Breville Dual Boiler vs Oracle

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Which top-of-the-line Breville espresso machine will suit you best, the Dual Boiler or Oracle? In this comparison of the Dual Boiler vs the Oracle, we will put both of these machines through their paces to determine which makes better espresso, lattes, Americanos... and which one makes it easier to do so! Both the Dual Boiler and Oracle are highly programmable and capable espresso machines, but with a pretty wide price gap, one is sure to suit you better!

#coffee #coffeemachine #espresso

Filming Setup

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:
Some of the links used in the description will direct you to Amazon, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

=============================
Table of Contents:
=============================
0:00 - Intro
0:20 - Physical / Feature Overview
1:24 - Workflow Comparison
3:41 - Espresso Quality
4:27 - Milk Steaming
4:53 - Which one is for you?
5:47 - Conclusion

[amiraloves]

I have never seen someone compare the “hands-on” timing of the machines during a comparison video. It’s a very important factor to consider when buying a machine that I think gets overlooked. Very informative and easy to digest! Thanks! 😊

[navreetgill]

Thank you for the comparison using bottomless portafilter @ 4:02. Very informative.

[philliparnold]

Love my dual boiler! Had it for 4 years now. I splurged on a niche zero when I bought it. No regrets whatsoever. I’d personally never hand over the grinding and tamping to a machine like the oracle - they’re some of the most important steps plus it’s fun to stay connected to the process.

[GlenEdwards]

This is one of the best comparisons I've seen.
There's a "hack" to using the Dual Boiler which I've been doing for years now, after seeing how Dritan Alsela does his milk. What I do is balance my milk jug against the steam wand, tilting back with the pouring spout against the wand, so that the wand tip is just touching the surface of the milk. Then I go about other things while the milk is getting textured. I have a temp sticker on the milk jug so I can see when it's done without needing my hands on it all the time. The texture is always perfect latte too.
I've been using my Dual Boiler (first gen) for over 5 years, and I purchased it second hand when it was a few years old already. I've been looking at upgrading but I can't find a premium machine that even has an auto-on feature, so apart from asthetics, I feel like it would be a downgrade really...

[FoLlOwThEwHiTeRaBbIt]

Your reviews are by far the best on YouTube! And all of your reviews are A1 keep up the great job!

Also if you get the chance i would love to see you do a review on the breville oracle touch, there is plenty of reviews but no one does them as good as yourself. Thanks again my friend 👍🏽

[muntedewok]

On the dual boiler shot, your bar pressure has dropped from 9bar to about 7.5 in the space of 5 seconds run time, shouldn't have dropped at all! Noticed you didn't use any pressure in the tamp either so likely the reason for it. I use a similar spreader/tamp as well for mine, they work wonders! Appears the automatic tamping on the Oracle is likely the reason for the spraying as well, you seemed to have tamped properly on that shot for the Dual Boiler ;) My only criticisms though :D
I use the Breville Dual Boiler myself along with the Breville Grinder and have found them to be very capable. The Oracle seems like excess to me as I much prefer the manual side/being hands on. The Oracle to me seems like a BMW M3 with an SMG transmission, semi-manual and pointless. I can understand if you're working through a lot of coffees then yeah it'd be an advantage and if you're the sort of person who is regularly entertaining then it'd be a good option, but for the everyday use, the Dual Boiler is perfect. I was looking into the Nuova Simonelli Musica Lux but complete lack of features over flow etc didn't justify the significant price difference.

[JayCe]

hope one day, you will be able to fully depend on Youtube and make great home coffee contents. :) I enjoyed your video very much.

[Jack_C_]

If you want more hands off on the dual boiler (or any machine with a slow steam time), place a support of some kind (I use a small cardboard box) about 80mm high off to the right of the steam wand to sit your milk jug on.
Position the steam wand tip (more precisely the steam holes) just above the surface of the milk. This will require a little experimentation for the best spot.
Start steaming at full pressure. Stick in a thermometer and then start to prepare and make your shot while the milk is steaming. Keep an eye on the thermometer.
I have cut down my prep times a lot using this method as I'm not just standing there holding the jug.
Big bonus is my latte art has improved greatly as the milk is coming out a lot more consistent.:)
Thanks for the vid.

[crachmonkey]

I'm really glad I got the Dual Boiler as I enjoy the manual process a lot. Coffee needs to breathe and vary a bit every time, just as beans react to temp and moisture. If I wanted the same result every time I'd gotten a full auto machine. The Dual Boiler is as close to pro quality as it gets.

[marycarmengarciatagle]

Amazing and very useful comparison. Thank you!!!

[lauragwillim]

I'm binge watching your videos on Breville. I love how you cover the differences between machines and is it worth the uncharge. I was looking at Barista Pro over Express, but after your video I am saying no to the Barista Pro.

[flyer]

Thanks for the comparison, have you tried adjusting the tamp pressure/time on the oracle to compensate for the channeling on the bottomless portafilter? I'm currently torn between buying these two machine. If I go for the DB I would get the Niche Zero grinder also, I would like to get more into espresso as a hobby but you can't beat the convenience of the Oracle especially when entertaining.

[seaninherts]

Hi there. Just ordered the oracle. I’ll be donating my barista express to family. Enjoy the manual process, but having tasted the oracle, it’s blindingly good. You could of course use a separate grinder and tamp yourself and do the milk manually l, but no need. The quality is great. You’ll never drink it and aay, I have a better one in me. Not cheap though.

[AdvancedRiskInsightsLLC]

Thank you! So do you recommend the oracle over the dual boiler? Or the other way around?

[GT-gpnb]

Thanks for the non-basis reviews! Super helpful

[troopoo]

I don’t know whether I missed it, but I didn’t notice you tamping the coffee.

[miastorm]

Am confused, I do not know if I should compromise time or taste. For now I have time in the mornings for making coffee, but in the long run I will need a machine making good coffee fast. And the oracel will be on sale soon, the price will be the same.

[tonyb]

Great reviews, I have been looking and comparing but am still trying to decide what machine under $1000.00 to buy. A friend of mine will sell me the oracle for under 1k but that dual boiler looks really nice.

[BBKing]

Just to be clear, during your comparison, the graphics on the video say it’s the Oracle Touch, but it’s just the regular Oracle.

[Jacko]

If you don't like too much tinkering and experimenting with your espresso, Oracle is a great choice. I like the dual boiler better, I like to be more in control, I like to have a separate grinder which I can replace if it's not being consistent, I like using my own tamper/distributor tool and fine tuning my technique to get the best espresso possible. The auto frother option on dual boiler would be nice, I have to admit, but I can live without it.