The Best Coffee Machines For Home

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

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

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a great option for those who are looking to make espresso at their home without sacrificing quality. This prosumer espresso machine 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 Head so you can steam your milk and brew your coffee at the same at the same time.

The machine looks fantastic and has a circular design on the side panel with engraved steam and hot water spouts. This is a modernization of Rocket's original design, which is already impressive for a compact appliance. It also has a black pressure gauge that shows when the boiler is ready to use.

One disadvantage of this tiny machine is that the drip tray and 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 you are using it regularly. This is a natural trade-off for less footprint, however it is not a problem particular to this model.

You can still make a large amount of coffee using this machine, and it can easily keep up with the demands. That being said, we would recommend 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 increase the tamping.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can make excellent drinks and is simple to make Latte arts. It is important to remember that this machine isn't designed for novices. There is a small learning curve for those who upgrade from appliance-grade espresso machines. The heat exchange boiler may be a bit difficult to operate, and you will have to learn the basics of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento offer the option of connecting to a water supply which means you'll always have cold, fresh filtered water on hand for your drinks. The latter, however, has a 2.25-liter water tank, which is more difficult to refill than some of its competitors.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

As you would expect from a Lavazza machine this one has been made with quality in mind. The machine is able to reach the temperature of brewing quickly, which means you can make your first cup in just 35 seconds. The water tank is also fast and easy to refill by removing the lid completely to create a large opening. You can also fill it up with tap water if you want.

This is the smallest machine within the Lavazza A Modo Mio range and yet it packs a punch. It's priced at less than PS100 at full price and is much less expensive than the Nespresso Essenza or similar machines from SMEG or Desea. The Jolie is a great option for those who don't have the space or funds for a traditional espresso machine however nevertheless want to drink a real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is incredibly simple to use and occupies just a little counter space. You just need to press one button to start the machine, then again to start dispensing your chosen brew. 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 amounts.

There's no steam wand included on this model, however you can use an optional milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth, if you'd like. The machine is also quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen work space.

The pods aren't cheap, but they come in a variety of blends that will suit all - from the lightest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are readily available in many supermarkets alongside regular coffee beans and ground coffee and you can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible pods on the internet.

The Jolie and Milk is a stylish capsule machine with an integrated milk warmer and a frother. It comes with a 75cm power plug and power cable, a warranty document and a quick reference, 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 cabinet or on the floor.

3. Breville BES870XL

The Breville Barista Express appears to be a costly espresso machine. If you're willing invest the time to master its use this is a fantastic espresso maker for your home that performs better than some of the more expensive models on the market. It's a great value for the money and is particularly useful for beginners who don't yet have an espresso machine that can cost up to $100.

The model is priced lower than 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 delivers plenty of tweakable features, and it even comes with a built-in burr grinder to make the entire experience less expensive. It's also a single boiler machine that means it can only do steaming or brewing at the same time.

Breville is an incredibly newcomer to the market for espresso machines, has rapidly earned a reputation for its high-quality appliances. This machine is no exception and has enough control that it can be adjusted to let aspiring baristas develop their skills without spending more than they should.

It's not without its flaws however. The hopper is on the side, not on the top, of this model. It's not a big issue, but it can be frustrating if you want to disperse 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.

But if you're prepared to learn how to master the Breville Barista Express, it's an ideal, all-purpose machine for anyone who loves espresso at home. The only issue is the price, which can be a nagging issue for some buyers. If you're looking for a budget alternative, we recommend 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 can do.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech, intelligent coffee maker that produces great coffee using a simple interface. The sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screens creates a chic kitchen look. It has a single dial that allows you to set the number of cups. There are two options: 2-4 cups and 5-9 cups. Its brewing technique is similar to pour over the grounds, which many coffee lovers believe makes the best tasting coffee. The water is heated to the ideal temperature, and then evenly distributed over the coffee grounds using a shower head. The coffee is stored in a double-walled carafe and best coffee machines for home can be stored for up to 60 min. The pause-and-pour function lets you to take the carafe out while brewing and then fill your cup. 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 is certified by SCAA, which means it complies with the rigorous standards of SCAA's technology. Its brew time is approximately longer than the Bodum BISTRO and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers greater control over temperature, brewing time, and quality.

In our tests we found that the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent cup of drip coffee with the carafe filled in 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is slightly more than the 6 minutes the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but within the time range that coffee experts suggest to make a good cup.

You should also grind your own beans prior to brewing. You can make use of an old-fashioned coffee grinder or go for a more automated model like the Baratza Encore, which has various grind settings as well as the hopper can hold entire 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 9-Cup is an excellent contender for the top drip coffee maker due to its sleek design and easy to use interface.