Reviews
Every review on the bench
Newest first by default. Filter by type or price, or re-sort by price or Bench Score. All 29 reviews are listed below.
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Bialetti Moka Express
The Bialetti Moka Express is the original stovetop moka pot, designed by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and still made in Italy in the same octagonal aluminium form. Heat in the base builds around 1.5 to 2 bar of steam pressure, which pushes water up through a basket of coffee into the top chamber. There is no pump and nothing to adjust, and sizes are measured in espresso cups rather than mugs.
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.
Fellow Espresso Series 1
Fellow's first espresso machine, shortened to ES1 by most of the people who own one. It is 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.
Jura E8
Jura's mainstream bean-to-cup machine, and the model most people mean when they say Jura. One button takes it from whole beans to a finished flat white, milk included, and it prompts its own rinse and descale cycles. All it asks of you is beans and water.
Jura E6
Jura's mid-range bean-to-cup machine, and the cheapest way into the same brewing engine as the E8. It uses the same P.E.P. extraction and the same 5 to 16 gram dose range on a shorter menu of 11 drinks. The grinder is the earlier P.A.G. generation rather than the E8's P.A.G.2, and the milk spout is cleaned by hand rather than by an automatic cycle. Beans and water are still the only inputs it asks for.
Jura ENA 8
Jura's compact bean-to-cup machine, built around the same P.A.G. grinder and P.E.P. extraction as the E6 but fitted into a shorter, narrower body. The water tank holds 1.1 litres against the E6's 1.9 and the bean hopper holds 125 grams against 280. A 2.8 inch touchscreen replaces the E6's button display, and the machine can pull two cups at once.
De'Longhi Magnifica
The ESAM3300, the long-running fully automatic bean-to-cup machine that grinds, doses and brews at the push of a button, prioritising convenience over manual control. Still sold alongside its own replacement, the Magnifica Evo.
Breville Barista Pro
The BES878, and the step up from the Barista Express: the same all-in-one grind-and-brew format with a faster ThermoJet heating system, 30 grind settings and an LCD interface in place of analogue dials.
Niche Zero
A British single-dose grinder built around 63 mm conical burrs, with a straight-through path that returns almost exactly what you put in. Stepless adjustment from espresso to French press, an aluminium body with an oak trim, and a footprint smaller than a bag of beans.
Breville Smart Grinder Pro
Breville's standalone grinder (BCG820), with 40 mm conical burrs, 60 stepped settings and a programmable timer that doses in 0.2 second increments. Ships with cradles for both 50 to 54 mm and 58 mm portafilters, so it grinds hands-free straight into the basket.
Baratza Encore ESP
The Encore rebuilt for espresso. Same 40 mm conical format and the same repairable Baratza platform, but with an M2 burr set and a dual-resolution collar: the first twenty steps move the burrs 20 microns per click for espresso, the last twenty move 90 microns for filter.
Breville Bambino
The BES450, and the cheapest machine Breville sells. It runs the same ThermoJet heating and the same 54 mm brew path as the Bambino Plus for $200 less, with a manual steam wand in place of the automatic one.
Moccamaster KBGV Select
The US flagship of the Moccamaster range: a hand-built Dutch drip brewer with a copper heating element and a selector that brews a half or a full carafe to the same standard.
Chemex Classic 6-Cup
The CM-6A, a single piece of borosilicate glass with a wood collar, unchanged since 1941. Its thick bonded filters strip oils and sediment, which is the whole point and also the whole argument about it.
Kalita Wave 185
A flat-bottomed stainless dripper with three small holes and a ridged wave filter. The flat bed is the point: it makes the brew far less sensitive to how well you pour.
Hario V60 Switch 03
A V60 with a stainless ball valve in the bottom. Flick the switch and it steeps like a French press; flick it back and it drains like a pour-over. It is the only brewer here that does both.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.