20 Best Espresso Machines Under 2000 (2023 Updated)

I have owned a Bambino plus for about 4 months, so the long haul has not been tested. So far it has worked well for me, given the need for a small footprint and desire for espresso plus foamed milk. It is equipped with a fairly small basket with a small handle, and the larger easy to get alternative basket has an open bottom which sprits all over the place and no crema – so not such a great alternative despite endorsements you see.

You can adjust the pull time, which helps to get a good-tasting shot (your only option really). Also maybe choose dark roast beans. Temperature of extraction cannot be adjusted – a negative. You can adjust the pull time for single and double shot easily – nice.

The milk foaming is automated but you have to remember to put the milk container on the temperature sensor os it bubbles over. Need whole milk and milk frothing is automatic with temperature and degree of frothing adjustable – nice.

The device is very electronic but it works, so far. After 200 shots you get a flashing warning to back flush the system but the manual does not warn you how long the process takes. Let it go to the end.

When water is out (yes you can have this happen without noticing it sometimes), you just see lights on for temp and frothing with no idea why, not in manual as far as I can see. But still, on the positive side, it does shut down when water is out.

So in my experience the manual is sometimes a problem (had problem with regard to basket liner for a while). You CAN get hot water! Despite claims to the contrary by reviews. just press single shot and lower right most button for a brief time, Then water comes out the frothing spout until you click the single shot button.

Nice, although my wife claims water is not hot enough for good tea extraction. You be the judge I guess. Overall a nice device. But I miss my Pavoni, which lasted over 20 years. Less complicated more hot steam.

So this to me is a bit of a compromise but 3 cheers to Breville for making a small device that does work. Generally attractive and well constructed.

I really want to love this machine because it makes a very good latte. The draw back is the machine doesn’t let you know the machine needs descaling or the wand is blocked etc until after you have already made the espresso shots and it is nearly impossible to get it out of “descale” mode etc to continue your coffee.

This has happened way too many times for me and the espresso portion just goes to waste. No matter how clean I keep the wand the machine ends up telling me it won’t steam because the wand is clogged so I use the tool and it does nothing and then I wait for a long time and it just starts working again.

All while the espresso portion has already been poured. For a while I started steaming the milk first to avoid this but the extra hot steam setting is not hot at all and my milk ends up going lukewarm.

Also, the highest froth setting does not produce much of a froth at all unless I am using skim milk, any thicker of a milk doesn’t get a decent froth to it. The other issue is that the drip tray leaks everywhere and this may not seem like a big deal but the steaming wand purges itself with water after every steam and that ends up leaking onto the counter.

I’ve had this machine for about 5 months and although I love the beverages it makes, I do not love the other issues. I’m not sure if my machine is just a lemon but I am very disappointed.

Let’s start with the positive. The automatic steam wand is great. I’ve used it on oat milk and dairy milk and it produces nicely textured milk at the perfect temperature. I only wish my Bambino Plus produced better tasting coffee.

Every shot from this machine tastes bitter and undrinkable. I’ve tried everything to fix this from changing to darker roasted beans, changing grind settings, changing dose, different tamp pressure, different distribution methods, preheating the portafilter, and using the razor that came with the machine.

Nothing works. Despite hours of effort, it still produces acrid, undrinkable coffee. On the automatic factory settings, it is producing watery espresso in about 15 seconds. After extraction, the puck is very watery.

I would be very pleased with the Bambino Plus if it produced drinkable coffee. It’s a good size, the automatic frothing feature is great, it’s easy to clean, and simple to operate. However, the coffee is horrible and I can’t recommend it to others.

I bought this machine today after reading the product description here on this website, which says it includes both single wall and double wall versions of 1 cup and 2 cup baskets. This is important to me because I’d invested in a good grinder and I was looking forward to experimenting with unpressurized single wall baskets.

But the Bambino I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond only included the double wall baskets. I called customer support and told them my problem – that I expected to receive the product as advertised on their website.

She told me that I should go talk to Bed Bath and Beyond about it, or a could pay Breville to send me the extra parts. For what it’s worth, blaming Bed Bath and Beyond is ridiculous, because the Bambino they sold me was the same price as the Bambino on this website, so it seems reasonable for me to expect it’s the same item.

But the instruction manual inside the box says that it only comes with the double wall pressurized baskets. So either the Breville website is wrong, or it is misleading, for not explaining that there are two different versions of the product.

But the consumer has no way of knowing that the machine sold in the store doesn’t include all the parts listed on the website until they get it home and open it up. So, way to go Breville – you got me all disappointed when I didn’t get what you led me to believe was in the box, and then you totally isolated me as a customer by refusing to make it right.

All this over a couple of six dollar parts which I would have happily bought in the store, if they sold them, and if there was any reason for me to believe they weren’t in the box.

Had the Bambino for about a week and it is an impressive machine. I was debating whether to go all out on a more pricey espresso maker but I simply wanted a capable one that has a lot of versatility.

I don’t want to go into the espresso affianado zone. That being said the Bambino is more than capable. If the final product is the proof, then this crushes the competition for this price. At first I was a little put off when I saw how small it was.

I know it’s a “bambino” but I didn’t think it was going to be a serious machine. But considering I do not have much counter space left, if it worked, this could be great. My first espresso shot was less than passable.

To be honest it sucked. I tried again a few times with different methods and still it was barely passable. So I did a little research and found that grind size, amount, and compaction make a big deal.

I bought an inexpensive Grinder and gave it another shot. It turns out the grind size for my setup needed to be coarser. As it all depends on what sort of basket you are using and how well the water flows through it.

Not all machines are the same. As soon as I fixed the grind my shot was great! The taste was so much better. After making more espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos, I was very impressed. The steamer by the way is great as well.

I highly recommend you watch a tutorial online as I am steaming Oat and Almond milk like a pro. When you get the method and amounts correct you can repeat them and the Bambino will do the rest. Espresso making is not as simple as it first appears and even on a high end machine it is not automatic.

Do some research online and experiment on what works for you. However, I can say that the Bambino is a fantastic buy and I recommend it for any espresso and milk based espresso drinkers.

Easy to operate and make decent cappuchino. Also, the price is on teh cheaper side for superautomatics. but – you get what you pay for, as it has some glaring design flaws everyone should be aware of: 1.

The Lattego carafe, while a smart 2 piece design, has one flaw that nullifies the “smartness”. The idea is that the silicone(like) material in the outer piece of te design acts like an tightly sealing sealing “o-ring” to create a channel for the steam.

The problem is that this material breaks down rather quickly EVEN if you only wash it delicately under your tap using only your finders and absolutely no brush and most definitively not a dishwasher.

No matter how well you take care of it, it WILL BREAK DOWN. As soon as the material starts deteriorating, the steam will start escaping and you cannot achieve a nice foam anymore. Your ownlu option will be to keep on purchasing new caraffes, which cost $60 + shipping a pop.

We have made a science of treating the caraffes gently, only rinsing them under tapwater, but still they wont last more than 2-3 months each (we have about 10-12 cups of coffee/week). The problem is that the silicone (or whatever rubber the material is) just cannot stand up to the hot steam over time.

The design idea is great, the implementation is not. 2. The machine puts out “cleaning water” between the foam and adding the coffee to your cappuccino. Of unless you want a slurk of dirty water added to your drink, you have to pluu out your cup after the foam process, then wait for the “cleaning water to run into the tray, and thereafter put the cup back on before the coffee starts.

It woudl be really nice if all “cleaning” could happen before of after drink is made, not in the middle of making drink! 3. The machine uses a lot of water and you will have to empty the water tray daily.

Its probably a healthy thing to do daily, but tedious. We have solved this by placing an empty cup on the tray immediately after making our coffee. That way when the machine does it cleaning (which it does before it shuts itself off (and in the middle of making your coffee drink as described in point 2) the dirty water will not go into the tray or into your coffee from and you can just empty out that cup and maybe empty the tray every 2 days or so.

I had been hunting for a super-automatic machine for awhile, once it was determined it was time to move away from the semi-automatic world. If you are on that search, you’ll find a wide world of extremely expensive beautiful machines and cheaper wonky looking units.

