If you have ever shopped for an espresso machine you’ve probably heard Breville’s name. This manufacturer is always near the top of any espresso machine list, and they’ve just launched a new machine that offers some exciting functionality. The Oracle line of Breville machines is unique in that they exist halfway between a superautomatic and a traditional semi-automatic. These all-in-one machines give you features to automate and simplify the espresso brewing process without sacrificing the control you can achieve with a semi-auto machine. The Breville Oracle Jet is particularly innovative and offers many creature comforts. Let’s take a look at them in this Crew Review!
Look, Feel, and Footprint
The Oracle Jet has a lot in common with the rest of Breville’s all-in-ones when you put it side by side with one of them. However, this machine has some delightful elements that do come across at first sight. The first thing you’ll notice is the new touch screen. While the Oracle Touch does also have a screen, this new display is a gorgeous update to that machine. Breville continues to move closer to a proper smartphone style interface. This display uses multi-touch, and is in general a great upgrade over similar touchscreens on espresso machines.
The rest of the feel of the Oracle Jet is similar to other Oracle models. It might feel slightly less premium than some competitors in this price range, but don’t let that fool you, this is a rock-solid machine that trades a bit of fit and finish to squeeze more features into its long list.
Footprint wise, this machine is a bit wider than some espresso machines in order to fit in the grinder. That said, when combined the unit comes in much narrower than a high performance machine and grinder would separately. While it’s not an element of the footprint, the front loading water tank on the top of the machine makes it much easier to find a place for it on your countertop, as you won’t need to regularly access the rear.
Basic Featureset
At a basic level, the Oracle Jet gives you all-in-one grinding, brewing, and milk frothing/steaming. Dual thermojet heating elements inside the machine and at the group head give the Oracle Jet incredibly fast heat up times and excellent temperature stability along the entire water path. At the group head itself, you’ll get a full size 58mm group, much like what commercial machines offer. This large group means that you’ll be able to use a range of accessories built for 58mm portafilters, such as baskets, levelers, and more. The grinder and milk steaming systems are also excellent performers, and pair perfectly with the brew unit in the machine.
What really makes the Oracle Jet exciting is its automation features. With a bit of calibration the grinder will automatically dose and tamp your grounds. This saves you the hassle of manually tamping, and eliminates one potential human variable in the brewing process. You can also use the Oracle Jet’s barista guidance features to help guide you through brewing, or manually customize and save recipes using the touch screen interface. The MilQ automatic steaming system can also help, with temperature sensing and air integration capabilities you can let the system do all of the work, or manually steam your milk if you prefer to.
With all of these automation features, you really can almost treat this machine as a superautomatic. Simply select a recipe, move the portafilter to the grinder, set your cup and milk pitcher, then move the portafilter back to the brew unit after tamping. The machine will handle grinding, brewing, and steaming!
The guidance system also helps you with machine setup and maintenance, making it a breeze to keep your Oracle Jet in top condition, as well as get started using it.
Who’s it for?
If it’s not clear, we’re big fans of this machine. Breville’s Oracle line has a lot of options, but we feel that this one is a compelling offering for users looking for a solid upgrade or those wanting to make a bigger splash with their first machine. This is also a great move for a superautomatic owner who wants a little more control over their brews, OR a semi-automatic owner looking to simplify the brew process. Because the Breville Oracle Jet fits so comfortably between these two ends of the spectrum.
We don’t recommend this machine for hobbyists looking for features like pressure profiling and plumbing in. While the Oracle Jet is a powerful machine that’s loaded with features for its price, it still won’t offer quite the complete control of a higher end Rocket Espresso or La Marzocco machine. Plus, with its built-in grinder you’re sacrificing the ability to upgrade the grinder independently from the machine. This isn’t really an issue for most users, but some hobbyists like to purchase higher-end commercial grinders, which this machine won’t really take advantage of.
Conclusion
Ultimately we really like this offering from Breville. Their Oracle line has already been a great go-to for a midpoint between automatic and manual machines, and the Jet continues this trend while also offering even better temperature stability, the full suite of dose, tamp, brew, and steam automation with the most up-to-date innovations, and a high quality, multi-touch display. We are sure you’ll love this espresso machine as much as we do!
Check out our video review below!