If you’ve been looking for an espresso machine but you don’t know where to start and you don’t wanna end up with a machine that won’t last for long. I’ve been researching and testing espresso machines for quite some time. I’ll take you through a comprehensive rundown of the top 6 best espresso machines currently, putting into mind your budget, preferences, and overall key features you should look out for.
If you are someone who’s dabbling in the espresso world for the first time and you are looking for a user-friendly yet effective way to make latte or cappuccinos at home, the Breville Bambino Plus hits a sweet spot at this. It doesn’t require a steep learning curve or barista experience to get it to work its magic, and its performance and results are strikingly similar with other more expensive flagships.
It’s more compact and lightweight, comes with a 54 millimeter portafilter, and a 2 liter water tank, which is enough for several shots of espresso before needing to be refilled. And though it doesn’t have a hot water button, you can still dispense hot water from the steam wand as well. It also comes with pressurized filter baskets, which promises the proper pressure and good crema from a single or double shot even if you don’t tamp it perfectly. And with that, you also get a PID temperature control, which is not perfect but guarantees stable water temperature for consistent extraction. But what makes this unit stand out is its automatic milk steaming.
You can easily set how foamy you want your milk, place the milk jug under the steam wand, push a button, and just let it go. This means you don’t have to handle the jug or hold it, making it a totally hands free process. And while this feature could be questionable, the texture of the milk was rich and smooth and gave an even more exceptional performance when we tested it on oat milk, giving it more volume and texture than any other espresso machines we tested. If you’re looking for a pain free espresso machine and are happy to pay a little extra to ensure high quality every time, you’ll be right at home with the Breville Bambino. It has proven to be an overall excellent all in one machine, covering all the basics straight out the box while also offering high grade customization and milk frothing options, which are not regularly found at this price point.
The Philips 32100 series has managed to bring so much to the table as a fully automatic espresso machine, making it stand out to most of its competitors. It lets the user create beverages which would usually require barista level experience all at the push of a button. It’s more compact than the basic Gaggia or the Breville barista, but pulls a reasonably decent shot of espresso with a good creamer, good shot temperature, and flavor. The 32 100 series comes with an ample water reservoir, which is so easy to remove, and we were impressed with its simple lighted push button controls that allow for an easy and guided creation experience. The bean hopper is also very easy to load, but its capacity is not as large as other espresso machines in its status.
It comes with several pre-programmed settings including espresso, hot water, cappuccino, coffee, macchiato, and Americano, which have easily adjustable settings, strength, water volume, and milk volume that lets you customize your ideal type of drinks. Plus, there’s the option to customize your selection by strength, size, and the amount of steamed milk. There’s also hot pluggable milk frother slash heater and jug attachment, which managed to produce better hot milk consistency than other fully automatic machines we tested. However, you have to know that the machine is entirely made of plastic, and it’s also easy to overfill and might start leaking unless you snap it correctly into its holder. And like all other fully automatic machines, the coffee grind disposal, hopper, and drip tray should also be cleaned regularly to avoid clogging, but it’s still easy to pull out, empty, wash under the sink, and slide it again into action.
But with intuitive features, ease of use, and quick cleanups all while being able to create good milk drinks, which is quite rare, is why this machine is such a solid overall choice. If you love but want to avoid going to the coffee shop every day for a latte in the morning or a cappuccino in the afternoon, you’ll really find this machine handy in the long run.
The Breville Express Impress is a solid choice for beginners who’ve never made an espresso in their life or beginner baristas, and all thanks to most of its automatic workflow. It’s an updated model from the ever popular Barista Express, but still shares many features like an integrated burr grinder, a steam wand, and 54 millimeter porter filter.
