Best Coffee Maker for Espresso – Straight up or Blended
The answer to this is quite subjective. How do you prefer your coffee? What type of beans do you use? Do you prefer a light or medium roast?
All of these can influence your choice. But whatever it is, you cannot argue that there is something surreal about making your own brew at home.
One of the benefits is that you are guaranteed the freshness of the coffee. Just select the best bean and you can make your own specialty coffee in no time. Just heed our suggestions below!
Top 10 Favorite Espresso Coffee Makers
There’s just something about the invigorating scent of freshly ground coffee beans whenever you make a cup of Joe in your home. It sort of envelops your entire space with warmth and happiness, or is it just us that feels that way?
We know you do too! So here are the best machines that can help you whip up an amazing espresso-based drink, or when you just want ‘em straight!
Gaggia Brera
This is a great choice for beginners who love to make their own coffee at home. This espresso maker is pretty much a one stop shop; it’s everything a newbie needs to be able to whip up a fresh aromatic brew. It does the grinding, the tamping, and the brewing with a fully automated system.
This machine also has a pre-infusion setting, which can help you make more flavorful coffee. The features of the machine give beginners a leeway or it can be more forgiving when it comes to the technical stuff. So really this is a perfect way to begin if you are just getting hooked in an espresso cup. The machine allows for finer grinding, so you can get that more intense flavor without overwhelming the capacity of the machine.
The coffee maker is fully automated; you just need to touch the button and wait for the machine to do its magic. The user interface is pretty easy. It is straightforward to use and does not have a learning curve.
The caveats is that this may not be a pretty aesthetic piece. This coffee maker is mostly made of plastic, which can give off a less posh and regal appeal, especially in a smart kitchen. Also, the steam wand is just average, if not less, it’s just going to be a standard pannarello milk frother.
De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee and Espresso Maker
This functions as a dual coffee maker giving you the liberty to make drip coffee on one side while brewing your favorite beans on the other side. It serves a party of mixed preferences. Your friends from team espresso and team drip coffee will have their cup of Joe made and served at the same time. Thus, we see this is perfect for your needs of satisfying a large capacity.
When it comes to espresso, we chose this specifically because it produced cappuccinos and lattes with sublime milk texture. It is also quite fast when steaming the milk, and has produced one of the best milk we have tried in a lot of espresso makers.
Though we didn’t like the quality of the tamper much, it looks and feels quite flimsy.
Sowtech Espresso Cappuccino
If you have a tiny space in your kitchen countertop but you must make coffee at home, this is what you are looking for. It also has a frother, so you can create creamy cappuccinos and lattes at the same time. It is as relatively cheap as it is perky and compact, so those who are new to making espresso based drinks at home can find this very indulging.
It is very easy to use and has a straightforward process. So really, this is a beginner’s dream at mastering the art of making espresso. Once you have dived into the knack and developed the skills to make such amazing espresso-based beverages, then you have the option to upgrade.
We have mentioned that this is more of an entry-level way of making your own espresso-based drinks. If you are not too keen on the technical stuff, then this is a decent and easy way to whip up a decently savory cup of Joe.
Mr Coffee One Touch
This is a semi automated coffee maker you can use to make espresso straight and create espresso based drinks with milk, such as lattes and cappuccinos. It goes beyond the regular steam wand that a lot of espresso makers already offer. Instead of a steam wand, built-in milk carafe that froths and pours the milk for you. This can satisfy your need for a more upgraded and posh coffee maker.
It also comes in very cheap, so you do not have to spend beyond your budget to be able to create an enjoyable brew at home. The downside is, this is more of a beginner’s espresso maker. We wished we were able to apply more pressure to the tamper so that the coffee grounds won’t be large. Though it made good-tasting coffee, we felt like the aroma and quality could have been better if we were able to tamper the beans more.
Terra Kaffe TK-02
If you want to have more control in how you make your coffee and prefer a machine that gives you more than just the basic choices, you’d be very happy with this. Just as it is easy to use, it does offer tons of adjustable settings that you can easily master. So you can pick the best that can help you create your signature blend, just the way you like it.
It is also highly aesthetic and such eye candy. This is a dual coffee maker; it can make drip coffee on one side and extract beans for an espresso shot on the other side. So you can get real value for your purchase. Actually, for its built, the number of options and liberty to subsequently make two types of coffee, it is comparatively affordable.
Ninja Specialty CM401
This is an upgraded coffee maker that ticks almost all the boxes on our checklist. Like the Terra espresso maker above, this machine offers a number of adjustable settings that can help you deal with the specifics when making your own brew. You can also make coffee in different sizes, when you just need a quick cup in the afternoon or when you may warrant a bigger hug in a mug.
