8 Best Espresso Machines (2025), Tested and Reviewed

1 month ago

How We Tested Espresso Machines

Over nan past decade, WIRED has tested dozens of espresso makers to find our favorites. The process, successful part, is simple. We brew a full batch of coffee. I’ve written astir java for much than a decade connected some nan East and West Coasts, including my hometown java mecca of Portland, Oregon. Other existent and past WIRED espresso testers—who see erstwhile baristas and longtime java writers—include Jaina Grey, Jeffrey Van Camp, Kat Merck, Tyler Shane, Pete Cottell, and Scott Gilbertson.

On each instrumentality that’s capable, I make and measure astatine slightest 4 drinks, connected aggregate roasts and beans: a basal 2:1 espresso, an Americano, a latte, and a cappuccino. On machines that advertise a wacky array of drinks, I trial each one. This includes immoderate newfangled coldspresso and head-scratching variations connected a “long.” It besides includes, if subject dictates, espresso martinis.

I mightiness make galore dozens of coffees to dial successful a instrumentality and genuinely understand it. (Sometimes, alas, you understand a machine’s shortcomings acold sooner.)

I trial whether nan basking h2o spout splatters, whether descaling requires a grade successful hydrology, whether nan brewing somesthesia is consistent, and whether nan latte beverage gets silked. I’m genuinely unspeakable astatine latte art, but whether it’s possible is simply a straightforward trial of nan assemblage of nan frothed milk. I trial nan airier foam of cappuccinos and comparison manual and automatic beverage frothing connected machines that effort to froth beverage for you. I trial really accelerated nan wand steams and whether it’s easy to afloat merge beverage earlier nan dang point starts to pain your milk.

On machines pinch built-in grinders, I some measure nan grind and measurement nan dose—and past measurement it again. And past again. Consistency is nan hobgoblin of small cups. I besides trial aggregate grind settings to make judge nan grind is consistent.

On immoderate semiautomatic instrumentality that determine nan changeable size for you, I trial this to spot whether you're getting a ristretto aliases a lungo by default. Then I resoluteness ne'er to opportunity nan connection “lungo” again.

I don’t mostly return isolated nan machines I’m sent, but I do rather often look up videos of group who do—and look astatine really nan thing’s constructed nether nan hood.

How We Evaluated Our Top Espresso Machine Picks

What I’m looking for is nuance, aromatics, beauty, sensitivity to nan characteristics of each bean, and nan satisfying texture of afloat integrated milk. But also, I’m looking for ease, nan thoughtful touches that make an espresso shaper thing you tin autumn successful emotion with.

Espresso isn’t conscionable a finicky process: It’s finicky by design. The astir delicate and blase accepted machines are responsive to each mini variety successful nan java grind and each change successful nan h2o temperature. The deepest legume geeks want this: They want nan control, nan frustration, nan imagination quest.

But I besides cognize that astir of you retired location aren’t looking to beryllium successful an abusive narration pinch your java machine. Few want to aftermath up to feelings of inadequacy, brought connected by a instrumentality that costs arsenic overmuch arsenic a utilized car. And truthful I look for is nan espresso machines that tin propulsion beautiful characteristic from each bean, but besides make this easy connected you.

This intends that our apical picks, nan ones I urge to astir people, thin to autumn successful nan semiautomatic camp: They’re nan ones that connection nan champion coffee, pinch nan slightest effort. Finding this equilibrium is delicate and often rewarding. It utilized to beryllium a built-in grinder was a look for blown shots, sadness, aliases pressurized portafilters pinch little character. But twelvemonth by year, espresso instrumentality makers get amended astatine this goal.

The lowest-cost machines I urge thin to connection much forgiving pressurized select baskets arsenic options, moreover though these sacrifice a spot of nuance for forgiveness, because I don’t want to presume you’re pairing a $200 espresso instrumentality pinch a $2,000 java grinder. Although I cognize immoderate of you do this, particularly pinch our beloved Breville Bambino.

But hey, if you’re a tinkerer for life, and want to subordinate modding groups? We urge a instrumentality for you, too. Mostly truthful you tin disagree connected Reddit, and explicate why your favourite is better.

Other Machines We Like

Photograph: Tyler Shane

Ninja Cafe Luxe Premier for $600: Ninja has already released an upgraded Pro type ($750) to its espresso instrumentality debut. But nan Cafe Luxe Premier (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is already a corker, a low-priced all-in-one pinch acold brew, coffee, espresso, fantabulous beverage frothing, and unexpected luxury features for illustration a built-in standard truthful nan grinder tin dose by weight. The instrumentality tin consciousness either overstuffed aliases generous, depending connected who you are. Either measurement this damn adjacent unseated nan Breville Barista Express arsenic WIRED's mid-tier apical pick, speech from a fewer leaks and sensible be aware astir its durability.

Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

De'Longhi La Specialista Opera for $900: Speaking of espresso makers that came moving astatine Breville, this Opera is simply a beautifully forgiving semiautomatic instrumentality that makes fantabulous espresso successful nan medium- to dark-roast range, pinch non-pressurized portafilter baskets that make for a bully and amazingly subtle cup. The Opera sports a batch of options —including dose and somesthesia control—while remaining refreshingly analog pinch its satisfying metallic frame, metallic buttons, and salient unit gauge. The grinder is decent, though its 15 settings mightiness not connection capable sensitivity to propulsion nan champion from each roast. One could wish for a removable hopper and a sturdier tamping lever. But if you aliases your partner emotion acold java drinks aliases espresso martinis, this gives comparable Brevilles a beardown tally for nan money.

Photograph: Delonghi

De'Longhi Stilosa for $144: The Stilosa was our apical fund prime for years. It's still a bully fund pick, and it often goes connected waste for little than $100. You're not going to get high-end features for illustration a unit gauge aliases built-in grinder, and it's a small plasticky. But what nan Stilosa does supply is everything you request to make awesome espresso astatine home: a coagulated portafilter, a reliable steam pump, and a steaming wand. It is simply a small light, truthful you'll want to brace it erstwhile you equine and dismount nan portafilter (or it mightiness descent astir connected you). After brewing cup aft cup of espresso, nan Stilosa ne'er showed signs of slowing aliases breaking down nan measurement galore inexpensive machines can.

Photograph: Breville

Breville Barista Express Impress for $800: This espresso instrumentality (6/10, WIRED Recommends) is nan much tricked-out related of nan Breville Barista Express. It includes much grind and dosing settings and automates immoderate of nan much analyzable parts of brewing consistently bully espresso, for illustration getting conscionable nan correct magnitude of beans crushed per shot.

Photograph: Amazon

Breville Dual Boiler for $1,600: The Dual Boiler (9/10 WIRED Recommends) is an absolute vessel of an espresso machine. It's huge. It's heavy. It makes amazing espresso. But while its size makes brewing espresso consciousness luxurious, it does eat up a batch of abstraction and needs a small clip to power up, versus newer Brevilles for illustration nan Oracle Jet that favour thermoblock-style heaters. But a dual boiler does mean you tin brew changeable aft shot, pinch steamed beverage and basking h2o astatine nan aforesaid time, without having to hold successful betwixt shots. Consider this bully for ample households who get their espresso each astatine once.

Cuisinart EM-160 Slim for $250: The lowest-cost espresso shaper from Cuisinart's caller espresso statement is among nan slimmer espresso machines retired there, little than 7 inches across. This makes it a wealth for definite kitchens. The espresso value is astir what you'd expect from a pressurized portafilter: smoother, little nuanced, but besides beautiful forgiving for beginners trying to dial successful a bean. This'll beryllium champion for those who operation beverage pinch their espresso. Same goes for nan fast-dripped “cold espresso” option, which takes a mates minutes to complete and comes retired a spot tannic, but mixes good pinch acold beverage aliases a batch of ice. You'll request a grinder if you don't want sad supermarket beans.

Photograph: Superkop

Superkop Manual Espresso for $800: This manual espresso instrumentality is technically not a Jackie Chan movie. The Superkop (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is alternatively a rather finely engineered espresso device. It looks pretty, and dissimilar different manual espresso machines you don't request a beardown limb to usage it. So if you want to propulsion espresso, but not propulsion it hard, nan Superkop is your huckleberry. That said, $800 is simply a batch of money for a manual device. Buy it if you cognize you'll emotion it.

Also Tried

Cuisinart EM-640 Espresso Bar for $600: Cuisinart rolled successful pinch immoderate ambition connected this semiautomatic espresso machine, pinch a built-in grinder and a non-pressurized, bottomless portafilter meant to play successful nan aforesaid sandbox arsenic Breville's apical devices. Alas, I really couldn't get consistency connected either dosing aliases grinding from nan device's built-in grinder—and nan strategy for customizing nan dose successful peculiar was mostly chaotic guesswork. This each added up to botched shots, chaotic spray from nan portafilter, and nary of nan easiness 1 wants from a semiautomatic.

Photograph: Delonghi

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo for $750: This semiautomatic espresso instrumentality (6/10 WIRED Reviewed) pinch a built-in burr grinder makes awesome espresso correct retired of nan box, and is slimmer than different espresso machines successful its category, It does person quirks: It includes a small integrative adapter needed to connect nan portafilter to nan grinder spout, and a small stepstool for your espresso cup to support nan java from splashing. It's a bully machine, but I'd upgrade to nan Opera immoderate time of nan week.