The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There's no one-size-fits-all espresso machine. We've rounded-up our top picks, from a superautomatic 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 the perfect balance between automation and having to understand the basics of espresso-making. It's the best bean-to cup machine we've found.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a top choice for those who want to make espresso at home, without making huge sacrifices in terms quality. This espresso machine for the prosumer is designed with a limited counter space in mind. It is built to last with a high-end build quality and the smallest footprint. It is equipped with a 1.8 milliliter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 Group Head so you can steam your milk and brew your coffee at the same simultaneously.

The machine also looks great and has a circular insert on the side panel with the steam engraved and hot water spouts. This is a fresh update on the classic look of Rocket and is already impressive for a compact machine. It also includes an black gauge for boiler pressure to indicate when the boiler is ready for use.

One downside to this small machine is that the drip tray and water reservoir are smaller than those of other machines. This means that you will have to be vigilant about emptying and refilling the machine, especially when using it frequently. This is a natural tradeoff for having less footprint, however this is not a problem particular to this model.

This machine can easily handle your coffee demands. We recommend buying a good grinder, like the Baratza Sette Gante, to improve consistency and taste. You can also use the machine in conjunction with an Rocket Portafilter to increase the tamping.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can create delicious drinks and it is easy to make Latte arts. It's important to note that the machine isn't designed for novices and there's some learning curve for those who are upgrading from appliance-grade machines. The heat exchanger can be difficult to operate and you'll have to master the art of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca as well as the Rocket Appartamento have the option to connect to an water source, which allows you to always be able to drink cold pure, best small Coffee Machine filtered water. The latter has a smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be harder to refill.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

This machine is built to Lavazza's highest standards. It is quick to reach brewing temperature, allowing you to prepare your first cup of coffee in less than 35 minutes. The water tank is fast and easy to refill by removing the lid completely to make a wide opening. You can also fill it up with tap water if that's what you prefer.

The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest of the range, but it is a powerful machine. At full price, it costs under PS100 which is less than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. This makes the Jolie an ideal choice for those with a limited budget or space for an espresso maker, but who are looking to enjoy the benefits of real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is incredibly simple to operate and takes up only a tiny amount of counter space. Pressing a single button will activate the machine. After pressing it again, it will begin dispensing the pod you've selected. There's a backlight that's on the button, so you can clearly see how much has been dispensed and you can also manually stop the process if you prefer to drink your drink in smaller portions.

There's no steam wand on this model, however you can add a milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth if you like. The machine is quite quiet also, and can be used in a small workspace or in a flatshare kitchen without disturbing anyone else.

They're not cheap, but there is a variety of blends to choose from to suit everyone from the mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. They are readily available in many supermarkets along with regular coffee beans and ground coffee and you can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible pods online.

The Jolie and milk is a sleek capsule machine with an integrated milk warmer. It comes in a box with an 75cm power cable, plug as well as a quick-guide and warranty card, as well as a test box of nine Lavazza pods which include six roasted (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is compact enough to fit under a cabinet or on flat surfaces.

3. Breville BES870XL

At first glance at first, the Breville Barista Express looks like an espresso maker that's beyond the budget of most average consumers. If you're willing to learn to use it this is a great at-home espresso maker. It's more efficient than most of the more expensive models. It's the most affordable in its class, and is especially suitable for those who do not have an espresso maker yet, which could set them back another $100 or more.

This model is a bit below the top of the line for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive model at $2,199), but it's still an excellent choice for home baristas on a tight budget. It delivers plenty of tweakable features, and includes an integrated burr grinder that makes the whole experience much cheaper. It's also a single boiler machine, which means that it can only handle one thing at the same time.

Breville, relatively new to the market for espresso machines, has rapidly established a reputation for high-quality appliances. This machine isn't an exception and best Small coffee Machine offers enough control that it can be adjusted to let aspiring baristas improve their skills without spending more than they should.

The unit does not come without its quirks. One example is that the hopper on this model is positioned on the side of the unit instead of being on top. This isn't really an issue however it can be a little difficult to dispense multiple shots at once. It's also not very easy to know how much water remains in the tank due to its rear placement.

If you're willing time learning to make use of the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent choice for any coffee lover at home. The only issue is the cost, which can be a turnoff for certain buyers. If you're looking for a low-cost alternative, we recommend the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally powerful 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 maker that produces great coffee with a simple interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen add a stylish design to your kitchen. It comes with a single dial to program the amount of cups you want it to make and includes two cup settings as well as a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing process is similar to pour over, which most coffee enthusiasts believe produces the best tasting coffee. The water is heated to a perfect temperature before being poured over the grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The coffee is then brewed in the thermal, double-walled carafe, which can last up to 60 minutes. The pause-and-pour function lets you remove the carafe while brewing and then fill your cup. The machine stops the brewing process and displays a red light on its LED interface, until you return the carafe. It then resumes the brewing process.

The OXO 9-Cup coffee maker has been SCAA certified, which means it meets the organization’s strict standards in terms of technology. The brew cycle is as long as those of the Bodum BISTRO and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers more control over temperature, brewing time and quality.

In our testing, the OXO Brew 9-Cup brewed excellent drip coffee that was served in a full cup in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is a bit longer than the 6 minutes or less that the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require but well within the range experts in the field recommend for a great cup of drip.

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 various grind settings as well as an hopper that can hold whole beans.

The only downside is that the carafe and the water reservoir aren't dishwasher-safe this could be a issue for some users. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO Brew 9-Cup's sleek design and user-friendly interface make it one of the top contenders among Best small coffee machine drip coffee makers.