Both the Gaggia Accademia vs Breville Oracle have a lot of great technology and amazing features, so you don’t need to babysit them too much while still getting cafe-quality espresso. To pick the better one, I took a detailed look at each and found the Gaggia Accademia to be the better-for-value one.
The Gaggia Accademia stands out with up to 19 pre-programmed drink options and more spacious cup clearance to fit taller cups. What’s more, its built-in grinder is made of ceramic to reduce heat generation during operation and allows you and others to store personalized drinks in four different user profiles.
The Breville Oracle offers up to impressive 45 grind settings, and its hybrid steam wand works quite well. Although it isn’t a fully automatic machine, it still allows you to make great coffee with minimal effort since it can automatically grind the beans, tamp the coffee grounds, and steam milk.
Gaggia Accademia Vs Breville Oracle: Specs & Features Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-11-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Gaggia Accademia Vs Breville Oracle: Differences
The Gaggia Accademia beat the Breville Oracle 5-1. Let’s break down all the key differences between them via my detailed comparison.
Coffee Flavor & Brewing System
Winner: Gaggia Accademia
Built-in Grinder
These two machines come with conical burr grinders but differ in terms of materials. The Accademia’s grinder is made of ceramic, while the one on the Oracle is crafted from stainless steel. I don’t need to tell you that ceramic helps to prevent heat buildup that can alter the flavor and aroma of your coffee beans, right?
In terms of grind settings, the Oracle takes the lead with up to 45 specific settings for you to choose from, which is more than most drinkers need, and I’m pretty sure you’ll easily dial in the ideal grind size for your drink after a few tries. Meanwhile, the Accademia features 8 settings – not much, but it still provides a good range for most standard coffee drinks.
Heating System
The Accademia features a dual boiler system, and so does the Oracle – one of the features that justify their steep asking prices. Having two boilers on board means they can extract a shot of espresso and steam milk immediately, without delay, reducing the short waiting time for your first indulgent sip.
By the way, both have a built-in cup warming plate to preheat cups before serving espresso, ensuring optimal flavor and aroma. The difference is that the warmer on the Gaggia Accademia is actively heated and is a bit hotter than the passively heated one on the Oracle – You also have the option to turn off the former warmer if you want.
Design & Convenience
Winner: Gaggia Accademia
Dimensions & User Interface
| Gaggia Accademia | Breville Oracle | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11.1 x 16.5 x 15.2 inches | 16.1 x 14.7 x 17.8 inches |
| Weight | 30.2 lbs | 35.6 lbs |
They aren’t really enormous machines, but they are far from compact ones. They will take up a lot of kitchen space, but they’re worth it for all coffee lovers, especially those who yearn for barista-quality brews with minimal effort. Just ensure enough space above to access the cup warmer, bean hopper, and water tank.
The Breville Oracle weighs about 5 pounds more than its competitor. Still, this isn’t much of an issue because it features a wheel system, making moving it or approaching its water tank a breeze.
Speaking of build quality, the Breville Oracle features a brushed stainless steel outer housing with an aluminum surface on top to pre-warm your cups. As for the Gaggia Accademia, I had the one with a black glass mirrored casing for testing, but it also comes in a brushed stainless steel variant. Despite its considerable use of plastic, the Accademia still impressed me with its robust feel and premium appearance, looking like it was made from premium materials.
The Accademia boasts an intuitive 5-inch color touchscreen display compared to an old-school LCD display and a few clunky-looking buttons on the Oracle’s control panel. The color screen not only makes the Accademia more stylish but also displays images to assist in accessing and troubleshooting parts, which is invaluable given how complicated many automatic machines can be to maintain.
Spout Type & Cup Clearance
| Gaggia Accademia | Breville Oracle | |
|---|---|---|
| Spigot Type | Dual | Dual |
| Cup Clearance | 2.9-6.5 inches | 4 inches |
The Gaggia Accademia’s dual dispensing unit is adjustable to allow for different height cups. With a maximum gap of up to 6.5 inches, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding the right cup for your brew. Having dual spouts means you can prepare two cups at the same time – easy breezy lemon squeezy.
The Oracle has no dispensing spigot, at least not in the style of the Accademia. This one uses a 58-millimeter portafilter with two spouts for double shots. The cup clearance is fixed at 4 inches, but you can always make extra room for taller cups by removing the drip tray.
Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper
| Gaggia Accademia | Breville Oracle | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Reservoir | 1.6 liter | 2.5 liter |
| Bean Hopper | 0.36 liter | 0.24 liter |
The Breville Oracle has a larger water container, meaning it needs to be refilled less often, whereas the Gaggia Accademia also has a spacious tank. You have the option to add water filters to their tanks to remove impurities and elevate the taste of the espresso, or you can bypass it if you’re using pre-filtered water.
The Oracle has a front filling port, so you can monitor water levels at any time without detaching its water tank, although you can do that easily thanks to its wheel system. It also has a door right next to the cup warmer to easily refill its back-located water tank.
The Oracle’s bean feeder is smaller, but its lid features a rubber O-ring to ensure an airtight environment for the beans. This helps reduce the noise of the grinder and maintain the freshness and flavor of the coffee beans by minimizing exposure to air and moisture.
Milk Frothing System
Winner: Breville Oracle
These two machines have hybrid milk systems, so they can be ideal for any drinker. I mean, whether you are busy and don’t have much time to intervene in the milk frothing process or are a coffee purist and want to hone your barista skills, they both have got you covered.
