I’m a Coffee Snob, and These Are My Favorite Espresso Machines

You want good coffee in the morning, but you don’t want to start a home cafe, I get it. If you just want to make quick-and-simple espresso and espresso-based drinks like lattes, a compact machine like the Breville Bambino Plus should be your go-to option.

It takes up very little counter space (7.5-inches wide, 12.1-inches tall, and 13.75-inches deep), so your kitchen should still be plenty usable. Conveniently, it also has a ThermoJet heating system that quickly heats up the machine, so you don’t need to wait a long time to start using it (an issue with traditional, boiler-based espresso machines). For milk-based drinks, there’s an automatic hands-free steam wand so you can easily froth textured milk in one step. The controls on top are also quite simple, offering options for single shots, double shots, or drinks presets.

What the Bambino Plus gives you is consistently good coffee from a machine that is quality-made. The portafilter can take 18-22 grams of coffee for those strong shots. You can expect consistent 9-bar pressure,and 200 degree temperature for classic Italian espresso shots. And the frother promises to create microfoam bubbles, like the ones you get from a cafe machine.

Though, the simplicity comes at a cost. This machine doesn’t have temperature control, so coffee enthusiasts won’t be able to fine-tune their brewing parameters. The smaller, 54mm portafilter is also an odd choice (the standard being 58mm). The Breville Bambino Plus is squarely not for coffee enthusiasts, but it is a great first machine for beginners who don’t have a lot of space or who might already own a bean grinder.

Breville’s Barista Express is the perfect choice for beginner home baristas who are starting from scratch. It has everything you’ll need to create authentic lattes, cappuccinos, and other coffee drinks. You’ll get an integrated, conical-burr grinder that can be adjusted to grind any way you like. The machine also has a thermocoil heating system with temperature control, which maintains the temperature of the espresso to 200 degrees, resulting in balanced espresso shots. Discerning coffee nerds can also expect high-pressure, 9-bar extraction, again a staple of traditional Italian espresso makers. 

If you’re starting to get into coffee and want to brew something straight out of freshly roasted beans from the corner cafe, this machine is for you. The only downsides are the price and the learning curve, although these issues are common across most espresso machines, and there are more demanding products on this list. You’ll also need to put in some work to actually use the machine, although some hobbyists enjoy the process, and the resulting coffee is well worth the effort.

Rancilio makes some of the most robust cafe espresso machines in the world. If you like your coffee, like really like your coffee, you should consider the Rancilio Silvia. It’s a smaller, home-friendly version of the company’s commercial machine, still made with commercial grade materials, that looks and works like a genuine cafe machine.

This is a manually operated machine, but comes with an industry standard 58mm portafilter. There are no touchscreens, no presets, and even no buttons. There are just switches to start making your espresso shot or using your steam wand, which you’ll have to shut off manually when you’re done.

While the machine is incredibly simple to use, you’ll need to figure out the grind size and the time for the coffee shot on your own. Oh, and it takes 15 minutes to fully heat up the machine. But for a coffee enthusiast who wants cafe-quality espresso drinks at home, these downsides are hardly an issue.

That said, at close to $900, the Silvia is the most expensive machine on this list. If you’re a coffee enthusiast on a budget, look into the Gaggia Classic Pro instead. This small yet capable espresso machine is a little finicky, but has a lively community online and is very mod-friendly. With some configuring, you can add features like temperature control, which usually require you to buy machines that cost thousands of dollars (precise temperature control can also be added to Silvia as an accessory).

Café Affetto is a fully automatic espresso machine that’s compact enough to be a feature on your kitchen island. It features a modern design, with copper accents, adding a touch of sophistication. A one-touch brewing method can help you dispense espresso, an Americano, or hot water. The built-in grinder features a stainless-steel conical burr set, a rarity in this price range.

All the drink customizations need to be done using the Wi-Fi connected SmartHQ app, where you can customize drink recipes and manage all device settings. The integrated steam wand makes for easy frothing, and lets you create lattes and cappuccinos with ease. The machine also comes with a pre-infusion feature that’s currently all the rage in the specialty coffee, allowing for an even extraction for all your coffee beans, before ramping up the pressure (and this machine has 20 bars of pressure).

The De’Longhi Magnifica S makes brewing coffee as simple as pressing a couple of buttons. This is a fully automatic machine, but one that comes with a manual milk frother. For milk based drinks, that’s actually a positive, as it lets you customize the milk foam consistency as you wish.

The machine has a 13-step conical burr grinder, and every part of the machine is navigated using buttons. There’s no need for an external app, nor is there a touchscreen. This stops being an issue once you get the hang of it.

Being a fully automatic machine, there is no need to use a portafilter or calibrate beans. The full-plastic body can feel flimsy to some, and you can’t customize your shots as much, but at under $500, this machine provides spectacular value for money, giving you automatic brewing for as cheap as some manual machines.

Let’s say you’re on a budget. You have $100, and you want a simple machine to make espressos and lattes. You buy your ground coffee from the supermarket, but you don’t want to use a pod machine. In that case, the De’Longhi Stilosa was made for you.

This is a manual espresso maker, meaning you have to use a portafilter to load up the ground coffee, and there are no fancy presets. There is a steam wand for milk frothing, also operated manually. But you get a powerful stainless-steel boiler inside that guarantees 15 bar pump pressure to brew those intense dark roast espresso shots. Then, you can use the steam wand to froth milk or even have the machine pump out some hot water for an Americano.

At this price point, there are some downsides that you won’t find in the other espresso machines on this list. First is that the machine comes with a small sized portafilter that has a pressurized valve at the bottom. The portafilter can only dose up to 12 grams of coffee, and it comes with a flimsy plastic tamper. If you’re looking for the stronger, 18 gram shots that you’ll find in cafes, this machine isn’t a great option.

Also, the pressurized gasket in the portafilter is less common at higher price points, and has some downsides. This is the only machine on this list that has one, and it’s meant for cheaper coffee grounds that aren’t fine enough for a more traditional machine. Here, the filter uses pressure to ensure sediment doesn’t escape the basket, but it also means you can’t use extra fine ground coffee like you normally would, since it might choke up your brew. If you plan to use pre-ground, commercial coffee that has a long shelf life, it’s a good option, but you are limiting yourself when it comes to taste, quality, and bean options. Ideally, all the pressure in a brew should be on your coffee puck for the strongest taste, and that’s not quite happening here. Still, there’s no denying the savings with this option—it’s a good way to see if the process of making espresso if for you.