This one has been a long time coming!
We have long been fans of both the Breville Dual Boiler and the Oracle. The Dual Boiler is a great machine that punches well above its weight, offering a type of performance not typically available in its price range. Meanwhile, the Breville Oracle is a unique machine that walks a line between superautomatic convenience and semi-automatic control.
We were really excited when Breville announced the Oracle Dual Boiler, which is designed to pair the exceptional performance of the dual boiler with the convenience of the Oracle. So is this machine all that it should be?
Design
The Breville Oracle Dual Boiler is a step up in design in just about every way. With a sleek, futuristic brushed metal look, this machine is one of the best looking Breville's we've laid eyes on. While the workspace is a little crowded, we love that they managed to squeeze all of the parts of this machine into one unit. Its grinder is easy to operate and access, the group head functions intuitively, and you can easily slide your milk pitcher in alongside your shots to take advantage of the simultaneous steaming and brewing that dual boilers make possible.
The star of the design show though, is the touch screen. This screen is really beautiful, and provides intuitive access to a range of different recipe options. We'll talk more about the features of this machine in the next section, but the screen really stands out as a high point in its visual design.
Smart internal design choices like motorized boiler valves for easy draining and maintenance, a heated group head for better temperature stability, and Baratza burrs in the grinder make this machine a very smart espresso brewer.
Features
The features on this machine are what really impress us. As noted, the dual boilers provide excellent simultaneous brewing and steaming performance. The Oracle's classic guided recipes and automation are present here as well, but taken to the next level. Not only dose this machine automatically dose, grind, and tamp your beans, it also has an optional auto-dial in feature that makes dialing in and selecting grind size much easier. Furthermore, the machine's quad core processor makes adjustments while grinding that are informed by the brewing process to produce better grounds for your shots. The result is a machine that blends the performance, precision, and control of a traditional semi-automatic espresso machine with true automation even beyond what some dedicated superautos can achieve.
This intelligent performance extends beyond the brewing process as well. The Oracle Dual Boiler sees an updated Auto MilQ system that manages to create some incredibly impressive milk texture for an automated system, even for alternative milks. We're seriously impressed with the Oracle Dual Boiler's automatic steaming performance.
Finally, Breville has built this machine for the future. Its built-in connectivity with the Breville + Coffee app already offers remote start, and more features will come with updates. You can, of course, also turn on manual mode to remove the automation and handle everything by hand as well!
Is it Right for My Countertop?
If you're looking for a new espresso machine that blends convenience and automation with precision and performance then it's hard to go wrong with the Breville Oracle Dual Boiler.
This is a machine that's perfect for a new user with the budget for a higher end option, and a home espresso veteran that wants to add a bit of automation to their process.
If you'd like to see this machine in action you can check out our video review below. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the Breville Oracle Dual Boiler in the comments!