I kept coming back to the LatteGo series as a straightforward middle option. And I am glad I did! The 3200 LatteGo delivers as expected. It is truly one button and you have an awesome coffee. The milk frother unit is as easy as it looks.

YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THE QUANTITY FOR ANY DRINK This was a big one for me and I couldn’t find the info ANYWHERE prior to buying. While there are 3 levels of volume to select from for each beverage, the highest volume was half filling my 14 oz Yeti mug.

And most times I just want a giant cup of coffee. As the manual explains, you can customize the highest setting for any drink. Simple as holding the beverage selection button (which enters program mode), then starting and stopping each phase at your discretion.

Once complete, your customized settings will be saved as the highest volume option. I have only had it a brief time, so I can not speak to longevity yet but so far so great. The shipping/delivery process was a headache, but none of it was SCG’s fault and they helped me throughout the process.

If you want an easily approachable super automatic under $1000, this is an awesome option.

Just got this tonight. Pretty gadget savvy overall. Pros. Had it up and running within 15-20 minutes including it was easy for me to dial in my preferences, in particular I set it to a finer grind setting then the preset out of the box/factory setting (although the manual does say let it break in x amount of cups and keep the factory settings).

Simple operation/clearly labeled buttons. I am off the camp I don’t want a zillion drink options. All the drink settings worked perfectly as did the milk frothier. Very hot expresso/milk froth (which is my personal preference for any coffee).

Very minor cons; The buttons aren’t as touch sensitive like a smartphone/tablet would be. But there clearly labeled, totally intuitive, and within minutes had no issues with the buttons at all. I get (but again didn’t need it) a true color touch/icon screen with the upgraded model.

My guess if you had a lot of family members and wanted separate profiles, further drink options and one touch drinks, go with the touch screen. But overall I am really pleased with this model/price. I had it up and running pretty much out of the box without a lot of fussing.

I just didn’t need the upgraded features and higher price point of the touch screen model. Gales review and others spot on.

A summary: a great, economical and well performing espresso, cappuccino, latte and americano maker with key basic features needed for a great tasting coffee beverage. Comes in small size, able to fit into tight spaces.

A more detailed review. I had and have a number of various coffee makers, including the big Breville semi-automatic and the pod based Nespresso machine capable of making great selection of beverages.

My Breville was great, had so many great features and it came at the related higher price. After a while I started looking for a simpler and easier experience of getting to my coffee drink of choice, so I purchased the pod based Nespresso unit.

The trade off with Nespresso versus Breville was convenience versus control and flexibility. Nespresso also requires specific pods. With the pod based Nespresso I was missing the flexibility to use my own coffee.

So I decided to get a traditional espresso maker, but something simpler than the big Breville (which is not a bad machine, it was just too much in features for my needs). Enters the DeLonghi EC260 espresso maker.

Here are my observations so far. First we need to recognize that this machine is missing some more advanced features we can get from others. Yes, it does not have the automated notification that the water level is low, instead you just have to eye ball it (not so hard to do, the tank level is very visible), it does not show the actual pressure being produced, does not tell you when you need to descale it nor it comes with extra accessories like the froth jug.

But it is much cheaper than many other coffee makers and at the same time it does its job very well. For the money they ask for it is a perfect machine in my view. First the unit is not tall and should easily fit under the kitchen cabinets.

It is plasticky, except the top of the unit and the frontal control panel, but the plastic it is made of does not look nor feel cheap. The operation is very simple. Put the unit on ON and wait about 30 seconds or so for the READY light to come out, then switch the control knob to either the COFFEE position for making espresso or to STEAM position if you want to make froth.

When you make the froth you also have to pull down the gear on the side to let the steam out. Very simple. When judging a coffee maker for the taste of the coffee it makes there are so many other external factors which this machine has nothing to do with (like the coffee you select, including the grind level (from very fine to course).

But if you have your favorite coffee that did work for you in other coffee makers, chances are you will like the taste of coffee from this DeLonghi. I did. The port-a-filter is solidly built. The unit comes with two sizes of filters (one shot and two shots).

The one shot filter also should work with ESE pods. ESE stands for Easy Serve Espresso, and they are not true pods but rather coffee bags with about 7 grams of coffee in them, good enough for a single shot espresso.

You can get them from ILLY coffee or Lavazza and others. The provided measuring spoon/tamper is plastic but we need to remember that we are not paying hundreds of dollars here. Still it does its job well.

Filters are easy to clean and look quality. When making actual coffee the amount of water poured is controlled by you. Once you turn the knob to COFFEE the water starts pouring until you switch it back to ON position.

Personally I find it advantageous that I can control the amount of water and decide if I want to get a ristretto, espresso or lungo. Another words, how much water I want per amount of coffee put into the filter.

Some days I want more, some days feel like less and this unit allows me full control over that (versus other automated machines that make that decision for you). The quality of crema on the espresso was excellent.

Rich and thick. The manual frothing did work very well also (remember that how the froth will come out also depends on your skills and desires). The milk became hot after frothing, which is a good thing in my book.

The manufacturer recommends that the froth maker is disassembled each time and washed manually in the sink, which I did the first time. But then I discovered that you don’t have to do that, instead you can just release some steam through the wand at the end of the process to push any milk residue out and the inside will be clean (checked that myself by taking the wand apart, no milk residue was there), so there is no need to take it apart.

Just let some steam out to clean it. The water container can be taken out for refilling. Alternatively you can just pour water directly into it while the container is inside the unit. To observe the water level there is a see though water level display on the left frontal side of the unit where you can see where is the top of the water.

Keep in mind that if the water tank is full you will not be able to see the water level. The top metal lid front part can serve as a warming rack as it can get hot while the unit is on. The height of the cup that would fit under the spout is slightly more than 3 inches tall and if you remove the cup tray from the bottom then you can fit a cup up to about four inches tall.

With this unit you can make a ristretto, espresso, lungo, americano (using the side spout that is used for frothing the milk to add water to your espresso or lungo plus the milk based products like latte or cappuccino.

In my personal view, considering how little this unit costs versus other much more expensive espresso makers that might offer more features, this is a perfect “do all what I need” espresso maker. Provides good pressure, produces great froth, easy to clean, small enough to fit into many spaces, it is exactly what I wanted.

A very solid choice espresso maker that is able also to make all other coffee products. This is not your Bentley or Mercedes S-Class, this is rather your Honda or Toyota, doing all well without the unnecessary high cost.

Definitely recommended.

Just unpacked mine. It replaces my second DeLonghi Caffe Sorrento machine which finally died. it stopped heating the water. Caffe Sorrento was perfectly adequate for my morning latte. Reading through the Stilosa manual and checking all the components, compared to Caffe Sorrento seems overly complicated to use – too many components – but especially to clean.

Another problem: I cannot remove the water reservoir without sliding the machine forward on the kitchen counter and out from under the cabinets above. I had to slide the Caffe Sorrento out too in order to fill it.

But it weighed hardly anything, slid out easily. The Stilosa weighs 9. 5 pounds and does not slide easily because of its “non-skid” bottom. Ain’t at all convenient. I reserve judgement on the Stilosa.

I am contemplating returning it. maybe I will try it out first. Not as happy as I thought I would be when I ordered it. BTW its my 2nd pump machine. The first bought in the 90s. When it died I replaced it with the Caffe Sorrento so as not to have to deal with a future malfunctioning pump.

No pleased. And DeLonghi customer service ranges from disinterested to hostile. After watching videos and upgrading to a burr-grinder purchased from DeLonghi, I still cannot get a good espresso shot.

I use quality beans. I have had other espresso machines. I was looking for a low priced small machine and this had reasonable reviews. My shots look nothing like DeLonghi videos. The shots are wan and the cream is minimal.

Too late to return this so I am stuck with it which means I am not using it that much. I called DeLonghi customer service. I was told, in a rather contemptuous voice, to watch the videos. I called again and I was advised to upgrade to a burr grinder which I did.

Something went wrong with the payment processing and it was two weeks of calls to calks to DeLonghi to get this resolved. I finally spoke with a manager named Kelvis who was helpful. I got my grinder, Kelvis sent me a complimentary bag of DeLonghi coffee beans which were very good.

