Published on Mar. 10, 2025
Loaded with intuitive features, the Breville Oracle Jet makes it foolproof to brew the perfect cup of espresso. But is it worth the hefty price tag?
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As Taste Recipes‘s shopping content director, I see a lot of pitches for so-called smart kitchen appliances. From toasters with touchscreens that end up covered with buttery fingerprints to WiFi-enabled fridges that mysteriously eat up a portion of your monthly data plan, I’ve found few smart products that live up to the hype. So, when Breville sent me their latest espresso machine—a device with a giant digital touchscreen that asked for a WiFi password upon setup—I was skeptical. Was this espresso-maker-turned-computer-hybrid really going to improve my morning coffee routine?
As it turns out, this smart espresso maker is incredibly impressive. After nearly three months of testing—and at least one software update—the Breville Oracle Jet has replaced my previous espresso maker and even caused me to forgo my beloved local coffee shops because the coffee I make at home is that much better.
VIA MERCHANT
This smart espresso maker blew me away with its performance.
Introduced in the fall of 2024, Breville’s newest espresso maker is an all-in-one machine that’s programmed to make over a dozen different espresso or tea-based beverages and counting with the push of a button. It arrives with pre-programmed favorites like espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, cold brew and tea—plus more creative options like shakeratos, babyccinos and even espresso martinis. (Breville has pushed software updates to the machine to add more pre-programmed drinks, thus the need for WiFi.)
The high-definition touchscreen guides you step by step, offering customizable controls to suit your preferences. What’s most impressive is the “Barista Assist” feature, which alerts you to potential mistakes—like using the wrong grind size if your espresso takes too long to extract. I found this fussy at first but quickly realized that the machine’s recommendations did improve the taste of my espresso shots.
Yes, it’s yet another “smart” product, but Breville’s has figured out a way to make its futurist features truly useful: brewing the perfect espresso. It feels like having an expert barista assisting you with every cup.
The Breville Oracle Jet is jam-packed with features that simplify the coffee-making process.
The Breville Oracle Jet measures 16.5 by 14 by 14 inches, taking up a fair amount of counter space. I placed mine on our dedicated kitchen cart coffee station. It also includes a matching knock box, a portafilter with 1- and 2-cup baskets, a stainless steel frothing jug, cleaning tools, a water filter and a water hardness testing kit.
As soon as I unboxed it, I knew this was serious business. The setup was involved and included testing the water hardness and installing a firmware update, but it took only 30 minutes. What impressed me most was the touchscreen. Initially, I scoffed at it, but its graphics rival those on my latest-generation iPad, and the step-by-step instructions made setup seamless.
An option during setup was to browse an interactive diagram, which gave me the option to press on different parts of the machine to learn their functions via quick videos. Seriously impressive.
For my first test, I made a double shot of espresso. The touchscreen directed me to set my grind size to 26 using a side knob. A helpful info button explained that a coarser grind speeds extraction, while a finer grind slows it—important for achieving the perfect shot.
I locked in my portafilter, hit start and the machine automatically ground and tamped the beans with a loud whir. When I removed the portafilter, I was impressed by the neatness of the tamped grounds. Usually, I make a big ol’ mess transferring and tamping grounds with my previous burr grinder setup.
After inserting the portafilter into the group head, I pressed the espresso button, and within 25–30 seconds, a rich double espresso poured out, topped with a thin caramel-colored crema. The machine even alerted me that my grind was too fine, causing over-extraction. I adjusted the settings for the next shot and it resulted in a noticeably smoother, richer espresso with more crema.
Does this machine actually make it easier to pull the perfect espresso shot? I’d say yes.
The one drawback I’ve noticed over time is that beans sometimes get stuck in the hopper and don’t feed into the grinder. Usually, a simple tap on the side of the hopper fixes this.
The built-in steam wand offers manual and automatic (Auto MilQ) frothing modes. When creating your cappuccino or latte, you can instruct the machine if you’re using dairy, almond, oat or soy milk. Since milk alternatives are notoriously more difficult to texture, the machine tweaks its temperature and froth settings to get the perfect microfoam.
I’ve had mixed experiences with automatic milk frothers, but this one outperforms past Breville models. That said, I still occasionally opt to steam manually for more control.
One of the new features launched with the Breville Oracle Jet is its ability to make a cold shot, which is a bit of a misnomer as the shot comes out slightly above room temperature. While it’s less bitter and more balanced than traditional espresso, I didn’t find it a major selling point since I usually make iced lattes with plenty of milk and sugar that mask the espresso’s nuances. This may be good for folks who enjoy an iced Americano.
