The Best Coffee Machines For Home
There is no single-size-fits all coffee machine. We’ve rounded up our top picks for the 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 achieves the perfect balance between automation and the need to understand the basics of espresso-making. This is our top choice for a bean-to-cup machine.
1. Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Appartamento is a fantastic choice for those who want to make espresso at home without having to compromise on quality. This espresso machine with a small footprint was specifically designed for people who have limited counter space. It has a great build quality with a compact 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 time.
The machine looks stunning as well, and has an elongated side panel with engravings of steam and hot water spouts. This is a fresh update on the classic design of Rocket and is already impressive for a small machine. It also includes a black boiler pressure gauge to let you know when the boiler is ready to use.
One downside to this small machine is that the drip tray and the water reservoir are smaller than the majority of machines. This means that you will have to be vigilant about emptying and refilling the machine, particularly when you use it often. This is a normal trade-off to have less footprint, however it is not a problem specific to this model.
You can still brew plenty of coffee using this machine, and it can easily keep up with the demands. We suggest investing in a quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Giante to improve consistency and flavor. You can also pair the machine with an Rocket Portafilter to improve the tamping.
As a prosumer espresso machine The Rocket Appartamento is capable of making great drinks, and is easy to make the latte art. It’s important to know that this machine was not intended for novices. There is a little learning curve for those upgrading from appliances-grade espresso machines. The heat exchanger can be tricky to handle, and you’ll need to learn how to perform cooling flushes.
Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento offer the option of connecting to a water source, that means you will always have fresh, cold filtering water available for your drinks. The latter, however, comes with a 2.25-liter water tank that can be more difficult to refill than its competitors.
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 make your first cup of coffee in just 35 seconds. The water tank is also quick and simple to refill and the lid can be removed completely to make a wide opening. It can be filled with tap water should you wish.
The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest of the range, but it packs a punch. At its full price, it costs under PS100 which is lower than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. This makes the Jolie an ideal choice for those without the budget or space to buy a traditional espresso maker, but want to get their fix of authentic Italian espresso.
The Jolie is easy to use and occupies very little counter space. You just need to press a single button to activate the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen brew. The button is illuminated to let you know how much you have consumed. You can also manually stop the process, if you want to drink the pod in smaller amounts.
There’s no steam wand available on this model, however you can use an optional milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth, if you’d like. It’s also quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen workspace.
Pods aren’t inexpensive, but there’s a variety of blends available to satisfy everyone from mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. You can find them in many supermarkets, as well as regular grounds coffee and coffee beans. You can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio Compatible pods online.
The Jolie and Milk is a smart-looking capsule machine that includes a milk warmer and frother. It comes in a box with a 75cm power cord and plug along with a quick-guide as well as a warranty card, as well as a test box that contains nine Lavazza pods that include six roasted (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine itself is small enough to be kept on a flat surface or slipped under the cupboard.
3. Breville BES870XL
The Breville Barista Express appears to be an expensive 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 the most affordable in its class, and it’s especially good for novices who don’t have an espresso machine yet, which could cost them $100 or more.
This model is a bit below the top of the range for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive model at $2,199) However, it’s a solid choice for baristas at home coffee machines on a tight budget. It has a lot of customizable features and even an integrated burr mill, which makes it more Affordable Coffee Machines. It is also a single-boiler machine, which means that it can only do one thing at the same time.
Breville, an incredibly newcomer to the market for espresso machines, has swiftly established a reputation for high-quality appliances. This machine is no exception and affordable Coffee machines it comes with enough control to let budding baristas develop their skills without spending hundreds more than is necessary.
It’s not without its flaws however. For instance, the hopper on this model is placed on the side of the unit instead of on top. This isn’t an issue however it can be a little annoying if you’re trying dispense multiple shots at once. The rear-facing position of the tank makes it difficult to see how much liquid is left.
If you’re willing to invest some time to learn how to use 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 may be a hindrance for some buyers. For those looking for a lower-cost alternative, read our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally capable and offer a little more control than the Barista Express, but they’ll cost only a fraction of the price. Breville model does.
4. OXO Brew 9-Cup
A high-tech, intelligent coffee maker that makes excellent coffee using a simple interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED display add an elegant look to your kitchen. It has a single dial that allows you to set the amount of cups. There are two settings: 5-9 cups and 2-4 cups. Its brewing process is similar to pour-over the grounds, which many coffee lovers believe produces the best tasting coffee. The water is heated to the perfect temperature and then evenly poured over the coffee grounds using shower heads. The brewed coffee then collects inside the double-walled thermal carafe for up to 60 minutes. The pause-and-pour function lets you remove the carafe while brewing and fill your cup. The machine pauses the brewing process and shows an red light on its LED interface until you return the carafe. The machine then begins the brewing process.
The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is a SCAA-certified coffee maker, which means it meets the strict standards of SCAA’s technical standards. Its brew cycle is about as long as those of the Bodum BISTRO and Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers more control over temperature, brewing time and quality.
In our testing in our testing, the OXO Brew 9-Cup made a pot of excellent drip coffee and a full-carafe of modern coffee machines in 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is a little more than the 6 minutes that the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster calls for, but it is within the range of time that coffee experts recommend for making a quality cup.
It also requires that you grind your own beans prior to making. You can select an manual grinder or a more automated model such as the Baratza Encore. It has multiple grind settings, and an hopper for beans that are whole.
The only downside is that the carafe as well as the water reservoir aren’t dishwasher safe and could cause problem for some users. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO Brew 9-Cup’s sleek aesthetic and user-friendly interface make it one of the top contenders among best drip coffee makers.