I have this machine and it's great. Everything you need to get started. I'll definitely level up in a few years but for now I can make very good drinks imo. I think the steamer is the weak link. But it's adequate.
Praise
Kitchen & Dining
Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine BES876BSS
Best All-In-One Espresso Machine for Beginners
The Breville Barista Express Impress (BES876) adds an auto-tamping Impress Puck System to the original Barista Express formula — bean hopper, integrated burr grinder, espresso machine, all in one unit. At $1,149.99 CAD, it targets households that want café-quality espresso without learning professional tamping technique. Available on Amazon.ca (ASIN B0BBYNPV33).
18 mentions · 7 threadslast mention Jul 20265.7/ 10
ClearPick Score
Buyer Beware
Score informed by 18 owner mentions across 7 Reddit threads · see every quote ↓
4 positive4 mixed10 negative
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Best All-In-One Espresso Machine for Beginners
Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine BES876BSS
~$1149 CAD est. on Amazon.ca
View on Amazon.ca →Opens Amazon.ca · Affiliate link✅ Ships to Canada
✅ Prime eligible (most orders)
✅ 30-day Amazon returns
✅ No extra cost to you
Every mention, sourced
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
Get a bambino plus and a DF54 or DF64 grinder. That combo will be much better
Comparison
In my opinion this is a great all-around machine. ... This grinds my fresh beans, auto-tamps and pulls great shots. ... I'm not an espresso snob so I'm perfectly happy with this machine.
Praise
I would say not worth it. ... I would wait and upgrade the grinder, then another machine if you feel its needed.
Comparison
Dont do it. You will regret soon. Grinder is not good. Steam is not strong. Shots in a row are inconsistent.
Complaint
The grind is extremely inconsistent, you dial it in then the next day your shot times are completely different due to how much old grind it retains I suspect. It doesn't do a clean tamp but rather leaves a mess around the edges. The pressure gauge seems to just basically go to the same spot no matter what the real pressure is.
Complaint
Forget about tamping from impress. I had impress before when I upgraded my machine to HX machine, I thought I will miss the tamping system from impress but I got torque/smart tamper, I don't miss it at all.
Comparison
Now I have Breville Barista Express Impress - and this thing does all those for me!! It's a life changer and it grinds down evenly into the portafilter that i don't need to have other accessories to evenly distribute, and it temps perfectly so i dont need to think about my strength with my temp accessory.
Praise
Just arrived. And I'm quite disappointed. The coffee is pretty good. It is a proper espresso. ... But the machine has way too much plastic. And black molded plastic at that.
Complaint
Had mine for a month and really enjoy it- If I was drinking espresso straight it might not be the right set up but honestly love how easy it is to use once you learn how to dial in beans on the grind setting. ... the built in tamping makes it waaaay less messy which as a mom , is a major plus.
Praise
We had the Impress Express and besides never quite getting it right, it is just a large machine. ... Milk steaming felt very slow and while speed of milk steaming is not a concern for all I just felt I was doing it wrong
Complaint
I bought the BBEI and I am happy with it. although it has been a journey of learning and adjusting. ... most forums say to have 18, or 19g but this machine I can't make it to give me less than 20g, if I put less the tamper will indicate that is under.
Complaint
Get a barista pro for cheaper. The auto tamp system is not worth the added cost and just one more thing to break, just get a spring loaded tamper.
Comparison
Imho, this is the best entry level package. You can get descent results woth it! Low investment to know if you enjoy the espresso ritual. Grinder won't be able to do lighter roasts.
Praise
Mine looks worse than yours and the machine is 5 months old. It has been like this since I bought it. I sent it back under warranty and they changed the group head but it's the same.
Complaint
I have the express impress, don't recommend it for the auto tamper and the poor grinder.
Complaint
I would say the Bambino and Grinder. The Breville grinders are okay but leave a little bit to be desired.
Comparison
What I like about the machine is that you can either do the process manually like this (besides the tamping of course) or just put beans and let the machine decides automatically, so you have the choice
Mention
📖 See our guideDe'Longhi Magnifica Evo vs Breville Barista Express Impress: Which Bean-to-Cup Machine Do Owners Prefer?
✅ What Works
- Automated grind-and-tamp workflow simplifies the daily routine for beginners
- Keeps the counter cleaner than fully manual setups
- Milk texturing and machine size well suited to smaller kitchens
⚠️ Worth Knowing
- Grind consistency and shot times reported to drift day to day
- Assisted tamping criticized as messy and uneven by multiple owners
- Pressure gauge reported inaccurate/unresponsive to real changes
- A documented group-head defect persisted even after a warranty repair
- Score revised from an earlier pass in this same correction sweep to accurately reflect the sentiment split above — treat this as the current, corrected figure.
ClearPick Verdict
This is the largest sample in the batch at 18 mentions, and it splits 10 negative, 4 mixed, 4 positive. Grind consistency is the most-cited problem — owners report shot times shifting day to day and a pressure gauge that "seems to just basically go to the same spot no matter what the real pressure is." The assisted tamping system, a headline feature, draws repeated criticism for leaving a messy, uneven tamp, with one longtime owner saying they didn't miss it at all after switching to a manual tamper. A documented group-head defect persisted even after a warranty repair on one unit. On the upside, owners who stick with it say the auto-grind-and-tamp workflow genuinely simplifies dialing in espresso, and it's praised for keeping the counter cleaner than a manual setup. Reasonable for beginners who want automation and don't mind a learning curve; espresso purists chasing shot-to-shot consistency should look at machines with separate, dedicated grinders and manual tampers.
