Home Espresso Coffee Machines For Beginners

The Breville Barista Express Impress stands out with its stellar performance and user-friendly features, making it a top choice for espresso enthusiasts and home coffee brewers. Setup takes a mere 15 minutes, and tasks like filling the water tank, soaking the filter, and adding beans are made easy by the clear instructions.

The intuitive control panel features illuminated 1-cup and 2-cup buttons, facilitating easy selection. The boiler heats up in approximately a minute, with the power button blinking to indicate its progress—a convenient feature for users.

Price: $900 (Amazon)

Features

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 14.3 pounds
• Colors: Brushed stainless steel, black truffle, and damson blue
• Dimensions: 14.9"D x 12.9"W x 16.1"H
• Water tank capacity: 2 liters
• Warranty: 2 years

For a classic choice, consider an Italian machine such as the Rancilio Silvia. While it demands more expertise than its semi-automatic counterparts, it's ideal for coffee enthusiasts eager to delve into the nuances of espresso brewing and milk steaming. The substantial, premium portafilter and tamper enhance the experience.

Cleaning is a breeze due to the simple design, although the small drip tray needs frequent emptying. The straightforward interface, featuring four rocker switches and a dial, may initially intimidate some users, but it becomes intuitive after a few trial runs.

Price: $909 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 30.8 lbs
• Colors: Stainless steel, damson blue, black truffle
• Dimensions: 11 x 9.5 x 13 inches
• Water tank capacity: 2 liters
• Warranty: 2 years

For a barista experience without the bulk, the Breville Bambino Plus is the perfect compact machine, saving valuable counter space. A half-hour of manual reading or video watching, a few practice shots, and you're on your way to coffee shop-quality espresso.

It's not only efficient but also comes with dual-wall filter baskets, a trimming tool, a tamper, and a milk jug for frothing with the attached steam wand. The brew settings offer options for single or double espresso, along with varying milk froth levels.

Price: $500 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 3.1 lbs
• Colors: Stainless steel, damson blue, and black truffle
• Dimensions: 7.6 x 12.5 x 12.2 inches
• Water tank capacity:  64 oz
• Warranty: 2 years

For those prioritizing ample counter space and a higher budget, the Breville Barista Touch is a top-tier upgrade with all the bells and whistles. Ideal for spacious suburban kitchens, it's larger than the Bambino Plus and includes a conical burr grinder and a hot water dispenser for americanos.

Despite its size, it maintains the quick heating transition from espresso to steam wand and a clever drip tray. Beyond the grinder, its standout feature is the inclusion of eight coffee "formulas," catering to various preferences, making it perfect for an office or a large family.

Price: $1,000 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 26.9 lbs
• Colors: Stainless steel, damson blue, and black truffle
• Dimensions: 12.7 x 15.5 x 16 inches
• Water tank capacity: 
• Warranty: 2 years

For the coffee connoisseur, the Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine, featuring a built-in grinder, is a perfect choice. Its intuitive LCD display offers five temperature settings and an impressive 30 grind sizes, accompanied by grinding and extracting progress animations.

The attached steam wand allows precise milk frothing. Equipped with both single-walled and double-walled filters, it excels in producing a rich crema. Easy to clean, the machine boasts a quick heating system, setting it apart from other models.

Price: $845 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 20 lbs
• Colors: Brushed stainless steel, damson blue, black truffle, red velvet cake
• Dimensions: 13.5 x 13.9 x 15.98 Inches
• Water tank capacity: 67 oz
• Warranty: 1 year

Contrary to its Italian-sounding name, Diletta is the in-house brand of Seattle Coffee Gear (SCG), a prominent player in the specialty coffee retail realm. SCG crafts Diletta machines based on customer trends and feedback, resulting in thoughtful features.

The 2-liter water tank, conveniently sliding out the side, eliminates the need to move the machine for refills under low-hanging cabinets. While not a dual boiler, the machine allows simultaneous brewing and steaming—a rare feature in its price range, ideal for those creating multiple lattes. The only notable drawback is its low cup clearance, just under three inches.

Price: $1,299 (Seattle Coffee Gear)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 35 lbs
• Colors: Stainless steel, black, and white
• Dimensions: 10.75 x 15 x 17 inches
• Water tank capacity: 2 liters
• Warranty: 2 years

The Cafe TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine offers affordability without compromising performance. Notably, it pre-infuses espresso grinds to ensure even extraction, resulting in a smooth brew with a rich layer of crema. Despite its lower cost, the machine includes desirable features like a warming plate, ideal for prepping your mug.

The user-friendly touchscreen provides easy navigation for two-shot, hot water, and steam options. An included scoop aids in accurate grind measurements for each shot. While the machine features a steaming wand for creating your favorite coffee beverages, a separate purchase of a steaming pitcher is necessary for frothing milk.

Price: $180 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 8 Pounds
• Colors: Stainless steel, silver, and white
• Dimensions: 10.5 x 8 x 11.75 Inches
• Water tank capacity: 50 oz
• Warranty: 1 year

Philips' super-automatic espresso machine features a large, intuitive touchscreen control panel for effortless drink selection and brewing. It grinds whole beans for five presets: espresso, cappuccino, black coffee, latte macchiato, and Americano.

With a removable, dishwasher-safe milk hopper, frothing is hands-free and easy to clean. The machine includes a water hardness test strip, allowing system adjustment based on water hardness. An AquaClean filter reduces water hardness and prevents limescale build-up, ensuring excellent espresso in every cup.

