Do you enjoy making your own coffee? Is the quality of life important to you? Do you want to make a good impression on your guests? With these thoughts in mind, it should be clear that purchasing an espresso machine is a must!
This might seem like an intimidating expense, but luckily the choices are vast, and there is something for every budget. Here is a list of what we consider to be the 10 best espresso machines for your home.
Finding the best espresso machine could be the difference between a great brew and coffee that could hardly satisfy you. The best espresso machine is very much different from your regular drip coffee maker. It makes coffee through pressurized water close to the boiling point that is forced through the ground coffee and filter basket. The brew produced is a thick and concentrated coffee that is commonly referred to as espresso. The espresso is a nice brew, but unfortunately, very few people know how to use an espresso machine.
We have spent time and effort checking and researching the field to develop a list of the 10 best espresso machines for your home in 2019. The list below was made based on the experts’ review and the opinion of experts in the field:
The Breville BES870XL Barista Express has enough adjustable controls and manual settings that will make you feel like a real barista when you use it. It is simple to operate and performs as well as espresso machines that cost hundreds more. It grinds coffee beans right into the portafilter. This machine, however, requires some patience and effort to operate. It is not an automatic machine with a minimum of fuss that normally costs thousands of dollars.
The Breville Barista Express is about the size of a standard drip coffee maker but double the width. It is significantly larger than the average compact espresso machine, making this machine physically robust and larger. It would still be a good fit on the kitchen counter. The Breville machine’s chassis is made of stainless steel, with a steel portafilter and a handle attachment. The bean hopper is large with a burr grinder that gives the machine some serious looks. These features are normally seen on premium and automatic coffee makers.
Brewing Capability
Even if you are new at pulling the best espresso shot, this machine will give you an amazing quality espresso. The machine comes with 4 filter baskets – single and double filter baskets with pressurized and non-pressurized versions. If you are not yet familiar with operating the machine, you can start with the pressurized baskets to eliminate adjusting the grind level and amount. Just check with the pressure dial and make the needed adjustments.
Milk Frothing
This machine is not an automatic one, which means you have to learn how to steam and froth your milk. Using the 360-degree steam wand allows you to find the right angle for the steaming pitcher and let you get ahead of milk froth for your cappuccino or a silky microfoam for your latte. The conventional wand allows you to make practice runs until you have mastered the art of milk frothing.
Cleaning
Espresso machines are notorious for the amount of time needed to clean the parts. Some machines require so much time disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling back the parts that people would rather go to the nearest coffee shop to order their espresso than to brew one at home. But not the Breville Barista Express can be cleaned with some simple twists to remove parts for cleaning.
Build Quality
The Breville Barista Express consists of Italian-made parts that ensure the finest Italian taste of espresso. The machine has a stainless steel casing, and it has plastic internal parts, something that is expected with a machine at this price range.
Espresso lovers are impressed with the way Barista Express is built. For added peace of mind, the machine comes with a one-year limited warranty.
The Breville Barista Express has:
Breville is a trusted name in coffee machines, particularly espresso machines. The Breville BES840XL Infuser is built for both home kitchen and office use. It is a semi-automatic espresso machine, which gives you better control over the espresso you are making. However, semi-automatic espresso machines require some experience before you can master the techniques.
Finish and Dimensions
The Breville BES840XL Infuser is made with stainless steel. It offers the best looks and strength for both brewing the perfect espresso and related tasks. It is perfect for the modern kitchen. Every part of the machine speaks of the strength of build. At this price point, this machine is one of the best choices when it comes to espresso machines.
This Breville machine is available in two finishes: Black Sesame and Cranberry Red. You can choose a color that best suits your kitchen or office interior. The machine is skillfully designed, offering you better control and the sturdiness you need to get your espresso ready.
The Breville the Infuser measures 10.2 inches x 12.5 inches x 13.2 inches, a cross between a compact machine and a huge machine. With 17 pounds, this coffee maker is the best for your kitchen counter or office pantry.
