The Best Coffee Machines For Home
There's no universally-fit-all coffee machine. We've rounded up our favorite picks for your home, ranging from a super-automatic that grinds and packs your beans, to semi-automatic machines that give you the most control over your espresso.
The Breville Oracle Touch strikes a perfect balance between automatizing the process while needing you to be knowledgeable about the art of espresso-making. This is our top choice for a machine that makes coffee.
- Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Appartamento makes a great choice for those who are looking to make espresso at their home without sacrificing quality. This small-footprint espresso machine was created for those who have small counter space. It combines excellent build quality with a compact footprint. It is 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 is also beautiful and features a round panel on the side with the steam engraved and hot water spouts. This is a refreshing update on the classic look of Rocket and is already impressive for a small machine. It also comes with an black pressure gauge that indicates when the boiler is ready to use.
The water reservoir and drip tray are smaller on this machine than most others. This means you'll need to be extra vigilant when emptying and refilling the machine, particularly when using it frequently. This is a cost that is a result of having less footprint. It's not something that is unique to this model.
You can still make a large amount of coffee using this machine, and it can easily keep up with the demands. We recommend investing in a quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Gante, to improve consistency and taste. You can also pair the machine with a Rocket Portafilter to increase tamping.
Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, can create some great drinks and it is easy to create latte arts. It's important to note that the machine was not designed for beginners and there's an enlightening curve for those who are upgrading from appliance-grade machines. The heat exchanger can be difficult to operate and you'll have to master the art of cooling flushes.
Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento provide the option of connecting to a water supply, that means you will always have fresh, cold filtered water on hand for your drinks. The latter has a smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be difficult to refill.
- Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie
As you would expect from the Lavazza machine this one has been designed with quality in mind. It is quick to reach brewing temperature, allowing you to make your first cup of coffee in less than 35 seconds. The water tank is also quick and easy to fill and the lid can be removed completely to make a wide opening. You can fill it with tap water if that's what you prefer.
The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest of the series, yet it packs a punch. When you buy it at 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 an ideal choice for those with a limited budget or space for a traditional espresso maker, but who would like to experience the pleasure of real Italian espresso.
The Jolie is easy to use and takes up small counter space. You just need to press one button to turn on the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen pod. The button is illuminated so that you can see the amount you've consumed. You can also stop the process, should you prefer to consume the pod in smaller quantities.
This model does not come with a steam wand however, you can add creamy foam to your milk with an optional milk frother. The machine is also quite quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen or working space.
The pods aren't expensive, but they are available in a range of blends that will suit anyone from the mildest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are available in most supermarkets, along with regular ground coffee and coffee beans and 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. It comes with a 75cm power plug and power cable, a warranty card and a quick reference, and a test pack of nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasts (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine is small enough to be kept on a flat surface or slipped under the cabinet.
- Breville BES870XL
The Breville Barista Express appears to be an expensive espresso machine. If you're willing and able learn to use it this is a great at-home espresso maker. It performs better than most of the more expensive models. It's an excellent value for its class and is particularly helpful for those who aren't experienced enough to have an espresso machine, which can cost up to $100.
This model is priced less than the top-of-the-line Breville Oracle (the most expensive at $2199) However, it's a good choice for baristas on a tight budget. It comes with plenty of adjustable features, and it even comes with a built-in burr grinder that makes the entire experience cheaper. It's also a one-boiler machine, which means that it can only do one thing at a time.
Despite being a relative newcomer to the market for espresso machines, Breville has quickly made an impact through their top-quality machines. This machine is no exception and has enough control to let aspiring baristas improve their skills without spending hundreds more than is necessary.
It's not without its quirks, though. For instance, the hopper in this model is located on the side of the unit instead of on top. This isn't significant however it can be a little difficult to dispense multiple shots at once. The rear placement of the tank makes it difficult to know how much liquid remains.
But if you're prepared to spend some time learning how to master the Breville Barista Express, it's an excellent, all-purpose appliance for any home espresso lover. The only drawback is the price, which can be a turnoff for certain buyers. For those 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 bit more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost you less than the Breville model does.
- OXO Brew 9 Cup
A high-tech smart coffee maker with a simple user interface that produces great coffee. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen add a sophisticated appearance to your kitchen. It comes with only one dial to program how many cups you want it to make. It also comes with the 2-4 cup setting and a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing technique 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 over grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The brewed coffee is then stored in the double-walled thermal carafe that can be kept for up to 60 min. The pause and pour function lets you remove the carafe during brewing to fill your own cup. The machine pauses brewing and shows a red light for the carafe on its LED interface until you return it. It then resumes and finishes brewing.
The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is a SCAA-certified coffee maker, that means it is in compliance with the strict standards of SCAA's technical standards. The brew cycles are the same as those of the Bodum Bistro and Technivorm Moccamaster 741 but it lets you control the temperature and brewing time.
In our tests, the OXO Brew 9-Cup made a pot of excellent drip coffee that was served in a full-carafe in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is slightly more than the 6 minutes that the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but still within the range that coffee experts recommend to make a good cup.
It also requires that you grind your own beans before brewing. You can select an manual grinder or an automated model, such as the Baratza Encore. It has various grind settings, as well as a hopper for whole beans.
The only downside is that the carafe as well as the water reservoir aren't dishwasher-safe, which could be a issue for some users. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO 9-Cup is an excellent contender for the best drip coffee maker because of its sleek design and simple to use interface.