Breville Barista Express vs. Breville Barista Express Impress

The Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) has been one of the more popular entry-level espresso machines on the market in recent years. However, you can now also choose the upgraded Breville Express Impress (BES876).

What are the differences between the two models, and in what ways does the newer model improve on the original? Is it worth upgrading if you already have the Breville Barista Express?

This article will compare both Breville coffee machines so you will have a good idea of the key differences between them, allowing you to make an informed decision as to which is best suited to your needs. Let’s get started.

We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Design And Build Quality

The Breville Barista Express espresso machine has been on the market for several years. Because of this, it inevitably has a more dated design than the two newer models. Nonetheless, its aesthetic is still sleek enough to look appropriate in most modern kitchens.

The Barista Express measures a relatively compact 12.5 inches wide x 13.8 inches deep x 15.9 inches tall. Meanwhile, the Breville Express Impress is 12.9 inches wide and is the deepest at 14.9 inches, with a height of 16.1 inches.

The casing of each coffee machine is brushed stainless steel giving them a high-end aesthetic. However, the Breville Barista Express and Impress have a slightly more cluttered appearance due to the prominence of buttons and an analog gauge on the front.

You may find more color options overseas, but in the US, the Barista Express has two color options – silver and black. Meanwhile, the Impress has just a silver option.

Overall, regardless of which semi-automatic espresso machine you choose, the overall impression is of a premium build quality.

Built-In Grinder

While the Breville Barista Express has 16 espresso grind settings, the Breville Express Impress has 25. The grind size of your coffee beans is essential for a perfect espresso shot.

The adjustment dials are on the side of each machine. The dials of the Barista Express and Express Impress sit horizontally in the machine.

Control Panel

The Breville Barista Express and Express Impress use buttons and an analog pressure gauge. This makes the process of finding the correct settings somewhat more convoluted.

However, despite their similarities, the Barista Express Impress still represents an upgrade on the control panel of the Express as it has extra features, including a dose level indicator.

Heating Element Efficiency

The Barista Express and Express Impress use a Thermo coil heating element. Nevertheless, neither the Barista Express nor the Express Impress is slow at heating water to the correct brew temperature, completing it in around 30 seconds.

User Friendliness

The auto-dosing and tamping system features of the Breville Express Impress make it particularly user-friendly. As we explained earlier, this feature ensures you don’t need to spend time perfecting your tamping technique, as the espresso machine does it for you. This is an important element in brewing the perfect espresso, meaning you will need to spend more time getting this aspect right to achieve a similar quality to the other two machines.

Because of these reasons, the Barista Express is the least user-friendly. The Barista Express Impress has different elements to simplify the brewing process.

Espresso Quality
Breville Barista Express and Express Impress come with PID temperature control, meaning they’re optimized for regulating temperature and pressure. The main difference in the short quality depends on the grind size and puck preparation. If everything’s done right, they produce the same quality shots.

The Verdict – Who Is The Breville Barista Express or Express Impress Suitable For?

We recommend choosing the Breville Barista Express if you have a smaller budget and regularly only brew coffee in small batches. The machine is also suitable if you enjoy espresso but are not an expert and don’t mind having your ability to dial in limited.

The latest Breville Express Impress is the best espresso machine for improving workflow thanks to its assisted tamping and auto-dosing features. If you don’t have the time to make the perfect espresso, it will automate a significant part of the brewing process. Because of those advantages, it is also a good option for coffee enthusiasts who lack the expertise to pull beautiful espresso shots.

We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API