The best espresso machines

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10 Jul 2020 21:23

We spent dozens of hours researching, testing, and combing through the details of popular espresso machines to bring you our top five picks.
The semi-automatic Breville Barista Express is the best machine for most people because it is (relatively) affordable, comes with Breville's Smart Grinder built-in, and is equipped with a powerful enough motor to produce true, bona fide espresso — thick, frothy creme and all.
We've tested all the espresso machines in this story and had them vetted by in-house and out-of-house experts, including Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh of Coffee Project NYC and the Specialty Coffee Association.
Read more: Breville's Barista Express is the best all-in-one, semi-automatic espresso machine you'll find — here's everything you need to know

Coffee lovers start out innocently enough with drip filters, French presses, milk frothers, and stovetop espresso makers, but the next thing you know, they're browsing Amazon for full-on espresso machines with all the bells and whistles. If you've reached that stage of coffee addiction, don't worry, we're here for you.

We've outlined everything you need to know about buying a shiny new espresso machine for your home and we've spent dozens of hours researching, testing, and combing through the details of popular espresso machines to bring you our top five. All of the below picks are tried and true by us, and vetted by in-house and out-of-house experts, including Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh of Coffee Project NYC and the Specialty Coffee Association.

Here are our top picks for the best espresso machines:

Best overall: Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine
Best on a budget: De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso Maker
Best pod machine: Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker
Best manual machine: La Pavoni Europiccola
Best manual device: Flair Espresso Maker

Prices and links are current as of 7/10/2020. We recently tested the Cuisinart EM-200, a programmable semi-automatic espresso maker, and while we'd recommend it for a machine in the $200 range, it didn't quite make it into our top five.

Looking forward, we're going to test the Ascaso Dream Up V3 and the Rancilio Silvia Pro (the newer version of the Rancilio Silvia), which is due out early this fall. We'll report back with our findings, but for now, we stand by our picks.

If you're looking to buy both an espresso machine and a grinder at once, we can't recommend our top pick, the Breville Barista Express, enough. It's a little slower than the newer and pricier Barista Pro, and it's not as technical, but we favor the manometer over the LCD interface. It also comes with Breville's Smart Grinder Pro built in, so there's no need to spend another $200.

The best overall

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The semi-automatic Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine makes top-notch espresso and it includes a burr grinder, tamper, and frothing pitcher.

Most espresso machines don't come with everything you need, so you end up buying a bunch of accessories to actually make your coffee. Not so with the Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine.

It comes with a stainless steel conical burr grinder, a 1/2 pound sealed bean hopper, a 54mm tamper, a steaming wand for frothing your milk, and a frothing pitcher. The only thing you need to buy is the espresso beans. The user manual is very detailed, so you should be able to follow its instructions without too much trouble.

Based on our testing, learning how to use the machine is well worth the effort, and the result is absolutely beautiful-tasting coffee. It's actually really easy to use, and you'll have the process down after two or three attempts.

The Barista Express espresso machine uses a 15-bar pump and a 1600W Thermocoil heating system to make rich espresso. Since it's a semi-automatic machine, the Breville automatically adjusts water temperature after steam to extract the most flavor out of your beans. The machine also has a 67 fl.oz (2L) water tank with a nice handle for easy removal, and it comes with a replaceable water filter.

The built-in burr grinder is Breville's Smart Grinder Pro, which is a favorite of ours (though we don't recommend it in our guide to coffee grinders because it's a little on the pricey side), and you can easily adjust the grind size and amount with a dial on the front of the machine. You can choose to use either a single- or double-wall filter basket, and the grinder will automatically adjust to give you the right amount of coffee grounds for your brew. Reviewers love that it comes with the grinder and praise its quality.

If you push the 54mm stainless steel portafilter into the hands-free grinding cradle, the grounds will go right into the filter. The grinder shuts off when it's done, too, so you don't have to worry about figuring out if you've got the right amount. Finally, the included 54mm tamper ensures that your grounds are evenly pressed, so you get the most out of your beans.

When it comes to deciding how much espresso you want to make, you can choose between two presets for 1- and 2-cup volumes. Alternatively, you can manually override the settings and choose your own amount of espresso.

The Thermocoil heating system controls the water temperature, and you can watch the espresso machine's pressure gauge. If you want frothy milk on top of your espresso, you can use the 360-degree swivel steam wand to whip up some foam in the included milk pitcher.

