You’re looking at the best entry-level espresso machines that look and feel sophisticated to use. This Breville Oracle Touch vs Dual Boiler debate focuses on what’s so important about buying and using espresso machines.
And that is why the Breville Oracle Touch works for most espresso lovers. It’s the perfect pick for any type of coffee roast. It is, in a lot of ways, a classy hybrid between fully automatic and semi. It produces espresso at the touch of a button or carry out some modifications of your own.
The Breville Dual Boiler is more direct in that its programmability is sharp and methodical. But you have all the control, from adjusting the grind size, tamping, and setting the temperature for the water to heat up. It’s not completely automated like the Oracle Touch. This might be daunting for beginners but the Dual Boiler makes it easier, trust me!
Breville Oracle Touch vs Dual Boiler: Comparision Chart




Last update on 2023-03-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Breville Oracle Touch vs Dual Boiler: Differences
The stylish and customizable design of the Oracle Touch concludes the battle 5 – 2 against the Dual Boiler. It’s faster in brewing espresso and easier to clean with fewer buttons and an easy-to-refill water tank!
1. Coffee Grinding Mechanism
The Winner: Breville Oracle Touch

With a coffee grinder, the experience of a coffee maker is much simpler and faster. Especially with Oracle Touch when, with a tap on the screen, it grinds and brews espresso immediately.
The coffee grinder on the Oracle Touch is thoughtful and versatile. It features automatic grinding controls but you can also switch to manual when you crave more precision. A super-automatic machine that lets you do that performs better than an automatic machine that doesn’t come with a built-in grinder.
Fortunately, the Dual Boiler, it does not feature a built-in grinder. You directly add the pre-ground coffee into the portafilter, tamp it, and pull the espresso shots.
2. Interface
The Winner: Breville Dual Boiler

The Breville Dual Boiler is a dependable and enhanced machine. It clearly replicates the authentic barista experience for the home brewer. With the analog gauge and button control, the Dual Boiler is perfect for a coffee geek or enthusiast with its strong and responsive barista-grade design.
With the touchscreen, even though you have full access to all the coffee settings including the quick customizations for coffee strength, temperature, milk texture, and milk temperature. It’s still not better than the analog gauge and button control of the Dual Boiler. The buttons are easy to use, stable, and barely a hassle to even clean.
The pressure gauge tells you much pressure goes into the extraction process. And it lets you dial in more accurately and consistently, even if you’re a beginner.
3. Customization
The Winner: Breville Oracle Touch

The Breville Oracle Touch features manual and automatic features. You can rely on its 5 pre-programmed coffee drinks to make you a coffee exactly like a barista. Or you can customize your own personal espresso drink by adjusting the coffee strength, temperature, milk texture, and temperature. You can save up to 8 drinks this way.
Unfortunately, the Dual Boiler doesn’t feature such programmability and built-in memory. But you can use it every day by customizing it per espresso shot. Adjustments won’t be saved, you will need to remember the “dial-in” for every espresso if you like your coffee a certain way.
4. Water Tank
The Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
It’s a real comfort knowing you don’t have to move the coffee maker to refill its water tank. With the Breville Oracle Touch, that’s precisely right. The 84-ounce water tank refills from the top of the machine. It’s handy and sturdy to use. Even if you’d like to install direct access to a water source, it can easily be managed.
The Dual Boiler’s water tank is situated at the back. So you’ve got to turn it all the way around to refill it. Do not keep the machine in a corner as that would be inconvenient to handle. Place it somewhere you refilling the machine is simple with enough clearance and flexibility to move around.
5. Adjustability
The Winner: Breville Dual Boiler

The pre-programmable options in the Breville Oracle Touch may be superior but the Dual Boiler offers intricate adjustments for tweaking espresso based on personal preference.
So you can adjust the coffee grind size, shot volume, and temperature. This is perfect for an espresso enthusiast as it allows quick and straightforward control over espresso and milk. Granted that it does not adjust the milk foam, or texture, the way the Breville Oracle Touch does.
Speaking of which, Oracle Touch lets you adjust the grind size, strength, temperature, milk texture, and temp. The touchscreen features a variety of coffee icons and a sliding or plus/minus bar to control the variables accordingly.
6. Tamper
The Winner: Breville Oracle Touch