But … the shots are better at this point but not really good. I know I did not purchase a Breville or a Miele or Jura but still. Any advice? Shout out to BBB for great service and prompt delivery.

Are you a complete newbie to home-brewed espresso and just want an easy way to make a latte with minimal fuss? If so, this is NOT the machine for you and you can probably stop reading this review. If like me, you are a complete newbie to making proper espresso but really want to learn the ins and outs of what makes a shot of espresso taste great without completely breaking the bank, the Rancilio Silvia may be the harsh but loving mistress you need.

Right off the bat what I appreciate about the Silvia is its simplicity: 4 physical toggle switches (main power, dispenser, hot water, steam), a power and “boiler on” light, and a knob for the steam wand/hot water dispenser.

No fancy electronics means fewer things to fail, and easier, cheaper repairs if something does go wrong. The tamper it came with actually seems pretty nice? I can’t tell if the handle is wood or plastic but it feels solid and not that much different from the Cafelat Aluminum tamper I also bought.

I’ve had the machine for about a month now so these are my observations based on that. I usually give it at least 10 minutes to heat up properly. Even when the boiler light first turns off the water coming out really isn’t hot enough which is why I wait longer, and I also understand the appeal of getting the PID control mod for the machine which I may do in the future.

You can speed things up a bit by flicking the steam switch and heating it to steam temperature but you’ll probably need to flush steam out of the brew head first which might affect things? The North American model does not have an “eco mode” so I tend not to leave it on for more than a couple hours at a time so I don’t risk it boiling dry but that’s more my paranoia based on what I’ve read online than something explicitly necessary.

It is a single boiler so if you want to steam milk as well, you’ll have to wait another minute or two after pulling your shot. But now for the important part, the coffee. The Silvia comes with 2 portafilter baskets, a 7g and a 14g, and a dual spouted portafilter.

The Silvia (understandably) does not do very well if you overload it so it is very important that you use a scale. I’m using a new Baratza Sette 30 grinder and found that I had to set it a few clicks more coarse than what was recommended for espresso, otherwise I got little to no liquid flowing.

In general, you will need a grinder that can make very small adjustments. I’m finding with the Sette 30 that 14 results in the shot pulling too quickly (and is noticeably sour) whereas 13 winds up a bit overextracted, but is nonetheless a pretty decent espresso.

I spent several hours in the first few days just fiddling with the grind and my tamping pressure and now can generally pull a decent shot (imo) with minimal fuss. My americanos have never tasted so smooth, and I am now consuming way too many calories with all the lattes I am making.

Overall I would say the machine presents a challenge, but the results are absolutely worthwhile if you’re up for spending the time to learn about the process of dialing in your shots in conjunction with a good grinder.

In the future I will likely do the PID mod but I’m generally happy with the current results even without.

This is a wonderful machine. I bought it to replace a 2. 5 year old Breville that needed to be repaired for the third time. I spoke to the friendly people at SCG and told them that I wanted the most reliable unit they sold and this was their recommendation.

The Italian quality out of the box was very noticeable. This is unit is made to last unlike the Breville which was made to be replaced every 2 years. The parts are heavy and solid. I could easily see this machine lasting 10-20 years.

If it does ever need repair it was designed to be serviced by the owner. Taking it apart is very simple and everything is easily accessible. Again, unlike the Breville which really could only be serviced by their technicians.

Even better this machine has a cult following. There is a huge community online that will be useful in both diagnosing issues and learning to use it correctly. As far as operation, it is a more hands on (manual) unit that requires some basic knowledge to operate but once you learn the results will be amazing.

I am not a coffee snob but I do drink a lot of it and this is as good as my local coffee shop IMO. I am not the kind of person to weigh the coffee after it?s made or preheat the unit to precisely 200 deg.

I just follow a basic process and it consistently impresses me. My wife also agrees that it does a wonderful job. For this reason, I don?t think most people need PID unless you plan on participating in coffee making competitions or you are OCD to the max.

I am also glad I did not purchase the double boiler as this machine is the perfect size and all I will ever need unless I open a coffee shop. It is also very quick if you know what you are doing. In conclusion, the is a very simple well made unit.

Because it is simple, it is extremely reliable and easy to repair but requires more effort to operate. Totally worth it if you love coffee. You will notice the quality difference immediately if you currently own a Breville.

If you are debating on this or a Breville – buy this! Breville is junk!.

I bought my new Rancilio Silvia to replace the one I had also bought from Whole Latte Love, back in April of 2004. Arrived in a few days. Operates just like the old one, and, as far as I can tell, is identical to it except for a few details: re-styled portafilter and steam valve knob (I actually liked the old ones better), re-designed and re-styled drip-tray cover (easier to remove), drip tray itself is a stamping instead of being welded up (likely an improvement; certainly easier to clean, having no sharp interior corners), now has separate power-on and heating-element-on indicator lights (easier to tell the machine is on).

Still the king of the non-prosumer machines. My old one was still working after over 18 years of daily use — though it needed its pump replaced (it was on only its second) and the steam wand dripped water from its swivel fitting.

Those are normal wear and tear items, with cheap, readily-installed OEM replacements available. Great unit, looks great, works great.

I’m am certainly not a connoisseur of espresso machines. However, this one is very straightforward to use and it makes good espresso. Maintenance is a little convoluted and it needs to be descaled and cleaned out (the bean grinder/hopper) every single month or it displays a warning then stops working but that may be par for the course.

Based on my reading you could run your maintenance stuff every 2 months but with regular use it will make you do it more frequently. The descaling solution also makes cost of ownership more expensive than anticipated but you could buy off-brand or use vinegar too I think.

Overall satisfied with this purchase.

We’ve had a number of coffee machines over the years, with the most recent being a fantastic Melitta Barista which sadly came to the end of its serviceable life with a number of repetitive faults. It produced great coffee for a fully automated bean to cup machine, but when looking for a replacement we decided to go to the more traditional manual (well, semi-automatic) route, and this DeLonghi stood out as a perfect choice comparing price against features.

Having now enjoyed superb coffee for the past ten days with little more effort than that required for the fully automatic predecessor, I can highly recommend La Specialista. The grinder, easy tamping and coffee delivery are second to none.

Be prepared for a little adjustment (and therefore a caffeine rush!) when getting the grind and dose settings correct, but once done for your preferred bean La Specialista produces stunning espresso and lungo.

It is a significant step up on the Melitta which it replaced, and is significantly better than a former La Pavoni espresso maker too – our home coffee is better than anything we would regularly buy on the high street from the usual major cafe chains.

One reason for the move away from fully automatic to this machine was the ability to get more heat into milk, which is something that a number of the leading auto machines such as Jura, Melitta and DeLonghi themselves seem to have set ideas on, and I personally can’t abide warm milk which seems to be the thing.

With this machine, steaming or frothing is a breeze, and the results pleasingly hot. Of course, it is up to you – if you want cooler milk, steam for less time, and for super hot, steam for longer. It might seem a come down on simply pressing a button, but actually it is a significant upgrade.

If I had any negatives I’d probably want a second boiler in La Specialista to produce coffee and steam milk simultaneously, but it is a minor gripe. Other than that, no downsides to report so far. I noticed reviews suggesting water leak issues, and indeed this did happen to us with me filling the water container full and leaving it overnight.

I can only guess that the weight/pressure of the water on the valve at the base of the container is the problem, so I’ve filled to a lower level (it is a pleasingly big tank) and no repetition so far.

Another very minor gripe. I’d also have preferred a water filter included with the machine (oddly they provide a very smart steel milk jug, and de-scaling tablets, but no water filter!), but unsurprising JL had a number of them on the adjoining shelf for sale.

As for size – this machine is taller but less deep than its predecessor, and slots into a space in the corner of our kitchen beautifully. We don’t remove the tank to fill – only to clean, and top up with a jug meaning that the rear tank doesn’t cause us any issues.

The bean hopper adds height, but should sit relatively well under wall cupboards if you have them. As always, excellent service from the JL Cambridge team when choosing and buying our La Specialista.

Overall, and excellent coffee machine which we are thoroughly enjoying.

