The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There is no one-size-fits-all coffee machine. We've put together our top picks, from an automatic that grinds your beans and packs them into semi-automatic machines that give you the most control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch strikes a perfect balance between automatizing the process and needing you to be proficient in the art of making espresso. It's our top choice for a machine that makes coffee.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a great option for those who want to make espresso at their home without losing quality. This espresso machine for prosumers is designed with the smallest counter space in mind and offers top-quality build and a very small footprint. It comes with a 1.8 milliliter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 Group Heads so that you can steam your milk and brew your coffee at the same simultaneously.

The machine looks stunning as well, and has an elongated side panel with engraved hot water and steam spouts. This is a modernization of Rocket's classic design which is already impressive for a small appliance. It also comes with a black boiler pressure gauge to let you know when the boiler is ready to use.

One disadvantage of this tiny machine is that the drip tray and the water reservoir are smaller than those of other machines. This means that you'll need to be extra vigilant when emptying and refilling the machine, especially when using it frequently. This is a natural trade-off for a smaller footprint, though, and not an issue specific to this model.

This machine is able to handle the demands of your coffee. However, we would suggest investing in a quality grinder, such as the Baratza Sette Gigante to ensure consistency and better flavor. You can also pair this machine with a Rocket portafilter to improve the grinding process.

As a professional espresso machine The Rocket Appartamento is capable of making great drinks, and it's easy to make latte art. It is important to remember that this machine was not designed for novices. There is a slight learning curve for those upgrading from appliance-grade espresso machines. The heat exchange boiler may be a little tricky to control, and you will have to learn the basics of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca as well as the Rocket Appartamento have the option to connect to a water source, allowing you to always be in a position to drink cold and purified water. The latter has a 2.25-liter water tank that could be more difficult to refill than its competitors.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

As you might expect from a Lavazza machine this one was designed with quality in mind. The machine can reach the temperature of brewing quickly, which means you can make your first cup in less than 35 second. The water tank can be filled easily by removing the lid. be removed to create a large hole. You can fill it up with tap water depending on what you prefer.

This is the smallest machine in the Lavazza A Modo Mio range and yet it is a powerful machine. It's priced less than PS100 at full price which is less than the Nespresso Essenza or similar machines from SMEG or Desea. This makes the Jolie an ideal choice for those without the budget or space for an espresso maker, but would like to experience the pleasure of real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is simple to use and requires little counter space. By pressing a single button, you can start the machine. Pressing it again will begin dispensing the pod you have selected. The button has a backlight so you can see how much you have consumed. You can also manually stop the process in case you wish to drink the pod in smaller portions.

There's no steam wand on this model, but you can add a milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth if you like. The machine is very quiet as well and can be utilized in a small space or in a flatshare kitchen without disturbing others.

The pods aren't inexpensive, but they come in a range of blends that will suit anyone from the mildest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are readily available in many supermarkets along with regular coffee beans and ground coffee machine coffee and you can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible pods on the internet.

The Jolie and Milk is a smart-looking capsule machine that includes a milk warmer and frother. It comes with a 75cm plug and power cable, a warranty card along with a quick guide and a tester pack comprising nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasted (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine is small enough to fit under a cupboard or the floor.

3. Breville BES870XL

The Breville Barista Express appears to be a high-priced espresso machine. If you're willing to put in the work to master its use, this is an excellent espresso maker for home use that performs better than many of the more expensive models available. It's the most affordable in its class, and is especially good for novices who do not have an espresso maker yet. This could easily cost them $100 or more.

The model is just in the middle of the range for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive, costing $2,199), but it's still a solid choice for baristas at home on a budget. It has a lot of options to customize and features, including an integrated burr mill, which makes it more affordable. It is also a single-boiler machine, meaning it can only do one thing at one time.

Although it is a relatively newcomer to the espresso machine market, Breville has quickly made their mark with their high-quality appliances. This machine is no different and offers enough adjustable control to let baristas who are aspiring burnish their skills without spending hundreds of dollars more than they should.

It's not without its quirks however. The hopper is on the side, not on the top, of this model. It's not a major issue, but it can be a hassle if you need to give several shots at a time. It's also not very easy to determine the amount of water left in the tank because of its rear position.

If you're willing to spend some time learning how to master the Breville Barista Express, it's a great, do-it-all appliance for anyone who is a coffee lover at home. The only downside to the Breville Barista Express is its price, which may be a hindrance for some buyers. For those seeking a cheaper option, check out our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally capable and offer a bit more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost less than the Breville model does.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech smart coffee maker with a user-friendly interface that makes great coffee. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED display add an elegant appearance to your kitchen. It has a single dial that allows you to program the amount of cups. There are two settings: 5-9 cups and 2-4 cups. The brewing method is similar to pour over that many coffee enthusiasts believe is the best tasting coffee. The water is heated up to the perfect temperature and then poured evenly over the coffee grounds with shower heads. The brewed coffee is then stored in a double-walled carafe that can be kept for up to 60 minutes. Its pause and pour feature lets you remove the carafe while brewing to fill your own cup. The machine pauses the brewing process and displays an red light on its LED interface, until you return the carafe. Then, it resumes brewing.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup cheap coffee machine maker is an SCAA-certified coffee maker which means it meets the organization's rigorous technical standards. The brew cycles it uses are the same as those of the Bodum Bistro and the Technivorm Moccamaster 741 but it lets you control the temperature and brewing time.

In our tests, the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent pot of drip coffee machines best that filled the carafe filled in 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is a bit longer than the 6 minutes or less the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require but well within the range experts in the field recommend for a great cup of drip.

It also requires that you grind your own beans prior to making. You can opt for a manual grinder or a more automated model such as the Baratza Encore. It has multiple grind settings, and a hopper for whole beans.