The tamper that’s included with the Oracle Touch is automatic. It requires no manual tamping, pressure adjustment, or even making a mess on the counter due to getting rid of extra coffee and pressing.
The tamp fan that works the automatic tamper is quick and ergonomic. The machine grinds, doses, and tamps automatically and in seconds. You can just stand and watch the magic happen.
The Breville Dual Boiler’s tamper is manual. It features an integrated tamper, like a standard barista’s, so it will get messy while you’re flattening and compressing the grounds. Having said that, for better results, I suggest buying a heavier tamper as it can help you manage those intricate adjustments that espresso demands!
7. Cleaning & Maintenance
The Winner: Breville Oracle Touch
The thing about cleaning espresso machines is that it is terribly time-consuming. You have to wipe every nook and crevice of the espresso maker because every part matters.
The Oracle Touch comes with no buttons, only a touchscreen, a power button, and a grind size dial. So it’s comparatively easier to clean such a minimal control panel than the Dual Boiler.
The Dual Boiler has light indicators, buttons, a pressure gauge, some more buttons, a grind size dial, and an LCD display. The sleek edges validate the laziness in me because I don’t have to clean it as much.
Even the steam wand features a self-cleaning function.
Breville Oracle Touch vs Dual Boiler: Similarities
Both the Breville Oracle Touch and Dual Boiler offer incredible features for making espresso at home. And they also share some of the best features in an espresso machine. Such as the dual stainless steel boilers for more powerful and consistent heating. The 9 bar pressure in a 15 Italian bar pump system pre-infuses the grounds a few seconds more at a low pressure to make some of the best espressos you’ve ever had.
They even have the same espresso shot clock for extracting accurately, a 58mm portafilter, shot control, and a triple heating system. All of which keeps the water temperature at the ideal temperature (with PID control) for preventing under-extracted espresso.
Quick Rundown Of Breville Oracle Touch BES990
- Note: 1)Too coarse a grind, too little coffee, or insufficiently tamping the grounds before brewing can all lead to inadequate pressure for a proper brew. 2)It is important to note that the amount of espresso extracted will vary depending on the grind size and amount and reprogramming may be needed when the size and amount are adjusted
- The Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine with automation at every stage with touch screen operation to simply swipe and select for espresso, long black, latte, flat white or cappuccino and enjoy third wave specialty coffee at home.
- Dose Control: The integrated conical burr grinder automatically grinds, doses and tamps 18-22 grams of coffee, similar to the commercial espresso machine in your favorite cafe.
- Espresso Machine with precise water temperature: Achieve balanced tasting espresso with the Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine complete with a digital temperature control (PID) technology, which ensures the temperature is kept at its optimum range
- Optimal Water Pressure: The Over Pressure Valve (OPV) is a commercial feature included in the Oracle Touch. This limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction, helping prevent bitter flavors in the coffee shot. It also has true low pressure pre-infusion, which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction.
Last update on 2023-03-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Breville Dual Boiler BES920XL
- Note: 1)Too coarse a grind, too little coffee, or insufficiently tamping the grounds before brewing can all lead to inadequate pressure for a proper brew. 2)It is important to note that the amount of espresso extracted will vary depending on the grind size and amount and reprogramming may be needed when the size and amount are adjusted
- The Breville Dual Boiler with commercial features delivers third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula; It has a professional Dual Boiler construction that delivers unparalleled temperature control and simultaneous extraction and steaming
- DOSE CONTROL GRINDING: Achieve a consistent and balanced espresso using the right amount of ground coffee; The 58mm porta-filter with 19-22 grams is the key for full flavor and third wave specialty coffee
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: The Over Pressure Valve limits the maximum pump pressure throughout extraction, helping prevent bitter flavors; Low pressure pre infusion gradually increases water pressure to gently expand grinds for an even extraction
- PRECISE ESPRESSO EXTRACTION: Dual stainless steel boilers and heated group head controlled by digital temperature control (PID) brings water to precisely the right temperature (+/- 2⁰F) to extract maximum flavor potential every time
Last update on 2023-03-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Oracle Touch BES990 from Breville https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes990.html
- Breville Dual Boiler BES920XL from Breville https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes920.html

I am a passionate coffee drinker. Since I left my job as a barista a few years back in 2012, I’ve been sharing my expertise on coffee and buying the best coffee equipment online. That’s how Wild Boar Coffee came to life.
I write about everything coffee-related under the sun. Where to buy the freshest coffee beans from? How to test coffee beans based on texture, aroma, and acidity?
I know all this from scratch – all thanks to my years and years of experience as a barista. So I’ve gotten real up-close-and-personal with coffee beans and different brewing techniques.