The Best Coffee Machines For Home
There is no single-size-fits all coffee machine. That's why we've rounded up our favorite picks for your home, from a fully automated that grinds and packs your beans to semi-automatics that give you the most control over your espresso.
The Breville Oracle Touch strikes the perfect balance between automatizing the process and making you proficient in the art of espresso-making. It's our top pick for a bean-to-cup machine.
1. Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Appartamento is a top option for those looking to make espresso at home, without making huge sacrifices in terms 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 as well as a commercial E61 group head so you can steam milk and brew espresso at the same time.
The machine is also beautiful and has a circular insert on the 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 compact machine. It also has 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. It is important be cautious when emptying and refilling the machine. This is especially true when you are using it often. This is a sacrifice that is a result of having smaller footprint. This isn't a problem specific to this model.
This machine is capable of handling the demands of your coffee. We would suggest investing in a quality grinder, such as the Baratza Sette Gigante to ensure consistency and better flavor. You can also use this machine in conjunction with the Rocket portafilter to improve the grinding process.
As a professional espresso machine The Rocket Appartamento is capable of making great drinks, and is easy to create latte art. It's important to know that this machine isn't designed for novices. There is a small learning curve for those who upgrade 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 allow connecting to a water supply, which allows you to always have clean, cold filtered water on hand for your drinks. The latter model has a smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be difficult to refill.
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, so you can prepare your first cup in less than 35 second. The water tank is quick and easy to fill and the lid can be removed completely to create a large opening. You can fill it up with tap water if you want.
The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest of the range, but it is a powerful machine. 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 excellent choice for those with a limited budget or space for a traditional espresso maker, but 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 and again to begin dispensing your chosen pod. The button has a backlight so you can see how much you have consumed. You can also stop the process, in case you wish to drink the pod in smaller amounts.
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 working space.
The pods aren't cheap, but they come in a wide range of blends that are suitable for anyone from the mildest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are readily available in many supermarkets alongside regular ground coffee and coffee beans 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 in a box with a 75cm power cord and plug along with a quick-guide as well as a warranty sheet, and a test box containing nine Lavazza pods which include six roasts (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is compact enough to fit under a cupboard or flat surfaces.
3. Breville BES870XL
The Breville Barista Express appears to be an expensive espresso machine. If you're willing to put in the work to master its use this is a great espresso maker for your home that performs better than some of the more expensive models on the market. It's the best value in its class, and it's especially suitable for those who don't have an espresso machine yet, which could cost them another $100 or more.
This model is a bit below the top of the line for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive at $2,199), but it's still a solid choice for baristas at home on a tight budget. It has a lot of options to customize and features, including 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 burnish their skills without spending hundreds of dollars more than they have to.
The unit does not come without its flaws. The hopper is on the side, not on the top of the model. It's not a huge issue, but it can be frustrating if you want to dispense several shots at a time. The rear-facing position of the tank makes it difficult to know how much liquid remains.
If you're willing to put in time learning 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 hindrance for some buyers. If you're looking for an affordable alternative, we recommend the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both machines are comparable in their capabilities and offer a bit more control than the Barista Express. However, they are a fraction of the price.
4. OXO Brew 9 Cup
A high-tech smart coffee machine with a user-friendly interface that produces great coffee. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED display add a sophisticated look to your kitchen. It comes with one dial that allows you to program the amount of cups. There are two settings available: 2-4 cups and 5-9 cups. The brewing process more info is similar to pour-over brewing, which coffee lovers believe makes the best-tasting coffee. The water is heated up to the ideal temperature, and then evenly distributed over the coffee grounds using shower heads. The coffee brewed is then stored in the double-walled, thermal carafe for up to 60 minutes. Its pause and pour feature lets you remove the carafe while brewing to fill your individual cup. The machine stops the brewing process and shows an red light on its LED interface, until you return the carafe. The machine then begins brewing.
The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is a SCAA-certified coffee maker, which means it meets the rigorous standards of SCAA's technology. The brew cycle is longer than the Bodum BISTRO and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it provides more control over temperature, brewing time and quality.
In our tests, the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent pot of drip coffee with an entire carafe in just 7 minutes 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 that experts in the field recommend for a great cup of drip.
You should also grind your own beans prior to making. You can use a manual coffee grinder or choose a more automated model, such as the Baratza Encore, which has various grind settings as well as the hopper can hold entire beans.
The only drawback is that the carafe and water reservoirs aren't dishwasher safe this could be a hassle for certain users. The stainless steel is easy to clean by hand, however. The OXO Brew 9-Cup's sleek design and easy-to-use interface make it a top contender among the best drip coffee makers.