# TLDR Review: Breville the Oracle Espresso Machine BES980XL

*Published: 2025-05-22 | Updated: 2025-07-18 | Source: https://shopsavvy.com/reviews-tldr/breville-the-oracle-espresso-machine-bes980xl*

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## Product: Breville the Oracle Espresso Machine BES980XL
**Brand:** Breville

## Pros
- Provides a beautiful design and enhances the morning coffee experience.
- Produces high-quality coffee akin to professional barista standards.
- Automates grinding, tamping, and frothing, making it ideal for those who struggled with manual machines.
- Offers significant control and personalization over grind size, water temperature, and milk temperature.
- Dual boiler design allows for simultaneous grinding, extracting, and frothing, improving efficiency.
- Simplifies cleaning with reminders for maintenance and descaling.
- Equipped with features like auto tamping and auto frothing to reduce mess.
- User-friendly setup and operation, even in the early morning.
- Compact size with an attractive design and convenient auto-start feature.

## Cons
- Repair costs can be high, with issues in sourcing replacement parts.
- Users report performance declines, including potential leaks and frother malfunctions, over time.
- Experiences with inconsistent coffee shot volumes and grind consistency.
- Some users faced prolonged warm-up times and uneven milk frothing results.
- Reports of requiring interstate repairs and repeated unresolved issues.
- Setup and adjustments can be complicated, leading to frustrations and wasted coffee.

## Bottom Line

The Breville Oracle Automatic Espresso Machine offers a comprehensive coffee-making experience with professional-level results and automates processes to make things easier. However, it is an investment with potential long-term reliability concerns and can be complicated for some users who prefer less intricate setups. Serious coffee enthusiasts who enjoy a genuine barista-esque process may find this machine worthwhile despite the cost. If you're considering alternatives due to the mentioned issues, it may be worthwhile to explore other dual boiler systems that could potentially offer better performance and reliability.

## Pros vs Cons at a Glance

| Pros | Cons |
|------|------|
| Provides a beautiful design and enhances the morning coffee experience. | Repair costs can be high, with issues in sourcing replacement parts. |
| Produces high-quality coffee akin to professional barista standards. | Users report performance declines, including potential leaks and frother malfunctions, over time. |
| Automates grinding, tamping, and frothing, making it ideal for those who struggled with manual machines. | Experiences with inconsistent coffee shot volumes and grind consistency. |
| Offers significant control and personalization over grind size, water temperature, and milk temperature. | Some users faced prolonged warm-up times and uneven milk frothing results. |
| Dual boiler design allows for simultaneous grinding, extracting, and frothing, improving efficiency. | Reports of requiring interstate repairs and repeated unresolved issues. |
| Simplifies cleaning with reminders for maintenance and descaling. | Setup and adjustments can be complicated, leading to frustrations and wasted coffee. |
| Equipped with features like auto tamping and auto frothing to reduce mess. |  |
| User-friendly setup and operation, even in the early morning. |  |
| Compact size with an attractive design and convenient auto-start feature. |  |

## Current Prices

| Retailer | Price | Availability |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Amazon | $2199.95  | In Stock |
| bloomingdales.com | $2199.95  | In Stock |
| surlatable.com | $2199.95  | In Stock |

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*About this review: We pulled together findings from professional and user reviews, and cross-referenced them with ShopSavvy's pricing data from thousands of retailers to give you the short version.*