By Patrick Avenell
Retailers, baristas, Coffee Geeks: lend Breville your ears — the Oracle is speaking!
Three weeks after Current.com.au first revealed details of the world’s first automatic manual espresso machine, Breville has revealed more details about this exciting release.
“The brew boiler, for the espresso shot, extracts to within +/- 1° Celsius and a separate steam boiler, which offers instant and powerful steam on demand,” Breville says. “So you can extract your shot, at the right temperature, delivering optimal flavour and steam your milk to cafe quality, at the same time.
“What's more, there is another element in the group head, ensuring the entire system offers a consistent temperature.”
The Oracle (BES980) is intended to bridge the gap between the convenience of a fully automatic and the complexity of manual espresso machines. It houses much of the same technology as the Dual Boiler, and has a similar appearance, with the addition of automation to justify the RRP $2,499 price tag.
“The Oracle features an Over Pressure Valve, which comes standard on almost all commercial cafe machines. This commercial feature limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction, preventing bitter flavours in the shot.
“It also offers a true low pressure pre-infusion, which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction.”
Meanwhile, Breville will soon be releasing an updated version of the Dual Boiler, called the BES920, with improved specifications. This model will retain the BES900’s original RRP $1,499 price point.