Compared to other home appliances, getting the best espresso machine for home use is a much more important decision to make. It is especially true if you have a nitpicking tendency for perfect coffee drinks.
Taking the first sip of a great-tasting espresso coffee in the morning can make your day more productive, and it can strengthen your willingness to face whatever is waiting for you throughout the day. Therefore, don’t make a mistake by selecting a random coffee machine. Get the best espresso machine that your budget allows.
After days of research, I found these espresso machines to have over-satisfying customer feedback. If you want to join the numerous satisfied consumers of these coffee makers, check them out below.
Quick Pick Recommendation
If you are in a rush and want a quick recommendation, I would recommend the De’Longhi ESAM3300 Super Automatic Espresso Machine for its integrated steel burr grinder, precise temperature control for brewing, and customized settings.
Altogether, this machine will deliver you commercial-tasting espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, and barista drinks.
Reviews of Top 7 Best Espresso Machine for Home Use
The list includes both expensive and budget espresso makers to provide great-tasting coffee without much hassle.
1. Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel
This programmable espresso maker comes with great features and convenient functions that will surely enhance your coffee-making experience. It has pre-programmed brewing settings for 1 or 2 cups. There is also a manual setting if you need more ounces of coffee to satisfy your coffeeholic spirit.
To provide you better-tasting coffee, the machine delivers 15 bars of pressure to make authentic espresso with great consistency. You get better brew and cream every time. There is a 64-ounce water reservoir with a lid and easy-to-carry handle for convenience. It has a stainless steel warming plate to preheat your cups as well.
- 15 bars of pressure
- Pre-programmed and manual brewing settings
- Separate steam button for the nozzle
- 69-ounce removable reservoir
- Stainless steel cup-warming plate
- Comes with tamping tool, portafilter holding, and other accessories
The espresso maker comes with a handful of accessories that ease your coffee making. It comes with a portafilter holder for holding grounded coffee or your favorite pod that nicely fits the brew head. A commercial steam wand is also there to deliver better-tasting cappuccinos and lattes.
Its steam nozzle is made of stainless steel and has a separate steam button to use as you need. To clean up the mess, it comes with a removable drip tray. You will find the frothing pitcher large enough to contain enough steaming milk for two to three regular servings.
If you prefer grounded espresso over pods, there is a scoop to measure the right amount of coffee for convenience.
2. Mr. Coffee Espresso and Cappuccino Maker Cafe Barista
Want to enjoy a homemade cappuccino and latte coffee drinks that taste as good as commercial ones? This home espresso machine under $200 will provide you great bang for your bucks. The espresso machine features a 15-bar pump system for brewing flavor-rich better-tasting espresso coffee with the right temperature.
You can conveniently select your favorite coffee drink preset using its one-touch control panel. It includes options for both single and double shots. All you need is to select the shot, add the grounds, pour milk into the milk reservoir, and press the button to start brewing. You will enjoy every bit of the bold and rich flavored coffee.
- Easy to make espresso, cappuccino, and latte
- 15 bar high-pressure pump
- Automatic milk frothing
- Water and milk reservoirs
- Easy to operate one-touch control panel
There is a dedicated milk reservoir to store the left-over milk for further use. The machine automatically froths the milk into your coffee, taking the frothing hassle off your plate. A removable water reservoir tank is also there that you can carry to the sink to fill or clean with ease.
Unlike most other conventional coffee-making machines, this one doesn’t come with complicated functions. Thus, it keeps the coffee-making process simple. You get cafe-quality espresso, cappuccino, latte, or coffee with the least effort at your home as often as you want.
3. EspressoWorks All-In-One Espresso Machine & Cappuccino, Barista Bundle Set
Do you often try to make a café-quality, great-tasting cappuccino, or latte coffee at your home? Does the coffee taste okay, but not like commercial ones? This all-in-one home coffee espresso machine can help you make rich, flavored, and creamy coffee at home!
To perfectly heat everything you need to make your favorite coffee, this one sports a 15-bar thermoblock pump. The pump creates perfectly creamed, and bold-tasting coffee effortlessly. It takes only 45 seconds to heat up and allows you to proceed further.
- All-in-one espresso machine with necessary accessories
- 15-bar thermoblock pump
- Convenient bean grinder
- Auto shuts-off after 25 minutes idle state
- Front-view removable water tank
The machine features a bean grinder that perfectly grinds and delivers flavor enriched grounds within 25 seconds. You will get a tamper to tamp the grounds firmly into the given portafilter. The portafilter effortlessly locks to the machine. Turn the dial to start brewing espresso into your favorite coffee cup.
There is a front viewing water tank that you can easily remove and carry to the sink to fill with water or clean. The built-in steam wand makes sweet-tasting steamed milk for making your cappuccino drink.
You will get all the necessary accessories to make commercial quality, great-tasting coffee, such as a bean grinder, tamper, spoon, milk frothing cup, two premium quality espresso cups, and a portafilter with two basket options.
