The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There's no one-size-fits-all espresso machine. We've put together our top picks, starting with a superautomatic that grinds your beans and packs them into a semiautomatic which gives you the most control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch achieves the perfect balance between automation and needing to know the ropes of espresso-making. It's the most efficient bean-to-cup machine we've found.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento makes a great choice for those looking to make espresso at home without having to compromise on quality. This small-footprint espresso machine was created for those with small counter space. It has a great build quality and a small footprint. It comes with a 1.8 liter copper heat-exchange boiler and commercial E61 Group Head, so you can steam your milk and brew your coffee at the same time.

The machine looks great as well and features a round side panel insert with engravings of steam and hot water spouts. This is a modernization of Rocket's traditional design, which is already impressive for a compact appliance. It also has the black gauge of pressure in the boiler to let you know when the boiler is ready for use.

One downside to this small machine is that the drip tray and the water reservoir are smaller than the majority of machines. You'll need be cautious when emptying and re-filling the machine. This is particularly true in the event that you frequently use it. This is a natural tradeoff to have a smaller footprint, though this is not a problem particular to this model.

You can still brew plenty of coffee with this machine, and it will easily keep up with the demands of your customers. We recommend investing in a quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Giante, to improve consistency and flavor. You can also use the machine in conjunction with an Rocket Portafilter to improve the tamping.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can create some great drinks and it is simple to make Latte Arts. It's important to know that this machine isn't designed for novices. There is a slight learning curve for those who upgrade from espresso machines coffee that are appliance-grade. The heat exchange boiler may be a little tricky to control and you'll need to master 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 be capable of drinking cold, filtered water. The latter, however, has a 2.25-liter water tank that is more difficult to refill than its competitors.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

This machine is built to Lavazza's high standards. It is quick to reach brewing temperature, allowing you to make your first cup of coffee in less than 35 seconds. The water tank is fast and easy to refill, with the lid detaching completely to reveal a large opening. You can fill it with tap water, if you like.

The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest model in the models, but it is a powerful machine. It costs less than PS100 at the 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 who don't have the money or space for a traditional espresso maker, but would like to experience the pleasure of real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is extremely simple to operate and takes up very little counter space. You only need to press one button to turn on the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen pod. There's a backlight on the button so that you are able to see clearly the amount of dispensed, and you can stop the process at any time should you prefer to drink the pod in smaller amounts.

This model doesn't come with a steam wand, however, you can add creamy foam to your milk with an optional milk frother. The machine is also quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen working space.

The pods are not expensive, but they are available in a wide range of blends that can be used by everyone - from the mildest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are available in most supermarkets, along with regular grounds portable coffee machine and coffee beans. You can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio Compatible pods on the internet.

The Jolie and milk is a sleek capsule machine with an integrated milk warmer. It comes in a box with a 75cm power cable and plug, a quick-guide and warranty sheet and a tester box containing nine Lavazza pods: six roasts (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is small enough to be stored on the floor or placed under the cabinet.

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 your home that performs better than many of the more expensive models on the market. It's the most affordable in its class, and it's especially good for novices who do not have an espresso maker yet. This could easily set them back another $100 or more.

This model is priced below the most expensive Breville Oracle (the most expensive at $2199), but is still an excellent option for baristas who are on a tight budget. It has plenty of customizable features, and it even comes with a built-in burr grinder that makes the entire experience more affordable. It is also a single-boiler machine, which means that it can only handle one thing at a time.

Breville, a relative newcomer on the market for espresso machines, has swiftly established a reputation for high-quality appliances. This machine is no different and has enough control that it can be adjusted to let aspiring baristas burnish their abilities without spending hundreds of dollars more than they have to.

The unit does not come without its quirks. For one, the hopper on this model is placed on the side of the unit, instead of on top. This isn't a huge deal however it can be a little frustrating if you're trying to dispense multiple shots at once. The rear placement of the tank makes it difficult to determine how much liquid remains.

But if you're prepared to spend some time learning how much is a good coffee machine to master the Breville Barista Express, it's a great, do-it-all appliance for any home espresso lover. The only downside is the price, which can be a nagging issue for certain buyers. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative, read our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are similarly capable and offer a little more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost only a fraction of the price. Breville model can do.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech, intelligent coffee machine that makes great coffee with a simple user interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen add an elegant design to your kitchen. It has one dial to set the number of cups you would like it to make and includes a 2-4 cup setting and a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing process is similar to pour-over the grounds, which many coffee lovers believe produces the best tasting coffee machine price. The water is heated to the ideal temperature and poured over the grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The coffee that is brewed is stored in a double-walled carafe, which can be stored for up to 60 min. Its pause and pour feature allows you to remove the carafe while brewing to fill your own cup. The machine pauses brewing and displays a red carafe light on its LED interface until you return it. It after which it resumes brewing and is finished.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup is certified by SCAA, which means it meets the strict standards of SCAA's technical standards. The brew cycles it uses are the same as the Bodum Bistro and the Technivorm Moccamaster 741 but it lets you control the temperature and brewing time.

In our tests we found that the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent cup of drip coffee that filled a carafe full in just 7 minutes 41 seconds. This is a bit longer than the 6 minutes or less that the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require, but it falls within the range that ground coffee machine experts recommend for a great cup of drip.

It also requires you to grind your own beans before making. You can choose an manual grinder or a more automated model like the Baratza Encore. It has multiple grind settings, and it has a hopper that can be used for whole beans.

The only drawback is that the carafe and water reservoir aren't dishwasher safe and could cause hassle for certain users. The stainless steel is still easy to clean by hand, however. The OXO Brew 9-Cup's sleek style and easy-to-use interface make it a top contender among the top drip coffee makers.