Breville Oracle Jet Review

What is the Oracle Jet?

The Oracle Jet, by Breville, or by Sage, is a very interesting machine. Mainly for its automated features, such as the puck prep and auto milk steaming. The Oracle series is also the only series of the Breville line that has 58mm portafilters.

In this case, Jet also indidcates the newer ThermoJet technology, also seen in the Breville Barista Pro, Barista Touch, Barista Touch Impress, and Bambino Plus. This is basically an instant on heater, which flash heats the water on demand. It’s even faster than standard thermoblocks. The Oracle Jet comes now with a second mini ThermoJet above the shower screen to help iron out any heating irregularities in the brewing process.

The Jet also has a new 4.5″ touch screen, which will appeal to the younger crowd. It’s able to accept wifi updates, which can for example load new drinks, or possibly make further improvments.

Let’s bang out it’s main features, to get that said and done right away:

• 58mm portafilter
• Auto Puck-prep via tamper fan
• Dual heating system
• Instant on technology of the ThermoJet
• 4.5″ touch screen display
• Wifi on board
• Auto milk steaming

How does the Auto Puck-Prep work?

Probably my favorite feature about this machine is the auto puck prep. It’s really interesting how it works, too. As the grinds are descending from the grinder, they are spun outwards into the waiting basket, and are filled volumetrically, until the grounds reach the spinning tamper fan. Once enough resistance is felt, the grinder stops, and the tamper fan polishes the puck. It’s pretty darn neat!

Design and HMI

Probably the sweetest thing about the design of the Oracle Jet is it’s 4.5″ touch display. It’s very well done: excellent contrast, excellent viewing angles, and the response time is very good for an espresso machine. The touch display is actually based on Android, which can be observed when perusing the settings menu.

Anyway, the touch display is the main interface of the machine. From here, you select, parameterize and start drinks. The screen also includes some nice instructions and animations, helping new users to get used to the machine, and also maintain the machine by backflushing and descaling.

I’m quite a fan of the execution of the screen, even if I prefer the immediacy of having physical buttons to press. Let’s move on to the next auto feature: the steam wand.

How is the Auto-MilQ Milk Texturing?

The Oracle Jet comes with a powerful, 4 holed steam wand that’s great for texturing milk in manual mode. It is powerful enough to get an immediate swirl going for milk incorporation, but not so strong that it can overwhelm beginner baristas. I love the steam wand in manual mode, and the inclusion of the temperature probe at the tip is excellent for knowing when your milk has reached temperature.

On the other hand, I find it very lacking in auto mode. It basically just heats up the bottom of the milk, and forms bubbles at the top of the milk. It seems that the aerated milk doesn’t incorporate.

There are mixed reviews on this so-called Auto-MilQ feature. Some reviewers have had luck with certain milks. I have not gotten microfoam on any milk, be it whole, skim, oat, or soy. I have tried different milk pitchers, milk volumes, positions of the steam wand in the milk, all to no avail.

How is the Oracle Jet for espresso?

I do find that the Oracle Jet does well for espresso, especially once the inner pathways and portafilter are completely heated up. Then you get an espresso with excellent texture, and with a nice depth of flavor, provided you’re using good freshly roasted beans.

I have also tried the machine with lighter roasts, and since you can adjust the PID temperature control from 86-96 °C, you can set the temperature as you like. I set mine at 95°C for a lighter roast, and it provided a nice fruity shot with pleasant acidity, but without the tart sourness of an underheated shot.

The Grinder

The grinder is a stainless steel, 6 bladed Etzinger burr, as found in the new Baratza ESP. The burr assembly is connected to a stepless dial on the side, which is connected internally via toothed belt to some gears and ultimately to the grinder burrs.

I find that the grinder does a fine job for its purpose, providing good body on the shots. It’s not without fault however, as sometimes there can be some clogging of the chute between the grinder burrs and the tamping fan. It also has a bit of retention, but honestly I am able to overlook those shortcomings due to the ultra convenience of the auto puck prep.

