The Best Coffee Machines For Home

There's no universally-fit-all coffee machine. We've rounded up our favorite picks for your home, from a fully automated that grinds and packs your beans, to a semiautomatic that gives you the best control over your espresso.

The Breville Oracle Touch is the perfect blend between automation and the need to be able to master the art of espresso-making. It's our top choice for a coffee-to-cup machine.

1. Rocket Appartamento

Rocket Appartamento is a top option for those who want to make espresso at home without having to make huge sacrifices in terms quality. This small-footprint espresso machine was specifically designed for people who have little counter space. It has a great build quality and a small 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 time.

The machine also looks great and has a circular insert on the side panel with the steam engraved and hot water spouts. This is a fresh update on the classic design of Rocket, which is already pretty impressive for a small machine. It also comes with the black pressure gauge, which will let you know when the boiler is ready to use.

The water reservoir and drip tray are smaller on this machine than other models. This means that you'll be more cautious about emptying and refilling the machine, particularly when you use it often. This is a natural trade-off for less footprint, however, and not an issue specific to this model.

You can still brew a lot of coffee using this machine, and it is able to easily keep up with the demands. We suggest purchasing a high-quality grinder, like the Baratza Sette Gante, to improve consistency and taste. You can also use this machine in conjunction with a Rocket portafilter to enhance the tamping process.

Rocket Appartamento, as a prosumer machine, makes excellent drinks and is easy to create Latte arts. It's important to note that the machine isn't designed for novices and has an enlightening curve for those upgrading from appliances. The heat exchange boiler may be a little tricky to operate, and you will have to learn the basics of cooling flushes.

Both the Lelit Bianca and the Rocket Appartamento offer the option of connecting to a water source, which means you'll always have cold, fresh filtered water on hand for your drinks. The latter has a 2.25-liter water tank, which could be more difficult to refill than some of its competitors.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie

This machine is built to Lavazza's top standards. It is quick to reach the brewing temperature, which allows you to make your first cup of coffee in less than 35 seconds. The water tank is also fast and easy to refill by removing the lid completely to make a wide opening. You can fill it up with tap water if you want.

The Lavazza A Modo Mio is the smallest model in the range, but it packs a punch. It's priced at less than PS100 at retail - that's less than the De'Longhi Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Espresso Machine - Black Essenza or similar machines from SMEG or Desea. The Jolie is a great alternative for those who do not have the space or money for an espresso machine of the traditional type however nevertheless want to drink a real Italian espresso.

The Jolie is extremely simple to use and takes up very little counter space. It's as easy as pressing one button to turn on the machine, then again to begin dispensing your chosen pod. There's a light on the button to ensure that you can clearly see how much has been dispensed and you can choose to manually stop the process should you prefer to drink the pod in smaller amounts.

There's no steam wand available on this model, but you can make use of an optional 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 work space.

They aren't cheap, but there is a wide variety of blends that will satisfy everyone from the mildest to the most demanding espresso drinkers. They are sold in most supermarkets along with 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 has an integrated milk warmer and a frother. It comes with a 75cm plug and power cable, a warranty document along with a quick guide and a tester pack of nine Lavazza pods. Six are roasts (two Qualita Rossa and two Lungo Dolce) and two are decaffeinated. The machine is compact enough to fit under a cupboard or on a flat surface.

3. Breville BES870XL

At first glance at first glance, the Breville Barista Express looks like an espresso machine that is beyond the budget of most average consumers. If you're willing put in the work to master its use, this is an excellent espresso maker for your home that performs better than some of the more expensive models on the market. It's a great price for the class and is especially useful for those who are new to the field and don't own an espresso machine, which can cost up to $100.

This model sits right below the top of the line for Breville (their Oracle is the most expensive at $2,199) however, it's 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, which means it can only do one thing at one time.

Breville, an incredibly newcomer to the market for espresso machines, has swiftly earned a reputation for its high-quality appliances. This machine is no exception, and it has just enough control to let budding baristas improve their skills without spending hundreds more than is necessary.

The unit has its quirks. One example is that 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 a little difficult to disperse multiple shots at a time. It's also not very easy to determine how much water remains in the tank due to its rear placement.

But if you're prepared to spend some time learning how to master the Breville Barista Express, it's an excellent, all-purpose appliance for anyone who loves espresso at home. The only downside to the Breville Barista Express is its cost, which may be a deterrent for some buyers. If you're looking for a budget option, we recommend the Gaggia Classic and the La Pavoni Impresso. Both are equally capable and offer a bit more control than the Barista Express, but they'll cost only a fraction of the price. Breville model can do.

4. OXO Brew 9 Cup

A high-tech, intelligent coffee maker that makes excellent coffee with a simple user interface. Its sleek stainless steel design and backlit LED screen give a stylish appearance to your kitchen. It comes with a single dial that allows you to program the amount of cups. There are two options: 2-4 cups and 5-9 cups. Its brewing technique is similar to pour-over, which many coffee enthusiasts believe makes the best-tasting coffee. The water is heated to the perfect temperature and then evenly distributed over the coffee grounds using shower heads. The coffee brewed is then stored in the thermal, double-walled carafe, which can last up to 60 minutes. The pause-and-pour feature allows you to remove the carafe during making your coffee and filling it with the right amount. The machine stops brewing and shows a red light for the carafe on its LED interface until you return it. It after which it resumes brewing and is finished.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup coffee maker is an SCAA-certified coffee maker that means it is in compliance with the rigorous standards of SCAA's technology. Its brew cycles are about the same as those of the Bodum Bistro and Technivorm Moccamaster 741 but it allows for more control over temperature and brewing time.

In our tests we found that the OXO Brew 9 Cup produced an excellent cup of drip coffee that filled a carafe full in just 7 minutes and 41 seconds. This is slightly more than the 6 minutes that the Bonavita Connoisseur or the Moccamaster requires, but still within the range that experts in the field recommend to make a great cup.

It also requires that you grind your own beans before brewing. You can choose a manual grinder or a more automated model such as the Baratza Encore. It has multiple grind settings, and it has a hopper that can be used for whole beans.

The only downside is that the carafe and water reservoirs aren't dishwasher safe this could be a problem for certain users. The stainless steel can be cleaned by hand. The OXO 9-Cup is a top contender for the best drip coffee maker because of its sleek design and simple to use interface.