Semi-automatic coffee machine strikes the perfect balance
The thing this machine gets so right is that it has all the capabilities of a commercial-level machine that a barista would use manually, but it also has the brains to operate itself. It knows how to avoid curdling soy milk, and when to tweak the grind. It will always hand you the reins if you think you know better, and can be operated almost entirely manually if you like. But while other machines I've used require you to have some training if you don't want weak coffee and 7-Eleven foam, the Oracle gets you good results without your needing to have all the rules for coffee-making memorised. You might even learn something from it.
The booklet that comes with the Oracle is practically useless, which is not rare for appliances these days, although there is a comprehensive guide to regular maintenance that doubles as an ad for Breville's various cleaning solutions. In this case, it turned out a booklet wasn't needed because the big sharp touchscreen on the front of the Oracle does a great job of walking you through the set-up.
There's a 2.3 litre water tank that loads in the back, but cleverly there's also a hatch at the top of the machine that leads down into it, so no need to move the machine constantly. When you do need to, there's a wheel you can lower so you don't mess up your bench. It's a compact but heavy unit, and it does look like a miniaturised version of a cafe espresso machine. It even has a spot on top to keep your cups, and they'll get quite warm when you turn it on.
The machine connects to Wi-Fi and you can use an app to remotely power it on, which you will never do because it heats up and is ready to go in a minute and a half. Still, given there is a computer in there somewhere driving the machine, a Wi-Fi connection for updates seems sensible.
Once it's all put together, assuming you've left the machine on default settings, the coffee-making process is simple. You choose a drink from the menu, and the screen shows up to three icons representing the steps you need to take. So for a long black, it shows the grinder (put the portafilter in and tap; the beans are ground and tamped), the group head for extracting coffee, and a jug for adding hot water. It's your choice whether to do water or coffee first, but it is a bit weird that Breville shows the water in third position when most Australian coffee snobs will tell you water first, then extract.
This may all sound very standard, aside from the touchscreen, animated icons and gentle sound effects, but the real cleverness is behind the scenes. Not only does the Oracle grind out the perfect measure of coffee every time, but it pays attention to the extraction too. On most machines this is your job, and it's the hardest part to get used to if you're not trained in coffee.
If the extraction is too quick the coffee will be weak, and if it's too long it will be bitter, with the solution being to tweak the grind coarser or finer. The required setting will change depending on the condition of your beans, and things like temperature and humidity, so tweaks are necessary from time to time to get the extraction into the ideal window of 25 to 30 seconds.
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Semi-automatic coffee machine strikes the perfect balance
Pod machines and fully automated coffee makers are great, but it's hard to beat the stuff extracted through beans that were freshly ground and tamped under a watchful eye in your own kitchen. Semi-automatic espresso machines have come a long way in recent years, with extra smarts helping them retain the benefits of a professionally made coffee without the risk that an untrained hand could create a caffeinated disaster. And Breville's Oracle Dual Boiler is the best I've used yet. The thing this machine gets so right is that it has all the capabilities of a commercial-level machine that a barista would use manually, but it also has the brains to operate itself. It knows how to avoid curdling soy milk, and when to tweak the grind. It will always hand you the reins if you think you know better, and can be operated almost entirely manually if you like. But while other machines I've used require you to have some training if you don't want weak coffee and 7-Eleven foam, the Oracle gets you good results without your needing to have all the rules for coffee-making memorised. You might even learn something from it. The booklet that comes with the Oracle is practically useless, which is not rare for appliances these days, although there is a comprehensive guide to regular maintenance that doubles as an ad for Breville's various cleaning solutions. In this case, it turned out a booklet wasn't needed because the big sharp touchscreen on the front of the Oracle does a great job of walking you through the set-up. There's a 2.3 litre water tank that loads in the back, but cleverly there's also a hatch at the top of the machine that leads down into it, so no need to move the machine constantly. When you do need to, there's a wheel you can lower so you don't mess up your bench. It's a compact but heavy unit, and it does look like a miniaturised version of a cafe espresso machine. It even has a spot on top to keep your cups, and they'll get quite warm when you turn it on. The machine connects to Wi-Fi and you can use an app to remotely power it