But this time, Breville adds the impressive puck system with assisted tamping, which further leads to more accurately extracted shots that are rich and balanced with sweetness every time. Setting up the machine is also easy, taking up only 15 minutes from start to finish, and its intuitive control panel also illuminates 1 cup and 2 cup buttons for easy selection. Additionally, heating the boiler takes only about a minute, and the power button blinks. What made it truly stand out from its beginner friendly competitors is the smart dosing system and assisted tamping mechanism, which ensures you get the right dose of coffee every time and adjust the dose based on your previous grind. We were also really impressed by the quality of espresso produced with this machine, extracting a consistent thick and foamy creamer indicating a proper emulsion process. And while the steaming process is a bit slow, taking about 75 seconds just like its predecessor, it still gets the job done.
Plus, this could be looked at as an advantage, especially if you’re a beginner practicing your techniques on a less powerful machine with a single whole steam tip. Breville has clearly taken a dead end aim with this machine to reduce the frustration of puck prep and dialing in process for beginner baristas at home. With that said, you will be paying for the ease of use. And considering its performance for this price, it’s easy to see why it has been such a popular go to choice for beginners.
This Italian made semi automatic machine is a solid choice if you wanna learn how to make high quality espresso shots and you’re an aspiring barista. It uses controls and buttons but no automatic shutoff, so you’ll need to manually turn it off after you’ve finished using it.
It comes with an attractive brushed stainless steel construction and a number of commercial grade components, including a 58 millimeter portafilter, a three way solenoid valve, and a commercial steam wand. The top loading integrated funnel further makes filling the machine up with water very easy. Gaggia has also made significant improvements from its predecessor like the mounting of the vibration pump, which makes the machine less noisy while brewing, and an updated overpressure valve, which is used to regulate the brewing pressure and prevent over extraction, further avoiding the burnt dry taste that you could get from a poorly brewed espresso. Though it still doesn’t come with a PID control, the changes are significant, and its build feels more premium this time. Additionally, the 9 bar pressure, which is a standard for commercial espresso machines, further promises a consistent, rich, flavorful espresso with a thick crema, which is a huge improvement from its predecessor and makes it worth going for this model over the old one.
Overall, the Gaggia Classic Pro has been and honestly still is the go to recommendation for people looking for a manual espresso machine anywhere under the $500 mark. And even when people double their budget to $1,000, they still generally end up going with this machine and then just invest an extra $500 into the pairing grinder.
The La Specialista Prestigio is mainly focused on those who love making coffee at home, but you’re still in for the barista experience.
And since it’s semiautomatic, it fully gives you more control when brewing your shots. It comes with a built-in grinder and a steam wand for frothing milk, which we found very easy to use and adjust based on your preferences. You also get the options to choose from 8 different grind sizes to your preferred taste of espresso, then you can select single espresso, double espresso, or Americano. But keep in mind, since its operations are more complex, you have to go through a learning curve to determine which grind is right for your ideal shot. It can also dispense hot water for tea and has a built-in smart tamping mechanism, which applies the precise optimal pressure for a perfect and balanced espresso every time.
The results of the coffee produced are also full of body, coming with a thin silky crema at the top, making this machine an overall solid choice if you wanna make a barista quality espresso at home. And while it’s a little under $700 which can seem expensive, its performance makes sense for this price.
This is one of the few budget friendly espresso machines you can get without compromising on major features other high end machines tend to have. You get a manual milk frother, which includes a 360 degree nozzle that is a pretty must have if you plan on making anything other than a basic espresso shot. The 15 bar pump also adds a sufficient amount of pressure and is not all that different than you’d find on machines that are 100 of dollars more. In fact, you only need 9 bars to make good espresso.
And though the 2 cup holder is not that adjustable, there are 2 filter baskets for single or double espresso shots. And while you still won’t get a ton of control over the brewing cycle, this is still one of the best small espresso machines if you’re on a limited budget. It’s by far the best you could get with a low price in hand.
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I am Sabiq Rasel is an Entrepreneur and broadcaster. I believe that every sip of coffee holds the potential for a moment of inspiration, creativity, and every cup tells a story.
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