Heating system
A dual thermoblock heating system lets the machine brew one or two shots while steaming milk. Among the catalogue's Breville Barista models, it is the only one described this way.
BrevilleEspresso machines · VCF160
VCF160
The Breville Barista Signature (VCF160) is a semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in 30-setting grinder, a 58 mm group head and a dual thermoblock.
VCF1602200–2350 W15 bar
22 original reviews to read 3 video summaries Good to know
Start your decision here
The Breville Barista Signature (VCF160) is a semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in 30-setting grinder, a 58 mm group head and a dual thermoblock. You can steam milk while the shot brews, which sets it apart from Breville's single-heater Barista Max, Classic and Sense. Owners praise the coffee quality, ease of use, looks and roomy 2.8 L tank. Many say the instructions are poor, milk frothing takes practice, and the portafilter is stiff at first. Two owners reported lukewarm coffee, and replacement water filters can be hard to find. It suits people who want café-style milk drinks with hands-on control at a mid-range price. It is not for those who want one-touch automatic milk drinks. Long-term reliability has not been independently assessed.
Before you buy
What the features mean in everyday use.
A dual thermoblock heating system lets the machine brew one or two shots while steaming milk. Among the catalogue's Breville Barista models, it is the only one described this way.
The integrated Tap & Go grinder has auto dose, 30 grind settings and a 250 g bean hopper. The machine also accepts ground coffee.
58 mm commercial-size group head and 15-bar pump. It makes two espressos at once, with programmable cup volumes and adjustable water temperature.
Breville and Which? give a 2.8 L tank. The Currys specification table says 1.8 litres, but its feature bullets say 2.8 litres.
Rated 2200–2350 W. The machine measures 420 x 310 x 330 mm and weighs about 10.5–11.2 kg depending on source. Ideal Home notes that the hopper adds a lot of height.
Most owners who comment on taste say it produces coffee-shop or barista-quality espresso.
Owners often praise the ability to steam milk while the shot runs, and the steam wand's power and speed.
Many owners, including first-time bean-to-cup users, describe it as easy to set up and use. Ideal Home calls it suited to bean-to-cup novices.
Owners frequently praise its look and build quality. One tester notes that the stainless steel attracts fingerprints, and Woman & Home finds the plastic portafilter less premium than the rest of the machine.
Several owners say the instruction booklet is unclear, especially on first use, using pre-ground coffee and dialling in grind settings.
Two owners report lukewarm coffee. One measured 77°C water, and Breville found no fault after a repair return. The other got weak, lukewarm shots despite raising the temperature setting. Most reviews do not mention temperature.
One Amazon owner could not find replacement water filters that fit.
The portafilter is stiff to lock in at first, according to Ideal Home, Woman & Home and Currys testers. Ideal Home says it beds in after a few months. Both review sites note the drip tray vibrating during extraction.
Getting good microfoam takes practice, according to Currys testers and Ideal Home. Woman & Home timed close to 40 seconds to heat milk.
Breville claims anti-static grinding reduces mess, and Ideal Home found grounds did not scatter. One Currys tester found that double shots spilled and wasted grounds.
Owners appreciate the large water tank, bean hopper and drip tray, which reduce refilling and emptying.
In the UK it is sold by Currys and Amazon.co.uk. Argos and John Lewis do not stock it. Both retailers sell well below the £699.99 'was' price and the £499.99 Breville list price.
There is no cup warmer and no automatic milk system. Frothing is manual with the steam wand only.
2-year manufacturer warranty (repair). Breville asks for registration within 90 days of purchase to activate the extended 2-year warranty.
58 mm commercial-size group head and 15-bar pump. It makes two espressos at once, with programmable cup volumes and adjustable water temperature.
Breville and Which? give a 2.8 L tank. The Currys specification table says 1.8 litres, but its feature bullets say 2.8 litres.
Rated 2200–2350 W. The machine measures 420 x 310 x 330 mm and weighs about 10.5–11.2 kg depending on source. Ideal Home notes that the hopper adds a lot of height.
Most owners who comment on taste say it produces coffee-shop or barista-quality espresso.
Owners often praise the ability to steam milk while the shot runs, and the steam wand's power and speed.
Many owners, including first-time bean-to-cup users, describe it as easy to set up and use. Ideal Home calls it suited to bean-to-cup novices.
Owners frequently praise its look and build quality. One tester notes that the stainless steel attracts fingerprints, and Woman & Home finds the plastic portafilter less premium than the rest of the machine.
Several owners say the instruction booklet is unclear, especially on first use, using pre-ground coffee and dialling in grind settings.
