After missing all these coffee machine deals, the one I want finally has an ok price…
CamelCamelCamel.
This has baratza burrs.
At some point, I'll be purchasing this or a refurb Breville oracle, same price. Both of which aren't without their issues/critics.
I went from Dual Boiler to Oracle about six years ago and will 100% get another one when mine dies. For me, the automation benefits far outweigh the compromises. My simple performance metric- I drink more coffee with the Oracle vs Dual Boiler. So, I could make better coffee with a different, probably cheaper setup…but I'd drink less.
Same. Went from an Expobar Minore and Mazzer Mini to an Oracle after an expensive repair and flood (from the plumbed in machine). Would buy another Oracle anyday
Yep, specifically the M2 burrs, used in the Baratza Virtuoso+; which is a competitive $450 grinder.
I have had this machine for over a year, and I can highly recommend it.
Almost any other espresso machine requires a combination of training, cleaning, enthusiasm for the process, and dedication. If you're willing to pay a bit extra to not have to think about those things but still get the same result, this is the machine to get. If you live in a household with others who will not share your enthusiasm, but may still want a cup of coffee from time to time, this is the way to do it. It guides you through dialing in the beans, it keeps track of when it needs maintenance and guides you through the cleaning processes. These are 100% all things I would forget to do. It is also a rare machine in that it has no warm-up time and no tamping mess; which means you get a coffee in about half the time and effort of other machines.
As an owner of this machine, if you're in a household/office of coffee drinkers who all want to be able to make their own coffee without spending weeks in training; this price is absolute steal for what it delivers. It's a great luxury product. Other machines of similar price may have a longer design lifespan, but this has a much higher likelihood of being used successfully by anyone who you live with, colleagues, or guests. Breville touch are only machines that take responsibility for not becoming a health hazard into the product.
And only single boiler
It doesn't use a boiler. It heats up instantly.
Life is full of compromises
Same price at Harvey Norman with 10% GC
I purchased the Barista Touch Impress about three months ago, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. It’s absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend it at this price.
I went through many locally roasted coffee options but ultimately settled on the much more budget-friendly and consistent LAZZIO Luxe Blend Premium Coffee Beans (1KG) from ALDI, which I love.
Workflow:
I love how I can prepare each component and queue them. The automation is excellent, and once you find your rhythm, you can make multiple coffees in a very short timeframe.
Another feature I appreciate is the tea function. I no longer have to worry about overheating water. Oh and babycinos, the milk doesn't go very hot but still lots of froth.
Oh, and my partner actually uses the machine.
Very well out together. Good effort.
The only thing I don't like about that is each steam/ coffee swap results in a purge into the bottom tray. So the bottom tray fills up quickly.
The other issue with ALL the Breville 54mm basket machines is the single infusion point under the shower screen (one single small outlet on the right side).
The Dual Boiler, Oracle, Gaggia .. basically any half decent machine has a multi point infusion 'ring' under the shower screen.
Something Breville could easily fix, but don't.
They should also add a pump dimmer by default, so you can run 2 - 10 bar shots depending on your bean, or simply reduce the pressure on the back end of the shot. Cost $10 to add yourself. Breville could do it for 50 cents (or less).
For anyone interested, have had the Delonghi Maestro (https://www.delonghi.com/en-au/la-specialista-maestro-manual…) now for 3 weeks, competitor to the touch impress. Currently $1299 delivered from Delonghi (in reality less with 10% off first order and 4.5% cashrewards) and until 4th Nov includes accessories eg latte glasses, vacuum container for beans, 3kg of delonghi beans.
Some observations:
- Delonghi tamper is apparently 20kg (Breville 10kg), but is sometimes uneven. I tamp 3-4 times to get it even. Keeps the benchtop cleaner than having to manually tamp though.
- Lack of feedback about grind, dose and extraction on the Delonghi is not newbie friendly. Breville features sound like they make dialling in very easy.
- Even with grinder finer than recommended, brew ratios all seem high on the Delonghi and not easy to improve - machine tends towards underextraction. This is even with the delonghi signature med-dark roast.
- Lattecrema is fiddly, more things to clean and the breville wand solution is probably better overall
- I have enjoyed cold espresso and brew from the Delonghi
- Space to fit our travel mugs under the portafilter without removing the drip tray has been good (lazy).
Hoping the Ninja Coffee Machine gets released in Australia
Why?
Are you looking for something unreliable?
Check out James Hoffman's take on YouTube, he pretty much expects it not to last very long because of the build quality, and too many (mostly useless) features. Reddit experiences seem to confirm his predictions.
It might do ok for espresso, but cold brew and filter coffee features are poorly implemented.
$500 USD means probably around $1000 AUD if it ever lands here.
I'd wait for a successor model if you're keen on ninja.
Says $1898 on Amazon at the moment.
Same with HarveyNorman.
Doesn't seem to be available at $1618 stated in the post
Info from HarveyNorman:
28th of October (today's) price is $1898.
27th of October (yesterday) price was $1798.
I just find that if you are spending this much, the internal grinder needs to be better.