I wanted to LOVE this machine. Its extremely aesthetic, it looks great on the counter. unfortunately when purchasing this machine, you are mainly paying for the looks and name brand. If you are an actual coffee snob that wants to make barista quality drinks like I do, this may not be the machine for you.

The pressure of the machine does not allow a proper shot of espresso to be pulled when tamping down the grounds as you are supposed to do. I found if I tamp them at all, the water has a hard time getting through and it just turns into a slow drip, which creates a terrible tasting shot with none of the character of the beans.

Second, the steam wand: The steam wand is much too short to fit in any regular milk frothing vessel and does not allow much control at all. It inserts air in such a way that you never get the correct consistency of milk that you want.

I read that if you modify the machine with a bottomless portafilter and a non pressurized basket that It helps, and also taking apart the machine and upgrading the steam wand. I don’t want to have to modify the machine to make good coffee at this price point.

If you don’t actually care about good tasting espresso and just want a machine that spits out coffee and looks good on the counter, this machine might be okay for you. For me, it didn’t work.

I purchased this for both the look and the simplicity along with wanting a great cup of espresso. I’ve read some of the lower rated reviews and can tell you that I have had my espresso maker for over a year and still love it.

A few tips. Don’t over pack the coffee filter. I use the double scoop with the double dose setting. If you overpack with too much coffee you will get a slow dripping coffee and much less espresso. I use the Illy Robusto espresso and it delivers great depth and taste.

Don’t over pack with too much coffee. I have found the milk frother to work great with whole milk. I have tried all different types of milk, skim, 2%, whole, organic and even different brands of whole milk.

The best milk for frothing is the Horizon organ grass fed whole milk. It produces thick foam. You can adjust the amount of foam by how you froth such as less froth just keep the tip towards the top of the milk.

More frith start at the top part of the milk and then keep frothing further down towards the bottom. My daughter comes over for cappuccino almost every day and I just purchased her this for her holiday gift.

I would buy this again.

I was umming and raring for ages about whether to buy the Smeg milk frother or to go the whole hog and buy the espresso machine. I love great coffee! But our fab village coffee shop/bar closed due to Covid19 alas.

When I saw this gorgeous looking Smeg machine on sale (£30 cheaper than other retailers) I decided to invest. I have basic barista training and am so glad I do as the machine is not for beginners and I’ve had to read the manual several times especially to understand the advance settings which use the same 3 buttons! For the money that Smeg charge for this machine, it’s a pity they don’t give customers a free metal jug for milk frothing.

Also the measuring scoop/tamper is cheap flimsy plastic (not up to Smeg standard). Plus it’s easy to let the water container run dry as the cylinder is dark-tinted, making it hard to see the water line – these are the main reasons I did not award this machine 5-stars.

But all in all, it’s so good to have frothy cappuccinos once again (I’ve missed them!) and this Smeg machine frankly looks sleek and stunning with my other black and chrome kitchen gadgetry. It’s by far the most attractive machine on the market, in my view.

I was worried initially even after reading good reviews on the quality of the coffee, that this machine would be more a buzz because if its design than the quality. Very pleasantly surprised. The coffee is really good.

Well balanced. Good temperature options. It beats the coffee of most coffee places in London! And on par with the great baristas. The quality / price ratio is really good value in my opinion. Some reviews online also talk about the complexity of the setup.

I think that is over emphasised. It’s really not that complex and I am not particularly a patient person with electronics or tech. The good thing is that it gives you flexibility to adjust the temperature to your needs.

The machine also warms up fast. Easy to clean. Robust. May be a little hard to twist the coffee porta filter initially or if you put too much coffee in the filter cup. So need to have strong arms (then again I am petite).

But it’s just finding out the right quantity and I think it’s also because the machine is still very new. Waiting to see how the decalc function works, given I’m in london and the water is very hard.

Too soon to tell. Very happy with my purchase. I also bought it full price to get the colour I wanted and don’t regret it. I wish I allowed myself to have more than 1 coffee a day, as this is really worth it!.

I’ve had this machine since 2019 and generally use twice a day. I like the coffee it produces and it has a good milk frother. I do find it plays up now and again for no good reason and it’s been like this from very early on.

The double shot insert doesn’t work and I can’t fathom why. I generally use the same medium fine coffee and sometimes, again for no apparent reason, it won’t express the shot. It’s now doing the same intermittently with the single shot so may be on it’s way out.

I had a matching SMEG kettle which was expensive and lasted a fraction of the time compared to much cheaper kettles I’ve had. Got mixed feelings about replacing my SMEG coffee machine with the same make & model as although it produces nice, hot coffee, it is very temperamental and would liked it to have last longer than 2.

5 years.

It makes a good shot of espresso! I’ve had many of these, what I call “fancy coffee” machines. I paid more for some, less for others. I used to move often and it seemed every move, my fancy coffee machine would break and start leaking inside (probably due to freezing).

Well, now I’m settled permanently (I hope), so here I go again. This machine is still pretty new to me, and although I like the quick convenience of a “pod” type coffee maker, when I can devote a few minutes to crafting a really premium coffee beverage, this machine delivers.

The pros: looks nice, fairly sturdy build quality with lots of metal, heats up pretty quickly, recovers quickly between shots, really nice heavy high quality porta-filter, contains a VERY, VERY nice grinder that is precise and consistent as well as compatible with bean hoppers from Breville’s stand alone top-of-the-line grinders, handy inside filter storage and magnetic tamper storage, single and double wall filters supplied, nice ball-jointed frothing wand, but best of all this machine is VERY customizable.

Single and double-shot volume is adjustable, grind size and volume have lots of adjustment range (also manual volume control by holding the porta-filter in), brew temperature can be customized over a range of several degrees, and bean hoppers can be unlocked and removed (swapped) with beans still inside.

The frother works fine but I usually use a separate induction type frother. The cons (all very minor): It’s a little messy. It spits a little when brewing. To dispense a full dose into the porta-filter at my preferred grind setting (3), there’s some spill-over, even if I shake the handle a bit during the grind.

I don’t think this can be avoided in anything other than a super-automatic machine and I hate cleaning those things. I deal with this by reducing the grind volume by half, tamping it down, then grinding in the other half.

The porta-filter comes with a dual-outlet nozzle, but I never brew into two cups. Sometimes I want to brew into a very small cup, but the dual nozzles won’t both hit it. If you unscrew and remove the dual nozzle, the porta-filter won’t sit flat and level on its own while tamping.

This is a minor annoyance. It doesn’t have provision for a direct plumbed water supply (I know that’s a big ask, but it’s what I want). Overall: I love this machine. When I’m not using it, it sits there looking nice.

When I use it, I realize how good coffee can be. I hope it long outlasts its warranty.

Beautiful design, well built & functioning almost as required. A bit of a learning curve initially, especially when using mixed coffee bean types, as the grind setting takes some adjusting, before correct pressure/taste can be achieved.

Not as quiet as expected, as the milk frother works very fast & with high pressures. A good range of quality accessories, including single, double, dual walled baskets, a milk frother jug, tamper, scraper & cleaning equipment.

etc. What I’m befuddled about with these home coffee makers, is the energy required for a quick coffee! It has been recommended to warm up the system for 15 minutes beforehand(although actually, everything works within 30-40 seconds), but at what energy? & all for 2 cups? In a party/office situation, it might prove a better coffee to KW efficiency.

(incidentally, I can make a more energy efficient multicup turkish or italian gas-top coffee, with a $50 machine!. but is that too ‘old tech’ without the ‘bells & whistles’? The builtin grinder is really what we bought the Breville for.

It has multiple settings for Caps to Espressos & caters for the full variety of coffee beans. In the end I should’ve just bought the Breville grinder & coupled it with our ‘old school’ cooktop equipment.

this ‘New Kit’ doesn’t justify the energy, time & coffee wastage, nor make a noticeably better coffee!.

I REALLY wanted to love this espresso maker. After all, I saved a LONG time to be able to purchase one (mom of 3 daughters here) and after all my research convinced my husband THIS is the one I wanted and how I thought it would be worth the investment.

