Fresh beans in, café drink out — that is the promise of an all-in-one espresso machine. Breville (sold as Sage in the UK and Europe) and De'Longhi are the two names most shoppers end up choosing between, and both have refreshed their grinder-equipped lineups recently.

The two brands start from different ideas. Breville keeps you at the portafilter: you still lock in a basket and watch the shot, but the machine grinds, doses, tamps (fully or partly) and textures the milk for you. De'Longhi's flagships are mostly true bean-to-cup: press a picture on the screen and the drink comes out, no portafilter at all — with La Specialista Touch as its answer to Breville's guided style.

To be upfront: we have not used any of these six machines. Everything below comes from the makers' published specs, retailer listings, and reviews from outlets that tested them (linked inline). Prices move constantly, especially around Black Friday, so treat every number as a snapshot from late October 2026 and check the retailer before buying.

The six machines at a glance

Machine Style Grinder Milk Cold drinks US list price UK price seen
Breville Oracle Jet (BES985) Automatic grind, dose & tamp, 58 mm portafilter Baratza burrs, 45 settings Hands-free auto wand Yes, cold brew / cold espresso presets $1,999.95 £1,699 (Sage, via John Lewis)
Breville Barista Touch Impress (BES881 / Sage BES882) Guided, assisted lever tamp Baratza burrs Auto MilQ wand Yes (cold extraction) $1,499.95 £1,199.95
Breville Barista Express Impress (BES876) Semi-auto, assisted tamp, 54 mm Steel conical burrs, 25 settings Manual steam wand No $799.95 £599.95
De'Longhi Eletta Explore Fully automatic bean-to-cup Built-in, Bean Adapt via app LatteCrema Hot & Cool, automatic Yes, Cold Extraction cold brew (~5 min) about $1,865 seen £899.99–£999.99
De'Longhi Rivelia Fully automatic bean-to-cup Built-in, two swappable 250 g hoppers (Bean Switch) LatteCrema, automatic Cold-milk menu with optional accessory about $1,300 seen £649.99–£749.99
De'Longhi La Specialista Touch Semi-automatic, guided Built-in, 15 settings Auto LatteArt wand, 5 foam levels Yes, hot and cold drinks check retailer £699.99

Sources: Breville US product pages and US retailers (Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Sur La Table); Crema Karma's spec table; Sage UK and John Lewis; The Guardian, BBC Good Food and Balance Journal for UK De'Longhi prices. De'Longhi US figures are retailer prices we saw quoted, not list prices — verify before buying.

Which brand fits you?

Choose Breville / Sage if you want espresso that feels like making espresso. You see the puck, you learn what a fast or slow shot means, and the touchscreen models coach you through it. Reviewers consistently praise the milk: Serious Eats found the Oracle Jet's hands-free microfoam smooth enough for latte art.

Choose De'Longhi if you want café drinks with zero ritual — especially for a household where several people want different drinks. Rivelia's swappable hoppers (decaf after lunch, a different bean for espresso) and Eletta Explore's 5-minute cold brew are features Breville doesn't copy.

La Specialista Touch sits in the middle: De'Longhi's take on the guided portafilter machine, and the most direct rival to the Barista Touch Impress.

Breville / Sage: the three to know

Oracle Jet — the most hands-off way to use a real portafilter

The newest Oracle grinds, doses and tamps automatically, then guides your shot and steams milk hands-free. It uses Breville's ThermoJet heating plus a heated group head, a commercial-size 58 mm portafilter, and Baratza burrs with 45 settings.

  • What reviewers like: Serious Eats called the puck "perfectly compact" after auto-tamping and liked the real-time feedback on shot time. TechRadar's reviewer valued the extra grind settings and extraction guidance.
  • What they flag: Serious Eats found the grind knob sticky and prone to jumping settings; TechRadar noted some grinder mess from static. Forbes Vetted rated it 3.8. It is big (about 12.6 kg / 27.8 lb).
  • Who it's for: someone who wants portafilter espresso without learning to dose and tamp.

See the Oracle Jet at Breville US · Sage UK

Barista Touch Impress — guided espresso plus cold drinks

A swipe-and-select touchscreen walks you through grinding, the Impress lever tamp, extraction and automatic milk. The current version adds cold extraction: Serious Eats measured cold espresso at 102°F (versus 148°F hot) and got a 7 oz cold brew in under two minutes.

