The Best Coffee Machines For Home
There is no one-size-fits-all coffee machine. We've rounded up our top picks for the home, from a fully automated that grinds and packs your beans, to a semiautomatic that gives you the most control over your espresso.
The Breville Oracle Touch strikes the perfect balance between automation and having to be able to master the art of espresso-making. It's our top pick for a coffee-to-cup machine.
1. Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Appartamento is a great option for those who are looking to make espresso at home without having to compromise on quality. This espresso machine with a small footprint was specifically designed for people with little counter space. It has a great build quality and a compact footprint. It comes equipped with a 1.8-liter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 group head, so you can steam milk and make espresso simultaneously.
The machine also looks great and has a round design on the side panel with engraved steam and hot water 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 a black pressure gauge that indicates 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. You'll need to be careful when emptying and re-filling the machine. This is especially the case when you are using it often. This is a sacrifice that is a result of having a smaller footprint. This isn't a problem specific to this model.
This machine is able to handle your coffee demands. We recommend purchasing a high-quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Giante, to increase consistency and flavor. You can also pair this machine with an Rocket portafilter to enhance the tamping process.
Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can create delicious drinks and it is easy to create Latte Arts. It's important to note that the machine isn't designed for beginners, and there is a bit of a learning curve for those who are upgrading from appliance-grade machines. The heat exchanger can be difficult to work with and you'll have to learn how to perform 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 be in a position to drink cold pure, purified water. The latter, however, comes with a 2.25-liter water tank, which 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 the brewing temperature, allowing you to make your first cup of coffee in less than 35 seconds. The water tank is able to be filled by removing the lid. be removed to create an enormous hole. You can even fill it with tap water if that's what you prefer.
This is the smallest machine of the Lavazza A Modo Mio range and yet it has a lot of punch. At its full price, it's priced at PS100 - which is less than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. This makes the Jolie an excellent choice for those without the budget or space to buy a traditional espresso maker, but would like to experience the pleasure of real Italian espresso.
The Jolie is easy to use and requires small counter space. By pressing a single button, you can start the machine. Pressing it again will start dispense the pod you have selected. The button is illuminated to let you know the amount you've consumed. You can also stop the process, if you want to drink the pod in smaller amounts.
There's no steam wand available on this model, but you can use an optional milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth if you like. The machine is also quite quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen workspace.
They're not expensive, but there's a wide 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 alongside 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 that comes with an integrated milk warmer. It comes with a 75cm power plug and power cable, a warranty card along with a quick guide and a tester pack comprising nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasted (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine itself is small enough to be kept on the floor or placed under the cupboard.
3. Breville BES870XL
The Breville Barista Express appears to be a costly espresso machine. If you're willing and able to master it and make it work, then this is a fantastic home espresso maker. It performs better than many of the more expensive models. It's the best value in its class, and is especially suitable for those who do not have an espresso maker yet. This could easily set them back another $100 or more.
This model sits right in the middle of the range for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive, costing $2,199) however, it's a solid choice for home baristas on a budget. It's loaded with customizable features and even an integrated burr mill, which makes it more affordable. It is also a single-boiler machine, meaning it can only handle one thing at one time.
Breville is a relative newcomer on the market for espresso machines, has rapidly established a reputation for high-quality appliances. This machine is no exception and has enough adjustability to let aspiring baristas develop their abilities without spending hundreds of dollars more than they should.
There are some quirks however. For instance, the hopper on this model is placed on the side of the unit instead of on top--which isn't a huge deal, but it can be a little difficult to disperse multiple shots at a time. The rear placement of the tank makes it difficult to know how much liquid remains.
If you're willing to invest some time to learn how to use the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent choice for any coffee lover at home. The only downside to the Breville Barista Express is its price, which may be a deterrent here for certain buyers. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative, read our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally powerful and offer a little more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost less than the Breville model can do.
4. OXO Brew 9-Cup
A high-tech smart coffee machine with a simple user interface that produces excellent coffee. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen give a stylish appearance to your kitchen. It comes with only one dial to program the number of cups you would like it to make and includes a 2-4 cup setting and a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing process is similar to pour-over that many coffee enthusiasts believe makes the most delicious coffee. The water is heated to the perfect temperature and then poured evenly over the coffee grounds using a shower head. The coffee brewed is then stored in the double-walled, thermal carafe, which can last up to 60 minutes. The pause and pour feature lets you take out the carafe in brewing and fill your own cup. The machine stops brewing and displays a red carafe light on its LED interface until you return it. It then resumes and finishes brewing.
The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is an SCAA-certified coffee maker which means it complies with the organization's rigorous technical standards. Its brew time is approximately longer than the Bodum BISTRO and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers greater control over temperature, brewing duration, 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 41 seconds. It's slightly longer than the 6 minutes or less the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require, but still within the range that experts in the field recommend for a good cup of drip.
It is also necessary to grind your own beans prior to brewing. You can use a manual coffee grinder or opt for a more automatic model, such as the Baratza Encore, which has multiple grind settings and an hopper that can hold whole beans.
The only issue with this product is that it's not dishwasher safe. This could be a concern for some users. 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.