The tamping process is excellent, and the machine can extract every bit of flavor from the beans. It can make an incredibly strong cup of Joe when warranted. The surprising thing is, despite these luxury features and being a more versatile machine, it is not priced too steeply.
Casabrews Espresso Machine CM5418
This sleek, silver, polished express maker is a budget friendly way of enjoying your favorite barista brew, made in the comforts of your own home. That is if you are not yet that deep into the whole barista rabbit of coffee making yet.
It sits between beginner and intermediate use, helping you create espresso-based coffee without the confusion. This is meant for everyday coffee, when you just need to get that daily jolt of caffeine to get you started. While this might not help you make artisanal beverages, the quality of the espresso-based drinks you can make is not substandard. In fact, it is satisfying for that daily caffeine dose.
It’s also worth mentioning that this affordable espresso maker has a PID temperature control. This feature is present in a lot of coffee makers, yes, but for the price of this machine, we needed to mention it. With this feature, you can be assured that the espresso will be brewed at the perfect temperature. This ensures that the flavors are extracted properly, giving way to a more aromatic cup of Joe.
Breville Bambino
If you are looking for a truer espresso that is very close to the kind you get at more posh cafes, this scene is built for that. And at a surprisingly affordable price, you can get that sublime espresso shot close to what your favorite barista makes.
It’s quite petite and compact, an ideal choice for those who have limited countertop spaces or those who live in smaller apartments.
For an espresso maker of its size, it’s packed with features that often get in a bigger and more expensive coffee maker. It has a PID temperature, auto pre-infusion, 9-bar OPV, a great steam wand, and programmable shot volumes.
Just a thing to remember, though, the machine is fixed at 200°F brew temp. It makes better coffee when used with medium to dark roasts. So this might not be the best choice if you prefer light roasted beans.
Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe
This is packed with a lot of amazing features that allows you to personalize your espresso based beverages to the brim. So if you are going for a coffee maker that can indulge you with a lot of choices and what nuts, you can never go wrong with this one.
While it has a lot of amazing features, we just need to mention this beforehand. One of the things that first drew us to this bad boy is that it has a CoffeeWorld feature where you can gain access to 36 different drink recipes.
This is, though, a rather fancy choice, a price that you pay if you want to enjoy a fancy brew at home. If you are deeper into the rabbit hole of the barista thing, then you will find this a worthy investment.
Jura GIGA 10
From one espresso maker with lots of options for personalization, we head into another indulging machine. This espresso maker offers a lot of features on how you can make your brew. It has tons of settings.
With that, it can be a bit overwhelming for the newbies and beginners. That’s why we recommend this for those who are already past the learning curve and want to experiment with making their signature brew.
It produces excellent coffee each time and is fully automated, so there’s nothing left for you to do but wait. It also brews fast.
The caveat is, of course, that since this is a high end machine, it has a high end cost. But it can be a worthy investment for those who are deep into making their own brew at home. Also, with a more extensive system, the cleanup can be as extensive, especially the daily cleaning of the milk system. Such a chore is warranted to ensure that the machine performs excellently each time.
Buying Guide: What We Deemed Most Important
Coffee quality versus the price
We have a wide range of espresso machines, from the budget-friendly to the more high end ones that can be a hefty investment. But one thing is for sure, we made it a point to pick espresso makers that will make a good tasting cup of Joe. We have machines that can make great everyday coffee to an excellent celebratory cup.
But this is relative to the price. There’s the entry level machine for a more affordable cup, tasty yet, but may lack some fancies of coffee aficionado.
Then there is the more steeply priced machine that has almost everything you need; it can create more sublime coffee.
Beginner vs the learning barista
You can find an array of espresso machines in this list that are perfect for everybody. So whatever your coffee needs are, what level of expertise you are in coffee making, or how deep you are in this rabbit hole of home brewing, you can find the perfect machine that can help you whip up your signature cup.
We also considered the earning curve. Beginners will need a more straightforward approach; thus, a simpler system must be in place. Those who are already experts won’t mind the overwhelming smorgasbord of choices that can help them personalize their cup to the brim.
Great home Brew for Everyone
Whether it’s a straight espresso shot you fancy, or a silky cappuccino or latte, you can confidently make your own brew at home. You can make your own brew anytime you want, and you can even personalize each cup to the brim.
A lot of folks may have jumped onto the bandwagon of home brewing, but you can still catch up. With ease in making a signature cup, you don’t always need to be an expert. You just need to choose the most suitable espresso maker for your kitchen, and this list will help you with how.