Sadly I have to say this is a HUGE disappointment!! I first got it April of 2021 in black truffle. Quickly the machine as much as I have tweaked every setting possible etc. kept leaving really wet pucks & making inconsistent shots, then it started not turning on and making a weird beeping sound instead, lastly the black finish was not sealed well because just from hand washing the tray with a soft no scrub sponge it kept getting chipped off just with warm water & soap?! forget brushing anything against it at all it just chips, it looked like I’ve had it for years after only a few months.

We searched over & over on the Best Buy website and months later we’re finally able to exchange it because they finally had one in stock! Well, the one we exchanged for the screen display is messed up, can’t save any of my preferences because the key board doesn’t work!! As well as this particular machine each thing I’m trying to click I have to try 1,2 or 3 times because the screen display is messed up (my last machine was sensitive and I only had to barely touch each thing) one of the reasons I went with this one and NOT the $699 breville espresso maker is because of the touch screen I thought was neat But it doesn’t work! Now just a few weeks later it is not turning on right away and makes the same beep noise the last one started making.

There doesn’t seem to be a machine at any of the surrounding stores or neighboring states near us so I cannot exchange it. My husband called Breville costumer service and they were not only rude (walking him through the trouble shooting and putting it back to factory settings) which was surprising?! We searched over & over on the Best Buy website and months later we’re finally able to exchange it because they finally had one in stock! Well, the one we exchanged for the screen display is messed up, can’t save any of my preferences because the key board doesn’t work! As well as this particular machine each thing I’m trying to click I have to try 1,2 or 3 times because the screen display is messed up (my last machine was sensitive and I only had to barely touch each thing) Now just a few weeks later it is not turning on right away and makes the same beep noise the last one started making.

There doesn’t seem to be a machine at any of the surrounding states near us so I cannot exchange it. My husband called Breville costumer service and they were not only rude (walking him through the trouble shooting and putting it back to factory settings) but said they only way to get a new one is to put a hold on our CC for the same amount over $1,100 to ship us a new one & it would take weeks, then we have to ship ours back to get the money back.

This is completely unacceptable and should be able to be done differently. Not everyone has that much money just hanging around able to put a hold like that on their funds. We are extremely disappointed at the “costumer service” we received from Breville As well as this being our second espresso maker from them in less than a year not working correctly.

but said they only way to get a new one is to put a hold on our CC for the same amount over $1,100 to ship us a new one & it would take weeks, then we have to ship ours back to get the money back. This is completely unacceptable and should be able to be done differently.

Not everyone has that much money just hanging around able to put a hold like that on their funds. We are extremely disappointed at the “costumer service” we received from Breville As well as this being our second espresso maker from them in less than a year not working correctly.

I got my Barista Touch espresso machine 1 month ago. I’ve had so many issues with it. – hot water is not hot! It’s just lukewarm. my americanos come out at 145 F on average. I can just drink the whole glass at once because it’s not hot.

I tried warming everything up by running the machine once without coffee, but not a whole lot difference. The highest I ever got to was 150 F. – The automatic frothing (which is the whole reason I got this machine) is miserably broken.

It only gives me a watery milk at the bottom, and lots of bubbles and foam over the top. None of that silky milk texture that you need in order to have a proper latte. Take a look at he photos, this is as good as the automatic frothing of the milk gets.

– The group head is misplaced and a little too high, I have to fill my portafilter with 22 grams of coffee (rather than 18) to have a proper puck. My friend got the same machine 2 weeks after this, and he doesn’t have these issues.

His americano is at 170 degrees, milk is always silky, and pucks are filled with exactly 18 grams of coffee. I have contacted them, but I haven’t felt the support that I was hoping for yet. I have done my homework and have dug deep into my issues, went as far as finding a similar machine to compare and make sure my concerns are valid.

But all I hear from the support is that different machine are different and I shouldn’t compare! We will be doing a video chat with the support to see if things can be fixed. I have a lot of Breville products and I considered them the best.

But this experience has changed my mind and I think I’ll have to switch to another brand.

We are thrilled with our purchase. Creates barista quality espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. Easy to use, can customize (and save) settings for longer or shorter grind, (same for the pull) as well as adjust the milk temperature.

The microfoam that it creates using the automatic feature is excellent (especially if you are into latte art). Don’t forget to use non-oily beans and wipe down the outside of the steam wand after you froth your milk (it will self purge to remove any milk that might have got into the wand) The grinder works great, though with the fineness of the grind, the ground coffee tends to overflow the portafilter before you can tamp it down.

To prevent the spillage, we purchased (online), a 54 mm dosing filter that attaches to the top of the portafilter when we grind our coffee. This has prevented any coffee from being wasted. The machine is not too tall and fits easily beneath our upper cabinets.

To make it easier to slide out and fill the containers (water, coffee bean), we used a thin plastic cutting board. We also love the look of the black truffle instead of plain stainless steel.

I bought this a couple of hours ago and went through the initial cleaning process which was pretty easy. Once that was done I tried my first cup and – this was my fault – it was weak. I think I brewed (I guess “pulled” is the right term for espresso) too much based on the amount of grounds I used.

After that I read that a single shot of espresso is an ounce, so, using the two-cup filter I added a bit more coffee grounds than before and pulled 1. 5 ounces into a measuring shot glass. I added a bit of soy milk and stirred (as you can tell, I’m not a connoisseur) and.

success! It tasted great, no sweetener needed. I may buy a second coffee maker for those times I want a full cup, but for espresso this thing seems pretty good. It’ll take a bit more maintenance than the old percolators of yore, but that’s the nature of espresso.

Mark me down as a happy customer. Hopefully things remain the same during the warranty period and beyond.

My Gaggia Classic was in the middle of its semi-annual boiler/solenoid unclogging and rebuild (a downside to the Classic by the way) so I bought a cheap used DeLonghi Stilosa just to have coffee in the meantime.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised. This little guy has an actual stainless steel boiler. (A few years ago cheap machines were all thermoblock, which could NEVER in my experience get the water to proper espresso tempterature).

I don’t really have a problem with a pressurized portafilter as long as the coffee machine gets the water to a proper brewing temperature. I pre-grind my coffee (a blend of dark roasted Starbucks beans and some Robusta for flavor and crema.

The key to pressurized is do NOT tamp. Just scoop and level and leave it loose — the brew will be more efficient and the pressurizing mechanism takes care of the flavor. The little aluminum portafilter actually works about as well as my Gaggia’s big thick brass one with the pressurized basket.

And it has two advantages over the Gaggia — it heats up in about 5 minutes instead of 20 minutes, and the pressurized mechanism dosn’t seem to get clogged. So basically — this is not a very pretty machine, it won’t impress anybody on your countertop.

But if all you care about is decent coffee when you wake up in the morning, this machine can do it. My Classic is a lovely, lovely piece of Italian machinery but I may sell it once I get it overhauled — it’s just too much work to keep it running.

Tldr More of a beginner machine and will best suit individuals who are learning or just getting into the home espresso game. More advanced users will still get probably the best bang for buck in the price range but may be frustrated by some of the more user-friendly design features aimed at more novice buyers.

Pro’s Machine has an elegant, aesthetically pleasing and sleek design. The features are intuitive and with a little bit of practice, you can pull surprisingly good shots. The grinder that comes with it feels good with almost identical quality grinding when compared to a Breville Smart Grinder pro.

The water reservoir is big enough, comes with a water filter (which is awesome) and a carry handle if you need to transport it for refilling. Con’s If you’re a bit more advanced with your coffee techniques, you might find some issues with upgrading certain parts.

While the machine does operate at a 9-bar pressure, the group head and 54mm portafilter make it hard to find 3rd party accessories for under $100-150 per part. The grinder and portafilter holder are a neat match, but to dose correctly requires a bit of tinkering and the grinder gets messy.

It is near impossible to remove the portafilter after a full dose has been ground without making a decent mess all over your machine. The steaming is great for new coffee people as it’s slow, forgiving and gives you some time to adjust your wand to get the right effect and angle.

More advanced users will find the steam time and pressure slow and weak. The tamper is horrendous. It is lightweight, cheap and the head is coarse and frequently disturbs the top of your puck as you remove the tamper from the portafilter.

