The Best Coffee Machines For Home
There's no one-size-fits-all coffee machine. We've compiled our top choices, ranging from a superautomatic that grinds your beans and packs them to semi-automatic machines that give you the best control over your espresso.
The Breville Oracle Touch strikes a perfect balance between automatizing the process while requiring you to be familiar with the art of espresso-making. This is our top choice for a coffee-to-cup machine.
1. Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Appartamento is a fantastic choice for those who are looking to make espresso at their home without sacrificing quality. This espresso machine for prosumers is designed with limited counter space in mind and offers top-quality build and the smallest footprint. It comes with an 1.8-liter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 group heads so that you can steam milk while making espresso simultaneously.
The machine looks fantastic too, and comes with a round side panel insert with the engraved steam and hot water spouts. This is a new take on Rocket's classic aesthetic, which is already pretty impressive for a small machine. It also has a black pressure gauge that indicates when the boiler is ready to use.
One disadvantage of this tiny machine is that the drip tray and the water reservoir are smaller than the majority of machines. It is important to be careful when emptying and re-filling the machine. This is especially true if you use it frequently. This is a natural tradeoff to have a smaller footprint, though it is not a problem particular to this model.
You can still brew a lot of coffee with this machine, and it can easily meet the demands. We recommend buying a good grinder, like the Baratza Sette Giante to improve consistency and flavor. You can also use this machine in conjunction with the Rocket portafilter to enhance the grinding process.
As a prosumer espresso machine, the Rocket Appartamento is capable of making some great drinks, and it's easy to make the latte art. It's important to note that the machine isn't made for novices, and there is an enlightening curve for those who are upgrading from appliances. The heat exchanger is tricky to handle, and you'll need 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 and filter-filtered water. The latter has a 2.25-liter water tank, which is more difficult to fill than its competitors.
2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie
As you would expect from the Lavazza machine this one has been designed with quality in mind. The machine can reach the brewing temperature quickly, meaning you can make your first cup in just 35 second. The water tank can be easily refilled by removing the lid. be removed to make an enormous hole. You can fill it with tap water depending on what you prefer.
This is the smallest machine of the Lavazza A Modo Mio range, but it still has a lot of punch. It costs less than PS100 at retail - that's less than the Nespresso Essenza or similar machines from SMEG or Desea. The Jolie is a great choice for those who don't have the space or money for traditional espresso machines however, they nevertheless want to drink a real Italian espresso.
The Jolie is extremely easy to operate and takes up just a little counter space. Pressing one button will activate the machine. When you press it again, it will start dispensing the specific pod you've chosen. The button has a backlight so you can see the amount you've consumed. You can also stop the process, in case you wish to drink the pod in smaller portions.
This model does not come with a steam wand, but you can add some creamy froth to your milk using an optional milk frother. It's also quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen working space.
Pods aren't cheap, but there is a wide variety of blends available that will satisfy everyone from the mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. They are available in many supermarkets, as well as regular grounds coffee and coffee beans. You can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio Compatible pods on the internet.
The Jolie and Milk is a sleek capsule machine that includes a milk warmer and a frother. It comes with a 75cm power cord and plug, a quick-guide and warranty card, as well as a test box of nine Lavazza pods: six roasts (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is small enough to be placed under a cabinet or on flat surfaces.
3. Breville BES870XL
The Breville Barista Express appears to be an expensive espresso machine. If you're willing to learn how to use it and make it work, then this is a great home espresso maker. It performs better than most of the more expensive models. It's among the Best Coffee Machine priced in its class, and it's especially good for novices who don't have an espresso machine yet. This could easily cost them $100 or more.
The model is just below the top of the line for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive at $2,199) However, it's an excellent choice for home baristas on a budget. It has plenty of customizable features, and it even includes an integrated burr grinder that makes the whole experience much cheaper. It's also a single boiler machine that means it can only do steaming or brewing at the same time.
Breville, an incredibly newcomer to the market for espresso machines, has swiftly earned a reputation for its high-quality appliances. This machine is no different, and it has just enough control to let aspiring baristas improve their skills without spending hundreds more than necessary.
It's not without its flaws, though. The hopper is on the side, not on the top of the model. It's not a major problem, but it could be a hassle if you need to disperse several shots at a time. The rear-facing position of the tank makes it difficult to see how much liquid remains.
If you're willing to put in time learning to make use of the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent option for any coffee lover at home. The only issue is the cost, which can be a deterrent for some buyers. If you're looking for a budget option, we recommend the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both machines are comparable in their capabilities and provide a bit more control than the Barista Express. However, they cost less than the price.
4. OXO Brew 9 Cup
A high-tech, smart coffee maker that makes excellent coffee with a simple user interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED display add a sophisticated appearance to your kitchen. It comes with one dial that lets you to program the amount of cups. There are two settings: 5-9 cups and 2-4 cups. Its brewing process is similar to pour over, which most coffee enthusiasts believe makes the most delicious coffee. The water is heated to the perfect temperature before being poured over the grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The coffee is stored in a double-walled carafe and can be stored for up to 60 min. The pause and pour function lets you take out the carafe while brewing to fill your own cup. 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 Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is an SCAA-certified coffee maker which means it meets the strict standards of SCAA's technical standards. The brew cycle is longer than the Bodum BISTRO and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers more control over temperature, brewing duration, and quality.
In our tests in our tests, the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent cup of drip coffee that filled an entire carafe in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. That's a little longer than the 6 minutes or less the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require, but it falls within the range of time that experts in the field recommend for a good cup of drip.
It also requires you to grind your own beans before making. You can make use of an old-fashioned coffee grinder or go for a more automated model, such as the Baratza Encore, which has different grind settings and an hopper that can hold whole beans.
The only downside to this product is that it's not dishwasher safe. This could be a problem for some customers. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO 9-Cup is a leading contender for the best drip coffee maker due to its sleek design and easy-to use interface.