The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There's no one-size-fits-all espresso machine. This is why we've compiled our favorite picks for your home, ranging from a super-automatic that grinds and packs your beans to semi-automatics that give you the best control over your espresso.

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

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a great option for those who want to make espresso at their home without sacrificing quality. This espresso machine for the prosumer is designed with a limited counter space in mind and offers top-quality build and tiny footprint. It comes with a 1.8-liter copper heat exchange boiler as well as a commercial E61 group head, so you can steam milk and brew espresso at the same time.

The machine looks great as well and features a round side panel insert with engraved hot water and steam spouts. This is a fresh update on the classic design of Rocket and is already impressive for a compact machine. It also has an black gauge for boiler pressure to let you know when the boiler is ready to use.

The drip tray and the water reservoir tray are smaller on this model than others. It is important be cautious when emptying and re-filling the machine. This is especially the case if you use it frequently. This is a sacrifice that results in less footprint. This isn't an issue that is specific to this model.

This machine is capable of handling your coffee demands. However, we would suggest investing in a quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Gigante to ensure consistency and better flavor. You can also use the machine in conjunction with a Rocket Portafilter to enhance tamping.

As a professional espresso machine The Rocket Appartamento is capable of making some great drinks, and is easy to create the latte art. It is important to remember that this machine isn't intended for novices. There is a little learning curve for those who upgrade from espresso machines that are appliance-grade. The heat exchanger is difficult to work with, and you'll need to master the art of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento allow connecting to a water supply, which allows you to always have cold, fresh filtering water available for your drinks. The latter model has smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be harder to refill.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

As you would expect from a Lavazza machine this one has been made with quality in mind. It is quick to reach brewing temperature, allowing you to make your first cup of coffee in just 35 seconds. The water tank is also quick and easy to fill, with the lid detaching completely to create a large opening. You can fill it using tap water, should you wish.

This is the smallest machine of the Lavazza A Modo Mio range, but it still has a lot of punch. At its full cost, it's less than PS100 which is less than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. This makes the Jolie a great option for those who don't have the money or space for a traditional espresso maker, but who want to get their fix of real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is easy to use and requires small counter space. You just need to press a single button to activate the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen brew. 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 very quiet as well, and can be used in a small space or in a flatshare kitchen without disturbing others.

They're not cheap, but there is an array of blends to satisfy everyone from mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. They are available in most supermarkets, along with regular grounds coffee and coffee beans. You can also purchase Lavazza A Modo Mio Compatible pods online.

The Jolie and Milk is a sleek capsule machine with an integrated milk warmer and frother. It comes in a box with a 75cm power cord and plug, a quick-guide and warranty sheet, and a test box of nine Lavazza pods that include six roasted (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and Best Coffee Machines For Home two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is compact enough to fit under a cabinet or on a flat surface.

3. Breville BES870XL

The Breville Barista Express appears to be a costly espresso machine. If you're willing take the time to master its use this is a great do-it-all home espresso maker that performs better than many of the more expensive models on the market. It's an excellent price for the class and is particularly useful for those who are new to the field and don't own an espresso machine, which can cost up to $100.

The model is priced lower than the most expensive Breville Oracle (the most expensive at $2199) however it is an excellent option for baristas who are on a tight budget. It's loaded with customizable features and even an integrated burr mill, which makes it more affordable coffee machines. It's also a single boiler machine, which means it can only be used for steaming or brewing at one time.

Breville is an incredibly newcomer to the market for espresso machines, has rapidly earned a reputation for its high-quality appliances. This machine isn't an exception and has enough adjustable control to let baristas who are aspiring improve their skills without spending hundreds of dollars more than they have to.

The unit has its flaws. For one, the hopper on this model is positioned on the side of the unit, instead of on top. This isn't a huge deal however it can be annoying if you're trying disperse multiple shots at a time. It's also not very easy to know the amount of water left in the tank due to its rear placement.

If you're willing some time to learn how to make use of the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent appliance for any coffee lover at home. The only downside is the price, which can be a deterrent for some buyers. If you're looking for a low-cost alternative, we suggest the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally capable and offer a bit more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost you a fraction of what this Breville model does.

4. OXO Brew 9-Cup

A high-tech, smart coffee machine that makes great coffee using a simple interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen give a stylish appearance to your kitchen. It comes with a single dial that allows you to set the number of cups. There are two settings: 5-9 cups and 2-4 cups. Its brewing technique is similar to pour-over, which many coffee aficionados 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 that is brewed is stored in a double-walled carafe that can be kept for up to 60 minutes. The pause and pour function lets you remove the carafe in brewing and fill your cup to the brim. The machine stops brewing and displays a red carafe light on its LED interface until you return it. then resumes and finishes brewing.

The OXO 9-Cup coffee maker has been SCAA certified, which means it complies with the 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 greater control over temperature, brewing time and also quality.

In our testing in our testing, the OXO Brew 9-Cup made a pot of excellent drip coffee with a full-carafe in 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is a bit more than the 6 minutes the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but still within the time range that coffee experts suggest for making a quality cup.

It also requires that you grind your own beans prior to making. You can use a manual coffee grinder, or go for a more automated model like the Baratza Encore, which has various grind settings as well as a hopper that holds whole beans.

The only issue is that the carafe and water reservoir aren't dishwasher-safe this could be a hassle for certain users. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO Brew 9-Cup's sleek aesthetic and user-friendly interface make it an undisputed contender among the best drip coffee makers.