Upgrade immediately. Pro tip Machine has a tough time extracting lighter roasts. True medium/light roasts require a very fine grind which often causes the machine to choke your shot. If you still want to use a lighter roasted coffee, preheat your portafilter head with boiling water, grind finer than you would for a medium/dark roast, and aim for a 30-34 second drop time.

Ensure the machine has the water temperature set to its highest setting too.

The Breville BaristaPRO is good for the espresso connoisseur who wants the hands on experience of being a barista at home. This machine is not for one who wants a latte by the push of a button or without any effort.

The grind settings are a challenge to perfect. After a few weeks of intermittent use, I am still experimenting with the settings, and I expect to always need to make adjustments. The flavor and consistency of the espresso likely varies on the beans of choice, and are on par with the professional grade equipment in coffee shops.

If you have been a barista with a fully manual machine – this will feel small and lightweight. I insert/remove the portafilter with my right hand and hold the machine with my left, otherwise I push it all over the counter.

The knob for the steam setting is interesting, and the steam is not instant. And of course the machine does not get as hot. Cleaning is a little different than what I learned at work. Overall, a good buy.

If between the Pro and non-Pro versions, I would try the non-Pro. I purchased this one only because of a promotion that sadly 🙁 wasn’t even recognized. The hassle of returning such a large item is the reason I will keep this one and not return for the non-Pro.

My family and friends LOVE that I have this and can make them drinks anytime. I no longer am a barista by trade, but this machine takes me back and is fun to have. Hint: know where you are putting this thing before you bring it home.

Find a cardboard box or something of similar dimensions and get a feel for the size on your counter.

During an epidemic, going out early in the morning to buy a cup of coffee can sometimes be a luxury. So after thinking about it for a while, I decided to buy this espresso machine. After all, this machine is not cheap either.

After two years of using it, I don’t think I can live without it anymore. Making my own cappuccino every morning has become part of my routine! Due to the excellent heating capacity of this machine, I can make a cup of espresso in 15 seconds and I can finish a cappuccino in 3 minutes.

Due to the amazing heating speed of this machine, I can fill up a cup of hot water for tea in 10 seconds. This machine is extremely novice-friendly, and the instructions detail how you can make an almost perfect cup of espresso by adjusting the grinding and brewing time of the coffee beans.

If you are an experienced person, it will only take you a few minutes to become proficient in how to use this machine. The problem with this machine is also that you have to readjust the grinding and brewing time of the beans after you change them.

For example, if I want a decaffeinated drink in the evening, I need to pour out all the coffee beans, replace them with decaffeinated beans, and then adjust the grind and brew time. This process can take me up to 15 minutes.

It would be nice if this machine had a memory button, so that each time I only need to change the beans. If you’re still on the fence, imagine how nice it is when you need a coffee drink that can be made in just a few minutes.

I love this machine today but it was even more of a hassle than I expected. My husband and I frequently go out for coffee but have high standards for espressos and cappuccinos and they just weren’t being met even at the best coffee shops near us.

We decided we were ready to put in the work to have an espresso that didn’t taste like a shot of lemon juice. We watched a million videos, read the manual and 4 hours into the machine we had pulled shot after shot and it wasn’t any better than the typical coffee shop; plus I was ready to chuck the whole machine into a wall, it was so frustrating.

I would have given up there, but my husband pushed forward for another probably 3 hours. Eventually he got a beautifully balanced espresso out of it. I was floored. Now we didn’t get any subtle tasting notes out of it, but it tasted like coffee smells instead of pure citrus acid, beautifully roast-y and strong.

This is without a grinder or special beans! Just pre-ground, $6. 99 Lavazza espresso. His tips are: throw the pressurized portafilter out. It clogs, it’s picky about the grind and even though it’s supposed to be a “cheat” it’s not any easier to work with.

Start without a grinder so you don’t have to mess with too many variables (unless of course you already know what you’re doing). The pressure is high on this machine so use your steam wand as a vent to slow the flow down.

You need to temperature surf so watch some videos about that. My tips are: be (or marry) someone with a scientific, focused, patient mind or get used to bad coffee. Hard work alone will not get this machine to pump out the good stuff, you have to actually understand what you are doing.

Purchased the Gaggia CP polar white This semi-auto machine is easy to use, makes an impeccable espresso for an entry level machine, always have a reference with videos and customer service will happily answer questions even after your purchase.

I do regret that the bundle service did not include the BWT best cup water filtration as a choice; matter-of-fact there was nothing to check in that section therefore I did not think it important. I found an older video that showed the importance of this one item for the life of the machine.

I pulled several shots before I narrowed my issue with bitterness due to the water quality from my refrigerator filtered water; all these years thinking that my filter was helping to only see it hindered a quality espresso.

Please consider picking up a BWT water filtration pillow or the best cup in tank kit especially if you haven’t watched every video on this machine by the time you commit to purchasing it. I will also add: I had a choice like every consumer on who I wanted to purchase an espresso machine from and actively chose WLL.

They are over 2000 from me. There are much closer coffee gear shops considering I am in the Pacific North-Wet(yes it is very wet here)and a stones throw from Seattle. None of the local or even closer businesses compared to WLL customer service.

My journey to enjoy and experience coffee in my own home started in 2020, like so many of you taking the time to read this review. I just did not jump on the first machine or company peddling a deal.

I am grateful I waited, took the time to learn and watch darn near every WLL video. You don’t have to wait, you can trust you are making a wise purchase with WLL. And if you have read this far, thank you.

Here’s to your next cup of coffee!.

If you are looking to make one small latte, this machine is for you. If you want to make 2 or more I would look elsewhere. My wife and I start out the day each with a latte that I make. We have a Breville that has served us well as an entry level machine.

When we bought a unit for our up north home we wanted a “better” unit for making coffee for us and friends that visit. Even thought about learning latte art, which this machine is advertised to do. What we didn’t know is this is not the machine to make more then one latte.

It will make multiple lattes, if you have all morning and want to watch your friends on the deck drinking coffee while you waste time in front of the machine. The machine is extremely inefficient, there is only enough steam for about a minute.

I reached out to support and they gave me conflicting responses. First I was told there is not enough water in steamer to make steam for two cups and it doesn’t refill on its own. So if you want to make a second cup, you have to clear all the steam and re-prime the steam reservoir.

That is contrary to the specs on the machine which advertises “Brew Boiler Auto Refill. ” What I was told I had to clear all the steam out of the machine, if you don’t, you will burn the coffee on your second latte.

So according to support they told me I had to reprime the machine between cups of milk I steam. I was instructed this is done by putting all three buttons down till you get water out of the steam wand.

You have to have an empty cup to catch the steam/water which blows all over (because it is mostly air) until the boiler cools and water comes out. Then you have to wait for the water to heat to make your latte.

If that isn’t enough, then you have to wait again for the steam to heat for you to steam your milk. I tried to bypass this by brewing the second shot of espresso right after the first, but when you try to steam both cups, there is not enough steam to steam the second latte’s milk.

If you want more then one latte, don’t schedule anything for the morning. Then I received an updated response from support refuting all the “prime” the machine approach. I was told the machine is operating fine and that what I was told to do was a only a test of the machine for a blockage.

What was really frustrating I was told that my expectation of brewing two lattes for my wife and I was “unrealistic with this machine. ” Here is the exact quote; “That all being said, every unit does have its limits and we do routinely deal with expectations that are unrealistic for any given unit.

” Ironic, on their sales video for the machine where they brew a small latte they never explain that making 2 lattes is an “unrealistic” “expectation. ” Maybe that is why they “routinely” deal with “unrealistic” expectations complaints.

The second major issue is the wand/machine height. I have a small steaming pitcher for one latte. With the machine on the counter you have to tip the pitcher to get it under the wand. That is fine before the milk is steamed.

After you steam the milk it is nearly impossible to get the pitcher out from under the wand without spilling milk/micro foam. Worse yet is the milk goes under the machine making it difficult to clean.

So I had to purchase a base to elevate the machine. The brew height is also very short. So it is hard to get your espresso shot cup under the wand. It is also not the best at making micro foam for latte art.

