On the fence, which one is worth buying between the Breville Oracle Touch vs Delonghi Prima Donna? The first one is my short answer.
The Breville Oracle Touch is one of Breville’s efforts to reduce its users’ manual labor. Compared to older-generation Brevilles, it can be programmed to grind, tamp, dose, and even froth the milk for you. The only thing it doesn’t do? Clean its detachable parts. Yep, you’ll still need to roll up your sleeves for that part.
The Delonghi Prima Donna is one of De’Longhi’s older models, so it doesn’t have many bells and whistles. But it still delivers a variety of one-touch customizable coffee drinks., and after all, isn’t that what we’re all really looking for in our espresso machines?
Breville Oracle Touch Vs Delonghi Prima Donna: Specs & Features Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Breville Oracle Touch Vs Delonghi Prima Donna: Differences
The Oracle Touch won 4-1 against the Prima Donna. Follow me and ponder the question of how they are different from each other!
Coffee Flavor & Brewing System
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
Built-in Grinder
Ah, here I go again, preaching the gospel of the built-in grinder in espresso machines. The Oracle Touch features a powerful stainless steel conical burr grinder, while the Prima Donna uses a ceramic disc burr grinder. You can ditch the idea of buying a separate grinder. That’s right, wave goodbye to extra costs and reclaim your precious kitchen counter space. I mean, who doesn’t love a two-in-one deal that actually works?
I love ceramic grinders in many ways. Ceramic is durable and resistant to wear, meaning the grinder is in it for the long haul. But here’s the real kicker: they keep it cool, literally. Ceramic grinders don’t heat up like their metal counterparts, ensuring your coffee beans don’t get scorched in the grinding process. This means every cup you brew is full of nothing but pure, unadulterated coffee flavor.
The Oracle Touch offers up to 45 grind settings, while the Prima Donna is also very impressive in its 13 settings. So no matter what team you’re on, struggling to find the perfect grind setting will be a thing of the past. I just implore you to remember not to change the grind size when the grinder is inactive.
Heating System
Both have a two-boiler system: one for espresso and one for milk steaming. That is so cool since having two boilers means you can steam milk and brew espresso simultaneously without the awkward waiting game.
All right, we all agree that they can multitask, but when it comes to heating up for that first shot of the day, the difference is like night and day, literally.
The Oracle Touch, bless its heart, takes its sweet time – nearly half an hour! Meanwhile, the Prima Donna, with its thermoblock technology, is ready to roll in about a minute. Yes, you heard that right. By the time you’ve blinked away the sleep from your eyes, the Prima Donna is all ready to go.
Brewing System
If there are two undeniable truths, they are that mothers are the best and pre-infusion is a must for a heavenly shot of espresso. Pre-infusion, for those not in the coffee know-how, is like a gentle nudge to the coffee grounds. It wakes them up by wetting them before the full pressure kicks in, ensuring a more even and flavorful extraction.
Both share the pre-infusion function, thankfully, and a 15-bar pump to ensure a proper extraction process. And if there is room for improvement, they should allow customizing the length of this phase.
Design & Convenience
Winner: Delonghi Prima Donna
Dimensions & User Interface
| Breville Oracle Touch | Delonghi Prima Donna | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 14.7 x 15.4 x 17.9 inches | 9.4 x13.8 x 17.5 inches |
| Weight | 37 lbs | 34 lbs |
The first thing that hits you when you see these espresso machines is that they are quite large. If you have limited counter space or low clearance between the countertop and the bottom of the kitchen cabinets, good luck finding a cozy spot for one of these beasts.
Let’s talk a bit about appearance. De’Longhi has bagged many design awards, and the Prima Donna shows this. This one is a silver stunner with chic black accents. Sure, its modern, slightly industrial look might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but in most kitchens, it’ll fit in smoothly.
Moving on to the Breville Oracle Touch. Gone are the traditional buttons and pressure gauges, replaced by a flashy color touchscreen. It’s the espresso machine of the future, but it still has that unmistakable Breville vibe – a blend of modern flair and stylish retro.
Spout Type & Cup Clearance
| Breville Oracle Touch | Delonghi Prima Donna | |
|---|---|---|
| Spout Type | Dual | Dual |
| Cup Clearance | 4 inches | 2.75-6 inches |
The Prima Donna features a dual coffee spout that is height-adjustable to accommodate most cup sizes or enable you to pull a double shot of espresso. The Oracle Touch, like all other portafilter-fitted machines, has a fixed cup clearance, but you can remove the drip tray to get more clearance for a cup that’s tall like a skyscraper, although it is not an elegant solution.
Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper
| Breville Oracle Touch | Delonghi Prima Donna | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Reservoir | 2.5 liter | 1.8 liter |
| Bean Hopper | 0.28 kilogram | 0.25 kilogram |
Their water tanks are enough to satisfy those who drink coffee like it’s water (literally) or if you’ve got a household that runs on coffee. It’s not the flashiest feature of an automatic espresso machine, but trust me, it’s a big deal.
