The 8 best espresso machines for home brews

Italy has blessed us with so many culinary creations it’s hard to pick a favorite. When you think of Italian food, you automatically picture a beautiful, cheesy pizza or a plate full of pasta with a delicious meat sauce. However, one invention that is quite frequently overlooked is the black gold that baristas deal in every day. We’re not talking crude oil; we’re talking espresso.

How many of us would be able to overcome the prior night’s cocktails and be functioning humans at work if it weren’t for our daily Americano? Let’s also not forget it makes a decadent after-dinner treat poured over some ice cream.

Many people think espresso is too expensive to make at home. But you’d be surprised by the affordability of some espresso makers. After all, water, coffee, and pressure are all you need to make tasty espresso. Also, thanks to rising demand, fancy models similar to those in our favorite coffee shops are becoming more reasonably priced.

So, if you’re trying to bring your espresso making in-house, here are a few of the best espresso machines for home brewing.

Best overall: Bialetti Moka Express Espresso Maker

Sometimes, it’s nice to go old school and just get back to basics. The Moka Pot was originally patented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, and there’s a reason the design (and the Bialetti name) has stuck around in the homes and cafes of coffee connoisseurs for nearly a century. Bialetti continues this tradition with its Moka Express, an all-aluminum, Italian-made Moka pot that combines the sweet simplicity of a stovetop kettle with a boiler chamber that creates the pressure necessary to make espresso without a pump.

An automatic pressure valve keeps things working safely as your water boils, and the whole process only takes about five minutes from start to finish — meaning you don’t have to wait too long for that much-needed morning shot of creamy Joe. For around $50, you’re not going to get better homemade espresso than this.

Best value: Fellow Prismo Aeropress Attachment

If you’re already an Aeropress fan (and if you’re not, now’s the time to jump on board, there’s a new little wonder on the market you should know about. The Prismo is a clever cap that clips right onto the Aeropress and uses a resistant valve to create enough pressure for a rich espresso brew topped with a healthy layer of crema.

Equipped with its own metal filter and boasting a molded design that fits snugly over a standard espresso cup, once the Prismo is attached to the Aeropress, it requires no special extra steps: Simply use the Aeropress just as you normally would, and prepare for a dark, delicious jolt of java. We can’t say this cuppa is going to whisk you away to Italy the way a top-of-the-line machine might, but for a quick $25 add-on to your favorite coffee press, it’s pretty damn good.

Best manual option: Flair Espresso Press

As we mentioned earlier, pressure is the key to making espresso, and the simple fact is that very few at-home pump machines — which are often little more than glorified cappuccino makers – can generate enough of it to put out truly thick, creamy espresso. The Flair espresso maker tackles this problem by ditching complicated electronics in favor of a simple manually operated press, an ingenious and elegant solution that gives you reliably good homemade espresso.

The Flair is a breeze to operate as well. Its wide base keeps everything stable on your counter as you operate the pump, and the coffee brewing head is simple to assemble use, and clean. If you’re looking for homemade espresso and have less than $200 to spend, we recommend the Flair press over any of the cheaper electronic espresso machines.

Best single-serve option: Nespresso Essenza by Breville

If you’ve never heard of Nespresso, just imagine Keurig K-Cups designed to make espresso rather than traditionally brewed coffee. These capsule-based coffee makers pretty much work exactly like a Keurig, too, albeit with an added pressure system for whipping up creamy espresso, and the Nespresso Essenza is the best of the bunch. This Essenza espresso machine is actually built by Breville, which also makes our favorite premium home espresso system (see our final pick for that).

Instead of any sort of finicky manual pump, the Essenza uses an internal extraction system that generates 19 bars of pressure, which push hot water over your fine espresso grounds to create a smooth cup with good crema, and it does this better than other machines in this price bracket. Just pop in a Nespresso capsule, select your shot size (large or small), and the Essenza does the rest. It even comes with 14 Nespresso pods to get you started.

Premium pick: Breville Barista Express

For a good countertop cuppa, the Breville Barista Express is a popular choice, and for good reason. First of all, it oozes handy features, including a built-in fully adjustable grinder, digital temperature controls, interchangeable filters, both automatic and manual operation options, and a steam wand that gives you complete control over your cream (and is a real boon if you’re looking to practice your latte art).

What’s more, it delivers all of this with a price tag that, though it still sits at around hefty $700, is still less than some comparable machines and is head and shoulders above the less expensive ones in terms of quality. If you’re a true espresso aficionado, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Best automatic option: De’Longhi Dinamica Plus

If your barista skills start and end at pushing a button, don’t worry, the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus will pick up the slack everywhere else. This machine is a big investment, but there is so much you get. This fully automatic, bean-to-cup coffee and espresso machine features a high-resolution touch display for intuitive navigation and customization. It has a one-touch control system that lets you brew over a dozen different and delicious coffee and espresso beverages, including TrueBrew Over Ice. If you know what you’re doing when it comes to espresso, the six one-touch recipes, or you can customize a recipe for complete personalization. Coffee drinks include cappuccino, iced coffee, espresso, lattes, and many more.

For an extra frothy cup, The patented LatteCrema System automatically froths milk to the ideal density and texture, making espresso classics like lattes and cappuccinos complete with rich, long-lasting foam. You can even use milk alternatives! And what new appliance would be complete without smartphone connectivity? The Coffee Link app lets you start brewing even before you get out of bed and levels up personalization like never before by saving up to three custom profiles complete with recipe favorites.

Most versatile: Philips 3200 EP3241

As much as possible, we want to keep things simple, especially when we’re waking up first thing in the morning. This espresso machine by Philips is what you need. Not only can you make five different coffees in one machine, but it’s also incredibly easy to use and clean. It takes around 15 seconds for the milk system to become spotless. The user interface is also a touchscreen, which allows you to spend a fuss-free time picking your beverage. These delicious drinks include Espresso, Cappuccino, Coffee, Latte Macchiato, and Americano. If you’re not in a coffee-drinking mood, you can get hot water with this machine.

One of the best features of this particular model is its LatteGo milk system. This milk system has no hidden tubes and is only composed of two parts. It can also easily become a silky smooth froth that adds a light and sweet touch to our caffeinated beverages. What’s even better is that this automatic espresso maker has a 12-step grinder adjustment so that you can make your coffee with the freshest beans possible. Whether you want it coarse or fine, it’s totally up to you.

Best compact option: Breville Bambino Plus

If you want a premium espresso maker for home, but you don’t quite have the room for the Breville Barista Express, consider their newest model: the Breville Bambino Plus. This compact home espresso machine offers extensive features for your home brew, despite its smaller size. With the Innovative ThermoJet heating system, brewers can achieve the optimum extraction temperature in just 3 seconds. Additionally, the three adjustable milk temperatures allow you to enjoy silky, velvety microfoam automatically, which is ideal for making espresso drinks like lattes and creamy macchiatos.

Even for the newest of home baristas, the Breville Bambino Plus delivers an easy-to-use, intuitive system that doesn’t take much time to learn. The interface features a convenient one-touch, one- and two-shot volumetric control and steam settings. Whether you’re new to at-home brews or want to upgrade your espresso machine for home brewing, there’s a lot to love about this streamlined model.