Let’s start with the Gaggia Accademia: it features both an automatic milk frothing system and a traditional wand. Its automatic milk frothing system includes a 0.6-liter removable milk jug that is neatly clipped onto the front of the machine and can be stored in the fridge overnight, which is a lot better than sitting at room temperature all day and going warm. You can change the volume of milk used and the froth level, but not the temperature.
The jug’s handle also doubles as a movable milk spout, which swings over your cup when you’re making a milky drink like a cappuccino. When it is back to its original position after use, the system will blow hot water through the circuit to purge any milk traces from the mechanism. In my opinion, this system works well, except that it is prone to splashing milk when used with shorter cups due to the large distance.
The Gaggia Accademia also boasts a ball-mounted steam wand for manually frothing milk. The wand isn’t as powerful as a commercial-grade one, but I swear it has more than enough power to create silky microfoam for top-notch latte art milk.
As for the Breville Oracle, it has a 2-in-1 wand that can be programmed to steam and froth itself, or you can use it as a traditional one if you prefer to take more control or are interested in latte art.
When the Gaggia Accademia is in automatic mode, all you need to do is choose the temperature (between 104 and 167 °F), choose from nine levels of foam texture, put the wand in your milk holder, pull a lever on the right side, leave, and come back later to take your cup away. It features a tip-shaped sensor that diligently monitors and ensures the milk foam reaches your desired temperature.
Pre-programmed Coffee Options & Programmability
Winner: Gaggia Accademia
| Gaggia Accademia | Breville Oracle |
|---|---|
| Coffee Cafe Cortado Espresso Espresso Lungo Ristretto Americano Cappuccino Cappuccino XL Macchiatone Melange Flat White Caffelatte Cafe au Lait Latte Macchiato Frothed Milk Hot Milk Hot Water Water for Black Tea Water for Green Tea | Espresso Hot Water |
The Accademia undoubtedly excels with a list of nearly 20 programmable drinks. It includes some very odd ones, such as Melange and Cafe au Lait, or at least I haven’t tasted them before, but I bet someone out there will prefer them. Well, these two machines can also help you just boil water to brew tea, and they can do that faster than your traditional kettle, for sure.
The Gaggia Accademia features a bypass doser for decaf lovers or those who like a particular blend of pre-ground coffee. You can also use pre-ground coffee with the Breville Oracle, but it would be better if it came with pressurized filter baskets for this purpose (this one only comes with a pair of non-pressurized baskets).
Cleaning and Maintenance
Winner: Gaggia Accademia
These machines require periodic attention if you don’t want bacteria, mold, and other contaminants to thrive and destroy the flavor of your espresso. I wish I could tell you that there is no manual step, but that’s not the case. There are a few parts you’ll have to clean and rinse on a daily basis, such as the drip tray, water tank, dregs box, and more. Avoid using any kind of soap, and never put them in the dishwasher.
Their automatic milk systems automatically run hot water to remove all milk residue. You should take the Accademia’s milk jug apart and wash all the parts thoroughly under the tap. As for their steam wands, you should wipe them off with a damp cloth after every frothing cycle.
These two machines let you know when it’s descaling time. Remember that if they are combined with companion water filters, they don’t need to be descaled too often.
The Gaggia Accademia has a removable brew group, which I liked more than the built-in one inside the Breville Oracle. By being able to disassemble the Accademia’s brew group, I was able to ensure its most important part was thoroughly cleaned. Not to mention that this part can be replaced at any time without needing to service the entire machine if something goes wrong with it solely.
Other Feature
Winner: Gaggia Accademia
Auto-Start Feature
Both have an auto-start timer, so they’ll be ready to work when you stumble out of bed in the morning. The Accademia is a bit more convenient since it can be set to wake up at three different times, and you can choose the days of the week.
User Profile
Dialing in the ideal settings for your espresso isn’t a piece of cake. It requires trial and error several times, even many times, instead. So it is completely understandable to feel irritated and annoyed if a family member unintentionally changes your carefully customized settings.
The Accademia enables you to save your preferences to one of four profiles, each of which has a different colored heart icon. Everything is so easy that the hardest part is choosing the color you like without offending others.
Flow Controller
There is a small knob on the front of the Accademia’s dispensing spout for adjusting how quickly the espresso comes out, leading to changes in the espresso’s body and crema. There are three levels to choose from, and this is one of the adjustments you can make that is not via the screen.
Gaggia Accademia Vs Breville Oracle: Similarities
Brewing System
Both have a pre-infusion process, which enables trapped CO2 to escape and gets the most out of the aroma of the coffee grounds. They also allow you to adjust the length of this low-pressure step to suit your chosen coffee bean variety. Then, the maximum pressure extraction process takes place at 15 bar pressure on both, which is more than the typical 9-bar standard required for crafting high-quality espresso.
Stand-By Mode
Finally, both have a standby mode, so they can be set to automatically turn off and stop consuming power after an adjustable interval. This is indeed a lifesaver for the absent-minded guys among us.
Quick Rundown Of Gaggia Accademia
- Steel Housing, Made in Italy
- Glass Touchscreen Display
- Commercial Steam Wand
- 19 On-Demand Beverages
- Massive Beverage Customization
Last update on 2024-11-17 / 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 2024-11-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Gaggia Accademia: https://accademia.gaggia.com/
- Breville Oracle: https://www.breville.com/nz/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.