The short answer
Most people should get the
Breville Barista Express Impress.
It has the same assisted tamping, a pressure gauge that teaches you to dial
in and costs noticeably less. Choose the
Breville Barista Touch Impress
if you mostly drink milk coffee and want a touchscreen and automatic milk
to do the work.
How we compared them
We compared Breville’s published specs for both machines with expert
reviews from people who have used the whole Barista line and with long-term
owner feedback. We did not test the machines ourselves, so the differences
below come from the manufacturer and those reviewers.
Where they differ
Heat-up and heating system
The Touch Impress uses ThermoJet heating and reaches brewing temperature in
about 3 seconds. The Express Impress uses a thermocoil with digital
temperature control. Reviewers put its heat-up at around 30 seconds, and
note that the slower warm-up also heats the group, which can help shot
consistency.
Milk system
This is the biggest practical difference. The Touch Impress textures milk
automatically, with eight texture levels, temperatures from 104°F to 167°F
and dedicated settings for dairy, soy, almond and oat milk. Its four hole
steam tip also steams much faster. The Express Impress has a manual steam
wand that takes a little longer to get going and needs practice, but it
gives you full control over the foam.
Interface and feedback
The Touch Impress has a color touchscreen with 13 café presets and room for
up to six of your own drinks, and it guides you through each step. The
Express Impress has dials and buttons plus an analog pressure gauge. That
gauge is the most useful learning tool on either machine, because it shows
whether your grind is too fine or too coarse.
Grinder settings
Both have a built-in conical burr grinder. Breville lists 25 grind settings
on the Express Impress and 30 on the Touch Impress, which uses Baratza
burrs. More steps make it a little easier to find the right grind,
especially with lighter roasts.
What they share
Both use Breville’s Impress puck system. It doses the right amount of
coffee, tamps with a steady 22 pounds of force, finishes with a 7 degree
twist and adjusts the next dose based on the last one. Both have a 54mm
stainless portafilter, a 15 bar pump with 9 bar extraction and a similar
footprint of roughly 16 inches wide. Shot quality is close, since the
brewing hardware is so alike.
Which one should you buy
Get the Barista Express Impress if you want to understand espresso, enjoy
steaming milk by hand, drink espresso or Americanos as often as lattes, or
want the better value of the two.
Get the Barista Touch Impress if you mainly drink lattes and cappuccinos,
share the machine with people who want one-touch drinks, or want a machine
that is ready the moment you switch it on.
For boiler machines and options without a grinder, see all our
espresso machine picks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Barista Touch Impress worth it over the Express Impress?
Only if you value the touchscreen and automatic milk. Shot quality is
similar, and reviewers agree the Touch Impress does not raise the ceiling
on espresso. You pay for convenience, speed and guided drinks.
Can the Barista Express Impress make lattes?
Yes. Its manual steam wand makes milk foam for lattes and cappuccinos,
including latte art once you have practiced. It is slower than the Touch
Impress and you control the texture yourself.
Do both machines tamp for you?
Yes. Both use the same Impress system, so you pull a lever to tamp and the
machine corrects the dose for your next shot. Neither needs a separate
tamper.
