Coffee Machines | The best of 2023

How to choose the coffee machine?

Choosing the coffee machine is more complicated than one might think as there are several factors that allow you to obtain a good coffee, such as that of the bar, and many other aspects to be considered according to the type of use, how many coffees you will need to make per day, how much maintenance you are willing to perform.

Over the years, coffee machines have become increasingly intelligent. In fact, the high-end models allow you to make cappuccinos, a hot macchiato coffee, but also frothed milk and tea in a completely automatic way. You will simply have to press a button and wait a few seconds to be able to enjoy a cappuccino finished with a gentle splash of bitter cocoa just like the one prepared by your trusted barista.

What to pay attention to?

So what are the parameters to evaluate before choosing a coffee machine? Here are the most important:

Budget: and the budget does not mean only the one for the purchase of the coffee machine, but also the one for the purchase of the coffee itself. In the long run, for example, pods prove to be significantly more expensive than coffee beans or ground coffee with a lower cost for the purchase of the machine. It is therefore worth evaluating the real budget available, considering that the original pods can even cost more than 40 cents per unit, while the average cost of a good quality coffee is around 13/14 euros per kg. Coffee machines also have very different costs. They range from a few tens of euros up to almost 1000 euros. Tell me which coffee you want and I'll tell you what to buy: it can't be summarized better than this. The type of coffee drunk greatly affects the choice. You get hot, long, short, double, frothed, American, cappuccino, latte macchiato. In short, not all coffee machines are able to do everything, so once you have established which drinks you absolutely cannot give up, the choice will be easier. Maintenance: any household appliance purchased needs good maintenance, but in coffee machines this aspect is particularly important. Basically, descaling must certainly be done, a simple operation that can also be done with a mixture of water and vinegar, or using the special solutions proposed by the manufacturers, but it can also lead to more complex operations. Automatic machines, for example, must be emptied and cleaned every 15-20 coffees, as they simply accumulate coffee powder and washing water. They should then be cleaned once a week and once a month the extractor mechanism should be greased, or you risk breakage and void the warranty. Overall dimensions: the overall dimensions of the coffee machines should not be underestimated. There are ultra-compact, design and very large ones, some even weighing several kilos, so it is good to understand the positioning in the house before buying, in order to be able to choose the best solution for our needs without too many compromises. After identifying these needs, you can evaluate whether you want a passive cup warmer, a steamer like in a bar or an automatic milk frother, a more or less designer machine, with more or less complicated customizations according to personal taste . In this guide, we have collected what we think are the best coffee machines to buy right now, identifying the best models in each category.