Reportedly, 40% of Australian households now use plant-based milk with coffee, so it seems high time that at least one of the many companies out there responsible for premium coffee machines pay attention. With varying fat and protein contents in these types of milks, there are a few nuances to consider when frothing for your morning hit, which is exactly what the new Barista Touch Impress has been designed for.
To date, there has been no espresso machine designed in such a specific way. Plant-based milk settings have been featured as a nod to dairy alternatives such as oat milk, rice milk, macadamia milk and almond milk, right alongside the expected features like a puck system, assisted tamping, PID digital temperature control and a dedicated hot water spout that can also dial in non-espresso drinks like hot chocolate and hot tea.
Plant-based milk generally overheats easier because of its specific content so Breville has designed an AutoMILKQ feature that calibrates the temperatures, timing, air and steam pressure before going forth with the whole frothing process. Different settings exist for different kinds of milk, ensuring that forthing is optimised based on what kind you choose to use.
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Breville’s new “Barista Guidance” touch screen should do a bit of hand-holding for beginners, guiding them through the best settings and identifying any necessary adjustments to grind size as a function of extraction flow, while the puck system’s intelligent dosing considers the beans used and the drink type selected. There’s a level on the side of the machine to make precision tamping easier with a 7-degree barista-style twist.
The stainless steel coffee machine comes with a ribbed 2L water tank although it sticks quite close to the design signatures you’d expect from Breville’s functional devices.
The Breville Barista Touch Impress is now available in Australia for $2,299.