Two owners report lukewarm coffee. One measured 77°C water, and Breville found no fault after a repair return. The other got weak, lukewarm shots despite raising the temperature setting. Most reviews do not mention temperature.
One Amazon owner could not find replacement water filters that fit.
The portafilter is stiff to lock in at first, according to Ideal Home, Woman & Home and Currys testers. Ideal Home says it beds in after a few months. Both review sites note the drip tray vibrating during extraction.
Getting good microfoam takes practice, according to Currys testers and Ideal Home. Woman & Home timed close to 40 seconds to heat milk.
Breville claims anti-static grinding reduces mess, and Ideal Home found grounds did not scatter. One Currys tester found that double shots spilled and wasted grounds.
Owners appreciate the large water tank, bean hopper and drip tray, which reduce refilling and emptying.
In the UK it is sold by Currys and Amazon.co.uk. Argos and John Lewis do not stock it. Both retailers sell well below the £699.99 'was' price and the £499.99 Breville list price.
There is no cup warmer and no automatic milk system. Frothing is manual with the steam wand only.
2-year manufacturer warranty (repair). Breville asks for registration within 90 days of purchase to activate the extended 2-year warranty.
User experience
See the common points first, then read the original reviews yourself.
Summarised from the 36 reviews we read. A review can mention several points, so the theme counts can add up to more than 36.
Owners mostly say it makes café-quality espresso and value being able to steam milk while the shot runs, thanks to the dual heating system. Many find it easy to set up and use even as first-time bean-to-cup owners. They like its look, solid build and roomy water tank, hopper and drip tray. The most common complaint is the instruction booklet, which owners call unclear for first use, dialling in the grind and using pre-ground coffee. Some note a learning curve for milk frothing and a stiff portafilter at first. Two owners report persistently lukewarm coffee, and one could not find replacement water filters. Isolated comments mention a loud steamer, fingerprints on the steel and grounds spilling on double shots.
Summarised from 36 reviews. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.
36 unique text reviews were counted by author, date and text: Currys/Feefo API 20 (7 buyers and 13 Breville product testers; 4 rating-only entries excluded), Amazon.co.uk product page 8 (the 1★ review appeared 3 times and was deduplicated), Breville UK page 8. No store AI summary was present. Mentions are counted per review.
22 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.
Customer 5/5 29 August 2026 Currys Currys buyer
Really good product. Milk frother whilst your expresso is filtered is great and very easy to use. Easy cleaning, and looks great.
L*** R*** 5/5 13 August 2026 Amazon
Very capable machine. Streamer had really good pressure, the porta filter is solid and the extraction timer is a very handy feature. A lot of flexibility with numerous settings on extraction style, water temp, and customizing the volumes of water and amount of coffee to grind with preset buttons. Also really great to be about to run the stream filter and the extraction/hot water at the same time
S*** W*** 5/5 29 May 2026 Amazon
Brilliant and easy to use 'bean to cup' coffee machine.
Y*** 3/5 20 April 2026 Amazon
Decent machine, but impossible to find replacement water filters. The seller doesn’t know anything either. I tried all the ones available, none of them fitting.
e*** 5/5 6 February 2026 Amazon
Great coffee machine.. easy to use for my first bean to cup machine.
A*** C*** 1/5 8 January 2026 Amazon
Machine looks great but lacks in its primary function; making coffee. After using the machine for a few months we realise it only ever made tepid coffee. We testing the temperature of the water at 77C. After sending it back to be repaired we have been told there is no fault. We can therefore only conclude this is the temperature water it is designed to deliver. If you like hot coffee I would advise staying away from this machine and spend a little more.
L*** L*** 5/5 6 January 2026 Amazon
Excellent product, great price, looks fab in thd kitchen
S*** 5/5 13 December 2025 Currys Currys buyer
Great machine easy to use easy to clean
C*** S*** 5/5 30 October 2025 Amazon
Really pleased with it, some controls, easy to use
C*** 5/5 21 August 2025 breville.co.uk
I like the way this machine can be fine tuned to ensure that the coffee is just right for your individual taste. Regardless of the quality of the bean you can make an excellent coffee and the dual boiler means I can froth the milk at the same time the coffee is brewing. This machine is now a permanent feature in our kitchen.
C*** 1/5 4 January 2025 breville.co.uk
Does any1 know how to use preground coffee in this machine as can't find any information or setting on the machine am new to this also the instruction manual says bugger all too not very helpful brevilla on a £700 machine and yes it states it suitable with bean coffee and ground coffee but dosent tell u how to do it
Customer 1/5 19 June 2024 Currys Currys buyer
I tried all the various settings, grinding the coffee, and increased the water temperature setting to 92 ℃ and still got lukewarm wishy-washy water. There is no way you can call that "espresso". … single wall one so there is no resistance and water running straight out.
