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Buying guide

Your First Espresso Machine: Grinder, Tamper and Other Things Beginners Miss

By iPickOne editorial team · Published · Reviewed

Short answer

For a first machine, the question is how much comes in the box: all four Breville machines here include a conical burr grinder and a 54 mm portafilter, so you do not buy a separate grinder. What differs is the milk system (manual wand on two, hands-free on the Touch), the tamper and the warranty (1 year on the Barista Express, 2 years on the other three).

Silver espresso machine with cups on top, on a white countertop
Photo by Karola G on Pexels. Typical product type, not a specific model.

Who should pick what

Side-by-side comparison

Four first-time espresso machines on the same Breville US page fields
CriterionBarista ExpressBarista ProBarista TouchBarista Express Impress
Built-in grinderBuilt-in steel conical burr grinder, 16 grind settingsBuilt-in steel conical burr grinder, 30 grind settingsBuilt-in hardened steel conical burr grinder, 30 grind settingsBuilt-in steel conical burr grinder, 25 grind settings; Auto Dose Correct for the next grind
Milk texturingManual milk texturing (steam wand)Manual milk texturing (steam wand)Hands-free milk texturing; automatic steam wand cleaningManual milk texturing (steam wand)
Portafilter and tamper54 mm portafilter; manual removable magnetic tamper54 mm portafilter; manual removable magnetic tamper54 mm portafilter; manual removable magnetic tamper54 mm portafilter; assisted tamping with a 7° Barista Twist finish and a dose level indicator
HeatingThermocoil heating with PID temperature control; 15 bar Italian pumpThermoJet system ready in 3 seconds; PID temperature control; 15 bar Italian pumpThermoJet system ready in 3 seconds; PID temperature control; 15 bar Italian pumpThermocoil heating with PID temperature control; 15 bar Italian pump
Hopper and water tankBean hopper 1/2 lb; water tank 67 ozBean hopper 1/2 lb; water tank 67 ozBean hopper 1/2 lb; water tank 67 oz250 g bean hopper; 2 L water tank
ControlsSimple button control; extraction-feedback pressure gaugeLCD screen and button control; customizable settingsTouch screen; 5 pre-programmed café favorites; 8 saved custom settingsSimple button control; extraction-feedback pressure gauge
Warranty1 Year Limited Warranty2 Year Limited Warranty2 Year Warranty2 Year Limited Warranty
Size and weight15.9 x 13.1 x 12.4 in; 22.09 lb16.1 x 13.8 x 13.1 in; 20.92 lb15.7 x 12.6 x 12.4 in; 21.8 lb16.6 x 14.4 x 12.2 in; 22.6 lb

Figures are from each Breville US product page, read 2026-11-06. We did not fill gaps from retailer listings and print no prices. Sources for every figure are listed under “Sources” below.

How we compared: key criteria

  1. Grinder includedEvery machine here has a built-in steel conical burr grinder: 16 settings on the Barista Express, 30 on the Barista Pro and Touch, 25 on the Express Impress. More settings means finer steps when you adjust for a new bag of beans.
  2. Tamper and dosingThe Express, Pro and Touch use a manual magnetic tamper that you press by hand. The Express Impress assists the tamp (a 7° Barista Twist finish) and shows a dose level indicator, which is the part many first-timers get wrong.
  3. Milk systemThe Express, Pro and Impress have a manual steam wand: you texture the milk yourself. The Touch textures milk hands-free and cleans the wand automatically.
  4. Heat-up and controlsThe Pro and Touch use a ThermoJet system “ready in 3 seconds”; the Express and Impress use a Thermocoil. The Express and Impress have button control; the Pro has an LCD and the Touch a touch screen.
  5. Size and warrantyThe Express is 15.9 x 13.1 x 12.4 in; the Impress is the largest at 16.6 x 14.4 x 12.2 in. The warranty is 1 year on the Express and 2 years on the other three.

Our picks

Simplest, with a manual wand

Breville Barista Express (BES870)

  • 67oz tank

Why we'd pick it: 16-setting built-in grinder, button control, extraction-feedback gauge, manual steam wand and a magnetic tamper.

Skip it if… you want the longer 2-year warranty: its page states 1 year; the others state 2.

View on Amazon — Breville Barista Express (BES870) on Amazon.com

Faster start, more settings

Breville Barista Pro (BES878)

  • 67oz tank

Why we'd pick it: 3-second ThermoJet heat-up, LCD, 30 grind settings and a 2-year warranty.

Skip it if… you want milk handled for you: it has a manual wand.

View on Amazon — Breville Barista Pro (BES878) on Amazon.com

Hands-free milk

Breville Barista Touch (BES880)

  • 67oz tank

Why we'd pick it: Touch screen, 5 pre-programmed café favorites, 8 saved custom settings and automatic milk texturing with wand cleaning.

Skip it if… you want to steam milk yourself; it is also built around its screen, which means more to learn.

View on Amazon — Breville Barista Touch (BES880) on Amazon.com

Help with tamping and dose

Breville Barista Express Impress (BES876)

Why we'd pick it: Assisted tamping, Auto Dose Correct, a dose level indicator and a 2-year warranty.

Skip it if… counter space is tight: at 16.6 x 14.4 in it is the largest of the four.

View on Amazon — Breville Barista Express Impress (BES876) on Amazon.com

Downsides and when not to buy

  • Breville’s pages give specifications and feature claims, not shot quality, noise or reliability over time.
  • We left out the Bambino Plus because it has no built-in grinder; you would buy a grinder separately (see our burr grinder guide).
  • We did not include a Gaggia Classic Pro: no manufacturer US page was in our source set.

When the pricier option isn't worth it

Hands-free milk isn’t worth the added screen and complexity if you mostly drink straight espresso; the manual-wand models cover that.

Who should skip this product type

Skip a semi-automatic machine if you want a drink at the push of one button: you grind, dose, tamp and steam yourself. A super-automatic does more of that for you.

Extra costs, installation and compatibility

Ongoing costs
Beans, a water filter (included in the box on these models per Breville), cleaning tablets and descaling are recurring. We do not print prices.
Installation and space
Allow for the width, depth and height in the table: heights run from 12.2 in (Express Impress) to 13.1 in (Barista Pro). Measure the gap under your wall cabinets against the stated height.
Compatibility
All four use a 54 mm portafilter and run on standard US household power (110–120 V on the pages that state a range).

View on Amazon

Links to Amazon.com are plain product links. We may earn a commission in the future if we join affiliate programs; this never decides what we recommend. Prices and availability change, so we don't print them — check the current details on Amazon. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Research method, sources and review date

Research-based comparison: we compare manufacturer specifications, user manuals and published guidance, and note where a figure is a manufacturer claim. We do not test products in a lab. Figures come from the Breville US product pages as read on 2026-11-06. How we compare · Editorial policy

Sources

Last reviewed · Next scheduled review . Spotted an error? Tell us.

Update log

  • — Rebuilt (IPK-BUILD-5) around models confirmed to exist on Amazon.com. Figures come from ENERGY STAR certified-product data and, where we could read one, the manufacturer page; where a source does not state a figure we say so. Models not found on Amazon.com were removed from the picks.
See our picks