The catch
Breville Barista Pro
No touchscreen memory of eight drinks.
Side by side
Breville Barista Pro vs Breville Barista Touch compared: Both need manual puck prep, Touch remembers drinks and milk settings
Quick verdict
An LCD-guided espresso workflow, with milk textured by you, is what Barista Pro offers. If several people share the machine and would benefit from saved drinks and automatic milk settings, Barista Touch is the better choice. A built-in grinder and manual puck preparation come with both. The Barista Touch here is BES880 and not a Touch Impress.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
One latte recipe should not be overwritten by two people
Say one person likes a shorter drink and another wants a different milk texture. Touch's eight saved drinks can keep those selections apart. Pro gives you its LCD workflow and manual steam technique, but no named-drink memory. What Touch brings is remembered settings and help with milk. It does not remove the grinder adjustment, tamping or portafilter steps. It helps when people want distinct configurations they can repeat.
Where this comes from
On the BES880, Breville documents eight customizable saved drinks and automatic milk. Both routines still include the shared 30-step grinders and manual tamping.
The catch
Breville Barista Touch
Preparing and tamping the puck is still manual.
Breville Barista Pro
- Why pick it
- Controlling the milk wand by hand is your preference.
- The shared espresso hardware is what you want, and saved touchscreen drink recipes are not needed.
- The catch
- No touchscreen memory of eight drinks.
Breville Barista Touch
- Why pick it
- Their own drink settings should be recallable by several people.
- Automatic milk texturing appeals to you more than positioning the wand by hand all through steaming.
- The catch
- Preparing and tamping the puck is still manual.
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What this page compares
Manual milk control goes up against saved touchscreen drinks, with the shared grinder, portafilter and ThermoJet facts kept in view.
This one comes down to milk control and interface first, then to the limits of your own setup.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
Saved drink settings are wanted by several people
Eight customized drinks is the Touch's storage limit.
- Breville Barista Pro
- Good
- Breville Barista Touch
- Better fit
You like texturing milk by hand
On the Pro, manual wand technique is the normal workflow.
- Breville Barista Pro
- Better fit
- Breville Barista Touch
- Good
Assisted tamping appeals to you
The Impress tamping mechanism is absent on both selected models.
- Breville Barista Pro
- Caution
- Breville Barista Touch
- Caution
Your machine needs a built-in grinder
Each has one offering 30 external settings.
- Breville Barista Pro
- Good
- Breville Barista Touch
- Good
In practice
Differences you will notice
One latte recipe should not be overwritten by two people
Say one person likes a shorter drink and another wants a different milk texture. Touch's eight saved drinks can keep those selections apart. Pro gives you its LCD workflow and manual steam technique, but no named-drink memory. What Touch brings is remembered settings and help with milk. It does not remove the grinder adjustment, tamping or portafilter steps. It helps when people want distinct configurations they can repeat.
How we worked this out
On the BES880, Breville documents eight customizable saved drinks and automatic milk. Both routines still include the shared 30-step grinders and manual tamping.
Look for an upgrade that changes the step you dislike
When milk texturing is what frustrates you now, Touch addresses it directly. When the friction is distributing and tamping grounds, going from Pro to this BES880 Touch brings no Impress tamping system. Manual puck preparation and a 54 mm portafilter stay on both. Pick Pro if you enjoy the milk step, and pick Touch if automatic milk and saved settings are the conveniences you need.
How we worked this out
This compares the BES878 and BES880. The inference leaves out BES881 Touch Impress features on purpose, along with any assumed cut in total drink time.
Extra guidance does not add grind steps
30 external grind settings are listed for both selected models. Touch's touchscreen should not be passed off as finer physical grinder adjustment than Pro's.
How we worked this out
On this measure the published adjustment counts are tied, though that does not prove identical grind distributions or extraction results.
Option A
Breville, BES878BSS
Barista Pro
Heats fast and has a built-in grinder, an LCD workflow and a shot timer. Milk texturing is manual.
- Best for
- Controlling the milk wand by hand is your preference.
Facts we checked
- Controlling milk: By manual steam-wand technique
- User interface: LCD showing grinding and extracting information
- Remembering your drinks: No named saved-drink profiles are listed
- Grind adjustment: 30 external settings
Option B
Breville, BES880BSS
Barista Touch
Automatic milk, saved drinks and fast heating come with this touchscreen grinder machine, though tamping is ordinary and manual.
- Best for
- Their own drink settings should be recallable by several people.
Facts we checked
- Controlling milk: Texturing is automatic
- User interface: Drink workflow on a touchscreen
- Remembering your drinks: Up to 8 personalized drinks can be saved
- Grind adjustment: 30 external settings
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Breville Barista Pro | Breville Barista Touch | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk control | Manual steam-wand technique | Automatic milk texturing | The main hands-on difference lies in milk preparation. |
| Interface | LCD with grinding and extracting information | Touchscreen drink workflow | Preparation steps give Touch a way to organize a drink. |
| Personal drink memory | No named saved-drink profiles listed | Save up to 8 personalized drinks | A household can have separate drink settings kept on the Touch. |
| Grind settings | 30 external settings | 30 external settings | Compared with the selected Pro, the Touch gains no adjustment steps. |
| Portafilter and heating | 54 mm and ThermoJet | 54 mm and ThermoJet | The nominal basket format and heater family are the same on both. |
| Tamping | User-operated tamper | User-operated tamper | The assisted tamping mechanism of the Touch Impress is not part of the BES880. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Breville Barista Pro
- Texturing milk is still a manual job.
With Breville Barista Touch
- Saving drinks neither swaps beans nor removes grinder adjustments.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
Saved settings that repeat are needed for different household drinks
Go with Breville Barista Touch. Eight personalized drinks fit in Touch's memory.
Manual milk is what you want, and saved recipes are no use to you
Go with Breville Barista Pro. The relevant grinder and portafilter format stay with the Pro.
Decision guide
How to decide
Barista Pro is for an LCD-guided espresso workflow with milk textured by you. Barista Touch suits several people sharing a machine, since it adds saved drinks and automatic milk settings. Both have a built-in grinder and need manual puck preparation, and this Barista Touch is BES880, not a Touch Impress.
Watch the milk step closely
How the milk gets textured is the biggest everyday change. A buyer who mostly drinks straight espresso may use Touch’s milk assistance far less than a household making several kinds of lattes.
Saved drinks are settings and not extra grinders
Personalized drink configurations can be remembered by Touch, but both machines still have one grinder and one hopper. A saved recipe does not swap beans on its own or set an independently stored physical grind position.
Be exact about which Touch it is
BES880 Barista Touch and Touch Impress are different products. In this comparison, BES880 has its touchscreen and automatic milk features, and the manual tamping work that remains in the selected package stays with you.
What this page can’t tell you
- There is no comparative test of steam, noise, grinder retention or drink quality. Published features that are shared do not establish identical performance.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the espresso machines we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Barista Pro |
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| Breville Barista Touch |
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Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Breville Barista Pro
Controlling the milk wand by hand is your preference.
See price & reviews on AmazonBreville Barista Touch
Their own drink settings should be recallable by several people.
See price & reviews on AmazonEach link opens in a new tab.
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