  • What reviewers like: clear step-by-step guidance (TechRadar called it an excellent option for beginners), Baratza burrs, plant-milk settings, fun presets like the shakerato.
  • What they flag: price, and Serious Eats reports that a previous version died on them after a few months; the newer version was still going after two-plus months of their long-term test.
  • Who it's for: beginners who want to learn espresso with a coach, and iced-coffee drinkers.

See the Barista Touch Impress at Breville US · Sage UK (BES882)

Barista Express Impress — the hands-on classic, modernised

The descendant of the best-selling Barista Express: steel conical burrs with 25 settings, PID temperature control, a 54 mm portafilter and the assisted Impress tamp that also tells you whether to adjust the dose. Milk is done the traditional way on a manual wand.

  • What reviewers like: the assisted tamp removes the biggest beginner variable while keeping the craft; it is the lightest of the three (about 10.3 kg).
  • What they flag: no touchscreen guidance, no automatic milk, no cold drinks.
  • Who it's for: people who enjoy steaming milk themselves and want room to grow.

See the Barista Express Impress at Breville US · Sage UK

De'Longhi: the three to know

Eletta Explore — hot, iced and cold brew from one machine

De'Longhi's first machine with Cold Extraction Technology makes cold brew in about five minutes instead of steeping overnight, and LatteCrema Hot and Cool foams milk for hot and iced drinks. BBC Good Food lists 50+ drink options, four user profiles and Bean Adapt Technology, which tunes grinding to your beans via the app.

  • What reviewers like: BBC Good Food (4.5/5) found the espresso "dark and rich with a glossy crema". Balance Journal called the grind consistent and the touchscreen menu the most complete it had used on a De'Longhi.
  • What they flag: a large, deep footprint (BBC Good Food); Balance Journal scored it 7.5/10 and said it only earns its price if you really drink both hot and cold coffee.
  • Who it's for: households that want lattes in winter and iced coffee in summer from one machine.

See the Eletta Explore at De'Longhi US · De'Longhi UK

Rivelia — the bean-to-cup most reviewers recommend first

Rivelia's party trick is Bean Switch: two interchangeable 250 g hoppers you can swap in seconds, so decaf and regular (or two single origins) live side by side. Up to 16 drinks, multiple user profiles, and automatic milk on LatteCrema versions.

  • What reviewers like: The Guardian named it the best bean-to-cup under £1,000 ("great coffee; brilliant interface; swappable hoppers"). Coffee Machine Reviews UK picked it as best bean-to-cup overall.
  • What they flag: The Guardian found the grinder noisy and the milk texture improvable; it cannot make cold brew (Balance Journal).
  • Who it's for: most households that want one-touch drinks and like changing beans.

See the Rivelia at De'Longhi US · De'Longhi UK

La Specialista Touch — De'Longhi's guided portafilter machine

A semi-automatic with a built-in 15-setting grinder, touchscreen guidance and an automatic LatteArt steam wand with five foam levels. BBC Good Food notes a generous accessory kit (tamper, distribution tool, dosing funnel and more) and a relatively compact 44.5 × 38 × 37 cm body.

  • What reviewers like: BBC Good Food gave it 5/5 and praised the silky microfoam; Coffee Machine Reviews UK scored milk drinks 9.6 and value 9.4, calling it highly competitive against premium Sage alternatives.
  • What they flag: only 15 grind settings, not one-touch, more cleaning than a bean-to-cup (Coffee Machine Reviews UK).
  • Who it's for: buyers cross-shopping the Barista Touch Impress who want a lower UK price.

See La Specialista Touch at De'Longhi UK · De'Longhi US

Head-to-head pairs

  • Oracle Jet vs Eletta Explore — both top-of-range and both do cold drinks. Oracle Jet makes "real" portafilter espresso with zero tamping; Eletta Explore needs no portafilter at all and adds cold brew and more menu choices.
  • Barista Touch Impress vs La Specialista Touch — the closest rivals: guided portafilter, auto milk, cold drinks. Breville has Baratza burrs and more grind steps; De'Longhi undercuts it in the UK and includes more barista tools.
  • Barista Express Impress vs Rivelia — opposite philosophies at a similar UK price: learn the craft and steam your own milk, or press a button and swap beans.

Before you buy

  • Voltage and region: buy the model for your country (Breville in the US/Canada/Australia, Sage in the UK/EU). Machines are not dual-voltage.
  • Counter depth: several of these are deep — measure under your cabinets.
  • Beans matter more than buttons: a good grinder can only show what the beans have. Our electric grinder guide and grind size guide explain why fresh, even grinding is the heart of espresso.

Want the per-model buying guide with pros and cons in one place? Read the best all-in-one espresso machines of 2026.

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