Breville Barista Pro Review: Did It Stand Up To Our Scrutiny?

The Breville Barista Pro is a great coffee machine for anyone looking to make amazing espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos without having to worry about grinding or frothing. But did it stand up to our tests?

The Breville Barista Pro is not just another coffee machine. Instead, the machine makes the best coffee and delivers consistent results without sacrificing quality or flavor. Whether you’re a barista, homebrewer, or simply looking for an upgrade from your current coffee machine, the Breville Barista Pro is worth considering.

The Barista Pro offers users excellent single boiler steaming, an intuitive digital user interface, and a built-in burr grinder. As one of the partial successors to the very popular barista express, it’s only natural that we’ll make some comparisons between those two machines in this review.

Design

When I first unboxed this machine, I must admit one of the first things that struck me was the design. I have quite a few espresso machines, and I might argue that this is my favorite-looking machine at this price point on the market today.

My favorite shade is the damson blue. It is striking with a little metallic flake when you look closely enough.

If you combine that with the more angular appearance and gently curved, high gloss flash plate, you’ve got a very next-generation-looking espresso machine.

The older barista express is missing these features with the digital display, the low water indicator in the water tank, and the retractable power cord.

In addition, it only has a single-hole steam wand instead of four, and it only has 18 grind steps instead of the 30 found on the Pro. Plus, it doesn’t look nearly as good.

Performance

The barista pro is a very compelling machine in this price bracket. In addition, because Breville’s new heating system is dubbed the thermojet, this machine can get up to operating temperature in only 3 seconds.

This makes it a simple way to get hot water quickly for things like tea. Still, it’s important to remember that you also need to preheat the portafilter before you can extract espresso properly.

This means leaving it in the group head for about 10 minutes or running several blank shots and then wiping down the filter basket.

Grinder

An impressive 30 grind steps make dialing in your espresso shot easier and more accurate. This results in fewer situations where your ideal shot flavor is seemingly stuck in between two grind settings.

Dosing can be adjusted in half-second increments, and having the time shown on the digital display is great, in contrast to the wholly analog dial on the old Barista Express.

Brewing Temperature

Brewing temperature can be adjusted up or down from the default setting of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing you to fine-tune the extraction to your coffee and taste preferences.

However, I did find it slightly inconvenient that it only shows hotter or colder and not an actual temperature reading. A kind of an odd decision on Breville’s part.

While the espresso performance is well administered and in line with the quality we expect from Breville, the milk steaming and latte-making ability is where this machine stands out from the older generations.

Thermojet System

One of the advantages of the thermojet is not the three-second heat-up time. Instead, it’s the massive improvement to steam transition speed and steaming power.

All single boiler espresso machines take time to transition between extracting espresso and steaming milk because they cannot do both simultaneously.

The barista Pro is one of the fastest single boiler machines in this transition speed and the consecutive steaming power.

Milk Steaming

If you’re buying an espresso machine primarily for milk-based drinks, this is a big performance advantage, especially if you plan on serving multiple guests back to back.

Because for the same reason that there’s a transition speed between brewing and steaming, there’s also a transition from steaming temperature back down to brewing temperature. So the Barista Pro is much more efficient in this process due to the thermojet.

In contrast, the barista express can be seen dumping cold water onto its heating coil to try to cool it back down, while the barista pro easily accomplishes the same task with far less drama. However, admittedly it doesn’t look quite as cool.

Increased steaming power also means the barista pro can take advantage of using a four-hole steam wand for easier milk texturing. This is a great feature if you’re someone who’s used to working on more expensive prosumer or commercial-grade machines.

Interface

The new digital interface is also a welcomed addition. It allows you to control all the machine’s features without having to refer to the manual each time as you had to do on the older generations.

Want to change the brew temperature? Sure. If you wanted to run the cleaning cycle, you would find it right there, and the addition of some fancy digital icons only further adds to the overall futuristic feel of this espresso machine.

Features & Benefit

Quickly running through the physical features. It comes with:

Features

• Grinding Time – The Breville Barista Pro integrates a micro conical burr grinder that automatically controls the grinding speed based on the bean weight.
• Precisely Brewed – The Breville Barista Pro has high precision control over the grind setting and temperature to achieve the perfect espresso.
• Delicious Espresso – Achieving the perfect espresso is easier than ever. With digital temperature control, you can precisely adjust the water temperature to extract the most delicate flavors.
• Efficient espresso – Thanks to its ThermoJet system, the Breville Barista Pro extracts espresso in just 3 seconds, with an instantaneous transition from espresso to steam.
• No Mess – The integrated milk frother makes it easy to add microfoam and latte art to your coffee drinks
• Intuitive Interface – With its large LCD display, you can make coffee just like at your favorite cafe
• Easy Clean – The Breville Barista Pro includes a removable filter basket that can be easily cleaned.
• Brewing Time – With its intuitive interface, you’ll have an amazing cup of coffee within seconds.

Benefits

• A Complete Coffee Experience – Brewing the perfect cup of coffee is easier than ever. So whether you want an espresso, americano, or any other specialty coffee drink, this machine has you covered.
• Perfect coffee – The integrated precision conical burr grinder allows for the optimal extraction of coffee beans. This is especially important when brewing with less expensive beans.
• Enjoy More Coffee – With the addition of the Breville Barista Pro to your kitchen, you can enjoy your favorite coffee without having to leave the house. You’ll never have to go out to find the best coffee again.
• Keeps the Coffee Fresh – The grinder stores your beans for use in a few days and can easily clean the basket in a jiffy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does The Breville Barista Pro Have A Pressure Gauge?

The Breville Baristo Pro comes with an LCD screen, so it does not have a pressure gauge. Instead, it lets you time your shot more accurately, giving you a shot much faster.

How Long Does The Breville Barista Pro Take to Heat Up?

The Breville Barista Pro takes just 3 minutes to heat up – making it comparable to other coffee makers with a similar heating time. This feature allows for an extended range of use, including the ability to make a cup of coffee in the morning or when waiting for guests.

Does Breville Barista Pro Have A PID?

The Breville Barista Pro comes with PID technology. This means it automatically adjusts the water temperature during brewing, which can make for a better-tasting cup of coffee. 

What Is the Best Grind Size for Breville Barista Pro?

The best grind size for the Breville Barista Pro is a medium to fine grind. A medium to fine grind means that the coffee should be ground so that it resembles cereal grains, with not too much flour or powder.

Does The Barista Pro Need Descaling?

Many people are unaware that their barista pro coffee machine needs to be descaled. However, it is important to properly maintain your machine so it continues to produce great-tasting coffee.

Descaling will remove deposits from the heating element and water inlet parts of the machine, which can cause a stoppage in production when these deposits build up.

Final Thoughts

Overall the Barista Pro was able to make several multiple workflows and build quality upgrades over the already very popular line of Breville machines, which, in and of itself, is a big accomplishment.