We’re rounding up the best early Prime Day deals so you don’t have to. As one of Tom’s Guide’s resident coffee nerds, I spend an embarrassing amount of my life thinking about, making, and drinking coffee. Oh, and I’m also an ex-barista, so I have a wealth of professional coffee experience too!
I’ve got a huge mental list of Breville espresso machines I’m desperate to try, and the Barista Touch is right at the top of that list. I’m so intrigued by the touchscreen — and De’Longhi’s rival touchscreen model (the La Specialista Touch) got rave reviews from our team.
So when I saw the Breville Barista Touch on sale for just $799 — down from $999 — I knew I had to shout about it. Breville espresso machines rarely ever go on sale, so I don’t know how long this deal will last — I wouldn’t wait.
What does the Breville Barista Touch’s touchscreen actually do?
Good question! The touchscreen itself is kind of the centerpiece of the machine. From the touchscreen, you can calibrate:
- Grind size
- Coffee dose
- Espresso volume
- Espresso extraction time
- Milk temperature
- Milk texture
- Easily access cleaning and settings menu
With all the complicated guesswork taken out of making coffee, the Barista Touch is one of the easiest ways to master espresso.
Most people find “dialling in” espresso the hardest part of making coffee. Dialling in refers to finding the correct grind size and dose for your machine. If this is all visually displayed on the espresso machine itself, it takes away the need to get a coffee scale and do mental math.
The Barista Touch also memorizes your recipes. For example, if you want a triple-shot flat white in the morning and a weak cappuccino in the afternoon, the Barista Touch will remember exactly how to make up to 8 drinks and will walk you through the process every time.
If you want an espresso machine with a touchscreen, the Breville Barista Touch is the most affordable way to do that. Below is the Breville Barista Touch Impress, which costs $1,499.
The Breville Barista Touch Impress is double the price of the Touch, but it does a few more things. The Touch Impress auto-steams all milks (including plant-based alternatives) and automatically tamps for you.
However, the Barista Touch ($699) has all the same internal premium features as the Touch Impress ($1,499), including: a PID controller, Thermoblock heating system, 10-bar pressure (the Impress has 9-bar), and a 30-click conical burr grinder.
If you want premium performance at a lower cost, then the Breville Barista Touch is the machine for you. I can’t believe how affordable it is right now.
