Review: Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine
By Coffee Expert
Aysia M
Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine
$699.95
$899.95
22% off
10 photos
The Curated Take
4.8/5
The Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine is a game-changer for beginners and experienced espresso lovers. It features a built-in grind and tamping feature, saving users the hassle and counter space of separate tools. It is intuitive with its automatic dosing and ground sensing and ensures consistent quality with its conical burr grinder. Despite its sensitivity to temperature affecting the grind, its benefits, like quick heat time and user-friendly maintenance, overshadow the cons. Its design and features offer cafe-level drinks at home without needing professional barista expertise, presenting excellent value for money.
Ideal for
- Ease of use and clean-up
- Great for anyone with little to no experience grinding and tamping espresso
- Ideal for practicing latte-making skills and art
Not ideal for
- Temperature affects the grinder and will affect the shot if not adjusted
- Must pre-condition the steam wand by running hot water first
Milk Frothing
The steam wand works well. A learning curve exists for those who have never frothed milk by hand. As a previous barista, this wand is slightly smaller than commercial machines...Read more
Heat Time
Heat time is quick and is ready to go within approximately 20-30 seconds (or less). The only delay is when I steam and then need to pull a shot; it...Read more
Programmability
I live in Colorado, and the elevation affects water heat and pressure adjustments. Water boils at around 202°F down to 198°F in the mountains. Most coffee machines are programmed for...Read more
Portafilter Size
The portafilter is a standard issue for home machines. The weight of the portafilter is also standard, not heavy or too light. It's sturdy and will last a long time....Read more
Steam Wand
Steam wand is a standard issue for home espresso machines. My only con is that I need to run the hot water spigot to prime the wand faster rather than...Read more
Tank Capacity
I fill the tank about once a week as I do not drink espresso daily. The Express Impress comes with a little filter to put in the tank and filter...Read more
Espresso Extraction
Based on the grind and weather changes, the shot pull varies a little bit. I have recently had to re-adjust my grind due to humidity and heat changes. When the...Read more
Versatility
Espresso machines are designed for espresso only. The drink-making is put on the user to build the desired drink. I can make anything from a shaken iced espresso to a...Read more
Grind Size Control
The grind size control is simple and easy to utilize on this machine. I like the dial on the side; it is an effective design. I'm impressed with how consistent...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Aysia M
About the espresso equipment
- Model: Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine
Test conditions
- When I bought this: Spring 2023
- Days tested: Approximately 50
- Where I’ve used it: Home
- How many times I've used it: 46
Expert Reviews of the Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine
Aysia M My partner and I purchased the Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine, which we love. The biggest reason we purchased this specific Breville machine (outside of affordability) is the built-in grind and tamping feature. This saved us from buying an espresso grinder, tamping mat, and wrist-friendly tamper that would take up too much space on our small counters. In addition, we can handle grinding our beans, portioning out and weighing the grounds, and tamping and cleaning spilled grounds. The automatic dosing, intuitive grounds sensor, and tamping lever save us so much time and hassle that I feel spoiled. It is as easy as a push of a button, pulling a lever, relocating the portafilter to the group head, and pushing another button. I live in an area with good water and have only had to run a cleaning cycle once in six months, which is great.
The only con I have with this espresso machine is how sensitive the grinder burrs are to temperature fluctuations. I need to adjust the grinder for environmental changes, or my shot will pull differently than it did before. The steam wand works well, but I have to prime it first by running hot water for a few seconds. Otherwise, the shots taste delicious, and the steam wand works great. My partner has been practicing and perfecting his milk-frothing technique and is producing excellent latte art now.
Product Specs
| Housing material | Stainless steel |
| Features | Adjustable brewing pressure, Water temperature control |
| Volts | 120 V |
| Watts | 1850 W |
| Product width (in) | 13.9" |
| Product height (in) | 16" |
Review Ratings
Milk Frothing
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. The steam wand works well. A learning curve exists for those who have never frothed milk by hand. As a previous barista, this wand is slightly smaller than commercial machines but works similarly. I love the safety handle that ensures I don't burn my hand when moving the wand. Watch videos on how to steam milk if that is a new skill someone needs to learn.