Performance
The Breville the Infuser is of professional-level quality and has a performance that provides users a smooth espresso-making experience. The machine is equipped with a Thermocoil Heating System, which is an effective shift from the thermoblock. This new technology allows for better control over water temperature, especially considering that optimal temperature is needed to produce the best espresso shot. The heating system is combined with a 15-Bar Pump and Pre-Infusion technology to keep the beans wet and in the optimal state for brewing, with the pump applying the right amount of pressure. The result is an amazing cup of espresso from the Breville BES840XL.
The Pre-Infusion tech impacts aroma preservation, offering the best performance for its class.
Usability and Control
It will require some experience in espresso-making before you can operate a semi-automatic espresso maker. Once you have that idea, using the Breville BES840XL will be easy, especially considering the well-built hardware, making managing this a lot easier. This was designed for use by both beginners and intermediate baristas.
The machine has four buttons on the control panel – Power, Program, One Cup, and Two Cups. There are also lights for Clean Me and Hot Water Steam, together with the pressure gauge. You can know what is going on with the espresso machine by just glancing at the control panel.
The Breville BES840XL has:
With De’Longhi ECAM 35020B Dinamica True Brew Over Ice Fully Automatic, there is no need to settle for a watered-down version of iced coffee that you want to drink at home. It is the world’s only fully automatic coffee machine globally, featuring the latest technology for making iced coffee. It brews the coffee at a low temperature, pre-infused with the option to customize the coffee strength. It brews smooth and full-bodied coffee over ice that does not taste watered down.
This machine will also allow you to enjoy a wide variety of the best fresh, traditional coffee beverages at home, comparable to the coffee beverages you get from your favorite coffee shops. You can make your favorite iced coffee in your own kitchen. It offers various beverages at the touch of a button, such as espresso, drip-style coffee, and TrueBrew Over Ice. Just choose the coffee strength of your liking and press the corresponding button, and your favorite coffee drink will be available in a short time.
The De’Longhi Dinamica has an integrated advanced manual frothing that allows you to prepare your espresso classics such as latte and cappuccino, complete with rich and long-lasting foam from your choice of milk – cow’s, soy, coconut, almond, or rice. The frothing quality will depend on the type of dairy or non-dairy milk you have selected.
Full-bodied Iced Coffee
De’Longhi TrueBrew Over Ice is the first and only fully automatic coffee and espresso machine that features iced coffee. The low-temperature brewing, pre-infusing, and infusing the coffee offers the option of customizing your coffee's strength, and you will get the perfect cup of coffee over ice that does not taste watered down.
Heating up
This fully automatic coffee and espresso machine have an Italian 15-bar high-performance pump. It takes the brew unit only 40 seconds to heat up, which means that you can have your quality coffee beverages with the push of a button.
Freshest Coffee
This machine incorporates bean-to-cup science and the best built-in burr grinder made of steel that will give you the best cup of coffee every time. Unlike other machines on the market, Dinamica will not leave coffee grounds in the brew unit.
Adjustable Steel Burr Grinder
Dinamica has an adjustable stainless steel burr grinder that gives you total control of the grind and beverage strength. Dinamica comes with a recommended grind setting, but you have the option to customize based on your coffee roast, origin, and taste preferences.
Foam Your Way
There is an adjustable manual frother that gives you the option of customizing steam and foam levels. You can choose from creamy, rich, long-lasting lattes and cappuccinos even if you do not have any barista experience.
De’Longhi Dinamica is:
The Breville Oracle stretches the boundaries of what people can expect from an espresso machine. The Oracle Espresso Machine is huge, but it offers plenty of features.
The Innovations
Breville blurs the line between semi-automatic and super-automatic, creating a hybrid that was never seen before. The Oracle has a built-in grinder and tamper, both of which are adjustable using a digital display. It is a hybrid machine with automated features such as the steamed milk wand. This programmability is not usual with a semi-automatic machine, making it easier to brew the best espresso shot while spending very little time dialing it in. The Oracle has an advanced setup with more advanced digital programmability and automatic tamping.
Auto Coffee Grinding
The first noticeable feature of Breville Oracle is the built-in burr coffee grinder. The grinder lets you grind the same amount of coffee each time you press a button, ensuring consistent results while having the other option of adjusting the grind level.
Auto Coffee Tamping
The machine automatically tamps the coffee into the portafilter once you put the coffee in the group head. This ensures that you will get the same amount of force on your coffee every time you brew. This eliminates the variables that affect the coffee-making process.
