Breville Cappuccino Machines Ranked from Bambino to Barista Touch

Best for
Small desks and first-time home baristas

The Breville BES450BSS Bambino Espresso Machine is Breville’s compact starter. Its ThermoJet heating system hits extraction temperature in 3 seconds, so you can pull a shot during a respawn timer. Digital PID temperature control and low pressure pre-infusion help even extraction, and the 54mm portafilter takes 19 grams of coffee.

The listing is inconsistent about milk: the feature list describes an automatic steam wand with adjustable temperature and texture, while the description calls it a manual steam wand. Treat it as a steam wand that makes microfoam and check the product photos to see which you are getting. Accessories include 1 cup and 2 cup single and dual wall filter baskets, a milk jug, portafilter, tamper, steam wand tip cleaning tool and descaling powder. It draws 1560 watts and has a 47 fluid ounce capacity. It uses ground coffee, so you need a separate grinder or pre-ground beans.

This suits beginners and small kitchens. If you want guaranteed automatic milk texturing, the Bambino Plus is the safer pick.

• ThermoJet, 3-second heat-up
• PID temperature control
• Dual and single wall baskets included

Best for
Hands-on baristas wanting a built-in grinder

The Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine adds an integrated conical burr grinder that grinds on demand directly into the portafilter, with a grind size dial for adjusting to any bean. Breville says it goes from beans to espresso in under a minute. PID temperature control and low pressure pre-infusion are here too.

For cappuccinos, it uses a manual steam wand that the listing describes as powerful and quick at turning milk into microfoam. That means you control texture yourself, which takes practice but rewards it. It draws 1600 watts, uses dial controls, and measures 13.8 by 12.5 by 15.9 inches.

This is the classic pick for gamers who treat espresso like a skill tree. If you want the machine to texture milk for you, the Barista Touch does that. For a broader look at the lineup, see our Breville espresso maker guide.

Best for
One-tap cappuccinos with minimal skill

The Breville BES880BSS Barista Touch Espresso Machine is the most automated machine here. A touchscreen simplifies drinks into three steps: Grind, Brew and Milk. You can adjust coffee strength, milk texture and temperature, and save up to 8 personalized coffees, which is handy if each person in a household or squad has a usual order.

It combines an integrated conical burr grinder, a ThermoJet heating system with 3-second heat-up, PID control and low pressure pre-infusion, plus an automatic steam wand for microfoam. The spec sheet adds a jug and water filter. It draws 1680 watts, the most here, and measures 12.7 by 15.5 by 16 inches.

This is the pick for anyone who wants café cappuccinos with the least effort. It gives way to the Barista Express models if you prefer controlling each step by hand.

• Touchscreen with 8 saved drinks
• Automatic milk texturing
• Integrated conical burr grinder
• ThermoJet heating

Best for
Barista Express fans wanting Black Truffle

The Breville BES870BTR Barista Express Espresso Machine is the Barista Express in Black Truffle. Its feature list matches the BES870XL: integrated conical burr grinder with dose control, grind size dial, grinding cradle, low pressure pre-infusion, PID temperature control and a manual steam wand for hand-textured microfoam.

The spec sheet is shorter, listing a 67 fluid ounce capacity, the Black Truffle color, a permanent filter and the same 13.8 by 12.5 by 15.9 inch dimensions. It does not list wattage. Based on the listings, the choice between this and the BES870XL is mostly about finish and which suits your setup.

Pick this if a dark machine fits your battle station better than brushed steel.

Best for
Beginners who want grinder-to-tamp guidance

The Breville BES876BSS Barista Express Impress keeps the manual steam wand but takes the guesswork out of dosing and tamping. Its intelligent dosing system calculates and adjusts the coffee dose, then auto-corrects the next one. Assisted tamping applies a consistent 10kg of pressure with a 7 degree barista twist finish.

The integrated conical burr grinder has 25 grind settings, and a Thermocoil heating system with PID controls temperature, flow rate and contact time. It draws 1600 watts, holds 2 liters, and measures 12.5 by 14.5 by 16.5 inches, the tallest here. It accepts ground coffee as well as whole beans.

This suits beginners who want a grinder machine but worry about messy, inconsistent pucks. Milk is still manual, so for automatic frothing look to the Barista Touch.

Best for
Hands-free microfoam in a tiny footprint

The Breville BES500DBL Bambino Plus Espresso Machine in Damson Blue is the compact cappuccino specialist. Its automatic steam wand lets you set milk temperature and texture for hands-free microfoam. After steaming, auto purge flushes the heating system so your next shot extracts at the right temperature.

It shares the Bambino’s ThermoJet 3-second heat-up, PID, low pressure pre-infusion and 54mm portafilter with 19 grams. The listing gives a 7.7 inch width in the features and 7.5 inches in the spec table; either way it is the slimmest here. It draws 1100 watts and uses ground coffee.

This is our pick for desk-side cappuccinos in tight spaces. You will need a separate grinder for fresh beans, which the Barista Series models build in.