SHOT CONTROL AND LCD DISPLAY: Choose between one shot, two shots or manual control on the LCD display to control how much espresso ends up in your cup to make the perfect coffee/espresso every time
Last update on 2024-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References:
- Breville Oracle Touch: https://www.breville.com/au/en/products/espresso/bes990.html
- Breville Oracle: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes980.html
Felix Hendricks is a skilled barista with over 12 years of experience. He excels in crafting coffee and has a strong foundation in coffee machine mechanics. Felix holds a Coffee Machine Maintenance Certification from the Coffee Equipment Technical Institute, showcasing his ability to diagnose and repair coffee machines. He’s also worked as a quality control specialist, selecting premium coffee beans for optimal flavor. Felix has a diverse work history, including stints at renowned coffee spots like Café Euphoria & Starbucks. His expertise in both brewing and machine maintenance makes him a respected figure in the coffee industry.