J*** 5/5 17 April 2024 Currys Currys buyer
Easy to use. Easy to look after. Thoughtful design. Good water, bean and drip tray capacity, so you are not forever filling or emptying. Most importantly, consistently good coffee! So far, the first bean-to-coffee machine I would buy again.
Customer 4/5 29 December 2023 Currys Currys buyer
Great coffee and I enjoy the home-barista experience. Finding it difficult to judge the settings for a perfect flavour. The guide book could be more helpful.
A*** 5/5 27 December 2023 Currys Currys buyer
It's very straightforward to set the machine up and use it although it took me a few minutes to find all the bits and pieces. It has worked without a problem since I bought it.
Customer 5/5 26 December 2023 Currys Currys buyer
Dual boiler really make a difference steaming ready in under 30 second … Buidlin timer useful
a*** 5/5 8 December 2023 breville.co.uk
The Barista Signature is the best coffee machine I’ve ever used, it comes with really clear instructions with useful hints and tips. I love how you can steam the milk simultaneously with the coffee extraction. It has a very large water reservoir meaning less top ups and is so aesthetically pleasing. …
l*** 4/5 15 November 2023 breville.co.uk
Looks great! Very professional looking, the instructions are a little daunting initially especially as a coffee novice, however after a quick google , I found it extremely easy too use. As a family we have all tried different coffees and have found they taste exactly like any specialty coffee shop! …
R*** 5/5 3 September 2023 breville.co.uk
So many thoughtful design features on this machine. You can tell they've taken feedback onboard and espresso drinkers have designed this machine, from the excess coffee grind disposal bin to the magnet in the tamp holder. It's genius. I could never quite master latte art with my delonghi and I think it was the steam wand.. I get it basically every time now with this machine I'm so happy. The dual boiler is a game changer, not waiting round watching coffee go cold. The reservoir is huge so I'm not constantly topping up. …
J*** 4/5 31 August 2023 Currys Breville product tester (syndicated)
This machines looks fantastic, the build quality is great and it feels like is built to last. … attract fingerprints The bean grinder dispenser makes a lot of mess when brewing double espresso. So much so that a reasonable amount of coffee grounds are wasted each time, which is disappointing and frustrating. …
S*** 4/5 31 August 2023 Currys Breville product tester (syndicated)
… Water tank is super easy to take out when it needs refilling. … The digital screen is very helpful too. As an ex-barista I love having this in the house. … The portafilter is easy to clip in, but it's a little hard to turn so it's centred. … The steamer is quite loud when heating the milk. Lid on water tank doesn't feel like it's secure.
R*** 5/5 31 August 2023 Currys Breville product tester (syndicated)
Good Points: It makes great coffee, which comes out as if you had bought it from a coffee shop. … manual isn't very clear, the first use section needs a re-write … dark grey on slightly lighter grey ?!
No reviews match this choice.
Go to the store's reviews: Currys · Amazon · breville.co.uk
See it in use
Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.
3 videos · Timestamped summary
YouTube · Review
The Breville Barista Signature is a capable espresso machine that features dual thermoblocks, allowing users to pull shots and steam milk at the same time at an accessible price point. However, several advertised features—such as intelligent dosing, pre-infusion profiles, and digital grind settings—fail to function as described. It is well-suited for everyday coffee drinkers looking for convenient milk drinks, but home barista hobbyists may find its quirks frustrating.
YouTube · Comparison
The Breville Barista Signature offers dual thermoblocks that allow you to steam milk whilst extracting espresso at the same time, significantly speeding up the drink-making workflow. However, its grinder produces a very wide and uneven particle size distribution, its portafilter feels cheap and plasticky, and replacement parts are difficult to source in the UK. Overall, it prioritises speed and convenience over shot quality and repairability compared to competitors like the Sage Barista Express.
YouTube · Other
The Breville Barista Signature VCF160 is a bean-to-cup espresso machine featuring an intelligent grinder with 30 settings and precise single or double shot dosing. It features a dual thermoblock system that brews and steams simultaneously, a 15-bar pump for rich crema, and a real-time extraction display. It also includes a cool-touch steam wand for texturing microfoam milk, along with essential barista accessories.
Video summaries and timestamps were taken from the videos with AI (Gemini); the video itself is the source.
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What it has
Technical information with its source.
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Amazon
£379.99
Go to storeCurrys
£379.99
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Where the information comes from, by type; each finding also links its own source.
This page is compiled from manufacturer, store, review and video sources; every piece of information links to the source it was read from. Technical values are as stated by the manufacturer or store; user experiences are summarised from the reviews read and do not apply to every unit. We do not test products ourselves.