Welcome MF. I don't own or use a machine similar to yours, however, I might offer some observations and context based upon what you have written. Generally speaking, people that buy a machine similar to yours are not what you would call coffee enthusiasts as the primary objective for that machine is convenience over "tweak-able" performance or development of coffee making skills - which are precisely the benefits you have already stated as being enjoyed already from the ownership experience. As such, it's not my intention to disappoint, but it's perhaps unlikely that non-enthusiasts would frequent coffee forums and hence it might be a long shot that an owner might come through with some useful tips or answers. From your message, it appears to be 2 types of challenges - one with the puck and the other with quality of textured milk. In the case of the puck, I would suggest you contact Breville immediately as it might either be a defect or a nuance of that model - again, I have no idea whatsoever. Regarding milk, I'm not surprised to be honest. Most auto systems are mediocre at best with milk and result in a warm bubble bath. Perhaps trying different brand or batch of milk and if you are trying with skim milk then maybe full cream. Some milks at certain times of the year are difficult to work. As you probably know already, many causes of separation are due to a lack of motion or agitation of the milk. In terms of the cup flavour of coffee produced from the machine not matching the Rancilio, one suggestion is to look at whether your "great deal" on Harvey Norman beans is in fact fresh roasted, quality coffee. Whilst it's unlikely those beans are causing you puck issues, however, I do have a theory that if the beans are stale then it's possible the grind is set so fine to produce crema and prevent gushing that the puck is compacting. In most cases, fresher beans will need a coarser grind and this will change the resultant puck after extraction - just an idea, it could go some way to alleviate the issue. I have many customers with the Oracle systems and one of my employees also has one on his kitchen bench - according to him it's a convenient system but produces just basic/average results (I don't know what model). That's not to say they are inferior, but it's just an ownership experience. Recently a good friend had 2 of the Oracles fail over a 3 year period - so he cracked it, gave up on the concept and reverted back to spending about the same money again on a separate machine and grinder with the goals of achieving a better cup and longer ROI - again, this was just his experience and does not reflect my views.