4. DeLonghi 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker EC702
No need to go to a coffee shop or a restaurant to get your favorite coffee drinks. With this espresso maker, you can conveniently brew your own coffee recipe, authentic espresso, cappuccino, and latte drinks.
The machine features two separate thermostats for water and steam pressure to maintain perfection. With its 15-bar pump pressure, you will get drinks that taste similar to commercial ones at home. You can also adjust the controls and make customized settings as per your preference.
- Two separate thermostats
- 15-bar professional pump
- Convenient holder for ground coffee and pod
- 3 liters removable water tank
- Brews cup after cup while maintaining an optimal temperature
Whether you want to brew single or double espresso, the machine will get you authentic barista-quality coffee with little effort. If you prefer espresso pods, the filter holder can also brew from them. There are different holders for one or two shots and an espresso pod for convenience.
Its rapid cappuccino system keeps the temperature at an optimum level and can brew more cups of coffee without waiting for too long.
You can easily use the steam wand to create a creamy and rich steamed milk to add to your coffee to improve the taste. It comes with a frother mixer that feels very premium compared to conventional ones. The water tank has a capacity of 1.3 liters and is removable. It has an easy-to-see water level indicator too.
The drip tray is removable, making it easier to clean up the mess. Both the water tank and the drip tray are dishwasher safe.
5. De’Longhi ESAM3300 Super Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine
If you are looking for an automatic espresso machine for home use, this one from De’Longhi can provide you with better-tasting coffee drinks similar to commercial ones. The machine comes with all features and functions for you to deliver your desired coffee shots within the shortest possible time.
Some coffee lovers prefer freshly ground coffee to brew into their cups. If you are one of them, this espresso machine has an integrated bean grinder that can hold 7.1 ounces of beans for convenience. There is another chamber for the pre-ground espresso of your choice as well.
- Dual thermoblock system
- Bean grinder
- Adjustable settings
- Customized espresso drinks
- Removable water container
The machine automatically brews 1 or 2 cups of flavor-enriched and great-density coffee into your cup at a perfect temperature. You will get an advanced frother mixer for perfectly steamed, creamy, and evenly textured milk.
For your favorite cappuccino and lattes, it features a manual cappuccino system that mixes milk and steam to get you the thickest and longest-lasting creamy foam for your drinks. You can also adjust it for preparing macchiatos, flat whites, and creamy lattes with ease.
If you have great-tasting coffee recipes of your own, you can program the machine according to your preference. It saves all details when you make your custom drink with customized espresso strength and preferred serving size.
The machine takes about 60 seconds to heat. Its dual thermoblock system ensures the water and milk are perfect to deliver you cafe-tasting coffee. The removable water tank can hold up to 1.8 liters of water.
6. Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine
If your budget allows, this one from Breville can be your ideal barista, espresso, cappuccino, and latte maker. This Breville absolutely feels like a commercial espresso machine. Having such a quality machine allows you to do more than the conventional budget-friendly options.
To provide you freshly grounded coffee whenever you are about to grab a cup, its conical burr grinder will deliver the right amount of coffee ground into the portafilter. It can grind about 22 grams of ground beans. In addition to that, you can also use pre-ground coffee to brew when you want a quick drink.
- Delivers ground beans of preferred sizes
- Perfect espresso extraction with digital temperature control
- High-pressure extraction process
- Makes flavorful, rich, creamy coffee drinks
- 67 oz. water tank
The machine features digital temperature control to brew coffee at the perfect temperature to ensure the espresso extraction is of commercial quality. Its high-pressure extraction process allows the water to pass thoroughly and evenly and results in perfectly rich and sweet espresso brewing.
To improve the taste of your favorite cappuccino, latte, and other beverages, the machine will steam the milk creating thousands of tiny bubbles to enhance the flavor.
You can add commercial quality, rich, syrupy, sweet milk to make even better-tasting coffee drinks. The hand-textured micro-foam milk will enhance your latte art.
Operating the machine is fairly easy and user-friendly. It conveniently delivers you one or two shots, and you can further customize the brewing amount as per your requirements. The water tank can hold about 67 oz. of water for convenience.
7. Breville Fully Automatic Espresso Machine, Oracle Touch
You can still enjoy coffee shop quality cappuccino and barista drinks at your home without compromising on taste and quality. This Breville Espresso machine has five preloaded coffee-making settings allowing you to grab a drink without wasting much time or effort.
It comes with a grinding feature that provides 22 grams of ground coffee from the coffee beans. There are brewing and milk steaming functions that deliver perfectly-tasting coffee every time.
The temperature of the espresso greatly influences the taste. Therefore, to make perfect coffee drinks, this one features PID digital temperature control technology that ensures the temperature is just as perfect as commercial ones. It also comes with an overpressure valve that improves flavor by limiting pressure during extraction.
- Optimal water pressure control
- Automatically grinds and tamp coffee beans
- Easy to operate touch screen
- Steam want with boiler provides great-tasting milk steam
- Comes pre-programmed, and allows customization
This Breville espresso machine can get you sweet and rich flavored steamed milk using its steam wand. The wand delivers well-textured milk, which significantly improves your barista, cappuccino, and latte coffee quality.