Auto Milk Frothing
The most interesting aspect of the Oracle is the two settings for milk frothing. The first is fully automatic, with the machine automatically frothing milk and auto purging upon completion. This is perfect for beginners who want to learn the correct technique for steamed milk. If you want to take full control of the process, bring the steam wand forward, and override the auto functions.
Auto Espresso Extraction
Being a semi-automatic machine, Oracle’s extraction system can be pre-programmed. It can also be used manually if you want to adjust your brewing times.
The combination of the automation features allows you to create good quality coffee straight out of the box. The best thing about this machine is that automation is optional as you can go manually easily. It is a true hybrid machine.
The Breville BREBES980XL The Oracle Espresso Machine has:
The ECAM23260SB machine comes with some amazing features that are not normally available in most fully automatic coffee makers. It is cheaper than other espresso machines yet capable of brewing high-quality coffee better than most high-end espresso machines.
De’Longhi ECAM23260SB differentiates itself from the rest with its rich crema, great aroma, and flavor. This is a Super-Automatic Espresso Machine and Super Automatic cappuccino machine that prepares many coffee beverages. It features a superb visual and functional design, with fully digital controls that are intuitive and a snap to use. Cleaning the machine is quite easy because of its advanced design. This machine lets you enjoy a tasty and high-quality coffee beverage any time you want. It has many features that are easy to use, and it is reasonably priced. This machine is an excellent choice when looking for a super-automatic espresso maker.
This machine has a one-touch double-shot 2x function that allows you to prepare your coffee by pressing a button. The thermos block is an interesting feature that is available in the espresso and cappuccino machine, ensuring that the temperature is perfect when you brew your cup of coffee or cappuccino.
There is a milk carafe with an auto-cleaning system. Once you select the auto-clean function, the machine rinses itself automatically. The hot water spout comes in handy when you want to make tea or hot chocolate.
De’Longhi ECAM23260SB is a bit heavy but still lighter when compared to Breville. It has a 250 g capacity, making it ideal for brewing coffee for several people simultaneously, making it perfect for commercial use.
This machine has an extractable brewing compartment that is small enough to ensure perfect temperature and pressure during infusions. The unit can adjust itself for up to two shots of pre-ground coffee.
This espresso machine has a water tank that can hold 1.8 liters of water. There is a level indicator in the tank for convenient filling and cleaning. Also, there is a drip tray and a removable coffee container. You can easily remove the parts for effective cleaning.
De’Longhi Fully Automatic Magnifica Smart Espresso and Cappuccino Maker has:
With Delonghi ECAM35025SB Dinamica TrueBrew Over Ice Fully Automatic, there is no longer any need to settle for your version of iced coffee at home or work that tastes like it is watered-down. This machine is the first and only fully automatic coffee machine that includes iced coffee production.
Delonghi ECAM35025SB Dinamica TrueBrew Over Ice Fully Automatic brews at a lower temperature, pre-infuses, infuses, and offers the ability to customize your coffee to extra strength. This machine brews full-bodied and smooth coffee over ice that never tastes watered down. It will allow you to make various traditional coffee drinks at home and office. An automatic machine that delivers beans straight to the cup offers four beverages, namely espresso, drip-style coffee, espresso, and TrueBrew Over Ice, at the touch of a button.
To give you the freshest brew ever, Dinamica’s revolutionary grind technique delivers the exact amount of coffee beans without leaving residual coffee in the brewing section to ensure your next cup is just as fresh. With its integrated advanced manual frother, espresso classics like cappuccino and lattes come complete with the right and long-lasting foam, regardless if you use cow’s, almonds, soy, or coconut milk.
Clean-up is very easy as it takes only half the cleaning time of other machines. In other machines, you need to use a chemical to clean after brewing. All you have to do is pull out the drip tray, and put it in the dishwasher. Dinamica has an adjustable steel burr grinder that allows you to control the grind and coffee strength depending on your coffee's origin. This machine was designed to make your daily brew as easy as possible.
Delonghi ECAM35025SB Dinamica TrueBrew Over Ice Fully Automatic has the following:
Jura is a Swiss-based manufacturer of a wide range of automatic coffee machines. They use high-pressure brewing to make coffee, espresso, cappuccino, latte, and other coffee beverages that rival those prepared by any coffee chain. The machines are easy to use as they could handle everything, including the grinding of the beans and the machine's cleaning.
