Updated 28 Oct 2026
Is the Breville Barista Touch Impress worth it?
Yes — if you want to make barista-style coffee and enjoy doing it.
It grinds, helps you tamp with a lever and coaches you step by step on its touchscreen, and the automatic steam wand textures dairy and plant milks. Testers found the results superb and easy to get. It's expensive, takes a few tries to dial in, and the touchscreen can be sluggish. In the UK it's sold as the Sage Barista Touch Impress.
100%of 8 owners give it 4 or 5 stars
- Touchscreen coaches every step
- Assisted tamping lever
- Automatic milk for dairy and plant milks
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What owners say
Owners love the coffee and how easy the machine makes it. No complaints so far.
Good to know
- The first few shots take some dialling in.
- The touchscreen can be sluggish.
From 8 buyer ratings at Currys, every complaint read by us, October 2026. How we do this
What they love
- Great, consistent coffeeMentioned a lot
- Easy to use, with guidance for beginnersMentioned a lot
- Easy to cleanMentioned often
What they complain about
Hardly any: just 0 of 8 owners gave it 3 stars or fewer, and no complaint came up often enough to list.
Get it if…
- You want to learn espresso with a safety net.
- You drink lattes and flat whites.
- You use oat or other plant milks.
Skip it if…
- You want coffee at the press of a button.
- You'd rather not spend this much: the Barista Express makes great espresso for less.
For the curious
A deeper look at full specs.
Assisted tamping
The Impress lever tamps for you and finishes with a 7° twist.
Touchscreen
14 preset drinks, and you can save up to 6 of your own.
Technical specifications
| Type | Espresso machine with grinder; Impress puck system with assisted tamping |
|---|---|
| Grinder | Baratza European precision burrs, 30 settings; auto or manual dosing |
| Heating | ThermoJet |
| Milk | Auto MilQ hands-free texturing, 104–167 °F; dairy, almond, oat and soy settings |
| Presets | 14 drinks, including cold brew; save up to 6 of your own |
| Portafilter | 54 mm |
| Bean hopper | 12 oz |
| Water tank | 67.6 fl oz |
| Power | 1750 W, 120 V |
| Size (W × D × H) | 16.3 × 13.8 × 13.3 in |
| Weight | 24.2 lb |
| Warranty | 2 years limited |
From the maker's spec sheet for model Breville Barista Touch Impress BES881 (US), checked October 2026. Versions sold in other countries can differ slightly.
More on the Barista Touch Impress
How we reached this verdict
T3 calls it the best coffee machine its tester has used: very easy thanks to the touchscreen, with Auto MilQ settings for different milks and tasty results, if expensive. Expert Reviews says even an automatic bean-to-cup costing twice as much won't come close to its coffee, though it's overpriced and the screen is slow.
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: T3, Expert Reviews, Breville (specs), TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, Tom's Guide, manufacturer specifications.
Updated 28 Oct 2026How we decide