My Breville is better. One of the big problems if you run out of steam before you hit 140 degrees, you get bubbles from air from the wand because the machine ran out of steam. Completely messes up the micro foam for latte art.

On the positive side, It does brew a nice espresso shot, but that is about all. If you drink coffee alone or are retired and have nothing to do with your mornings, this machine may work for you. If you enjoy brewing a couple espressos to sit and enjoy them with your partner or friends, look for a different machine.

Also beware of the well done review videos. They are sales videos that will not help you make a good decision on an espresso machine.

I’ve owned this machine for three years now and I’ve learned that there are five additional steps you need to take if you want really good coffee. First: brush the filter basket clean after each espresso.

A toothbrush is great for this (I actually have an old Braun Oral-B electric toothbrush that I keep alive solely for this role). You have to pop the basket out of the porto and brush both the inside and outside surface of the basket (I keep an extra teaspoon handy, to lever out the basket).

If you don’t do this, the basket perforations clog with old grounds, and the draw will extend too long. Second: rinse and brush the water-outlet sieve that is located in the underside of the upper porto bracket on the machine.

I run a single shot of hot water through the sieve and clean the perforations with the aforementioned electric toothbrush. Third: pre-heat the porto. This machine reaches running temperature incredibly quickly (friends with a machine by a fancy Italian brand need to wait two minutes for the machine to heat up).

This is great, of course, but it means the porto and sieve might be so cool that they rob your water of heat energy when you run your shot. So, before the first shot, and after cleaning the basket and the top sieve (see above), I insert the porto and run a shot of hot water through it to bring it up to temperature.

Fourth: if you use the double-shot basket as standard, as I do, then when you use the grinder, you might find it less messy to firstly grind a single-shot amount of beans, and then compact the grinds into the basket (it’s best to use a tamp that is slightly smaller than the supplied tamp), before then grinding another single shot and compacting a second time using the supplied tamp.

Without this intermediate compacting, the pile of grinds tends to overflow the basket, which is not only messy but also a waste. I do not use the plastic porto holder when grinding: it is not properly centred and it leads to more waste and mess.

I just tap the activator button with the porto’s foremost tab, and then lower the porto to sit directly under the grinder outlet, where I can see it and position it correctly. Fifth – and this is the step that has most improved my experience of this machine, although it’s also the most bothersome – figure out a way of improving the leverage on the steam/hot water knob.

I found it just too tight and unergonomic, especially considering its role as an actuator for scalding hot steam. I ended up drilling two tiny holes through the solid plastic grip and screwing on a wooden lever, which I created by cutting off the handle of a kitchen spoon.

It was a lot of effort but it makes it infinitely easier to turn the steam on and off. I used a fine drill bit to make the holes in the plastic knob, and also a Dremel grinder to shape the wooden handle to fit the contours of the plastic knob, and a pair of metal fasteners (nut and bolt) to firmly attach the two.

I attach a couple of photos – which, I now realise, make the wooden lever appear totally phallic but that is really not intentional.

This is a machine which belies its size and also its very reasonable price. I bought the Sage to replace a DeLonghi La Specialista which had barely lasted two years, and fed up with spending a lot on coffe machines I chose to go down a step and go for the Sage Bambino Plus to pair alongside a Sage Grinder Pro.

I chose the new ‘Sea Salt’ colour scheme given the £70 price differential over the stainless steel version, and as per my previous orders from Harts it was delivered in lightning quick time! The machine itself is a doddle to use straight out of the box, but the key to this, alongside any other espresso machine, is to spend time and waste beans to get it pouring exactly as you want it.

I’m not a hobbyist Barista, far from it, but I did spend a couple of hours fiddling with grind settings in my grinder to get the Bambino Plus (B+) to extract espresso as I personally like it, and with this time well spent on my second day of ownership the B+ is pouring some terrific results already, certainly way, way ahead of anything I ever acheived from the considerably more expensive DeLonghi.

One other customisable trick is to set the length of pour you want on one of the two coffee buttons – it is super easy to do, needs a couple of goes with a stopwatch and a measuring jug or shot glass, but once set it is set and the machine helpfully remembers it for you.

I like a 60ml double espresso and that is exactly what I am now acheiving. The other HUGE advantage is the milk system. It is in some respects ‘fire and forget’ insofar as the helpful temperature sensor on the (rather too small but hey ho) drip tray means you can just insert the wand into the jug, set it down, and wait for the results.

Manual steaming control is also there, but so far, I’ve not gone manual once. The present temperature offers are spot on for my needs, (three lights for a machiato/cortado, two lights for a latte to drink now or three for a large latte to enjoy over the course of an hour or so), and the microfoam levels seem fine on the two light setting, even to the point where I’ve started a bit of latte art, not that I’m terribly good at it as the previous machine simply didn’t give the chance to try it.

So milk is super easy and very satisfying too! Overall, I’m incredibly impressed. For a machine at this price point save paying more for something else and just get it. It so far is producing incredible results and I’m sure they’ll only improve with use and my growing familiarity with the Bambino Plus.

I’ve had a Bambino Plus for almost a year now, and it’s only very recently I’ve been able to get decent espresso out of it. I’ve paired it with the Smart Grinder Pro and have really struggled to get the right grind/dose and have yet to get anything even drinkable from lighter roast so called “third wave” beans.

The above is down to me, what isn’t is some of the poor design around this machine. Firstly as others have pointed out the cleaning cycle lockup is irritating in the extreme. Yes, I should probably think to clean it every week and avoid this, but also yes, life is too short.

Since I assume it also counts as shots running water through to clean the portafilter between shots, the 200 shots between cleaning cycles drops rapidly, and when you just want to have a quick coffee before going to work it’s intensely frustrating to have the machine lock up.

By all means nag, but have it operate similar to descaling and allow it easily be dismissed while nagging every time the machine wakes up. Worse is the leaky drip tray. The machine vents at the back and regardless of how well the drip tray is seated, there’s always some leakage onto the counter top.

I’ve tried lots of things to sort this out to very limited success. I’d opened a ticket with support, but the result of that was mainly telling me to attach the drip tray properly. This seems to be a fairly widespread problem from internet searches.

The drip tray is also miniscule and by the time the red float thing registers that it needs emptied, it’s usually so full it’s trick to remove never mind get to the sink without spilling. Others have pointed out the incorrect cleaning instructions in the manual.

Lastly the portafilter. Why? What was wrong with the traditional spout style one used in the Barista Express? My sister in law has one of these and it works fine. But no, the portafilter here is a solid cast thing with two holes and a plastic insert which I suppose is to channel the coffee.

In practice one hole or the other usually end up with coffee coming out when the other hole drips – pulling 2 shots at the same time is next to impossible. It also tends to not flow straight down, but will spray around and because of the distance between portafilter and the drip tray, using a normal espresso cup won’t have good results – I have to put mine on an upturned plastic bowl to minimise splatter.

I’d started out giving it a 3 star review, but realised how much the aggregated list above actually annoys me. It’s a shame as otherwise it’s a nice machine – compact, looks good alongside the grinder, and is capable of decent results given the right beans.

The machine is very fussy about beans. I understand this is due to the fixed 93 C brew temperature. This replaces a Gaggia Classic, which has been mothballed while I decide on repairs. I loved the Gaggia and I had my favourite beans and grind settings for that machine.

The beans that worked well on the Gaggia produce terrible coffee on the Bambino: poorly extracted and sour. Not wishing to push a particular brand, if you search online you can find recommendations for beans that will work with this machine.

Or even, as I just found out, go to the Sage run beanz. com website, which probably has beans that work, but not the particular beans I found. With suitable beans I was able to return to the grind settings that worked for me on the Gaggia (3 on my trusty 24 year old Gaggia MDF grinder).

This is very subjective but I feel the coffee is still not quite as good as the Gaggia Classic. The automatic milk brother is better than I expected. It is not quite as good as I was able to get with my Gaggia (modified with a Rancilio wand), but it is acceptable.

The milk frother is amazingly powerful. In fact it is too powerful and I find it difficult to control it well enough to produce proper microfoam: I suspect it is capable of producing microfoam, but I need to work at it.

