The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There's no one-size-fits-all coffee machine. We've rounded up our top picks for the home, from a super-automatic that grinds and packs your beans, to semi-automatic machines that give you the most control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch strikes the perfect balance between automatizing the process and making you knowledgeable about the art of espresso-making. It's our top pick for a bean-to-cup machine.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a top pick for those who want to make espresso at home without having to make significant sacrifices in terms of quality. This small-footprint espresso machine was designed for those with little counter space. It combines excellent build quality and a small footprint. It is equipped with a 1.8-liter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 group head so you can steam milk while making espresso at the same time.

The machine looks fantastic too, and comes with an elongated side panel with engraved hot water and steam spouts. This is a fresh update on the classic design of Rocket, which is already pretty impressive for a small machine. It also comes with the black pressure gauge, which will let you know when the boiler is ready to use.

The water reservoir and drip tray are smaller on this machine than most other models. This means you'll be more cautious about emptying and refilling the machine, particularly when you are using it regularly. This is a cost that results in smaller footprint. This isn't something that is unique to this model.

This machine is able to handle your coffee demands. We would recommend investing in a quality grinder, such as the Baratza Sette Gigante to ensure consistency and better flavor. You can also use the machine in conjunction with an Rocket Portafilter to increase tamping.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can create excellent drinks and is simple to make Latte arts. However, it's worth noting that the machine was not designed for beginners and there's some learning curve for those upgrading from appliance-grade machines. The heat exchanger can be difficult to operate and you'll have to learn how to do 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 able to drink cold, filter-filtered water. The latter comes with a smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be difficult to refill.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

This machine is built to Lavazza's high standards. It is quick to reach the brewing temperature, allowing you to prepare your first cup of coffee in just 35 minutes. The water tank can be filled easily with ease, since the lid can be removed to make a large hole. You can fill it with tap water if you prefer.

The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest of the models, but it is a powerful machine. At full price, it's priced at PS100 which is less than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. The Jolie is a great option for those who don't have the space or money for traditional espresso machines, but still want to enjoy a real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is easy to use and takes up small counter space. You only need to press one button to turn on the machine, then again to start dispensing your chosen pod. The button is illuminated so you can see the amount you've consumed. You can also manually stop the process, should you prefer to consume the pod in smaller portions.

The model isn't equipped with a steam wand but you can add some creamy frosting to your milk by using an optional milk frother. It's also quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen work space.

Pods aren't inexpensive, but there's a variety of blends that will satisfy everyone from the mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. They are sold in most supermarkets along with regular ground coffee and coffee beans and you can also purchase Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible pods online.

The Jolie and Milk is a stylish capsule machine that has an integrated milk warmer and a frother. It comes with a 75cm power plug and power cable, a warranty sheet along with a quick guide and a test pack of nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasted (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine is small enough to be placed under a cupboard or the floor.

3. Breville BES870XL

At first glance, the Breville Barista Express looks like an espresso machine that's not within the budget of a majority of consumers. 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 among the best priced in its class, user-friendly Coffee machines and is especially suitable for those who don't have an espresso grinder yet. This could easily set them back another $100 or more.

This model is a bit in the middle of the range for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive, costing $2,199) However, it's an excellent choice for home baristas on a budget. It delivers plenty of tweakable features, and includes an integrated burr grinder, making the whole experience much cheaper. It's also a single boiler machine, user-friendly coffee Machines which means that it can only handle one thing at one time.

Despite being a relatively newcomer to the espresso machine market, Breville has quickly made a name for themselves with their high-quality appliances. This machine is no different and it comes with enough control to let budding baristas hone their abilities without spending more than necessary.

The unit has its flaws. The hopper is located on the side, not at the top of the model. It's not a huge deal, but can be frustrating if you want to disperse multiple shots at once. It's also difficult to determine how much water is left in the tank because of its position at the rear.

If you're willing to invest some time in learning how to make use of the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent appliance for any coffee lover at home. The only issue with the Breville Barista Express is its price which could be a deterrent for certain buyers. For those looking for a lower-cost alternative, read our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both machines are comparable in their capabilities and offer a little more control than the Barista Express. However, they cost less than the cost.

4. OXO Brew 9-Cup

A high-tech smart coffee machines machine for coffee with a user-friendly coffee machines interface that produces great coffee. The sleek stainless steel design with backlit LED screens creates a chic kitchen look. It comes with a single dial that allows you to set the amount of cups. There are two settings available: 5-9 cups and 2-4 cups. Its brewing technique is similar to pour-over, which most coffee enthusiasts believe produces the most delicious coffee. The water is heated to the perfect temperature and then poured over grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The coffee brewed is then stored inside the double-walled thermal carafe, which can last up to 60 minutes. The pause-and pour feature lets you to take the carafe out while making your coffee and filling it with the right amount. The machine pauses the brewing process and shows a red light on its LED interface until you return the carafe. It then resumes the brewing process.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is an SCAA-certified compact coffee machines maker which means it complies with the rigorous standards of SCAA's technology. Its brew time is approximately longer than the Bodum BISTRO and Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers greater control over temperature, brewing duration and quality.

In our tests in our tests, the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent pot of drip coffee with the carafe filled in 7 minutes 41 seconds. This is a little more than the 6 minutes the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but within the time range that coffee experts suggest for making a quality cup.

You should also grind your own beans prior to making. You can use a manual coffee grinder or go for a more automated model, such as the Baratza Encore, which has multiple grind settings and a hopper that holds whole beans.

The only downside to this product is that it's not dishwasher safe. This could pose a problem for some customers. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO Brew 9-Cup's sleek style and easy-to-use interface make it one of the top contenders among top drip coffee makers.