As with other Jura models, the Jura E8 can make espresso, coffee, and ristretto as long as you press the right settings to make additional drinks such as macchiatos and cappuccinos lattes and the elaborate barista-inspired recipes.
Jura E8 has a six-level Aroma G3 grinder for the perfect coffee beverage that you want to prepare. The Jura E8 is the choice for the discriminating coffee drinkers who want the most advanced coffee maker in terms of technology. The machine uses PEP to deliver an efficient, effective brewing while featuring a water system that prevents scaling. This machine has 12 programmable coffee specialties and eight levels of coffee strength to guarantee the best-tasting coffee possible. This coffee maker cleans itself.
The Jura E8 has the following:
The Breville Duo Pro Espresso Machine provides balanced flavors using even brewing to allow low-pressure pre-infusion that you normally see in a commercial espresso machine. It produces a good-tasting cappuccino or espresso with well-balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. The Duo Pro espresso maker provides you with quality espresso at home.
The pre-infusion at lower pressure ensures that all the coffee flavors are drawn out during brewing to produce an espresso shot with a balanced taste.
The high-power 1600 watt element delivers enough steam to create a micro-foam that enhances flavor and enables you to produce latte art. This machine is constructed using brushed stainless steel. It has a water tank that is capable of holding 61 ounces of water.
The Duo-Temp Pro is faster than traditional espresso machines in the way it heats the water. It uses a high-powered stainless steel thermo-coil that heats water on demand. When you turn on the espresso maker in the morning, it is ready to brew in minutes. The high-power thermos-coil produces an endless stream of constant pressure.
For brewing espresso, the Du0-Temp uses a 54 mm stainless steel portafilter. The machine includes the standard single (solo) and double shot (doppio) baskets and single and double-wall pressurized baskets. You will get the best results when you use the standard baskets. The pressurized baskets allow for the use of pre-ground coffee.
The Breville BES810BSSXL Duo Pro Espresso Machine has the following:
No need anymore to do with a watered-down version of iced coffee at work or home. Using the world’s sole fully automatic espresso machine that features iced coffee processing, you never have to worry again about the quality of your iced coffee. The machine brews at a low temperature to pre-infuse the coffee grounds, offering the ability to customize the coffee to the strength you want.
De’Longhi True Brew Over Ice can brew full-bodied and smooth coffee over ice that does not taste watered down. You can now enjoy a variety of the freshest coffee beverages at home. The Dinamica is an automatic bean-to-cup machine, offering one-touch coffee beverages of your choice – drip-style coffee, long espresso, espresso, and True Brew Over Ice. All you have to do is select the coffee strength that you want.
This machine has an integrated manual frothier to produce espresso classics such as cappuccinos and lattes, complete with a long-lasting and rich foam, regardless if you use cow’s, almond, soy, rice, or coconut milk. The quality of frothing depends on the type of milk selected.
The True brew process of De’Longhi delivers full-bodied and smooth ice coffee by low-temperature brewing.
The machine is capable of heating up in less than 40 seconds. It has a pump with a 15-bar setting, which takes up to 40 seconds to heat up and start brewing.
De’Longhi ECAM35020W Dinamica TrueBrew Over Ice Fully Automatic has the following:
The machine has a bean-to-cup system of brewing using its breakthrough burr grinder to let you enjoy a fresh cup of coffee each time.
This machine boasts of 3 seconds startup using its Thermojet heating system. It has an intuitive interface, with an LCD that features progress animations of grinding and extracting. The screen gives you the precise information needed to make coffee the way you exactly like it.
The innovative ThermoJet heating system reaches the optimum brewing temperature within 3 seconds that instantaneously transition from espresso to steam. It is ready to make your coffee as you wait.
The machine has an integrated conical burr grinder that can be operated using a single touch. It delivers the right amount of coffee when needed because of the dose control in the grinder.
The machine delivers a balanced and consistent espresso with the right amount of ground coffee. The key to café quality and full-flavor coffee is the 54 mm portafilter.
