The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There is no single-size-fits all coffee maker. We've rounded-up our top picks, starting with a superautomatic machine that grinds your beans and packs them to a semiautomatic which gives you the most control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch strikes a perfect balance between automatizing the process and requiring you to be familiar with the art of making espresso. It's the most efficient bean-to-cup machine we've found.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a top choice for those who wish to make espresso at home without having to make big sacrifices in terms of quality. This espresso machine with a small footprint was designed for those with little counter space. It combines excellent build quality with a compact footprint. It comes with a 1.8 liter copper heat-exchange boiler and commercial E61 Group Heads so that you can steam your milk and brew coffee at the same time.

The machine looks stunning too, and comes with an insert for the side of the machine with the engraved steam and hot water spouts. This is an upgrade to Rocket's traditional design, which is already impressive for a small appliance. It also includes a black boiler pressure gauge to show when the boiler is ready for 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, especially when you are using it regularly. This is a natural tradeoff for having smaller footprint, however this is not a problem particular to this model.

This machine is able to handle your coffee demands. That being said, we would suggest investing in a quality grinder, such as the Baratza Sette Giante, for greater consistency and flavor. You can also pair the machine with a Rocket Portafilter to increase the tamping.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, makes some great drinks and it is easy to make Latte arts. However, it's worth noting that the machine isn't made for beginners and there's some learning curve for those who are upgrading from appliances. The heat exchange boiler can be a little tricky to control and you'll need to learn the ins and outs of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento provide the option of connecting to a water supply which allows you to always have clean, cold filtered water on hand for your drinks. The latter model has smaller 2.25-liter tank that can be difficult to refill.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

As you would expect from a Lavazza machine this one was designed with quality in mind. It is quick to reach the brewing temperature, which allows you to prepare your first cup of coffee in just 35 minutes. The water tank is also quick and simple to refill and the lid can be removed completely to create a large opening. You can also fill it up with tap water if you want.

This is the smallest machine in the Lavazza A Modo Mio range however, it still packs a punch. It's priced at less than PS100 at the full price which is less than the Nespresso Essenza or similar machines from SMEG or Desea. The Jolie is a great option for those who don't have the space or budget for an espresso machine of the traditional type however still want to enjoy a real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is extremely easy to use and occupies just a little counter space. It's as easy as pressing a single button to activate the machine, and then press it again to start dispensing your chosen brew. There's a backlight on the button, so you can clearly see the amount of dispensed and you can also stop the process at any time in case you prefer drinking the pod in smaller amounts.

There's no steam wand available on this model, however you can add a milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth, if you'd like. The machine is quiet as well and can be utilized in a small workspace or in a flatshare kitchen without disturbing anyone else.

The pods are not inexpensive, but they come in a wide range of blends that will suit all - from the lightest espresso drinker to the most demanding. 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 on the internet.

The Jolie and milk is a sleek capsule machine that comes with an integrated milk warmer. It comes with a 75cm plug and power cable, a warranty card along with a quick guide and a tester pack of nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasted (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine is compact enough to fit under a cupboard or a flat surface.

3. Breville BES870XL

The Breville Barista Express appears to be a costly espresso machine. If you're willing to learn how to use it and make it work, then this is a fantastic home espresso maker. It performs better than most of the more expensive models. It's the most affordable in its class, and is especially good for novices who don't have an espresso grinder yet. This could easily cost them another $100 or more.

The model is priced lower than the most expensive Breville Oracle (the most expensive at $2199), but is still an excellent option for baristas working on a budget. It has plenty of customizable features, and it even comes with a built-in burr grinder to make the whole experience much less expensive. It's also a one-boiler machine, which means that it can only perform one task at the same time.

Despite being a relatively newcomer to the espresso machine market, Breville has quickly made their mark with their high-quality appliances. This machine is no different and has enough control to let new baristas improve their abilities without spending more than is necessary.

There are some quirks, though. For instance, the hopper on this model is positioned on the side of the unit instead of on top--which isn't a huge deal, but it can be frustrating if you're trying to dispense multiple shots at once. The rear-facing position of the tank makes it difficult to know how much liquid is left.

But if you're prepared to invest some time learning how to master the Breville Barista Express, it's a great, do-it-all appliance for anyone who loves espresso at home. The only issue with the Breville Barista Express is the price, which may be a deterrent for some buyers. For those seeking a cheaper option, check out our review of the Gaggia Classic or the La Pavoni Impresso. Both machines have similar capabilities and offer a little more control than the Barista Express. However, they cost a fraction of the cost.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech smart coffee maker with a user-friendly interface that produces great coffee. The sleek stainless steel design with backlit LED screens creates a chic kitchen design. It features one dial to set the amount of cups you want it to make and includes the 2-4 cup setting and a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing technique is similar to pour-over that many coffee enthusiasts believe produces the best tasting coffee. The water is heated to the ideal temperature and then poured over grounds using a showerhead to ensure uniform saturation. The coffee is then brewed in the double-walled, thermal carafe for up to 60 minutes. The pause and pour function allows you to remove the carafe while brewing to fill your individual cup. The machine stops the brewing process, and displays an red light on its LED interface, until you return the carafe. It then resumes brewing.

The OXO 9-Cup coffee maker comes SCAA certified, which means that it complies with the strict technical standards. Its brew cycle is about the same length as the Bodum BISTRO and Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it offers more control over temperature, brewing time and quality.

In our testing in our testing, the OXO Brew 9-Cup produced an excellent drip coffee and a full-carafe of coffee in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. That's a little longer than the 6 minutes or less that the Bonavita Connoisseur and the Moccamaster require but well within the range that experts in the field recommend for a coffee machines sale great cup of drip.

It is also necessary to grind your own beans prior to brewing. You can use a manual coffee grinder, or go for a more automated model such as the Baratza Encore, which has various grind settings as well as a hopper that holds whole beans.

The only drawback to this product is that it's not dishwasher safe. This could be a problem for some users. The stainless steel is still easily cleaned by hand, though. The OXO 9-Cup is a leading contender for the best drip coffee maker because of its sleek design and easy to use interface.