Setting the Dose

The grinder and puck prep system out of the box are calibrated to make 22 gram pucks for the larger basket, and 12 gram pucks for the smaller basket. Since I prefer 18 gram doses, I set out to lower the tamping depth, consequently lowering my dose.

Since it is not that easy to do, I made a video about it. You have to make sure not to unscrew the tamper fan connector too far. Also, make sure the connector is reinstalled properly, and the setscrew is tight.

After adjusting the tamper fan depth, I went from 22 to 20 gram pucks. To get down to 18 grams, I had to buy an IMS basket. Anyway, here’s the video:

The Build

I would say build is on par with other Breville machines. It’s a stainless steel casing on the outside. Inside, there is the aforementioned ThermoJet heater, and mini ThermoJet for the brew group. Within the water path, one will see the use of silicone and I presume nylon lines for the hot and cold water. The motor for the grinder appears to be 100 watts, and the tamper fan also has a little motor for doing its job.

The fittings inside are only one time use in some cases, with their crimped connections. On the other hand, at least it’s easy getting into the machine, by just removing two screws in the back, and two in the front, near the LEDs.

Talking about LEDs, that is something I love. It’s so nice to have a good view of your espresso and milk while being extracted and frothed! Let’s have a look at the bottom of the machine:

On the left you can see the tamper fan, which distributes the coffee grounds, and packs the puck. Then, you see the 58mm portafilter in the middle of the picture. Note the two bright LED lights that are also dimmable – a very nice touch. Finally, you can see the steam wand on the right, which does not articulate, but pulls out about 30°. Oh, one more thing – due to the clear plastic slit just below the portafilter, you can see the water level. Nice design touch.

Specifications

Here are the specs of the machine:

• 19″ x 15″ x 14.5″ (height, width, depth)
• 28 pounds
• 1400-1600 watt power
• Stepless grinder with 45 digitally encoded reference points
• Recipes – Flat White, Latte, Cappuccino, Espresso, Americano, Babyccino, Hot Chocolate, Tea, Cold Brew, Cold Espresso, Shakerato, Espresso Martini, etc.
• 2 year warranty in the USA
• Made in China

What does the Oracle Jet come with?

Thankfully, the Oracle Jet finally comes with just about everything you need to get started on your espresso journey. The machine comes with the following:

• Single and Triple baskets (12g and 22g)
• 480ml milk pitcher
• 58mm dual spouted portafilter
• Knock Box 10
• Cleaning kit

Breville Oracle Jet vs Ninja Luxe Cafe

I do think that Ninja aimed squarely to compete with the Barista line, and that at a lower price point. Compared to the Oracle Jet, this includes a grind by weight dosing system, as well as the option to make brewed coffee and cold foam, making the Luxe Cafe admittedly more versatile.

If I am comparing the espresso quality, I think that the Oracle Jet does take the cake over the Ninja Luxe Cafe. While they can both make espresso with good body, and pull out the chocolatey and sweet notes out of the beans, the Oracle Jet does get a bit of something extra out of the shot, at least once the portafilter and machine are fully warmed up.

Regarding milk steaming, I also find that the auto milk steaming works better on the Ninja than the Oracle Jet, but the manual milk steaming certainly is much better, much faster on the Oracle Jet. The Jet also has a non-burn steam wand, which is better for keeping clean.

All in all, both of these machines do their jobs, and while the Oracle Jet maybe better overall, it’s also 4x the price.

Pros and Cons of the Oracle Jet

The Oracle Jet is a nice machine. It looks handsome, and it’s fast. I love the auto puck prep. I really like the steam wand in manual mode. But, considering the price, I’d expect it to be good at auto milk steaming as well. Also, it took me some time to figure out how to adjust the dose to the 18 grams that I normally use.

Verdict

Boy, it’s hard to make a final verdict for this machine. It’s expensive. That being said, it is also a nice machine. I think this will find its way into people’s homes who maybe come from superautomatics, and want a better espresso-based drink, without having to spend much time learning to be a home barista.

I’d give this machine a B+ for features, and a C- for value.

How to Save a little..

While the Sage Oracle Jet is quite an expensive machine, if you live in the UK or EU, I can provide you with a coupon if you like. Just enter your info in the form below.

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