Thurman Prosser

The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There is no single-size-fits all coffee machine. This is why we've compiled our top picks for your home, ranging from a super-automatic that grinds and packs your beans to semi-automatics that give you the best control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch strikes the perfect balance between automatizing the process while needing you to be familiar with the art of espresso-making. This is our top choice for a machine that makes coffee.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a top pick for those who want to make espresso at home, without making big sacrifices in terms of quality. This small-footprint espresso machine was created for those with small counter space. It has a great build quality with a compact footprint. It comes with a 1.8 Liter copper heat exchange boiler and commercial E61 Group Head so you can steam your milk and brew coffee at same simultaneously.

The machine looks fantastic as well and features an elongated 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 a black pressure gauge that will let you know when the boiler is ready for use.

One drawback of this compact machine is that the drip tray and water reservoir are smaller than the majority of machines. This means that you'll need to be extra vigilant when emptying and refilling the machine, particularly when you are using it regularly. This is a natural trade-off for smaller footprint, however, and not an issue particular to this model.

You can still make a large amount of coffee using this machine, and it can easily keep up with your demands. That being said, we would recommend investing in a good grinder, like the Baratza Sette Giante, to ensure consistency and better flavor. You can also pair the machine with an Rocket Portafilter to increase tamping.

As a professional espresso machine, the Rocket Appartamento is capable of making great drinks, and it's simple to create latte art. However, it's worth noting that the machine isn't made for beginners and has some learning curve for those upgrading from appliances. The heat exchanger is difficult to work with, and you'll need to learn how to do cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca as well as the Rocket Appartamento have the option to connect to an water source, which allows you to be able to drink cold and purified water. The latter comes with a 2.25-liter water tank, which is more difficult to refill than its competitors.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

This machine is built to Lavazza's highest standards. It is quick to reach brewing temperature, which coffee machines are best allows you to prepare your first cup of coffee in just 35 seconds. The water tank is fast and easy to refill and the lid can be removed completely to create a large opening. You can fill it up with tap water if you prefer.

The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest model in the range, but it packs a punch. When you buy it at full price, it costs under PS100 which is less than the Nespresso Essenza and similar machines from SMEG and Desea. This makes the Jolie an ideal choice for those who don't have the money or space for an espresso maker, but are looking to enjoy the benefits of authentic Italian espresso.

The Jolie is simple to use and takes up little counter space. You just need to press one button to turn on the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen pod. There's a backlight that's on the button, so you can easily see how much has been dispensed and you can also manually stop the process should you prefer to drink your pod in smaller doses.

There's no steam wand included on this model, but you can add a milk frother (available separately) to add some creamy froth if you like. The machine is also quite quiet and can be used to make coffee in a small kitchen or working space.

The pods aren't cheap, but they come in a variety of blends that can be used by everyone - from the mildest espresso drinker to the most demanding. They are available in most supermarkets alongside regular coffee beans and ground coffee and you can also buy Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible pods online.

The Jolie and milk is a sleek capsule machine that comes with an integrated milk warmer. It comes with a 75cm power cable and plug as well as a quick-guide and warranty sheet and a tester box that contains nine Lavazza pods which include six roasts (two Qualita Rossa, two Lungo Dolce and two Delizioso) and two decaffeinated (Dek Cremoso). The machine is small enough to be placed under a cupboard or a flat surface.

3. Breville BES870XL

At first glance at first, the Breville Barista Express looks like an espresso machine that's beyond the budget of a majority of consumers. If you're willing to learn to use it, then this is a fantastic home espresso maker. It's far superior to most of the more expensive models. It's the most affordable in its class, and it's especially suitable for those who don't have an espresso machine yet--which can easily set them back another $100 or more.

This model is priced below the top-of-the-line Breville Oracle (the most expensive at $2199) However, it's a good choice for baristas on a budget. It delivers plenty of tweakable features, and comes with a built-in burr grinder, making the entire experience less expensive. It's also a single boiler, which means that it can only do brewing or steaming at one time.

Breville is relatively new to the market for espresso machines, has quickly earned a reputation for its high-quality appliances. This machine is no exception, and it offers just enough adjustable control to let baristas who are aspiring improve their abilities without spending hundreds of dollars more than they should.

The unit has its flaws. For instance, the hopper on this model is positioned on the side of the unit instead of being on top. This isn't really significant however it can be a little frustrating if you're trying to give multiple shots at once. The rear placement of the tank makes it difficult to know how much liquid is left.

If you're willing to put in some time in learning how to make use of the Breville Barista Express then it's an excellent choice for any coffee lover at home. The only issue is the cost, which can be a turnoff for some buyers. If you're looking for a budget alternative, we suggest the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both machines are comparable in their capabilities and provide a bit more control than the Barista Express. However, they are a fraction of the cost.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech, smart coffee maker that produces great coffee making machine with a simple interface. The sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen gives your kitchen a sophisticated appearance. It comes with only one dial to program the number of cups you would like to make. It comes with two cup settings as well as a 5-9 cup setting. Its brewing technique is similar to pour-over brewing, which coffee aficionados believe produces the best-tasting coffee. The water is heated to a perfect temperature and poured over the grounds with a shower-head for uniform saturation. The coffee is then brewed inside the double-walled thermal carafe for upto 60 minutes. The pause-and pour feature lets you to remove the carafe during brewing and then fill your cup. The machine pauses the brewing process and displays an red light on its LED interface until you return the carafe. It then resumes brewing.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup is a SCAA-certified coffee maker, that means it is in compliance with the rigorous standards of SCAA's technology. Its brew cycle is about as long as those of the Bodum BISTRO and Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 741, but it provides greater control over temperature, brewing duration, and quality.

In our tests we found that the OXO Brew 9-Cup made excellent drip coffee that was served in a full-carafe in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is a bit more than the 6 minutes the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but still within the range that experts in the field recommend for making a quality cup.

You must also grind your beans before brewing. You can select a manual grinder or a more automated model like the Baratza Encore. It has various grind settings, as well as an hopper for beans that are whole.

The only issue with this product is that it's not dishwasher safe. This could pose a problem for some users. The stainless steel is still easily cleaned by hand, though. The OXO 9-Cup is a top contender for the top drip uk coffee makers maker due to its sleek design and easy-to use interface.