The machine has a digital temperature control that delivers water at the right temperature to ensure optimal flavor extraction. It has a powerful steam wand that allows you to hand texture your micro-foam milk to enhance flavor and allow you to create latte art.
The Breville L.P. BES878BSS Breville The Barista Pro Espresso Machine has the following:
To create and enjoy the best shot of espresso at home requires having an advanced brewing process and some good features when you want to make doppio drinks and a steam wand for making a cappuccino or latte. Espresso machines for home use do not come cheap, so you would expect to pay a good sum of money for something that will whip up a legit espresso drink that will be as close as possible, if not better than a shot of espresso from your favorite café.
Don’t be discouraged by the price tag because you will be saving a lot of money on your lattes and other espresso drinks that you make at home without having to go to your favorite coffee shop and spend a lot more money.
You can try to skimp on money and buy the best cheap espresso machine as long as you are willing to settle for mediocre espresso. However, you can forget about that idea if you plan to drink espresso regularly because sooner or later, you will realize that you wasted your money and your counter space, too.
Budget espresso brewers do not produce real espresso but only coffee similar to what is produced by a simple stovetop brewer that does not taste quite like the espresso your barista makes at your local coffee shop. While such coffee may not be inherently bad, it is just not real espresso.
Coffee lovers started out using drip filters, French presses, stovetop espresso makers, and milk frothers but unsatisfied with the coffee beverage they got. They started browsing the web for full-on espresso machines that come with all the bells and whistles. Not everyone has reached that level of coffee addiction, but for those who reached the stage, the internet gives them various choices on the best espresso maker that money can buy.
The Italian Espresso National Institute follows stringent standards on what to call a true espresso. The basic concept is that an espresso machine forces almost boiling water with at least 9 bars of pressure through very finely ground beans to make true espresso. The result of the process is a creamy and thicker coffee with a lot more caffeine in it. The pressure is the best metric for making real espresso, which explains why a stovetop espresso maker cannot produce real espresso.
There are two kinds of espresso machines – pump-driven and steam-driven. There are two types of steam-driven machines – the stove-top espresso maker and pump-less electric machines. Pump-driven machines are ubiquitous, with many varieties falling under that category.
The following are the types of pump-driven machines:
You can then choose the best espresso machine that will suit your needs, taste, and budget.
Espresso is usually served as a single shot or double shot. A single espresso shot has about 30 ml of espresso, while a doppio has about 60 ml. When ordering your favorite espresso beverage from a coffee shop, the barista typically uses a doppio espresso. A single shot makes a weak espresso beverage, so people traditionally order a doppio espresso.
An espresso machine that makes only a single espresso shot is expensive in the long run because there is a need to pull two separate shots to make a double espresso for a latte or a cappuccino. It is more economical to be purchasing an espresso machine that is capable of brewing two shots at the same time.
When you want to buy an espresso machine but are overwhelmed by the number of choices, there is a way of knowing where to invest your money to enjoy a good cup of the best espresso anytime you want one.
One way of choosing the best espresso machine for your home requires that you examine each of the machines in the market, an endeavor that is not practical as it could be time-consuming. The next best step you could take is to search for the best espresso machine reviews to get an idea or two on how a particular machine works.
There are plenty of good machines out there, but what may work for coffee shops may not be the best choice for you. Before selecting a particular espresso machine brand, you must consider what you need and what you expect. You have to consider the following:
When you read the reviews for the different espresso machines and coffee makers on the market, you will learn, in addition to how they were constructed and how they work, the common problems attributed to a machine. You have to decide if those downsides will not affect your purpose of buying the espresso machine in the first place.
By the time you get convinced by a particular review on a machine's merits, then that is the time to decide which one to buy.
If you are the kind of person who regularly grabs an espresso on your way to work, it will be a good idea that you invest money in an espresso machine for your home. You can easily make your favorite espresso drink even before you leave your house—the same thing when you get home at the end of the day. You can immediately brew your favorite espresso while you finish the work you took home or when you want to relax with your family members.
There is no hard and fast rule on what is the best espresso machine for your home. The best espresso machine is the one that will suit your needs, whether it is a small machine or a large machine, manual or semi-automatic, or fully automatic. What is best for another person may not be good enough for you. You alone can decide what is the best espresso machine for your needs.