on, which you will never do because it heats up and is ready to go in a minute and a half. Still, given there is a computer in there somewhere driving the machine, a Wi-Fi connection for updates seems sensible. Once it's all put together, assuming you've left the machine on default settings, the coffee-making process is simple. You choose a drink from the menu, and the screen shows up to three icons representing the steps you need to take. So for a long black, it shows the grinder (put the portafilter in and tap; the beans are ground and tamped), the group head for extracting coffee, and a jug for adding hot water. It's your choice whether to do water or coffee first, but it is a bit weird that Breville shows the water in third position when most Australian coffee snobs will tell you water first, then extract. This may all sound very standard, aside from the touchscreen, animated icons and gentle sound effects, but the real cleverness is behind the scenes. Not only does the Oracle grind out the perfect measure of coffee every time, but it pays attention to the extraction too. On most machines this is your job, and it's the hardest part to get used to if you're not trained in coffee. If the extraction is too quick the coffee will be weak, and if it's too long it will be bitter, with the solution being to tweak the grind coarser or finer. The required setting will change depending on the condition of your beans, and things like temperature and humidity, so tweaks are necessary from time to time to get the extraction into the ideal window of 25 to 30 seconds.
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a day ago
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Semi-automatic coffee machine strikes the perfect balance
Pod machines and fully automated coffee makers are great, but it's hard to beat the stuff extracted through beans that were freshly ground and tamped under a watchful eye in your own kitchen. Semi-automatic espresso machines have come a long way in recent years, with extra smarts helping them retain the benefits of a professionally made coffee without the risk that an untrained hand could create a caffeinated disaster. And Breville's Oracle Dual Boiler is the best I've used yet. The thing this machine gets so right is that it has all the capabilities of a commercial-level machine that a barista would use manually, but it also has the brains to operate itself. It knows how to avoid curdling soy milk, and when to tweak the grind. It will always hand you the reins if you think you know better, and can be operated almost entirely manually if you like. But while other machines I've used require you to have some training if you don't want weak coffee and 7-Eleven foam, the Oracle gets you good results without your needing to have all the rules for coffee-making memorised. You might even learn something from it. The booklet that comes with the Oracle is practically useless, which is not rare for appliances these days, although there is a comprehensive guide to regular maintenance that doubles as an ad for Breville's various cleaning solutions. In this case, it turned out a booklet wasn't needed because the big sharp touchscreen on the front of the Oracle does a great job of walking you through the set-up. There's a 2.3 litre water tank that loads in the back, but cleverly there's also a hatch at the top of the machine that leads down into it, so no need to move the machine constantly. When you do need to, there's a wheel you can lower so you don't mess up your bench. It's a compact but heavy unit, and it does look like a miniaturised version of a cafe espresso machine. It even has a spot on top to keep your cups, and they'll get quite warm when you turn it on. The machine connects to Wi-Fi and you can use an app to remotely power it on, which you will never do because it heats up and is ready to go in a minute and a half. Still, given there is a computer in there somewhere driving the machine, a Wi-Fi connection for updates seems sensible. Once it's all put together, assuming you've left the machine on default settings, the coffee-making process is simple. You choose a drink from the menu, and the screen shows up to three icons representing the steps you need to take. So for a long black, it shows the grinder (put the portafilter in and tap; the beans are ground and tamped), the group head for extracting coffee, and a jug for adding hot water. It's your choice whether to do water or coffee first, but it is a bit weird that Breville shows the water in third position when most Australian coffee snobs will tell you water first, then extract. This may all sound very standard, aside from the touchscreen, animated icons and gentle sound effects, but the real cleverness is behind the scenes. Not only does the Oracle grind out the perfect measure of coffee every time, but it pays attention to the extraction too. On most machines this is your job, and it's the hardest part to get used to if you're not trained in coffee. If the extraction is too quick the coffee will be weak, and if it's too long it will be bitter, with the solution being to tweak the grind coarser or finer. The required setting will change depending on the condition of your beans, and things like temperature and humidity, so tweaks are necessary from time to time to get the extraction into the ideal window of 25 to 30 seconds.
