4 published specifications differ · Updated · Step-up pairing across price tiers
Both texture milk automatically; the Impress adds assisted tamping and alternative-milk profiles for oat, soy and almond across eight texture levels. If you drink plant milk daily that is the whole argument, and if you do not, the plain Touch is five hundred dollars cheaper.
$957 · Semi-automatic
Grinder, ThermoJet and Auto MilQ automatic texturing behind a touchscreen — the least manual machine that still uses a portafilter.
$1,500 · Semi-automatic
Assisted tamping plus Auto MilQ with dedicated dairy, soy, almond and oat settings across eight texture levels.
On the specifications both manufacturers publish, this machine has no clear advantage — the case for it is price and availability rather than hardware.
Rows where the two machines differ are highlighted. A row is only counted as a difference when both manufacturers publish the figure — an em dash against a number is a gap in disclosure, not a win.
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Score (within type)differs | 57/100 | 46/100 |
| List pricediffers | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Machine type | Semi-automatic | Semi-automatic |
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Heating system | ThermoJet | ThermoJet |
| Heating circuits | 1 | 1 |
| Boiler material | — | — |
| PID temperature control | — | — |
| Heat-up time | 3 s | 3 s |
| Pump pressure (marketing) | 15 bar | — |
| Pressure profiling | — | — |
| Brew pressure at the puck | ~9 bar | ~9 bar |
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Portafilter | 54 mm | 54 mm |
| Group type | proprietary | proprietary |
| Built-in grinder | Yes | Yes |
| Grind settings | 30 | 30 |
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Milk system | Steam wand | Steam wand |
| Automatic texturing | Yes | Yes |
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Water tank | — | — |
| Bean hopper | — | — |
| Widthdiffers | 15.7 in | 16.3 in |
| Dimensionsdiffers | 15.7 × 12.6 × 12.4 in (W×D×H) | 16.3 × 13.8 × 13.3 in (W×D×H) |
| Weight | — | — |
| Wattage | — | — |
| Made in | — | — |
| Spec | Barista Touch | Barista Touch Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Removable brew group | — | — |
| Backflushable | No | No |
| Self-clean / auto rinse | No | No |
Only one of these publishes a pump figure (15 bar). Either way the coffee sees roughly 9 bar, so this is not the specification to choose on.
Prices are the manufacturer's published list price plus any snapshots we have tracked; confirm on the retailer's page before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — this never affects rankings, which are computed from specifications.
Prices are the manufacturer's published list price plus any snapshots we have tracked; confirm on the retailer's page before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — this never affects rankings, which are computed from specifications.
A 0.3 litre insulated brass boiler with PID control in a 21 cm-wide body, heating up in about seven minutes.
58 mm portafilter, 45 grind settings and Auto MilQ automatic texturing with alternative-milk profiles in one touchscreen machine.
A Dedica with an automatic steam wand — milk texturing without the learning curve, still in a compact body.
Specifications for both machines are transcribed from their manufacturers' official pages — Breville Barista Touch and Breville Barista Touch Impress. Scores are computed by our published methodology, not a taste test. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.