June was a two-video month, but both are the kind you'll want to bookmark. First up: latte art for actual beginners — no "and now effortlessly pour a swan" nonsense, just realistic expectations and three shapes you can genuinely land in your first few sessions. Then we tackle the question we get constantly at the counter: which Breville is the right Breville? We walk the whole lineup and finally decode what Barista, Impress, Touch, and Oracle actually mean, so you can shop by what the machine does instead of guessing at the names. Here's everything we filmed this month, all in one place.
This Month's Videos
Learning Latte Art for the First Time (Realistic Expectations + 3 Beginner Shapes!)
What it covers: A true-to-life walkthrough of a complete beginner's first latte art pours — the monk's head, the heart, and a step up to the tulip. It's honest about spills and "didn't go as expected" moments, and that's the point: this is what your first attempts actually look like, plus the small fixes (get close, pour fast and confident, mind your liquid line) that make the shapes form.
Best for: Beginners and anyone who's been intimidated by latte art or frustrated by early attempts.
The machine in the video: The pour session was filmed on the Rocket Espresso Appartamento Nera.
Keep practicing: Latte Art Secrets You Need to Know, Latte Art 101, and Milk Steaming Tips — good milk texture is the foundation every one of these shapes is built on.
Which Breville Espresso Machine is the BEST?
What it covers: A full tour of the Breville espresso lineup, decoding what the names actually mean — Barista = built-in grinder, Impress = lever-assisted tamping, Touch = touchscreen + auto steam wand, Oracle = automatic grind/distribute/tamp. Walks from the entry Bambino Plus up through the dual-boiler enthusiast machines, with practical takes on who each one is for.
Best for: Gear shoppers comparing Brevilles, beginners choosing a first machine, and super-auto owners eyeing a step up in quality.
The naming decoder, machine by machine:
Breville Bambino Plus
Compact and no built-in grinder, so it's the easiest "get your toes wet" entry into real espresso. Pair it with a dedicated grinder like the Baratza Encore ESP — or grab the ready-made Bambino Plus + Encore ESP bundle.
Smallest footprint, lowest barrier to entry — the get-started machine.
Breville Barista Express
"Barista" means a grinder is built right in, so beans to shot happens on one machine. The classic all-in-one starting point for hands-on espresso.
Grind, dose, and pull from a single countertop unit.
Breville Barista Express Impress
Adds the "Impress" lever-assisted tamping system to the Barista Express, taking the guesswork out of consistent puck prep.
Barista Express convenience with more repeatable tamping.
Breville Barista Touch Impress
"Touch" adds a touchscreen interface and an automatic steam wand, while "Impress" keeps the assisted tamping. Guided drinks with hands-off milk.
The most guided café experience short of full automation.
Breville Oracle Jet
"Oracle" means automatic grinding, distributing, and tamping. The Jet brings that automated puck prep into a more compact, approachable package.
Automated prep without the full dual-boiler footprint.
Breville Oracle Dual Boiler
Automatic grind/distribute/tamp paired with a dual-boiler system for simultaneous brewing and steaming. The enthusiast end of the lineup.
Hands-off prep meets dual-boiler performance.
Breville Dual Boiler
The original manual dual-boiler — no automated prep, full control over every step. A nod to the machine that set the bar for Breville's prosumer tier.
Manual control with serious dual-boiler temperature stability.
Go deeper: The Best Espresso Machines for Home, Are Dual Boiler Espresso Machines Worth It?, How to Dial-In the Barista Touch Impress, and Brewing on the Breville Oracle Jet.
Notice a thread running through both? They're really about starting out. The latte art video is honest about what your first pours look like, and the Breville rundown pitches the Bambino Plus as the "get your toes wet" machine. If June's your month to jump into home espresso, watch them back to back — one helps you pick the gear, the other shows you what the learning curve actually feels like.
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