Price: $734 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 21 lbs
• Colors: Black and glossy black
• Dimensions: 10 x 17 x 15 inches
• Water tank capacity: 60.9 oz
• Warranty: 2 years

The Lavazza Classy Plus stands out as a highly convenient capsule machine, perfect for crafting single-serve lattes, cappuccinos, or macchiatos with ease. Simply fill the provided Lavazza glass with milk, attach the top lid, insert a capsule, and initiate the machine—it handles all the steps, delivering a coffee-house-style drink in minutes.

The milk whips up directly in the cup, seamlessly blending with the brewed coffee. Ideal for those seeking a hassle-free experience, it's a one-stop solution for delicious milk-based coffee drinks.

Price: $379 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 13 lbs
• Colors: Black
• Dimensions: 7.87 x 18.9 x 13.78 inches
• Water tank capacity: 8 oz
• Warranty: 1 year

For those who fancy themselves as true baristas, the Decent DE1Pro is a pricier but exceptional choice. Boasting remarkable temperature control at the group head (a rarity for home machines), it comes with a tablet for graphing and deploying shot profiles.

The built-in coffee iPad provides abundant information, and the Decent Espresso chat room offers substantial support for your espresso journey. Undeniably a pro pick with top-tier performance, but for the home barista seeking a more straightforward experience, a machine with a gentler learning curve is recommended—sans the deep dive into PID and pressure gauge discussions on coffee Reddits.

Price: $3,699 (Decent Espresso)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 29.1 lbs
• Colors: Black, pink, yellow, blue, green, and clear
• Dimensions: 14.52 x 16.53 x 9.13 inches
• Water tank capacity: 2 liters
• Warranty: 2 years

The Jura Z10 Automatic is a fully automated coffee powerhouse, managing the entire coffee-making process—measuring, grinding, tamping, and pulling the shot. Some models also froth milk. Just fill the removable water tank and replenish coffee beans, and the Jura creates your preferred coffee drink with a simple button press.

This high-end machine offers over 30 coffee specialties, including eight cold brew variations. Utilizing a unique cold extraction process, it crafts cold brew cortado, cold brew macchiato, cold brew espresso, and more, without the need for heating.

Price: $ 3,999 (Sur La Table)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 27 lbs
• Colors: Aluminum white, white diamond, and diamond black
• Dimensions: 15 x 12.6 x 17.7 inches
• Water tank capacity: 81 oz
• Warranty: 2 years

Renowned for Swiss precision, Jura machines excel in automation, and the Jura E8 is no exception, standing out as one of the finest fully automatic espresso machines. Its user-friendly customization features cater to coffee enthusiasts seeking both convenience and cafe-style indulgence at home.

Despite the sophistication often associated with high-tech appliances, the E8 offers a painless start-up. The clear digital display provides step-by-step instructions for easy setup. However, with only six grind settings, the machine's limited fine-tuning capability may fall short for those desiring more control over the artisanal quality of their beverages.

Price: $2,499 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 22 lbs
• Colors: Piano black, piano white, chrome
• Dimensions: 11 x 17.6 x 13.8
• Water tank capacity: 1.9 litres
• Warranty: 2 years

The De’Longhi Stilosa proves to be an excellent budget-friendly option, balancing affordability with reliability through its straightforward mechanics and easy setup. Its quick and uncomplicated installation process is complemented by a user-friendly interface featuring a single knob with four settings (On, Off, Steam, and Brew).

Keep in mind that this manual device requires turning the knob off once the espresso is brewed. The Stilosa necessitates a separate grinder or preground beans, and its pressurized single- and double-cup filter baskets ensure sufficient bar pressure for optimal extraction.

Price: $86 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Intermediate
• Weight: 9.5 lbs
• Colors: Black and Stainless
• Dimensions: 11.22 x 8.07 x 13.5 inches
• Water tank capacity: 1 litre
• Warranty: 3 years if purchased from De’Longhi; 1 year through external vendors

For campers, adventure-seekers, and travelers yearning for a robust espresso experience on their journeys, the Wacaco Picopresso stands out as the quintessential portable machine. Leveraging a hand-powered piston, this compact device attains the optimal pressure for a meticulously balanced shot of espresso.

Surpassing expectations, the Picopresso, despite its small size and reliance on manual power, delivers an espresso shot that rivals those from pricier, boiler-powered machines. It's worth noting that to unlock its full potential, the device necessitates a separate grinder (or preground coffee) and access to boiling water.

Price: $130 (Amazon)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 12.4 ounces
• Colors: Black and dark grey
• Dimensions: 4.2 x 3.1 x 2.8 inches
• Water tank capacity: 2.7 oz
• Warranty: 2 years

The Breville Barista Express caters to novice baristas, offering a harmonious blend of automated and manual shot pulling for a professional feel with process simplification. Featuring a built-in grinder, experiment with grind size to tailor your espresso shot precisely.

Tamp espresso and steam milk with the built-in frother to feel like a seasoned coffee pro (expect a slight learning curve). This beginner-friendly espresso maker employs low-pressure water at the shot's start, gently wetting and expanding the grinds for an evenly extracted brew.

Price: $700 (Sur La Table)

Features:

• Skill level required: Beginner
• Weight: 23 lbs
• Colors: Brushed stainless steel
• Dimensions: 12.2 x 12.8 x 13.1
• Water tank capacity: 67 oz
• Warranty: 1 year