Both boast a water filter in their tanks. Less descaling? Sign me up! It’s an extra expense, sure, but think of it as investing in your machine’s longevity. And here’s a pro tip: if you’re not keen on the whole filter-replacement thing, using distilled water is a sneaky workaround.
Milk Frothing System
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
The biggest wow on the Oracle Touch is the steam wand. Why? With just a press of a button, this machine transforms into your personal milk-frothing wizard. You get to pick the milk foam’s temperature, anywhere from 104 to 167 °F, and the texture from 9 different levels!
Initially, I was as doubtful as a barista on April Fool’s Day. Letting a machine take over the art of milk frothing? It sounded like coffee blasphemy. But, and this is a big but, the Oracle Touch proved me wrong. It works, and it works like a charm.
There is also room for some purists out there. You can still froth your milk by hand with the Oracle Touch’s wand if you’re itching to show off those barista skills. And when placed back in its original position, it will automatically spray out a jet of steam to purge all remaining milk residue.
As for the Prima Donna, it features an automatic system, including a milk jug. The jug has a button to select the amount of froth in three levels and can be disassembled for cleaning or storage in the refrigerator when not in use.
The Prima Donna’s milk system facilitates the preparation of milk-based drinks with just one touch, and you don’t even need to move your cup during the process, so the convenience is unquestionable. Of course, it isn’t conducive to creating latte art.
Drink Options & Programmability
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
Drink Options
| Breville Oracle Touch | Delonghi Prima Donna |
|---|---|
| Espresso Americano Long Black Latte Flat White Cappuccino Hot Milk Hot Water | Espresso Cappuccino Latte latte Macchiato Hot Milk Hot Water |
Their list of one-touch drinks isn’t long enough to turn your kitchen into a mobile coffee shop, but it does allow you to create some coffee specialities like a cappuccino or a latte with minimal effort. Incidentally, both have a hot water function, allowing for the preparation of non-coffee beverages like tea or hot chocolate.
Programmability
| Adjustable Settings | Breville Oracle Touch | Delonghi Prima Donna |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee Strength | No | Yes |
| Coffee Temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Milk Foam Temperature | Yes | No |
| Milk Foam Texture | Yes | Yes |
The Oracle Touch allows adjusting both the temperature and texture of milk foam, which is a feature that’s not too common in the world of super-automatic machines. This is something to be welcomed, but it is difficult to understand why Breville decided to skip the option for adjusting coffee strength on the Oracle Touch. I mean, why? Coffee strength customization is like the holy grail for coffee enthusiasts.
Okay, so you want to adjust the coffee strength on the Oracle Touch? There is a trick, but brace yourself because it’s not as straightforward as you might hope. You have to go into its automatic tamping station, take out the screws, and then adjust them. That way, the Oracle Touch will dose less coffee before automatically tamping.
Other Features
Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
User Profiles
The Oracle Touch features up to eight memory slots for your personalized drinks. So, you can have your espresso exactly how you like it, and your partner, roommate, or whoever can have theirs their way, too, without any mix-ups.
The Prima Donna does not have this feature, so if you change something, it forgets the old preferences. This might be fine in a solo coffee-drinking household, but in other cases, “Who reset my settings?” will become a morning mystery. So, if you’re sharing the Prima Donna, be prepared for a little negotiation.
Auto On/Off
Imagine waking up while your espresso machine is already warmed up and ready to go, just as you’re rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You can program them to spring to life at a specific time – let’s say right before your alarm clock does its thing. You also can set them to automatically shut down after a certain period of inactivity.
The Oracle Touch, with its intuitive touchscreen, takes this convenience up a notch. Adjusting these settings feels as easy and familiar as swiping through your smartphone.
Bypass Doser
Have you ever had one of those mornings where you’re rushing around, and then you realize you’re out of coffee beans? The bypass doser on the Prima Donna is a lifesaver. Just scoop in your ground coffee and bam – you’re back in the espresso game. No more bean-less despair!
I would also like to mention that the Oracle Touch is also compatible with pre-ground coffee. You can skip the entire bean-to-cup process and just fill the double-wall filter basket with your preferred decaf option before having the portafilter in place.
Wheel System
Removing the Oracle Touch’s drip tray will reveal a roller system, making it easier to move the machine a short distance or turn it around to remove the tank. A feature that really makes sense for such a Hulk-sized machine.
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 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Delonghi Prima Donna
- Automatic Latte and Cappuccino: the proprietary LatteCrema system allows you to create Italian classic cappuccino, latte, cafelatte or other milk-based recipes just in one touch
- Stainless steel housing with digital display
- Memory function
- Maintenance: de’longhi machines require half the cleaning time of other brands, unlike competitor machines, which require chemical cleaning tablets monthly.
- Hot water spout to be used for tea or hot chocolate
Last update on 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Oracle Touch: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes990.html
- Delonghi Prima Donna: https://spares.delonghigroup.com/en-au/component/ecart/product/0132215200.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.