The Verdict
The Breville Barista Express Impress is a sophisticated home espresso machine with grinder that bridges the gap between professional-grade brewing and beginner-friendly operation. By automating the dosing and tamping process, it removes the common frustrations of manual espresso making while still delivering high-quality, third-wave specialty coffee.
Why We Love It (Key Features)
- Impress Puck System: This system provides assisted tamping with 10kg of pressure and a signature 7-degree barista twist, ensuring a perfectly polished puck surface and significantly less mess on your countertop.
- Intelligent Dosing and Auto-Correction: You no longer need to guess your grounds intake; the machine automatically calculates the dose and adjusts it for the next shot, keeping your extraction consistent every time.
- Integrated Conical Burr Grinder: With 25 grind settings at your fingertips, you have the flexibility to fine-tune your coffee beans for optimal flavor extraction, whether you prefer a single or double shot.
- Professional Steam Wand: The powerful manual steam wand is designed for hand-texturing milk into smooth, silky microfoam, making it simple to craft lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites at home.
Pros & Cons
- Pros:
- Consistent results thanks to smart dosing and auto-correction.
- Assisted tamping reduces manual effort and messy grounds.
- Precision temperature control via the Thermocoil heating system and PID.
- Comprehensive starter kit including stainless steel portafilter and jug.
- Cons:
- Requires significant dedicated counter space for the machine and integrated grinder.
- Involves a learning curve for those new to manual milk texturing.
- Represents a premium investment compared to entry-level pod machines.
Who Should Buy This?
This machine is an ideal fit for the home coffee enthusiast who wants the professional experience of manual extraction without the typical guesswork. It suits someone who values having an all-in-one espresso machine with grinder that maintains a clean workflow while still allowing for the artistic touch of hand-textured milk and precise grind adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this espresso machine with grinder come with accessories?
Yes, it includes a 54mm stainless steel portafilter, a 480ml stainless steel milk jug, 1 and 2-cup single and dual wall filter baskets, a water filter holder with filter, a Razor precision trimming tool, and cleaning tablets.
How do I know if I'm using the right grind size?
The machine features an integrated conical burr grinder with 25 settings, allowing you to fine-tune the grind size to achieve your preferred flavor outcome and extraction quality.
Is the milk steaming process automatic?
No, the machine features a manual steam wand designed to let you hand-texture microfoam for lattes and cappuccinos, providing you with full control over your latte art.
5.0 out of 5 stars So much better than superauto We bought this after our Phillps super-auto died.Once you get it dialed in for your coffee, the espresso is as good or better than you’ll get at a restaurant or specialty coffee shop.It’s easy enough to use that my husband can manage with no problems in a state of pre-caffeinated delirium (he pretty much sleepwalks his way through the morning until his first shot).While it isn’t a one button, walk away process, it makes the coffee much faster, especially when you take setup and cleaning into account. It’s just so much simpler to clean a stainless steel pitcher than a multi part plastic assembly full of nooks and crannies. I also generally appreciate not having a bin of wet coffee compost lurking inside of my espresso machine.It can be also more fun, if you have the time. We’ve been playing around with different styles of drinks and dabbling in latte art.While function was our primary concern, it also looks fantastic. The blue is deep and rich. It’s is a nice alternative to harsh black or metal. It looks great with our deep emerald green granite.Highly recommended!Variation: Color: Damson Blue
5.0 out of 5 stars Why Did I Wait So Long?? If you are considering this machine, hesitating or wavering because of the price tag like I was, STOP WAITING AND GET IT NOW! I can’t say enough how much I love this machine, how easy it is to use/clean, how great my lattes are. Coming from a Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista machine, I really debated if it was worth it to level up and get a “big girl coffee machine.” IT IS! I am honestly shocked at how much better my coffees are now. I am not a pro and still learning, but it is easy to make a latte, and pretty quick too (3 minutes start to finish now after a week of ownership). You might be thinking that the amount of “all caps” and exclamation points in this review are the result of being overly-caffeinated (and you’re probably not wrong), but I can assure you this glowing review is mostly because I love this so much that I want to help others see the light! So if you are like I was, a little nervous and on the fence, hop off that fence and buy this bad boy! You will be very glad you did. Happy caffeination!Variation: Color: Damson Blue
5.0 out of 5 stars Affordable Espresso Machine for Home Use This is the 2nd Barista Express we have purchased. Our first one lasted almost 10 years. This one is an upgrade. I appreciate the built-in tamper on this one. They have added a plastic protector on the bottom tray to help prevent scratches, which I also appreciate. And it’s easier to adjust the grind size. It makes great espresso, whether using the grinder to grind whole beans, or using pre-ground. If you have never had an espresso machine, there is a bit of a learning curve for using it. We don’t go to our local coffee shop anymore because this makes such good espresso, lattes, or whatever your favorite coffee type. And I love the blue color!Variation: Color: Damson Blue
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence It’s an amazing product, I love Breville coffee machinesVariation: Color: Damson Blue
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent espresso maker We love pretty much all aspects of this machine. Grinder is great – we’ve figured out the settings within a couple of attempts – having a few different types of espresso beans handy when it arrives makes the learning process very easy. It’s relatively easy to get a good balance between pressure and flow with just a couple of tries. If the beans are right, it’ll make a wonderful crema as well. We use it once or twice a day, so 2-4 double shots a day – it’s been flawless and the cleaning process is straight forward and works well. The overflow tray needs emptying perhaps once or twice a week depending on usage, definitely not the concern I was expecting based on reading some of the reviews. It fits perfectly below our cabinet and looks beautiful in the blue color. Oh and the grinder/tamper cool how it learns and gives a perfect amount of coffee after 1 or 2 brews. This is a great machine for espresso and lattes, though we don’t and won’t use the aerator as we have a separate milk frother. No need for the hot water dispenser, though we have tried it out just to make sure it works as needed. I highly recommend this espresso maker.Variation: Color: Damson Blue
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful product with minor issues I love my Breville. We use it daily 4 times a day. I don’t give it a 5 star rating because we’ve had some trouble with the grinder not activating and now with the steamer not working. It’s a beautiful machine thou.Variation: Color: Damson Blue