After seeing reviews I was prepared to buy non-pressurised baskets, but I was pleased to find that it comes with both pressurised and non-pressurised double and single baskets. I think you only need to use the pressurised baskets if you have rubbish coffee beans and/or grind.

I was surprised to find that it comes with a built-in filter. They advise you replace the filters every 3 months. They seem to be readily available at about £8 to £9 each. Because we live in such a hard water area I also only fill the device with Brita filtered water.

Even with Brita filtered water I found I needed to descale the Gaggia every 2 or so months. I will still descale the Bambino every couple of months, but the extra filter will probably provide extra protection.

The problem with scale is that tiny holes in espresso machines can be blocked (in particular the solenoid valve on the Gaggia). The tamper provided is rubbish. But at least you have something until you order a decent replacement.

It comes with a non-standard filter 54 mm basket, so even if you have a tamper it is likely you need to buy a new tamper. I bought a 53 mm tamper which is perfect. This is a good machine, but I think if you’re splashing out this kind of money, you’d be better spending a tiny bit more and getting a Gaggia Classic, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be stocked by John Lewis.

Very happy with my new machine. I’ve had it for a month now. After watching about 40 videos on YouTube about every Breville coffee machine and a few competitors, I decided on the Breville Barista Touch machine.

It is a perfect size machine that doesn’t overly dominate my kitchen counter. The warm up time is crazy fast and I love the pre-programming of drinks. The machine is quick and simple to use and clean.

I love the smell of fresh coffee ground, so it is an extra pleasure to smell it as I’m making my coffee. The machine is not as noisy as I thought it would be which I am very pleased about. I actually own the Breville “milk cafe” milk frothing machine which I do still use.

The micro foam is amazing with the “milk cafe” machine and sadly even with the Barista Touch machine foam setting dialled right up it isn’t as creamy a result as the “Milk Cafe” machine. Having said that my husband drinks his coffee with Almond Milk and the Barista Touch does a better job frothing that than using my other machine.

So I do still use both depending on who I’m making coffee for. I’m fairly confident to say that my milk foam preference is fussier “maximum foam” than most folks. The drip tray is easy enough to empty although I’m perplexed as to why it has shapes and grooves, which requires a smaller brush to get into the grooves and clean.

My old machine drip tray was a straight forward rectangular shape. The Barista Touch makes a consistently good coffee time after time.

This is the first proper espresso machine I have ever bought and I don’t regret it! Overall, I am pretty happy with this machine. As a doctor working shift work, I rely quite readily on coffee and this machine actually makes it easier to get up out of bed in the morning knowing i’m only minutes away from that liquidy goodness.

Also, it is saving me money as the coffee at home now tastes better than my local coffee shops. I was quite hesitant to commit but a big seller for me was the touch screen (which works fine) as well the ability to save your custom settings under you own name.

Upon purchasing, my first impression out of the box was the mavine looks very nice and compact to sit out on the kitchen bench. Saved space as I don’t need a separate grinder now. Be warned though, if you are a novice like me with no real experience making espressos (just tasting them), you may really struggle, as I did, to find the optimum grind and brewing settings to achieve the “ideal” extraction time.

Despite having the side dial set to the finest setting and tamping to the max, it kept under extracting (running too fast). After a frustrating 2hrs, half a kilo of beans and re-reading the manual a few times, I finally found the second adjustment point at the top of the grinder; which does invole emptying and removing the bean holder to adjust (the process of which is identified nicely in the manual, though it wasn’t immediately clear which direction to turn this dial as the arrow in the book points the opposite way that you want to turn it for the desired effect).

After figuring this out and experimenting with grind time, tamping pressure and brew time etc. and watching a few youtube videos (I’m basically a Barista myself now), I found the perfect settings for my coffee beans which I now have saved under a personalised icon and can now make a great coffee, consisently, with ease in less than a couple of minutes.

Other positives, is it pretty much instantly ready to use upon turning on and is quieter than expected when on startup and when grinding In regards to milk frothing, the automatic function works perfectly, creating that microfoam thay makes you feel like growing a manbun and the customisable temperature and froth control is ideal for the whole family.

If you already are a pro and like to manually froth the milk you can do this too. My biggest complaint with this machine is that it seems too light as the whole machine moves on the bench when attaching the porta filter to the point it requires me to use my other hand to steady the machine whilst doing this.

(Some rubber foot grips under the machine would be an ideal addition to oppose this from happening). I have since put a rubber matt under mine but to limited effect. I’m hoping the stiffness of attaching the porta filter relaxes with time and this will go away.

Also you can’t fit anything bigger than an average size mug under it which you can work around with shot glasses if you want to fill that grande sized travel mug for your sleepy drive to work in the morning Overall, I highly recommend this machine and I think its great value.

It even impressed my family who are big coffee snobs. Particularly with its simplicity, consistency, customisation, and minimal mess. One of my family members was even a bit jealous that it rivals their espresso machines which cost more than twice as much.

I have had the Breville Barista Pro for about 4 weeks now and am very happy with it! This is the first espresso machine I have ever purchased, so I was a bit nervous about getting a machine that would be too complex for me to use and dial-in.

I watched countless videos and reviews about various brands and machines and I ultimately settled with this one due to the friendly user interface (again. this is my first machine). I was worried that I would have trouble dialing-in a good shot, but it really only took me a few tries to get this set up to where I was relatively happy with the espresso.

I have been tweaking things little by little since then, and have been very pleased with the results. I’ve come to realize that owning your own espresso machine means that we have to be committed to making adjustments from time to time, but I think that is part of the fun of making your own drinks at home.

The quality of the machine is top-notch and it is straight-forward to use. With all the color options, I was afraid I would pick “the wrong one”, but I ended up purchasing the “black truffle” to match my kitchen decor and it is beautiful.

I thought the black might look too “plasticky”, but it definitely does not! The black and stainless steel are gorgeous together. Everything about the machine oozes of quality and design. So far, everything has worked as advertised and I couldn’t be more pleased.

I purchased this machine primarily from reviews online and from friends who have had Breville coffee machines. We replaced a Saeco Magic which we had for 15years, which we loved for its simplicity, ease and function.

So these were very important factors for us in deciding on our next machine. I was leaning towards another Italian brand but after reading so many reviews and watching youtube videos on Barista Express (the model our friends also owned), we settled on the Barista Pro, expecting it to be similar, just an updated model with a couple of new features.

After having the unit now for a couple months, we can say we are very happy with the decision although there was certainly some teething issues in the beginning which almost had me wanting to return it.

Dialling in the coffee, was straight forward and after a few attempts, we got this to a taste level that suited our preferences. Frothing the milk proved to be far more trickier than I had expected. We are soy milk drinkers, specifically BonSoy, which is used in cafes everywhere.

However i found it incredibly difficult to froth this milk without overheating /burning it with this unit. I watched youtube videos, called the Breville customer care line , which I must say gave me the most ridiculous answer.

They said that ‘non’dairy” milks are difficult to froth using this machine, to make sure the milk is very cold and even suggested to keep the frothing jug in the fridge as well, so that the milk didn’t get to temperature before it could froth.

Even with this advise it didn’t work. The advice just didn’t seem right, as baristas everywhere use this milk in more powerful machines. As i said, I did consider sending it back but persisted a few more days.

After watching an excellent video by Kat Esclamado (on frothing non dairy milk using the Breville express) and using my non-Breville supplied frothing jug (perhaps its the metal it is made of?) I was able to produce perfect micro foam and achieve perfect milk temperature.

Perhaps it was also getting used to a new machine / brand and the machine itself settling in, that made the difference. So I can say we are now friends with our Barista Pro and very happy with the quality and coffee it produces.

A few things to note: the machine has an auto switch off function, which means to turns off after 20min, this actually doesn’t heat the elements or the top of the unit where you keep cups, so the first coffee of the day requires you running hot water through the unit and in the cups to warm them up before extracting the coffee.

Overall, it’s an easy unit to use with all the functionality most people will ever need in a home coffee machine. I enjoy having the grinder as part of the unit as it saves space on our counter top. You get all the accessories you need and more.

Its features stand strong against the similarly priced Italian brands.