A removable drip tray catches any excess, so you don't end up with a huge mess on your hands. You do have to clean that part every day. Breville's machine will also tell you when it needs a thorough cleaning, and it comes with a special cleaning kit. Follow Breville's very detailed care and maintenance guide to keep your machine in working order. And if you have any issues, the Barista Express comes with a one-year warranty.

If you're inexperienced, it's a good machine to learn with, and if you're interested in fiddling around with settings, you can do that, too.

Before you purchase the Breville Barista Express, be aware that Breville will probably phase out this model soon with the newer and faster Breville Barista Pro. We recently tested it and there's a lot to like. However, until it's actually out of stock, we find that the Express works just as well as the Pro, albeit a bit slower. It's also cheaper, so it remains our overall pick for now. — Owen Burke and Malarie Gokey

Pros: Built-in burr grinder and frother, makes great crema on your espresso, it's relatively easy to use, lovely design, one-year warranty

Cons: Slower than the newer Breville Pro

Read our review of the Breville Barista Express

Read our review of the Breville Barista Pro

The best on a budget

DeLonghi/Max Pixel/Business Insider

The De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker is affordable, but it still makes strong espresso.

Not everyone can afford a top-of-the-line espresso machine, but there are some good budget options. The De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker is the best in the sub-$100 category, thanks to its easy-to-use design and tasty espresso.

Let's get one thing out of the way: It won't deliver a cup of espresso like a more expensive espresso machine would. But as an affordable and basic machine, it gets close. Plus, it has great Italian design and it's made by a brand that's a household name in Italy.

You get a manual milk frother and a built-in tamper along with the machine, so you do have to buy your own grinder and milk frothing pitcher if you want foam on top. Many reviewers and users complain that the tamper and milk frother aren't that great, though, so you may end up wanting to invest in better ones. Keep all of this in mind, because between a grinder, a frother, and this machine, you're easily getting into the $350+ range.

You can check out our guide to the best milk frothers here . If you choose to stick with the machine's frothing wand, you'll still need a milk frothing pitcher, so we recommend this one from Rattleware. Should you want a better tamper, this one, also by Rattleware, will do the trick. To save money on the coffee grinder, you can try this manual Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Mill, which, with enough elbow grease, will get you to the fineness of espresso grounds. But if you want a high-end one, you may pay more than $200 for it.

Regardless of whether you buy extra accessories, it's still very affordable, and you're really buying this machine for the espresso. The De'Longhi mostly delivers in that regard. It's a 15-bar (unit of pressure) machine with a self-priming function, so you don't have to go through the hassle of prepping the machine. The 35-ounce water tank is removable for cleaning and it has a drip tray to catch spills, as well as a durable, high-quality stainless steel boiler to ensure many years of delicious espresso.

Although the machine may not be entirely stainless steel like the high-end options on this list, it does have stainless steel where it counts: the boiler. The three-in-one filter holder has a holder for one espresso shot, a holder for two shots, or one for an espresso pod.

De'Longhi offers a one-year limited warranty and you can check the user manual for extra details. — Malarie Gokey

Pros: Affordable, relatively easy to use, offers real espresso machine performance, makes good espresso

Cons: No built-in grinder, tricky to clean, built-in milk frother and tamper aren't the best, not a lot of crema, does not generate as much pressure as we would like

The best pod espresso machine

Nespresso

The Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker by De'Longhi takes all the work out of making espresso at home, and you can get tons of differently flavored pods.

True espresso purists may shudder at the thought of popping coffee in a pod and pressing a button to extract espresso from it, but convenience is king these days. Nespresso made espresso pods popular, and now they're everywhere. If you want to go that route, the Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker by De'Longhi is your best option.

The first thing you need to know is that the pods are expensive — a lot more than a bag of good espresso beans. However, if ease-of-use and convenience are more important to you than money, the Nespresso VertuoPlus espresso machine will be worth its weight in gold. Just don't forget to recycle!

The Nespresso machine takes all the grinding, tamping, and measuring out of the equation. You just turn it on, pop some pods in, and press the button to make espresso. It has a fast pre-heating time, and the pump offers 19 bars of pressure. The water tank has a 40-ounce capacity.

However, you can probably do better with the other options on our list if you're willing to put in a bit of effort for better espresso, and the De'Longhi EC 155 Espresso and Cappuccino Maker is actually cheaper. — Malarie Gokey

Pros: You don't have to do anything, pods are easy to buy online, fun flavors, easy to use, inexpensive

Cons: You have to recycle the pods, pods are expensive, not the best espresso you can make at home

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