Home espresso · tested
Better coffee at home, without the guesswork.
Plain-spoken reviews, comparisons and how-to guides for home espresso machines, grinders and brewing gear.
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Buying guides
Best Espresso Machine for Beginners
Our picks for a first espresso machine, balancing ease of use, value and room to grow.
Read the picks →Best Espresso Machine for Home
The home espresso machines we'd actually buy, from forgiving starters to buy-it-for-life workhorses.
Read the picks →Best Coffee Maker with Grinder
All-in-one machines that grind and brew in one box, compared honestly.
Read the picks →Best Coffee Grinder for Home Brewing
Why the grinder matters more than the machine, and our pick for everyday home brewing.
Read the picks →Best Espresso Machine Under $500
Five espresso machines we would actually buy for $500 or less, from a $100 starter to capable milk-drink machines.
Read the picks →Browse by category
Three benches, three colours
Latest reviews
The bench
Smeg ECF01
Smeg's retro-styled manual pump machine, matching the 1950s look of its fridges and kettles, with a 15 bar pump, a Thermoblock heater and a steam wand. It takes ground coffee or ESE pods through a 51 mm portafilter. It is the original of Smeg's manual range, now sitting below the restyled ECF02 and the 58 mm ECF03.
Fellow Espresso Series 1
Fellow's first espresso machine, a 58 mm semi-automatic that brings programmable pressure profiling and digital temperature control down to a 1,500 dollar price. Its Boosted Boiler runs three heating elements to reach brew temperature in under two minutes, and the steam wand senses milk temperature and stops itself at your target.
Philips Baristina
Philips Baristina (model BAR300/60) is a compact bean-to-cup machine that does the grinding and tamping for you, then brews, all from one swipe of the portafilter. A ceramic burr grinder feeds a 16 bar pump, and the body is about as wide as a pod maker. Milk is not part of the package, so Philips sells a separate automatic frother.
Ninja AutoBarista Pro
Ninja's first fully automatic bean-to-cup machine (model AE1051). It grinds, doses by weight, brews and froths milk at one touch across 13 drink presets, and carries two swappable bean hoppers so you can switch roasts without emptying the grinder.
Ninja Luxe Café Premier
Ninja's 3-in-1 machine (ES601) makes espresso, drip and cold brew from one body, with a built-in conical burr grinder, a built-in dosing scale and a hands-free automatic milk frother.
CasaBrews 3700
A compact budget espresso machine sold direct and on Amazon, with a stainless body, a Thermoblock heater and a steam wand. It comes in an Essential version with a 51 mm portafilter and a GENSE version with a 58 mm portafilter and pressure gauge.
Gevi 20 Bar Espresso Machine
A compact entry-level espresso machine with a 20 bar pump, a 1350 W Thermoblock that heats in about 45 seconds, and a rotating steam wand for milk. Most models use a 51 mm portafilter.
Breville Bambino Plus
A compact single-boiler espresso machine that uses Breville's fast ThermoJet heating system and an automatic steam wand to froth milk hands-free.
Breville Barista Express
An all-in-one espresso machine with an integrated conical burr grinder, letting you grind, dose and brew from one unit.
Gaggia Classic Pro
A long-running Italian single-boiler machine with a commercial-size 58 mm portafilter, popular with enthusiasts who want to learn manual espresso and tinker.
De'Longhi Stilosa
An entry-level manual pump espresso machine aimed at people trying real espresso for the first time on a tight budget.
De'Longhi Magnifica
A fully automatic bean-to-cup machine that grinds, doses and brews at the push of a button, prioritising convenience over manual control.
Baratza Encore
An entry-level conical burr grinder that grinds consistently enough for drip and pour-over. Baratza sells every replacement part, so a worn Encore gets fixed, not binned.
Breville Barista Pro
The step up from the Barista Express: the same all-in-one grind-and-brew format with a faster ThermoJet heating system and an LCD interface in place of analogue dials.
Rancilio Silvia
Rancilio has built the Silvia since 1997 with parts borrowed from its commercial line, including a brass boiler and the 58 mm portafilter size used in cafés.
AeroPress
A plastic immersion-and-pressure brewer that makes a clean, full-bodied cup in about ninety seconds, and has become a travel and office favourite.
Hario V60
Hario's cone-shaped dripper, named for its 60-degree angle. One large hole and spiral ribs put flow rate in the brewer's hands rather than the dripper's.
Data studies
Coffee, counted
The Coffee Inflation Tracker
Bean, bag and barista prices across three decades and 36 countries. US retail coffee is up 57% since 2020, and it rides commodity prices up faster than it ever comes down.
100 US cities · 2026-07-09The best and worst tap water for espresso
Every big-city utility's own data, measured against the SCA standard. Memphis wins, San Jose loses, and most of urban America brews out of spec.
World Cup 2026 · 2026-07-07The World Cup of Coffee
All 48 World Cup nations ranked on real coffee data, then the actual knockout bracket decided by coffee stats. Spain lifts the trophy.
Guides
How to get it right
How to Descale an Espresso Machine (Step by Step)
A simple, safe routine for descaling a home espresso machine, how often to do it, and what to use.
maintenanceHow to Clean a Coffee Grinder Properly
Why old grounds ruin your coffee, plus a quick routine for cleaning burr grinders safely.
buyingEspresso Machine vs Bean-to-Cup: Which Should You Buy?
The honest trade-off between manual espresso machines and fully automatic bean-to-cup machines.
maintenanceHow to Descale a Breville Espresso Machine
The descale routine for Breville (Sage) espresso machines like the Bambino Plus, Barista Express and Barista Pro, step by step.
techniquePour Over Coffee Ratio: The Simple Math for a Better Cup
The coffee-to-water ratios that actually matter for pour over, how to scale them, and when to deviate.
buyingThe Best Espresso Machines According to Reddit (and Where Our Data Agrees)
What r/espresso actually recommends in 2026, distilled from years of threads, compared machine by machine against our Bench Scores.
buyingWhich Smeg Espresso Machine Should You Buy?
Smeg sells four coffee machines that look almost the same and behave very differently. Here is what separates the ECF01, ECF02, ECF03 and BCC02, and which one is worth the money.