Its low-pressure infusion will soak the given grinds, and allow the hot water to pass evenly through the grounds with its high pressure, 9 bar extraction mechanism. In the end, you enjoy creamy and caramel-colored espresso drinks at home and can make as many cups as necessary to fill your coffeeholic soul.
Apart from its pre-programmed settings, you can also create and save 8 more customized coffee recipes of your own. If you are a person who loves experimenting with coffee recipes, this can be a great machine to perfect your experiments.
What to Look for Before Buying your Home Espresso Machine?
People invest in an espresso machine to enjoy flavorful enriched coffee drinks similar to coffee shops or bars at home. If you end up buying a machine that makes average quality espresso, and your cravings for a great tasting drink are still not fulfilled, all your money will go in vain.
The following key things in an espresso machine will ensure that you buy a machine that delivers you the expected coffee drinks at home.
Temperature Control Technology
This technology makes sure you get your coffee at a perfect temperature. One of the secrets why coffee shop drinks taste so good, is because of this temperature control technology.
There are a few mechanisms that handle the temperature inside espresso machines. Most mid-range and budget-friendly machines come with thermostats, thermoblocks, or pressurestat technology that manage to maintain the perfect temperature without dropping the quality.
PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) Controlled
PID is an advanced technology that precisely deals with temperature issues. As a result, PID machines deliver great-tasting espresso drinks similar to reputable coffee shops that people long for.
So, depending on your budget, look for an espresso maker that has precise, PID based, temperature-controlling technology.
Pressure Gauge
To be able to extract the right amount of brew from the ground coffee, the espresso machine should have at least 6 to 9 bars of pressure. Most of the espresso machines that I reviewed come with 15-bars. These high-pressure-based machines ensure you have rich flavored, perfectly extracted, drinks every time.
If the machine has an indicator, you can tell whether it’s using the right amount of pressure or not. Higher pressure allows the machine to perfectly brew if the grinding size is a bit larger.
Steaming Wand or Frother
If you are a cappuccino or latte lover, then micro-foam and well-textured steamed milk are also a matter of concern. Make sure the espresso machine that you are getting has a powerful steaming wand. Most conventional models come with a ‘Panarello’ wand that is great for making cappuccinos similar to coffee shops.
In case you are concerned about latte art, you will need a powerful steaming wand that is able to create a vortex in your pitcher. It will make doing your latte art a lot easier, and you can show off your skills on Instagram and in front of the guests.
Keep in mind that not all frothers are good for latte drinks. Therefore, be sure to confirm whether the model features a decent steaming wand for the drinks you want to make.
Commercial Portafilter
Different espresso machines come with portafilters of different sizes. The commercial portafilters are 58mm in size.
Here, the reason why you need to consider the size is that if the portafilter is smaller, it will create more pressure when you add ground or pods. Pressurized portafilters reduce coffee taste, and if you are concerned about barista-level quality, make sure the size is standard. Avoid espresso machines that have a smaller size portafilter.
Boiler
Espresso makers come in a single or double boiler that determines how consistently and quickly the machine can serve you. Having a double boiler allows you to seamlessly brew and steam your coffee. While a machine with a single boiler requires you to wait until it’s reheated to be able to steam the milk for your drinks.
If you have to serve lots of people regularly, get an espresso machine with a double boiler, it will make things much quicker. Whereas, if you are using the machine for single use, it would not be worth spending extra money on a model that has a double boiler.
Built-in Burr Grinder
If you get a fully automatic espresso machine for home use, the unit will likely come with an integrated burr grinder. It allows you to grind your favorite beans and brew out of freshly grounded beans. Don’t fall for cheaper devices that include a built-in grinder. Espresso machines with a burr-grinder are usually more expensive but are worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Espresso Machine
1. Are home espresso machines worth it?
If you are someone who takes more than two shots per day and regularly has guests that you love to serve and show them your latte art, definitely buy one of these.
However, if you take only one or two cups per day, it’s probably not worth the money.
2. What’s the difference between coffee and espresso?
Even though espresso and coffee are technically both forms of coffee, the difference between them is how they are made. For espresso, hot water is forced through tightly packed grounds. Whereas, you can make coffee following other methods like pour-over, or drip brewing.
3. Why is espresso so expensive?
There are a few high-quality types of equipment packed inside espresso machines that make them more expensive than other coffee makers. The thermostat or pressurestat inside these devices can cost more than $100 alone.
4. Are cheap espresso machines good?
Coffee making machines that cost as low as $50, and claim to make espresso shots, are not true espresso machines. If it doesn’t have a portafilter, steam wand, and pressurestat, it cannot be addressed as an espresso machine.
5. What is the correct extraction temperature for an espresso machine?
The ideal temperature to extract your espresso shots is between 90 to 96 degrees Celsius or 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Final Words
You no longer need to go to a cafe when you have cravings for your favorite cappuccino, latte, and barista shots once you get the best espresso machine for home use.
Within a few weeks, it will be one of the main reasons why your friends visit your house more than before.