I was surprised to see that the Oracle Jet also had an option to brew tea. This is thanks to a small jet of hot water that’s dispensed at an angle beside the group head. The machine will only dispense up to 8 ounces of water at a time, which is a bummer for those like me who usually use 10-12 ounces of water to brew tea.
I adjusted the settings to dispense the water to 195 degrees, and it took less than a minute to fill the cup. This is great for a quick cup of tea, and the hot water feature is also good for Americanos.
I did struggle sometimes to find the right position for the water stream to enter the cup. Also, due to the angle, water would sometimes splash outside the cup.
The Oracle Jet can produce over a dozen custom drinks, but one that caught my eye was the espresso martini. (Twist my arm.) I invited a few friends over to try it out. Following the machine’s instructions, I made a cold brew shot, then followed the simple recipe card displayed on the screen:
The results? Amazing. This was probably the best, least-bitter espresso martini I’ve had—at home or in a restaurant. The only downside is that I couldn’t keep up with all the drink orders for my guests!
The machine requires regular maintenance:
If you’re in a rush, you can snooze the alert and still get your coffee. (I’m guilty of snoozing it far too often!) However, I would not suggest skipping the alerts entirely as regular cleaning is essential for a long-lasting machine.
You’ll find dozens of glowing five-star reviews on Breville’s website, with customers like me who have purchased and loved the machine. “We have the stainless steel model and love it. Easy espresso drinks and flawless milk steaming. Best espresso machine ever,” writes one reviewer. Jeff, another reviewer on Breville.com, says, “It has been hard to come home to traditional roasted coffee since traveling to Italy. We researched many machines from the $2k-$4k range. Each time [I came] back to the Oracle Jet. We made the purchase and have been loving every cup ever since. “
However, some users have noticed issues with the tamping settings and occasional inconsistencies with the brew.
Over on r/BrevilleCoffee, reviews are generally positive, with most Redditors commenting that they enjoy the coffeemaker after several months of use. Some users report having issues with the automatic milk frother.
Redditor RalReach says, “Two months in, 3-4 drinks a day across the household, and I absolutely love it. I agree the auto milk isn’t perfect but I don’t make latte art, just lattes to drink, and they taste great to me.”
I’ve previously reviewed the Breville Bambino Plus espresso machine and noticed a few key differences. While both machines can produce excellent espresso, on paper the Breville Bambino is more compact. The Breville Oracle Jet has a larger footprint thanks to the built-in burr grinder. Since espresso usually requires a grinder, I found that the Oracle Jet takes up about the amount of space that my Bambino and separate burr grinder combined.
The Oracle Jet surpasses the Bambino with its smart Barista Assist technology, helping at-home coffee connoisseurs make the perfect espresso shot. Even after a few years of working at cafes under my belt, I often found myself guessing whether I was over- or under-extracting my espresso or settling for coffee that was “good enough.” With the Breville Oracle Jet, I get real-time guidance to fine-tune my settings for consistently great-tasting coffee.
The Oracle Jet’s automated milk-foaming settings also outshine the Bambino’s. Instead of just frothing the milk, the Oracle Jet textures it with silky microfoam, making it easier to achieve pro results. I could get a similar texture by manually frothing with the Bambino, but the hands-free functionality of the Oracle Jet is unbeatable on busy mornings.
Compared to the Breville Smart Grinder Plus, which I’ve used for years, the Oracle Jet’s built-in Baratza grinder has one drawback: It isn’t designed to grind beans for filter, drip or French press coffee. When I host guests who prefer drip coffee, I have to bring out a separate coffee grinder.
Is this for everyone? Probably not. But if you’re an espresso fanatic looking for an effortless way to get high-quality coffee, this is absolutely worth it. The Breville Oracle Jet will replace your old espresso maker and grinder, giving you an all-in-one appliance that makes espresso-based drinks and tea options.
VIA MERCHANT
This smart espresso maker blew me away with its performance.
The Breville Oracle Jet retails for about $2000 and is available at Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table and on Breville’s website. It comes in brushed stainless steel, black truffle, sea salt, damson blue and a gorgeous olive tapenade green. Currently, if you buy from Breville.com you’ll also receive $200 cashback from Beanz.com and two free bags of coffee.
I have written about food, drink and kitchen appliances for eight years and tested multiple Breville products, including the Breville Bambino Plus and Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. Years as a bartista in Baltimore and Chicago have made me a stickler for a good espresso and this machine passes the test.
Our Product Testing Team has also tested several Breville products, including the Breville toaster and Breville food processor, that have passed with high marks. This speaks to the quality of the brand as a whole.