Heat Time
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. Heat time is quick and is ready to go within approximately 20-30 seconds (or less). The only delay is when I steam and then need to pull a shot; it takes about 3-5 seconds to heat back up again. It's not long at all. I can make a couple of drinks back to back without issue. I have plenty of time to steam my milk and let the bubbles set and swirl while my shot is pulling. Easy peasy.
Programmability
4/5
Aysia M gave 4 of 5 stars. I live in Colorado, and the elevation affects water heat and pressure adjustments. Water boils at around 202°F down to 198°F in the mountains. Most coffee machines are programmed for sea level where the boiling temp is 212°F on average. So, to brew good coffee and espresso, machines need to be set to about 7°-17° below boiling so as not to burn the coffee. This means I need to be able to program my machine to brew at 190°F at minimum in Colorado. Programming the Express Impress is a little limited, but it is possible. For those at sea level, most would not need to adjust more than 2° either direction, but it can be an issue at elevation.
Portafilter Size
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. The portafilter is a standard issue for home machines. The weight of the portafilter is also standard, not heavy or too light. It's sturdy and will last a long time. The Express Impress also comes with various portafilter baskets for single and double shots.
Steam Wand
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. Steam wand is a standard issue for home espresso machines. My only con is that I need to run the hot water spigot to prime the wand faster rather than just turning the steam on first. Otherwise, it works well, and I can make anything from flat white to cappuccino. It cleans up easily, too.
Tank Capacity
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. I fill the tank about once a week as I do not drink espresso daily. The Express Impress comes with a little filter to put in the tank and filter out some minerals and calcium. I like the way it is designed for easy removability.
Espresso Extraction
4/5
Aysia M gave 4 of 5 stars. Based on the grind and weather changes, the shot pull varies a little bit. I have recently had to re-adjust my grind due to humidity and heat changes. When the grind is dialed in, the shot pull is great. I am not a huge fan of the gauge installed, as it doesn't have any numbers to see the exact pressure during extraction. Otherwise, it works well.
Versatility
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. Espresso machines are designed for espresso only. The drink-making is put on the user to build the desired drink. I can make anything from a shaken iced espresso to a cappuccino or flat white. I appreciate the flexibility having an espresso machine offers me. Being a barista in the past helps.
Grind Size Control
5/5
Aysia M gave 5 of 5 stars. The grind size control is simple and easy to utilize on this machine. I like the dial on the side; it is an effective design. I'm impressed with how consistent the conical burr grinder is on this machine. I've seen others in the past who are not nearly as consistent. This machine changed my mind about conical burrs.
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Aysia M I've serviced a few Breville home machines in the past, and I was never a fan of their tampers. The Breville Barista Express Impress has been a game-changer, in my opinion. I love its built-in automatic grind sensor and tamper for portioning each espresso puck. The ease of use of this machine is excellent. Any espresso drinker, no matter if they have experience or not, can use this machine and make delicious cafe-level drinks at home. I love that the built-in grinder and tamp system save counter space. I do not need a fancy grinder, portion cup, weigh scale, tamping mat, or a tamper next to my machine. The quality and ease of this machine make my morning espresso a breeze.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Aysia M I loved learning how to descale and clean the machine. As a previous espresso technician, some machines were difficult for me to figure out how to run cleaner through. The Express Impress comes with a simple manual that explains every step. It was so easy for me to run descaler through the water system and backwash the group head simultaneously.
Why did you choose this product?
Aysia M I chose this product because of the grinding/tamping system. I had looked at the Breville Barista Express but was not sold on the tamper it came with or having to buy a tamping mat and better tamper. The Express Impress solved that issue, and I am thrilled with the results I get with every shot.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Aysia M I believe this machine is well worth it's cost. Any device that does not include a grinder means one must buy that separately. I have seen a good quality grinder range begin at $300. In addition, if someone wants to get into craft third-wave coffee, they must purchase a portion cup, tamping mat, tamper, and a few other tools. The Breville Barista Express Impress offers great third-wave level coffee at half the price simply due to its design. It is sturdy, easy to maintain, a breeze to clean, and anyone can make espresso at home without needing an expert barista skill set.
